Disney's CARIBBEAN BEACH RESORT Information & Questions

For all the negative recent talk about CBR, I have to just reiterate that we LOVE CBR. Background is that we have been AP holders off and on (mostly on) since 2013. Family of 5 meant as girls got older stayed off site. In a trip May 2016 (before construction) D9 I stayed at CBR for the first time there in May 2016. Years before had stayed at Pop, at other moderates, but I loved CBR. I was then fortunate enough to book with the gift card deal a trip with my parents in May 2017. They loved it too. Peril of doing trips with one child I then did a trip with my next daughter. Still loved CBR. Our family of 5 went again in November 2017 and stayed off site at WH as we had many times in the past. It was a good trip but not great. I was able to use credit card points and stayed at CBR again end of January in 2 rooms. It was an awesome trip where DH and I came back more relaxed than in the past and the girls (11,9,7 had a room of their own) came back closer and more loving than they had in a long time.

I booked a bounceback and we stay there again in May. When this whole pay for parking nonsense opened up I had a brief thought of running the numbers again of staying at 2 rooms on the bounceback versus staying off site in a WH townhome. Despite the financial difference we decided that all the intangible reasons of staying in the bubble at CBR meant it was worth it to pay more. My family of 5 all wanted to stay there. I don’t like value resorts and others are too expensive. For us right now CBR is the perfect fit. For me the construction means free coffee in the island markets and an overall more relaxed vibe by everyone. I don’t know if we will make it down again before the AP’s expire, but as a possibility (and me also being cheap and not wanting to pay for parking) I just booked a room there again in September.

I usually stay at Saratoga Springs Resort as you can see from the list below, but that’s because there are usually 5 or more in the villa.
We’ve chosen CBR this time as it’s just the 2 of us, on our last SSR trip we visited nearly all of the resorts in 1 day to see where we’d go if it were just us 2 and we liked CBR (my partners family are from Barbados).
Having researched, as best we could, the construction impact, we went ahead and booked and have found no reason, thanks to the objective posters here, to change those plans.
 
believing Disney's posted construction timeline is like believing a weather man in central pa .They're never right and always behind schedule. Does anyone remember the 7DMT fiasco or how about years and years ago when TT opened two years late? Basing a stay off of a known construction time just seems a little goofy to me (no pun intended). CBR is a great resort. Sorry about your timing. I stay at cbr just about every year but went to por because of the situation and knew the risk was greater than the reward

Maybe stupid of me, but them always being behind schedule with building work doesn’t make it ok.

When someone books expecting a facility to be open (as per disneys announcements...yes a date isn’t on my booking but a great big banner on their property and an announcement on their blog is pretty official) and then find out no it isn’t so we’ll just lie and pretend we never even said it would be open in August you can expect them to be disappointed.

Exactly the same situation as we were in last year and the same situation many on here were last year who accepted (in many cases double) compensation from Disney to stay at a resort with closed facilities.

Disney being unreliable with timescales is no excuse for them feeling it’s no longer necessary to offer compensation or moves to other resorts.
 
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It hadn’t actually occurred to me that food from the tent could be ‘take out’. That might be something I’d try to speed things up before getting to the parks.
How is that achieved? Plates with covers or something else?

Yes they have to go containers available. I think they were the styrofoam ones with attached lids.
 
Checked in 3/11/18 and Checked out 3/14/18 with 2 adults and 1 12y.o.

We were in Trinidad South in a pirate room, building 34 in a second floor and corner room (both requested by phone about 45 days out).

We had everything about our stay go great! I do realize that we might be rare in our expectations and details of how we stayed at CBR.

My experience is really limited to Trinidad South and 2 quick trips at night to the Customs House using our rental car. I drove right past all the rest of the resort in the car, or on the bus for 3/12 and 3/13 mid day breaks. Trinidad South was very quiet in both construction sound and other people, we hardly knew there was work being done or really if anybody else was staying there. That was a huge positive over staying at the crowded and bustling value resorts! Another big positive was the cast members at CBR being eager to help and interact beyond expectations. The Trinidad South property and buildings were mostly beautiful (Spyglass Grill at the pool was still being finished up) and you basically don't notice any of the other construction even at the "beach" area.

The actual pirate room was themed perfectly. Not having a queen size bed didn't matter for us, and the bed itself was very comfortable. The fridge is definitely a negative, it's very small in it's depth and doesn't get very cold when full. Also it's very unclear which way is even how to make it coldest. Layout, size, and cleanliness of the room was good. The heavy curtain separating the bedroom from the "sink and closet" room, and then a door from the "shower and toilet" from that was great for having an assembly line for the getting ready in the morning process. Huge HDTV for the limited time to even watch TV. Overall we loved the room for our situation and reduced cost, and once the resort is finished I would consider booking it under normal planning for specials and deals. Full booking rate would have me looking at other options.

Below is probably an unnecessary detailed breakdown, but maybe it will help someone in their planning. :earsboy:

I was fully aware of the condition of the resort after a year of research lurking these boards and all the other sources of info out there. Normally the pirate rooms are overpriced and far away from everything else, but for our stay it was fine for a few reasons. First were normal discounts we found and also pairing up with gift card promo deals and unused gift cards, so when all combined it made it about the same price as staying at a value resort. Second was the fact that Trinidad South is pretty well separated from the heavy construction in both sight and sound (except for driving past it to get in and out of the resort) even though we were basically not going to be at the resort while the parks were open. Third we had no plans to use any of the pools or temporary food and shopping areas. Fourth is a minor consideration and bonus in the actual theme of the pirate room, in that all 3 of us love everything Pirates of the Caribbean and the ride was still closed during our stay.

The first thing was 60 days before our arrival I did the online check-in and paid the full balance for our stay. About 45 days out I called up to make sure I had requests in for second floor priority and corner if possible. Before our plane even took off for MCO I already had an email and text that my room was ready with the room number so I could bypass the front desk. We rented a car from the airport so no Disney Magical Express to the front desk and then getting to the room by cart, bus, foot.

We landed and got our rental car at the airport, on the road to WDW by 7pm on Sunday 3/11. Made a quick stop at Winn Dixie near property to get some snacks for bags, easy breakfast stuff, bottled water, and beer (Sweetwater 420, yum). Since we weren't going to be using the food tent for breakfast our plan was quick bites in the room/car before doing rope drop, then a treat in the parks between lunch. Worked great for us all 3 mornings. We then drove over to the Poly beach to watch 8:55pm HEA and have dole whips. Finally got to our room around 11pm.

Rope drop Animal Kingdom for resort guest extra hours Monday 3/12, so out of the resort well before construction hours. We took the rental car and had resort guest free parking, which at that hour is way up front. Left the car in our spot and took the bus back to the room for a break for a couple hours mid day. Easy to find where to catch the CBR bus and waited 5 minutes for the on-time bus. A few stops at other buildings before ours wasn't an issue. No construction noise inside the room, or even outside, and we were on the north side of Trinidad South. Waited 5 minutes for the on-time bus back to Animal Kingdom. Dusk at Animal Kingdom, then a few hours at Hollywood Studios and Boardwalk before back to CBR for a stroll around quiet and peaceful Trinidad South.

Rope drop Epcot Tuesday 3/13 with regular morning hours but resort guest extra hours at night. Again up front for parking and using the bus for break mid day. The wait for the bus was 15 minutes and the 2 groups before us said they had been waiting about 10 after a couple minutes after walking up and chatting with them. Again quiet and barely notice other guests or construction outside around Trinidad South. Less than 5 minute wait for bus back to Epcot. After late hours at Epcot, then a payment of Magicband charges to the room at the Customs House, we did another stroll around Trinidad South and didn't see a guest or cast member.

Wednesday 3/14 we slept in a bit and didn't make the 8am regular rope drop. Automatic check-out with no balance after a visit the night before made it easy to park at the TTC and catch a Monorail or Ferry. Still ended up in and looking at floral Mickey and the beautiful Main Street Station before 9:30. No breaks until 1am and then said "see ya later" to WDW after a magical trip.

The crowds were extreme at the parks with prime Spring Break numbers while we had our stay at CBR, despite that it ended up being a nice reprieve with proper planning and expectations.
Thanks for the details! We have a split stay in May (Poly/CBR/POR) and your Disney style sounds just like ours (right down to the Sweetwater 420!)
 


Thanks for the details! We have a split stay in May (Poly/CBR/POR) and your Disney style sounds just like ours (right down to the Sweetwater 420!)

I think doing our stay at most of the other parts of CBR property would have gone in a similar way as Trinidad South. It definitely only works for certain types of people and plans. Someone expecting Poly lite is going to be disappointed right now.

If Epcot Flower and Garden is still going on while you're there, Sweetwater Coastal IPA is at the Pineapple Promenade!
 
It hadn’t actually occurred to me that food from the tent could be ‘take out’. That might be something I’d try to speed things up before getting to the parks.
How is that achieved? Plates with covers or something else?

Yeah, they give you a plastic container and you can fill it up and take it back to your room. Fill your pockets with a couple of cereal packets for the kids. Fill the refillable cup with milk for the cereal and you're good to go.

We're not big breakfast eaters, so this works out fine for us and then we use the dining plan credits to have something more substantial for lunch and dinner.
 
I think doing our stay at most of the other parts of CBR property would have gone in a similar way as Trinidad South. It definitely only works for certain types of people and plans. Someone expecting Poly lite is going to be disappointed right now.

If Epcot Flower and Garden is still going on while you're there, Sweetwater Coastal IPA is at the Pineapple Promenade!
I love the Goin' Coastal! Not expecting Poly lite. We honeymooned in the Bahamas, so I'm looking forward to CBR on it's own merits. I love walking around the resort grounds and I tend to be pretty laid back and adaptable, so I think we'll be fine. Thanks for the tips!
 


Hello all, just booked CBR for 12/5-12/11 thinking everything would be done by then (not the gondola and Riviera obviously) but just saw the first page that said they're running behind and probably won't be done. How scared should I be? I have a 3 year and a 1 year old so not sure how much I should fear not having the dining options available. The price obviously made this affordable so I'm grateful, but I was hopeful for the shops and whatnot being done. Thanks
 
Hello all, just booked CBR for 12/5-12/11 thinking everything would be done by then (not the gondola and Riviera obviously) but just saw the first page that said they're running behind and probably won't be done. How scared should I be? I have a 3 year and a 1 year old so not sure how much I should fear not having the dining options available. The price obviously made this affordable so I'm grateful, but I was hopeful for the shops and whatnot being done. Thanks

I’m afraid you can’t expect a straightforward answer; many here will tell you to stay because they feel CBR still has a lot to offer, some with kids, some without. Some will suggest alternative resorts because they don’t fancy CBR while the Centertown work is ongoing and a few will tell you to run for the hills because life won’t be worth living without half gallon bottles of milk in the temporary village markets.

I fall in the first camp, though I’m not bringing kids. It will be my first trip next month and midway through the construction I’ve had no illusions about things being anywhere near complete (though Spy Glass Grille opening before I go is a bonus).

All I can suggest is research the resort and its amenities during the construction, this thread has a lot of useful info on page 1. YouTube has many useful videos on the subject.

Should you be scared? No.
Should you fear not having Dining options available? No, because there are options available.
Are they going to be to your liking? Only you can answer that.
If the prospect of monitoring the resort until you arrive to see if Centertown might reopen by then isn’t something you can face, then I think they become rhetorical questions.

Not the yes/no answer you may have been hoping for, but it’s my honest opinion given your questions.
 
Hello all, just booked CBR for 12/5-12/11 thinking everything would be done by then (not the gondola and Riviera obviously) but just saw the first page that said they're running behind and probably won't be done. How scared should I be? I have a 3 year and a 1 year old so not sure how much I should fear not having the dining options available. The price obviously made this affordable so I'm grateful, but I was hopeful for the shops and whatnot being done. Thanks
Took our oldest two to CBR when they were the same ages a few years back. I can’t speak yet to the construction impact since I haven’t stayed there while this has been going on, but the main pool and kid splash area were our kids favorite parts and they remain open. The main pool area is top notch. Kids won’t care about the construction. Your oldest will probsbly want to watch as much as possible. I think @GoofyGraham summed it up nicely what the impact might be to Mom and Dad though.
 
Maybe stupid of me, but them always being behind schedule with building work doesn’t make it ok.

When someone books expecting a facility to be open (as per disneys announcements...yes a date isn’t on my booking but a great big banner on their property and an announcement on their blog is pretty official) and then find out no it isn’t so we’ll just lie and pretend we never even said it would be open in August you can expect them to be disappointed.

Exactly the same situation as we were in last year and the same situation many on here were last year who accepted (in many cases double) compensation from Disney to stay at a resort with closed facilities.

Disney being unreliable with timescales is no excuse for them feeling it’s no longer necessary to offer compensation or moves to other resorts.

I'm not condoning it or saying it's "ok" or in anyway calling your opinions stupid because I wouldn't do that. What I'm saying is that it's Disney and they're always behind schedule and that should always be a thought in a Disney freaks head because it's normal. I believe they said "Summer of 2018" was when the majority of the project would be done? They announced now that it won't be until closer to December so where you got winter of 2018 is where I'm having the first problem. I get it, it's expensive, it's Disney and you want magic of course but comparing CBR during construction and hating it, isn't a fair judging point. That's what I meant
 
Here now, in Aruba 56. Not the best location but beggars can't be choosers - our ground floor and adjoining requests were more important than location.

We will be staying at CBR for the first time next month. What would you consider a good location at CBR?
 
We will be staying at CBR for the first time next month. What would you consider a good location at CBR?

Jamaica 45 and Aruba 51 are great locations. Both are a quick 3-4 minute stroll across the bridge to the food tent and Main Feature pool. And both are far enough away from any construction to still be very peaceful.
 
So one day to go, we're driving to the airport hotel later today for an early flight out tomorrow... after a nice spring day yesterday, why do we have a full-on raging Canadian prairie blizzard out there today? Thanks, Murphy!! Of all our trips, we've had lousy weather to drive in about 70% of the time. I mean, we can go weeks and weeks out here without seeing a single snowflake, so why now? Why??? Ok, angst over. After all we ARE going to WDW tomorrow.....deep breaths...

Disclaimer: Those of you in the northeast states can ignore this, I know you're getting a lot worse there. Hope at least some of you can get out and get to your happy place, too.
 
So one day to go, we're driving to the airport hotel later today for an early flight out tomorrow... after a nice spring day yesterday, why do we have a full-on raging Canadian prairie blizzard out there today? Thanks, Murphy!! Of all our trips, we've had lousy weather to drive in about 70% of the time. I mean, we can go weeks and weeks out here without seeing a single snowflake, so why now? Why??? Ok, angst over. After all we ARE going to WDW tomorrow.....deep breaths...

Disclaimer: Those of you in the northeast states can ignore this, I know you're getting a lot worse there. Hope at least some of you can get out and get to your happy place, too.

Safe travels!
 
Disclaimer: Those of you in the northeast states can ignore this, I know you're getting a lot worse there. Hope at least some of you can get out and get to your happy place, too.

Maine here. Sunny and 50 today!

Have a great trip!
 
We will be staying at CBR for the first time next month. What would you consider a good location at CBR?

It really depends what you want from your stay. @dansdad 's advice is good if what you want is to be away from construction, but it puts you at one of the last two bus stops which can make getting to the parks a little frustrating. If transportation is a major concern for you, I'd recommend tolerating more exposure to the construction and requesting Martinique, which is the first stop, instead. I kind of feel like there isn't a really good location right now unless you pay for preferred; most of the resort is in relatively close proximity to the construction and most of the standard rooms are at the later bus stops where the buses sometimes pull up mostly full.
 
The new grill option is nice. Large menu including breakfast, has restrooms and freestyle machine. Will be by the depot for skyliner with dedicated shuttle to depot for other areas of resort. So Trinidad South could become a hotspot to stay! The walk from the main pool isn't bad at all, but be warned that construction is right up against the pool deck where one hot tub used to be (as the work on Port Royale -which hopefully is done sooner than later).
We just visited two nights ago so my DD could see some friends she made from her DCP last fall.


Also- the new entrance (same road as Pop/AoA) isn't ready yet for guest traffic (the busses go out that way), but when it does open-& with OPR reopen-the order of the bus stops could change. Appears to be same for now. IMG_5821.JPG
 
The new grill option is nice. Large menu including breakfast, has restrooms and freestyle machine. Will be by the depot for skyliner with dedicated shuttle to depot for other areas of resort. So Trinidad South could become a hotspot to stay! The walk from the main pool isn't bad at all, but be warned that construction is right up against the pool deck where one hot tub used to be (as the work on Port Royale -which hopefully is done sooner than later).
We just visited two nights ago so my DD could see some friends she made from her DCP last fall.


Also- the new entrance (same road as Pop/AoA) isn't ready yet for guest traffic (the busses go out that way), but when it does open-& with OPR reopen-the order of the bus stops could change. Appears to be same for now. View attachment 310704
Does Spyglass sell Mugs and can Guests fill their Mugs at the Fountain Drink Station shown in the picture in addition to the Freestyle Machine?

Thanks!:)

I agree that TS could become much in demand,especially when Disney Skyliner opens.

It is like its own little Resort with its own Pool and Laundry and it is now the ONLY "section" of a WDW Resort with its own Restaurant!:)
 

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