News Pirate rooms at Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort to be replaced with 'under the sea' theme

[UNCgolf]

Wouldn’t a properly themed pirate room look like a pirate’s room rather than a room with pirate decorations? Seems to me a pirate-themed room would be all wood, maybe beds suspended from the ceiling with manila rope, something like this?

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I wish Disney had rooms themed to that level at some resorts. I completely understand why they don't -- it wouldn't be appealing to enough guests to make it worth doing -- but it would be really neat for some small subset of rooms.

More realistically, I wish they'd do a better job nodding towards the resort theme than they have with most of their recent refurbishments. They're a bit too far in the "standard American hotel room" direction other than rooms that they've layered with IP (which also isn't theme and I'd rather have the standard generic hotel room).

That said, for the most part, they've never been especially great at theming the hotel room interiors so it's probably not fair to blame it on refurbishments.

 

[_caleb]

I wish Disney had rooms themed to that level at some resorts. I completely understand why they don't -- it wouldn't be appealing to enough guests to make it worth doing -- but it would be really neat for some small subset of rooms.

More realistically, I wish they'd do a better job nodding towards the resort theme than they have with most of their recent refurbishments. They're a bit too far in the "standard American hotel room" direction other than rooms that they've layered with IP (which also isn't theme and I'd rather have the standard generic hotel room).

That said, for the most part, they've never been especially great at theming the hotel room interiors so it's probably not fair to blame it on refurbishments.

I totally agree. There’s also the question of how far to take the theming. The Starcruiser is one extreme (they never acknowledge it being a sort of hotel at all). I think the theme of most WDW resorts is “resort hotel in idealized time/location.”

I think Caribbean Beach is a fine theme, and last time I stayed there it did feel a bit dated. But then again, many resorts in the actual Caribbean feel a bit dated…

 

[GimpYancIent]

Wouldn’t a properly themed pirate room look like a pirate’s room rather than a room with pirate decorations? Seems to me a pirate-themed room would be all wood, maybe beds suspended from the ceiling with manila rope, something like this?

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Like that! Yes! but Disney did its best for kids.

 

[GimpYancIent]

The current trend in refurbing is leaning toward sterile, generic and bland with accents of some sort of theme.

 

[UNCgolf]

I totally agree. There’s also the question of how far to take the theming. The Starcruiser is one extreme (they never acknowledge it being a sort of hotel at all). I think the theme of most WDW resorts is “resort hotel in idealized time/location.”

I think Caribbean Beach is a fine theme, and last time I stayed there it did feel a bit dated. But then again, many resorts in the actual Caribbean feel a bit dated…

I agree, and that's what I was getting at with more nods to theme in the rooms themselves. A lot of the Disney hotels are themed on the exterior and in the common areas (although they've done some unfortunate stripping there at some resorts), but then the hotel room itself doesn't really look any different than what you'd get at a Marriott.

There's a fine line to walk between going too themed to where it makes guests not want to stay in the rooms while still having enough to match the overall resort theme, but I think Disney is too far in the generic direction for most rooms.

 

[Sir_Cliff]

That said, for the most part, they've never been especially great at theming the hotel room interiors so it's probably not fair to blame it on refurbishments.

This is kind of where I am on this refurbishments. The rooms have always been more or less modern hotel rooms with colours and motifs and perhaps some finishings that nod toward the theme. As with a lot of things, I think people have just become attached to the 1990s aesthetic as synonymous with Disney theming because they let it hang around for too long rather than refreshing the resorts more regularly.

This room honestly seems like one of the better refurbishments they've done to me. If I look at the interior, the colours and finishings credibly match the exterior theming as a hotel room somewhere in the Caribbean. It also looks clean and modern and has more of a seaside than The Little Mermaid vibe. The more modern aesthetic more generally reads as a lot cleaner to me.

If the pirates rooms are what people mean when they say they want more theming in the rooms, then I MUCH prefer the level of theming in these new rooms.

 

[UNCgolf]

If the pirates rooms are what people mean when they say they want more theming in the rooms, then I MUCH prefer the level of theming in these new rooms.

I certainly hope that's not what people want -- and I doubt it, considering people seem pretty widely down on the Incredibles rooms at the Contemporary (for good reason).

These particular rooms seem fine to me, other than maybe the quality of the furnishings (they look cheap, but hard to say without actually seeing them in person). I'm not sure there's much of an overall theme for a "Caribbean Beach Resort" anyways; it's not like the Grand Floridian that's supposed to evoke a specific design era.

Of course I have no interest in ever staying at CBR anyways, both because of the Skyliner and because Port Orleans is just a better moderate.

 

[JD80]

Skyliner > Monorail

 

[UNCgolf]

Skyliner > Monorail

I hate the Skyliner -- don't think it's enjoyable to ride, plus it shuts down in storms and they aren't great at supplementing with buses. I won't stay at any Skyliner resort.

I'm still glad it exists as an alternative transit method for people who do like it, though.

 

[Fido Chuckwagon]

Clearly that is the goal.. but I don't know if a little mermaid theme is going to be much better. It won't be as lame as the boat beds, but if it is like the AOA rooms then I can't see people thinking a few decor items makes the room worth 100 more a night.

The biggest problem is the double sized beds. Many married couples won’t book a room with only double beds. If they are replacing them with queen-sized beds then they will sell better.

 

[_caleb]

The biggest problem is the double sized beds. Many married couples won’t book a room with only double beds. If they are replacing them with queen-sized beds then they will sell better.

Given the theme, shouldn’t they be water beds?

 

[golden6911]

Overall I like it - I am a fan of this type of practical room set up with convertible furniture. I am actually thinking this is a little more "themed" than some of the more recent room refurbs with the murals and small touches. I am surprised they are repeating the LM theme in another resort on the skyliner line, but since the LM rooms at AOA are so popular, my guess is this will draw those people who want a more upscale experience.

 

[GimpYancIent]

Overall I like it - I am a fan of this type of practical room set up with convertible furniture. I am actually thinking this is a little more "themed" than some of the more recent room refurbs with the murals and small touches. I am surprised they are repeating the LM theme in another resort on the skyliner line, but since the LM rooms at AOA are so popular, my guess is this will draw those people who want a more upscale experience.

Upscale? Uhhhhh no. Definitely not upscale.

 

[jinx8402]

Upscale? Uhhhhh no. Definitely not upscale.

He was referring to the upscale from a AOA value resort to CBR moderate. CBR is more upscale to AOA due to having a feature pool with slide and TS. Perhaps upscale wasn't the best of words as it usually means high end, which obviously these rooms nor CBR in general are. However there is a upgrade in experience going from AOA to CBR.

 

[golden6911]

Yes. Is it the Beach Club? No, but it is a more upscale version of the AoA Little Mermaid rooms that are constantly excluded from all discounts due to popularity.

 

[Patcheslee]

I'm on the Caribbean FB group, someone was already assigned one of the new rooms yesterday at check-in.

 

[Frankenstein79]

It's too bad they are getting rid of them. Because the idea of Pirates is awesome, it's just the execution of it wasn't. I'd much rather see more theme specific sections at Caribbean. Like they've done at Riverside.

Jack Sparrow, Davy Jones, Sebastian and Ariel seem like they'd be perfect fits.

 

[surfsupdon]

Do we know which of the buildings have been given the new refreshed rooms? We know all of Trinidad has been finished. What about the other Islands and buildings?

 

[Skibum1970]

I wish Disney had rooms themed to that level at some resorts. I completely understand why they don't -- it wouldn't be appealing to enough guests to make it worth doing -- but it would be really neat for some small subset of rooms.

More realistically, I wish they'd do a better job nodding towards the resort theme than they have with most of their recent refurbishments. They're a bit too far in the "standard American hotel room" direction other than rooms that they've layered with IP (which also isn't theme and I'd rather have the standard generic hotel room).

That said, for the most part, they've never been especially great at theming the hotel room interiors so it's probably not fair to blame it on refurbishments.

I guess, technically, the Galactic Starcruiser did this. They just went and made the rooms overly expensive and added a LARP'ing thing to try and justify the cost.

I always felt that AKL and WL probably had the best overall theming while the other deluxes were mixed. The moderate hotels have some theming but definitely downscaled.

 

[James Alucobond]

I always felt that AKL and WL probably had the best overall theming while the other deluxes were mixed. The moderate hotels have some theming but definitely downscaled.

Probably because the lodge aesthetic is fairly atemporal in its appeal and more or less universally revered as cozy. It also meshes well with pieces from different periods because it's a constantly revisited style. The appeal of a room that is strictly a mid-century tiki or Victorian facsimile, on the other hand, is probably a bit more narrow. That said, the rooms were never themed that way in the first place.