Caribbean Beach

[monkey]

We will be staying at the CB in May 05 and I was just wondering if anyone knows the best village to stay in? Were not worried about long walks etc coming from the UK we cant wait to see the sun! I would love to hear what people think of this resort if you have stayed here recently, as I have heard a few bad reviews.

Also as we are not having a hire car I was just wondering how much a cab would be to I drive for 2 people return trip? We are not able to have a hire car because we are both under 25 and are not from the states. If we did hire a car we would be charged an extra $30 a day on top of the rental price, insurance etc.

 

[civileng68]

ok

Ok,

Here's the deal. don't really go by which "islande" to stay at. They are all pretty much identical, trust me! Just do this, stay across the lake from the Old Port Royale. It is nice to stay across so that you can take walks at night across the bridge and lake to go to Port royale.

Stay near the bridge (don't get too far away) that goes across the lake to POrt Royale (not the road bridge). DO NOT STAY AT THE ISLANDE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE ROAD BRIDGE. you are isolated over there.

PS: Go to the beach in front of Port Royale at night and you can watch Illuminations just to the right. you can see them so well. It's closer than you think, MUCH CLOSER, in fact, just across teh street. The back of World Showcase is just across the street from CBR. YOu can even hear the music. In fact, it's so close you can hear the music of the park during the day from the back of CBR.

 

[TheDisneyGirl02]

I love Carribean Beach! I have stayed there for 2 or 3 years in a row now. The rooms are beautiful and the beds are great! I will tell you that I don't have a favorite village. We stayed basically across the lake from Old Port Royale, but we always drove our rental car for meals. Old Port Royale is where the food court/resturant/arcade/gift shop are located. There is an resort but that just travels around the resort, picking up guests and taking them around.

I will tell you to plan on about $40 or so for a taxi.

Have a wonderful trip!

TheDisneyGirl02

 

[killaleejr]

lets see out of the sixteen times or so going to wdw, 14 of them have been at CBR. it is an incredible place. we have stayed on every island except barbados. as far as where you want to stay...i would never stay in trinidad south because it is way too far away from old port royale. my personal favorite is martinique. it is close to old port royale which is a plus. in my opinion aruba has the best beach site with plenty of great hammocks. But the best party spot is the jamaica quiet pool. Aruba and jamaica, being right next to each other have a good combination going. you might want to stay across the bridge at one of these islands. thats my opinion, although Lee likes trinidad north.


lee is a stud

 

[tammycooley]

I will be there in June 2005...I have requested the village of Martinique--its one of the preferred bldgs. But from alot of reading--people love Jamaca--which is right across the walk bridge from Old Port Royal--they say it is very nice--I think Aruba is on the other side of the walking bridge--havent heard too much about that one....I stayed here in 1996 and really loved it!!!!!

 

[WDWFanatic]

I requested Jamica, I got a room right on the parking lot and it was like 50 ft from the bus stop. I think we were the first pick up and the first drop off. We love the food court there, lots of choices great atmosphere.

 

[fngoofy]

My wife and I were there for a week in May, it was our first time there and we loved it as well.

Some advice on the transportion issue. Spend the $130 to have a car for the week. While Disney trans is good, it can be a pain to get to a destination on property that is off the beaten path i.e. miniture golf, resort to resort, and wait times at the close of a park can be extensive.)

We have been many times and stayed in both monorail and non-monorail resorts, and this was our first time with a rental car...it rocked. We decided that even if we were in a monorail resort we would still want the car.

It also makes trips off property much easier. Our car was a Kia sedan, a notch above the Ria, and it was $130 all said and done for a week.

Have fun.

 

[MickeyKimmy]

My husband and I love CBR! We stayed there last October and are going again next week (well, weather permitting ) Anyway, we always stay in Aruba or Jamaica close to the bridge going over the Old Port Royale. It is such a nice way to start the day taking that walk across the bridge. The only drawback is that when you are that close to the bridge you tend to be far away from the bus stops. We were in Aruba Building #51 last year and we were pretty much right in between the Aruba and Jamaica bus stops so it was a little bit of a hike. The only time I really minded it, though, was after a long day at the parks. Referring to the above poster, I think renting a car is really a personal preference. We never rent a car and probably never will, and I have never had any trouble with just using Disney transportation. Hope you enjoy CBR!

 

[GoofyFan1]

We like Building 52 in Aruba and Building 45 in Jamaica. Both are on the other side of Parrot Cay (the island), a nice walk to Port Royale.

 

[miles1]

We stayed in Trinidad North. The location is great, short walk to the pool for the kids and Old Port Royale (not to mention the bar next to the pool, which you will need with kids :lol: )

Just beware if they talk you into a smoking room on arrival. In our experience, "smoking room" means the room is indeed still smoking.

The car is a must; it saves a ton of time and is easier when carrying packages.

Have a wonderful time.

 

[jordanyosh]

*Hopping on Bandwagon*

We've stayed there 3x and have thoroughly enjoyed it. We have stayed in Barbados every time. It is one of the farther villages, but we didn't mind the walk. It was relaxing going to and from Old Port Royale along the beaches and waterfront. We also have always had a courtyard view which has been nice. We always thought it would be noisier, but found it to be pleasantly quiet every time we've been.

While we use WDW transportation, we too like the convenience of having a rental car...just a preference.

Have a great time. I am surprised Surfsupdon hasn't replied yet....

 

[surfsupdon]

I am obsessed with Caribbean Beach, we have stayed there on 12 previous trips.

Def resquest an Island on the opposite side of the bridge, either ARUBA or Jamaica. We actually ALWAYS pick the same room in ARUBA. Aruba is directly across the lake and offers some fo the prettiest water view vistas that are unobstructed by palm trees and have great views of Old Port Royale and the LightHouse. I wholeheartedly reccomend Caribbean Beach.

Excellent food court, excellent layout, excellent theme and surroundings. And the bus service is top notch, as we have always experienced. It's such a beautiful place, the sights, sounds, and smells, just all so tropical and immersive.

If you ahve any questions, please do not feel afraid to PM me, I even know specific room numbers that have great views, lol.

Have a great time continuing planning your trip!
Caribbean Beach has always been such a terrific place to stay.

 

[saltmom1]

We just returned from CBR and thanks to the great tips offered by those on these boards, we had a great room. We stayed in Jamaica, building 44. We had about a minute or two walk to the bus stop and a nice 5-7 minute walk to the food court. The food court is my only criticism of CBR. It is the same type of fast food. Hamburgers, hot dogs, pizza,subs, chicken strips. Everything comes with potato chips or french fries. The best bargain is the refillable mugs. They are around 12 dollars and there are unlimited refills at the food court for the length of the stay. These refills include soda, iced tea, hot chocolate. There is a mug wash station( sink to rinse out your mug ) on the counter in back of the fill stations. I would definitely stay there again . You can arrange to be transported by Mears from the airport to the Customs House (check-in.) There have been criticisms of slow check-in efficiency , but we definitely did not find that the case. You and your luggage will be transported to your room by bell services.

 

[Wannabe Walt]

I stayed there in 2000. We were in Barbados. I absolutly loved it! Beautiful lakes, scenery, animals, gardens, etc. I will say it was a little bit of a walk from there to Old Port Royale, but it was well worth it. We took the boardwalk thru the jungle and by the lake one night and that was honestly one of the most beautiful walks I've ever taken. It didn't even compare to the Great Smokey Mountains in 2002 and 2003! However, the girl we talked to on the bus a few times said that she was in either Jamaica or Aruba and she said they were great. But, since I haven't been to them, I don't know...but I recomment Barbados if you want a secluded, "romantic" (Aruba is good for that, too), scenic stay!

 

[Shelmerdine72]

We are going back in mid-May 05 and we love it. Martinque is my favorite, closer to Port Royale, sticks out a bit more and not as crowded as Trinidad. But Aruba is first bus stop.

 

[Moustronaut]

I requested Jamica, I got a room right on the parking lot and it was like 50 ft from the bus stop. I think we were the first pick up and the first drop off.

Too true!

My wife and I stayed in Jamica a few years ago. Jamica is the first bus stop on the Caribbean Beach Resort bus loop. So that means you get on the bus first when they are less crowded and usually don't have to stand. Also means you get off first when you come back late at night from the parks.

When we've flown to Orlando, we've always taken a Mears Shuttle. They offer shuttle bus service and towncar limo service direct to your resort. The price round trip price for the bus is about $30 per person. Taxi rates I've heard average about $90 round trip. The buses are nice but you often have to wait up to 30 minutes at the airport for your particular resort bus to arrive. For more info go to http://www.mearstransportation.com

I agree with other people that having your own car is the most flexible way to be at Walt Disney World, but the Buses, Monorails, and Boats of Disney Transportation are more than adequate for two people to get around. It's very easy to get from your resort to the parks and back. Getting to some other destinations may require a short walk from a different bus stop such as Mini Golf from the Swan Hotel bus stop. Going from one resort to another often requires changing buses at a park or Downtown Disney. Even when we do have a car at Disneyworld, we rarely use it. Something about leaving the driving to someone else just makes the vacation that more relaxing.

 

[saltmom1]

You can take Mears to and from the airport. We also took them to Universal and Sea World. They do require 24 hours notice when returning to the airport or going somewhere else. If you are going to Universal or Sea World, the cost for Mears is $14 round trip per person. Children under 3, I believe are free.

 

[surfsupdon]

I love reading threads about people having such great vacations and such great stays at Resorts, especially when at Caribbean Beach.

It makes me smile b/c I remember and know how great that place is. Glad everyone so far has had such nice things to say! :wave:

 

[JBSLJames]

Going to CBR in November. We were going to do one of the value resorts, but on the comments made on this site, we opted for the moderate and picked CBR again based on the comments directed towards families. I will let you know what we thought. . .

 

[Gucci65]

Ths December will be our first stay at CBR. After reading all these great posts I am really looking forward to it!