A few questions about Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort

[The Magical Genie 123]

Hello everyone! Now, we are planning a September trip for this year, and want to participate in free dining when it gets announced. But, POFQ and POR are not going to be resorts to stay at if you want the free dining. So, we've narrowed it down to CBR and CSR. Now, I think CBR would be perfect for me, since I love the Caribbean and think I would love this theme. But is CSR a better option? I have a few questions below that I would love for some of you to answer:

1. For those who've stayed at both the Caribbean Beach and Coronado Springs, which did you prefer? Which would you recommend?

2. At the Caribbean Beach, how many bus stops are there? And if there is only one, which "village" is the bus stop closest to?

3. And finally, would you recommend any value resorts such as Pop Century, AoA, or the All Stars over CBR and CSR?


Thanks so much everyone!

 

[EricJ]

Hello everyone! Now, we are planning a September trip for this year, and want to participate in free dining when it gets announced. But, POFQ and POR are not going to be resorts to stay at if you want the free dining. So, we've narrowed it down to CBR and CSR. Now, I think CBR would be perfect for me, since I love the Caribbean and think I would love this theme. But is CSR a better option? I have a few questions below that I would love for some of you to answer:

3. And finally, would you recommend any value resorts such as Pop Century, AoA, or the All Stars over CBR and CSR?

AoA isn't really a "Value" resort unless you're staying in the Little Mermaid wing--Which is nice, but you're at the far end.

As for the Mods, it's a question of how much immersiveness you want, the room vs. the scenery:
The rooms are the same (a little nicer), but the Values don't have beaches or ponds. OTOH, the Values are more compact places, while the Mods are sprawling and scenic and loop Epcot-like entirely around the water, which can mean multiple bus stops or a long scenic walk to the main building. Except for POFQ, which has the small size and the scenery.
In your case, sounds like you want the Caribbean scenery, although there is a section of CSR that has a Puerta Vallarta feel to it.

Haven't stayed at Pop, but as ASMu and ASMov are both rather nice, if you want just the fun "Disney motel" feel of a basic room, lots of Disney icons, and hitting the parks.

 

[mcurtiss]

there' are 8 internal bus stops in total.

 

[brokedad]

CBR I think has 4 stops and car has 3 or 4. All the villages at CBR I think have a stop but sometimes it's easier to go to the closest one, I believe car is the same.They are both great choices, I don't think one is better than the other, it's your preference. I personally prefer cbr, it is themed beautiful and the grounds are kept up, but the rooms are a little worm out, not bad, just need a refurbish in the next few years. Actually staying at csr this weekend but only because no rooms at cbr. Look on u tube for videos on each place.

 

[slappy magoo]

How many people are in your party?
Caribbean only has full sized beds, not queen sized beds, though there are rooms with a single king sized bed. Coronado rooms have either 2 queens or 1 king.

If it's just you and a spouse or significant other and can book a King, may as well do the Caribbean if it's your kind of theme. But if there are 3 or 4 of you, I'd think a room with 2 queen sized beds would be more comfortable.

FWIW, I'm not a fan of Caribbean's theming, nor am I particularly fond of Coronado's theming either. But if I had to choose one of those two, I'd choose Coronado in a heartbeat.

 

[JillC LI]

CBR is great if you like Caribbean theming. That's why we tried it the first time, and we've been back. Love the hammocks on the "beach" and the steel drum music. I can't comment on bus service since we rent a car. If double beds are a dealbreaker, then choose Coronado.

I'd choose Pop over All Stars, but I'd choose a Mod over a Value, money aside. Plus you'll only get the quick service plan at a Value during Free Dining.

 

[Ben_since_1971]

1. I prefer CBR. I enjoy the theming, and despite it being so large and spread out, I can feel a sense of quiet - even if I am surrounded by cheerleaders (as I was in December last year). It's one of the reasons I like it. CSR I felt the buildings were right on top of you. And the theme elements outside of the pool area just didn't do anything for me.

2.There are 7 village bus stops and one stop for the Custom House (where you check in and get ME). Park and DtD busses only stop at the village stops. Actually there are 6 village stops and 1 stop at Olde Port Royale - where the Food Court, Gift Shop and main pool are.

3. I wouldn't select a Value over either CBR or CSR. If I was to choose, I would go with Pop. Ditto on the comment on the FD - Value only gets QS plan.

 

[gsujillybean]

I have stayed at both, and I think the answer really depends on your family size/type. We have two small children, so CBR is a better choice for us because the smaller beds gave us more floor space for the crib we rented, and, while both resorts are large, CBR's food court and pool are in the same area so we had quick access to both by booking a preferred room, so we could easily take the kids for lunch and a swim. The water playground was a big draw for us, too.

If you don't have small children, then I would absolutely go with CSR. It's pretty much better in every way.

 

[JohnD]

I'll be staying at CSR 5/31-6/3 for the first time. Was at CBR in early April. So can only tell you about CBR at this point.

I recommend a room in a building close to Port Royale. Martinique and Trinidad North are good options. I was with my parents and the bus stops began to wear thin after a while. Still, I like the theming and casual tropical feel of the resort.

 

[popcenturylover]

We've stayed at CBR, POP, & AOA. I like them all but, LOVED the quiet spacious & beautiful grounds of CBR! Our DD5 LOVED the LMR at AOA. I think that it's all about what you're looking for. The mods have hot tubs & pools with slides. The values don't. In my opinion the food courts at the values were much better than CBR' s. I would stay value if you're going to be in the parks from morning til' night with no relax time.

 

[englanddg]

I've stayed at CBR twice, and loved it. The bus service is a common complaint, but it's really not that bad. Not as good as Pop / AoA, but on par with POFQ, I think...if not a bit better.

Bus stops are a short walk from most rooms, though the stop assigned to your "island" in the property may not be the closest one. For example, the southern part of Aruba is actually closer to Jamaica's bus stop.

If you end up with CBR, I'll give you the same advice I give everyone who goes there. When you ask to book your stay, ask to get a room near the bridge. That means Aruba or Jamaica. There are several reasons for this.

1) It's close to Old Port Royale, which has the main pool, the pool bar, the food court, Shutters (a restaurant that's pretty good!), and the gift shop.

2) With the way the busses tend to run, for most (not all) runs Jamaica / Aruba are the last stops of the departing busses, and the first stops on the returning busses.

Avoid Trinidad (that's where the pirate rooms are). And, I wouldn't bother booking a "preferred" view. The garden views are just as nice. But, I would request a room that doesn't face the parking lot.

 

[daisyduckie]

If you love the theme, and having double beds isn't a problem, stay at CBR, but get a preferred room. That way the big size of the resort won't matter so much. Maybe I am lazy but even staying near the bridge I found CBR too big to bother walking up to the main buildings much.

 

[bethymouse]

The themed pool area is very nice, especially if you have little ones. The pirate ship/spray area is wonderful! We loved it when we went. I would recommend a moderate resort over value, but that's just me.