Help needed. CBR?

21stamps

21stamps

Well-Known Member
My kiddo has requested a quick WDW trip for his bday. (April). For the first time ever our Easter Break at school overlaps with his birthday. I have an AP, and I have 2 days left of non expiring tickets left. So tickets would be taken care of.. now on to the resort..

We have a huge (for me) 2.5 week vacation in June. I do not want to go "crazy" on this (maybe) Disney trip. Kiddos exact words in response to my "What would you like for your birthday?" "Go to Disney World and stay at the Polynesian. But just really quick, we don't have to stay long."

Ugh. I'm not doing 3 nights at Poly right now. I just can't justify it. Other options would be WL for almost half the price, or - CBR for a fraction of the price- and the most attractive price point to me.lol.

I know people have stayed there and enjoyed it, the pool looks fine, but I need more opinions. Please give me pros and cons and examples of what you would do?

Also, there does not seem to be any Early Morning Magic events during this time. At MK or HS. The itinerary for the Ultimate Day of Thrills tour was changed, and we wouldn't do it the way it stands now. I just don't know if high crowds without any extra events will be worth it.
Cheap flights don't exist where I live, so I'm looking at like this- Is a crowded WDW trip in a huge resort better than somewhere within 5 hours drive where we don't have to deal with a flight, high crowds, and a humongous resort?.lol
So,
This trip is definitely a maybe at this point.
Any experience/advice would be appreciated!
 
Last edited:
Sort by date Sort by votes
Schneewittchen

Schneewittchen

Well-Known Member
My family routinely visits WDW during Easter week. The crowds are manageable, you just need a plan. We tend to go for the 3 - 5 days right after Easter Sunday. It's mobbed.

(As an aside, we did a 2 day trip to DL back in November over Veteran's Day weekend to celebrate my son's birthday. Quick Disney trips are totally do-able.)

First, since you would only be there a couple of days, the resort shouldn't matter, you're only going to sleep in your room. Right? So what's most important is price and ease of travel to the parks. Are you really going to waste a day at the pool?

Second, you need to be a commando. One park per day, no hopping. Do only QS breakfasts and lunches, save table service meals for dinner when you're exhausted. Or just power through that desire to sit.

Third, get up early. Get on transportation early. Get to your designated park before rope drop. DO NOT LEAVE THE PARK UNTIL IT'S TIME FOR BED. No hopping. I'm serious. It wastes time when the parks are busy.

Fourth, in the morning before lunch, RIDES, RIDES RIDES. Try for 10 before lunch. Book fastpasses for after lunch. And that's also the best time for non-ride attractions or the stuff that shouldn't have lines - Tiki Room, CoP, CBJ, AA, HoP, River Boat, Tom Sawyer Island, Impressions de France, etc.

Fifth, after dinner, RIDES, RIDES, RIDES.

At WDW, we camp in our RV at Ft. Wilderness. Direct boat access to MK can't be beat. So I'd say that would be a plus for WL as well.
 
Upvote 0
Worldlover71

Worldlover71

Well-Known Member
CBR is a great resort, one of my favorites actually. You are correct that it is a large resort but the extra few minutes it takes to walk to the food court or to get to the parks (there are several bus stops) is well worth the savings. Also, short trips are a good time to try new resorts. If you find you don't care for it, you're only there a couple days. Now, going during Easter is another matter all together. Most of my trips have been during slow to medium crowd seasons and I have little interest in going when it is super crowded. You may not mind crowds as much as I do. As long as you mange your expectations about how much you can do, you can have a great time no matter when you go.
 
Upvote 0
21stamps

21stamps

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
I am very intimidated by the crowds. More so than what resort we stay at. My son has been to Disney twice, both times we've spent a lot of time at the resort or doing activities outside of the parks...and/or took midday breaks. I don't know if I want to do a 3 night hectic and crowded trip. I'm going to really have to think about this one.
Schneewittchen said:
My family routinely visits WDW during Easter week. The crowds are manageable, you just need a plan. We tend to go for the 3 - 5 days right after Easter Sunday. It's mobbed.

(As an aside, we did a 2 day trip to DL back in November over Veteran's Day weekend to celebrate my son's birthday. Quick Disney trips are totally do-able.)

First, since you would only be there a couple of days, the resort shouldn't matter, you're only going to sleep in your room. Right? So what's most important is price and ease of travel to the parks. Are you really going to waste a day at the pool?

Second, you need to be a commando. One park per day, no hopping. Do only QS breakfasts and lunches, save table service meals for dinner when you're exhausted. Or just power through that desire to sit.

Third, get up early. Get on transportation early. Get to your designated park before rope drop. DO NOT LEAVE THE PARK UNTIL IT'S TIME FOR BED. No hopping. I'm serious. It wastes time when the parks are busy.

Fourth, in the morning before lunch, RIDES, RIDES RIDES. Try for 10 before lunch. Book fastpasses for after lunch. And that's also the best time for non-ride attractions or the stuff that shouldn't have lines - Tiki Room, CoP, CBJ, AA, HoP, River Boat, Tom Sawyer Island, Impressions de France, etc.

Fifth, after dinner, RIDES, RIDES, RIDES.

At WDW, we camp in our RV at Ft. Wilderness. Direct boat access to MK can't be beat. So I'd say that would be a plus for WL as well.
Click to expand...
This is great advice! Thanks so much!! we rode bike from WL to FW in December and loved looking at the decorated campsites! We stopped at the stables and also played checkers outside of the resort store. It's a neat place!
Worldlover71 said:
CBR is a great resort, one of my favorites actually. You are correct that it is a large resort but the extra few minutes it takes to walk to the food court or to get to the parks (there are several bus stops) is well worth the savings. Also, short trips are a good time to try new resorts. If you find you don't care for it, you're only there a couple days. Now, going during Easter is another matter all together. Most of my trips have been during slow to medium crowd seasons and I have little interest in going when it is super crowded. You may not mind crowds as much as I do. As long as you mange your expectations about how much you can do, you can have a great time no matter when you go.
Click to expand...
Thank you!
Trust me, I do mind crowds. I specifically plan my days to try and avoid them.lol. That's one reason why I'm upset that there's no Morning or evening events going on that week.
I think if we stay at CBR it would be doable with Uber...would they come to our building or would we have to go to the lobby?
 
Upvote 0
Bugz

Bugz

Well-Known Member
Schneewittchen said:
My family routinely visits WDW during Easter week. The crowds are manageable, you just need a plan. We tend to go for the 3 - 5 days right after Easter Sunday. It's mobbed.

(As an aside, we did a 2 day trip to DL back in November over Veteran's Day weekend to celebrate my son's birthday. Quick Disney trips are totally do-able.)

First, since you would only be there a couple of days, the resort shouldn't matter, you're only going to sleep in your room. Right? So what's most important is price and ease of travel to the parks. Are you really going to waste a day at the pool?

Second, you need to be a commando. One park per day, no hopping. Do only QS breakfasts and lunches, save table service meals for dinner when you're exhausted. Or just power through that desire to sit.

Third, get up early. Get on transportation early. Get to your designated park before rope drop. DO NOT LEAVE THE PARK UNTIL IT'S TIME FOR BED. No hopping. I'm serious. It wastes time when the parks are busy.

Fourth, in the morning before lunch, RIDES, RIDES RIDES. Try for 10 before lunch. Book fastpasses for after lunch. And that's also the best time for non-ride attractions or the stuff that shouldn't have lines - Tiki Room, CoP, CBJ, AA, HoP, River Boat, Tom Sawyer Island, Impressions de France, etc.

Fifth, after dinner, RIDES, RIDES, RIDES.

At WDW, we camp in our RV at Ft. Wilderness. Direct boat access to MK can't be beat. So I'd say that would be a plus for WL as well.
Click to expand...
Couldn't have said it better myself !!
 
Upvote 0
Weather_Lady

Weather_Lady

Well-Known Member
We stayed at CBR in November and really enjoyed it. Yes, it is large, but that's only going to make a difference at check-in and check-out when/if you have to travel to the Custom House, and anytime you want to visit the Food Court/gift shop/feature pool at Old Port Royale. If you don't intend on going to Old Port Royale, it doesn't matter where you stay -- there are bus depots everywhere and the frequency of transportation (at least during our stay) was awesome -- even though we took about 4 buses to/from CBR every day, our average wait for a bus at the resort was about 5 minutes (and we did keep track!).

If you are planning on going to Old Port Royale a few times (e.g., if you want to have breakfast in the food court or want to do a lot of mug refills or feature pool visits), then either upgrade to a "preferred" room or request a standard room in Jamaica/Aruba, which are easily accessible via the foot bridge across Barefoot Bay.
 
Upvote 0
Starfan82

Starfan82

Member
My wife and I stayed at CBR this past September for our 25th anniversary trip. We loved it! We were in the Jamaica section which was close to the walking bridge to Port Royal. The CBR is close to HS, EP and DS. If you time your walk right when taking the foot bridge to the Port Royal you can get a decent view of the Illumination fireworks. The main pool has a cool POTC theme and is very kid friendly. The hotel is large but you never get the feeling that it is crowded.
 
Upvote 0
Bugz

Bugz

Well-Known Member
Starfan82 said:
My wife and I stayed at CBR this past September for our 25th anniversary trip. We loved it! We were in the Jamaica section which was close to the walking bridge to Port Royal. The CBR is close to HS, EP and DS. If you time your walk right when taking the foot bridge to the Port Royal you can get a decent view of the Illumination fireworks. The main pool has a cool POTC theme and is very kid friendly. The hotel is large but you never get the feeling that it is crowded.
Click to expand...
Plus , "Shutters" the restaurant in Old Port Royale is an excellent restaurant , we've had many good meals there , our son makes us ear at least one meal there when we go , he loves that place !
 
Upvote 0
21stamps

21stamps

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Thanks! Do you guys know if it's possible to merge this with another thread that I created? I have two very similar April trip threads now.lol
 
Upvote 0
21stamps

21stamps

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Bugz said:
Plus , "Shutters" the restaurant in Old Port Royale is an excellent restaurant , we've had many good meals there , our son makes us ear at least one meal there when we go , he loves that place !
Click to expand...
Does the resort have activities during the day? Lawn/pool games, art, cookie baking.. etc?
 
Upvote 0

Register on WDWMAGIC. This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.

Back
Top Bottom