Caribbean Beach or Art of Animation - won’t use pool

GhostCat

New Member
Original Poster
Will be our first time here. 2 adults and the requirement for the room is one king bed. Wondering, if it is even worth it to upgrade to CBR? We are not interested in the pool due to COVID - but would love to explore. But we do want a nice vacation..... thank you!
thoughts?
 

ls3015

New Member
A lot of it depends on how much walking you want to do, CBR you will walk father than the art, They both are really nice. I like the food court at the art much better.
 

FeelsSoGoodToBeBad

Well-Known Member
I haven't stayed at CBR, but we did stay in an AoA Lion King Family Suite for a week a few years ago. We didn't feel it was a ton of walking (one of the adults had a back issue and sometimes walking could be painful). As I understand it, CBR would involve longer distance walking within the resort, depending on where your room was and what you were trying to access. If you like fun, whimsical theming, I would lean to AoA. CBR seems a bit more sedate in that regard. From what I understand, you might have a slight advantage in the Skyliner queue at CBR vs. AoA.

We found the beds at AoA to be comfortable and the theming to be fun. There are likely to be more families with younger children and that can mean more noise vs. CBR, but when we went (3 adults, 3 kids 12 and under) it wasn't something that struck us as being excessive. Were we travelling without kiddos, I might have felt otherwise.

The food court at AoA really was very good with plenty of variety to keep everyone happy and the food court was not too terribly far from our room. Again, I've not stayed at CBR so I can't speak to location or quality of offerings of their dining options.

Cost-wise, unless you're staying in a Family Suite, I believe AoA is less expensive, correct? For me, that would be a huge plus as it would give me more money to "play" with, but ymmv.

I'm sure whichever you choose, you're going to have a blast!
 

Zé_Carioca

Well-Known Member
With only two people I am assuming you are staying at the little mermaid section which is a decent walk from the main lobby. I actually really enjoy the new CB renovation and it is a better resort to just walk around and enjoy the resort's atmosphere. I would recommend the upgrade due to it being a resort with more dining options, plus you can go to the riviera for even more dining options (and in my opinion the best quick service at any resort with primo piatto).
 

jalredding

Member
We were ar CB from last Monday the 9th until Saturday the 14th. We loved it the food was okay. We enjoyed the Banana Cabana next to the pool for drinks each night and they have food as well. Very easy access to the Skyliner going to both DHS and Epcot. It's a good walk from the buildings across the water back to the food area but it's a great view. The room was nice and I cannot imagine the resort was more than half full if that. We had a blast for our first trip as empty nesters
 

Capsin4

Well-Known Member
I suggest CBR for two adults but if you like to explore, take the skyliner over to AOA and walk around the courtyards. The cars area is great. Lion King is interesting. The food court is worth trying when you’re there if you need to eat.
 

Rob562

Well-Known Member
One thing mentioned by the OP that others may have missed is their requirement for a King bed. If having a King bed is non-negotiable, one thing that will make the decision easy for you is that according to Touring Plans' room-finder tool, AoA has only one room in the entire resort that has a King bed. (It's also likely a handicap-accessible room, so it's probably set aside for guests who specifically need it) Of course that's assuming TP is correct, which they usually are, though I do find it odd that there's only that one room... 🤔

Even at the other Values, a King bed is just a request. There's no real way to guarantee one.

At CBR, there are 150 rooms with a King bed spread throughout the resort. A King room is also a bookable category so you're guaranteed one.

-Rob
 
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LovePop

Well-Known Member
CBR is far nicer than AofA, which is a value (cheap) whereas CBR is a moderate. Of course, AofA doesn't have king bed rooms much, so you might want to consider Pop, which has more king rooms, though I don't know how many and it's not guaranteed. CBR is much nicer (bigger room, more sinks), cost a bit more, but you can choose the king room. Beautiful Caribbean landscaping that's really romantic, with sandy beaches and hammocks, whereas AofA and Pop are really for kids with no beaches or hammocks. CBR has a hot tub, the others don't. CBR also has a sit down restaurant besides the food court. It is right against Riviera, and much closer to Epcot than Pop, where you have to transfer Skyliner, which might be a pain.

On the flip side, CBR takes longer to get around being that it's so big. The buses go around the hotel, making numerous stops, before they head out to the parks, which adds some 8 minutes to the trip. The skyliner can be down sometimes due to weather such as storms.

Pop/AofA rooms are much closer to the bus stop, which they each have just one. They used to not share buses, but now I just heard rumors that they are sharing buses to MK/AK, which is horrible news, but hopefully it's just for now due to Covid.

Overall, my recommendation is to choose CBR king room if you have two adults only. However, if you do end up choosing AofA Little Mermaid room, I have heard people say that having two beds in the room is beneficial: they just spread out their maps on the second bed and it really helps them plan out their day. If you are considering the family suite, I really think they are not necessary for just two people because you might as well get Yacht Club for the same money, and that's a deluxe resort that's even nicer than CBR and in walking distance of Epcot and Hollywood Studios.

P.S. I forgot to mention that Pop's rooms are mostly 2 queen, one of them murphy beds. That means one queen bed morphs into a table, almost as good as a king room!
 
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Sbk1234

Well-Known Member
I've stayed at CBR MANY years ago, and never at AOA. However, in my opinion, CBR is an incredibly beautiful resort with wonderful theming. Although many may argue that AOA also has incredible theming, in my opinion it's much more "in your face" as opposed to the subtle feel that CBR gives of being in another tropical land far away. To me, that seemed much more relaxing. It still had that magical Disney vibe, but in a peaceful way. It seemed to me more like staying in Adventureland, as opposed to AOA which would be like staying in Fantasyland. I realize that this is largely personal taste, so take it for what it's worth.
 

MrsPrice96

Well-Known Member
In the Parks
No
We have stayed at both. Our last visit was just hubby and I and we stayed at CBR. If you can somehow get Jamaica you will like it. The skyline was right outside our door which made it so easy to go to Epcot and HS plus check out the Epcot beach area before we used a park day. CBR is really nice to walk around and just enjoy. AoA has great theming and rooms and has a great Disney feel to it but you are constantly around other people due to the room set up. CBR is more romantic and laid back. At CBR it is huge but that didn't bother us at all, very nice resort to walk around. Have a great time!
 

Horizons '83

Well-Known Member
In the Parks
No
Not sure if you booked already, but we really enjoyed Coronado Springs last month. The main pool was busier but the quiet pools were 100% empty, we were the only 2. It was an awesome oasis. The rates are cheap for early next year too ($128 a night using Cardmember discount) so you might want to consider staying there.
 

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