After spending a few minutes at my least favorite Deluxe resort, we’ll head over to my least favorite Moderate Resort, the Caribbean Beach. It looks like this gentleman in front of us took my advice and picked up a 12-pack of Busch from the Downtown Disney Hess.
Correct me if I’m wrong (I love it), but Caribbean Beach is the only monstrosity where you check in to the resort in a completely different building than the restaurants, concierge, etc.
Said check-in for the 2,112 rooms.
At least it’s pretty out.
One thing Caribbean Beach has going for it is the pool complex, which is one of the most popular.
And there are lots of bushes for us creepy Disney lifestyle bloggers to pop out from behind to take pictures of your kids.
That’s a little better. The pirate-themed water play area adjacent to the feature pool is always popular and one of Disney’s best.
Otherwise the resort is huge.
Huge. So huge that it has an internal bus system that circles the resort all day just in case you’d rather wait 15 minutes for a bus to the main building rather than spend the 15 minutes walking.
Room-wise, you’d think it would have to be up next for a lengthy refurbishment.
The Port Orleans properties now offer plush queen beds.
Caribbean Beach is the only Moderate that still rocks double beds.
However, if you’re willing to walk the 15 or so minutes between Trinidad South and Old Port Royale/The Feature Pool, you can stay in one of these Pirate-themed-rooms:
I stayed here for a night after the Christmas Party last year if memory serves. These rooms run a somewhat insane $34-$39 extra per night over a standard room. That’s around $238 for a seven night stay. You could probably outfit a room at home in pirate gear for a similar amount of money. The fridge inside of the keg was kind of cool, but I was not otherwise wowed. It’s certainly no Princess room over at the Riverside. But I guess I prefer to feel fabulous rather than swashbuckling.
Anyway, Caribbean Cay, set up in the middle of Barefoot Bay, is another asset.
It serves as a bridge over to Old Port Royale from the Aruba and Jamaica sections. If you don’t want to pay the $30/night extra for a Preferred Room, Jamaica 45 and Aruba 51 are a relatively short walk away across the Caribbean Cay bridge. Preferred rooms are found in Martinique and Trinidad North. There’s a map you can peruse here.
The Cay affords an opportunity to lounge around a bit.
You can also toss something of little value out in front of this cannon and then send your brother flying towards Epcot when he sets out to pick it up. Ask him to bring back some fountain drinks from Electric Umbrella – it would probably be faster than sending him to the main building.
Out on the beach, you can roast some marshmallows in the evening. And like all of the other resorts these days, a movie is played nightly at the pool.
Back to the mainland, there is a bar of course, this time the Banana Cabana.
It’s outside the main pool complex, which means it’s a little quieter and sees less foot traffic than some of the others.
Menu:
It should look familiar.
We’ll head inside.
Almost. This is Shutters’ exterior – the resort’s table service restaurant.
Some time ago now, I was sitting on the Monorail from the Transportation and Ticket Center to Epcot. It was pouring rain. I mentioned the weather to the only other family in the car and must have asked them what they were planning to do at Epcot. They informed me that they were staying at the Polynesian Resort and were headed to Shutters for dinner. So they walked at least ten minutes from the Polynesian to the TTC in pouring rain to wait for the Epcot Monorail. Then they boarded and rode the monorail over to Epcot to stand at a bus stop to wait for the bus to the Caribbean Beach Resort. Then they probably stood on the bus ride to the resort. It was one of the most bizarre plans I’d ever heard. After I picked my jaw up off the floor, I asked inquisitively, “Why?” They informed me that it was quiet and they had eaten there during a prior visit. Yeah. It’s quiet because no one wants to eat there! Shutters versus the Deluxe Monorail restaurants.
At the food court, you’ll see a setup a little different than most resort quick services, which favor more of a circular area. The food court here has five stations in a line. Here’s what’s available:
I was impressed with the list of options, several of which are themed specifically for the resort.
Some breakfast choices across the top.
Some additional cold options – clementines, apples with caramel, grapes, veggies, salad, yogurt, mixed fruit or vegetables, pineapple, cantaloupe, milk.
Dranks. Sutter Home – 187ml for $6.95. I just can’t believe it.
More stuff.
“Monkey Cake,” Carrot Cake, “Worms in Dirt,” Chocolate Cake.
And some bakery items.
Unfortunately, this entry is going to be on the boring side. This is the Turkey BLT with Pasta Salad, which was quite good as usual with a healthy gob of turkey, fresh lettuce, and crispy bacon. The pasta salad with a nice, cold, potentially lighter option than your prototypical Disney french fry.
Shutters…..it’s just a room….
Otherwise, the quick service seating area is bright and colorful. Unless you book a preferred room, you’re probably eating your food in here or just outside. It’s a trek just about anywhere else.
Goombay Games is located inside across from the food court.
With the usual assortment of games.
And Calypso Trading Post with the usual wares.
While Caribbean Beach Resort isn’t bad by any means, I don’t think it does anything better than the other Moderates. If you’re willing to put up with the size, Coronado Springs Resort has additional amenities (gym, spa, indoor bar/club, additional dining options), varied architecture, queen beds, and a wooden divider between the bathroom and sleep areas. The rooms at either of the Port Orleans properties would be nicer and offer boat transportation to Downtown Disney. Riverside is arguably prettier with more rooms closer to the main building. French Quarter is teensy weensy. But they’re all operated by Disney and the differences within the category are much more nuanced than if you were comparing off-property hotels, condos, etc. But Caribbean Beach remains last on my list.
{ 34 comments… read them below or add one }
I’m so lazy that I drive my car from my pirate room, and on a separate trip from Aruba 51, over to Old Port Royale. Personally, I loved this resort. The theme is very relaxing, very tropical, very well done. But a rental car is required.
More than once did I “guffaw” while reading this review. Poor husband was all “what does he say? Like, how the resort smells like dirty kids and stuff?”
Yes, husband…just about that. Just about that.
That pirate room looks cool. I’d stay there if I wanted to walk a lot, I guess.
Out of curiosity, what’s your favorite Moderate?
I can’t believe you are making fun of our monorail conversation!! How dare you!
I really dislike those bed covers in the pirate rooms. Unless they’re ridiculously well-lit, the pearl strings look like either earthworms or disgustingly long grubs. I actually like earthworms pretty well (grubs, not so much), but I do not want them on my bed. The fluffy-floor-board carpeting also looks weird.
The themed pool looks major cool, though.
After staying at Port Orleans FQ we are going back to Caribbean Beach. We like it so much more.
“But I guess I prefer to feel fabulous rather than swashbuckling.” Me too Josh!
The theming is quite good though, if you close your eyes and squint a bit it does look a little like st johns in antigua.
One of my bug bears is the curtain between the beds and the sinks, it really put me off POR. Stupid really but I had never come across it before. Theres nowt wrong with a door.
I was there last november and when i got there i didnt think id like it. By the end i loved it
I think we are going to try Caribbean Beach next year. We’ve only stayed at the Port Orleans(both FQ and RS), so I want to try a different resort. That and the fact my DH can’t say, “why don’t we go someplace different”
I’d pay the premium for those pirate rooms – IF I was willing to stay here. I can’t stand these gigantic / large resorts (Riverside is the worst). Seems like a nice place to stay if you’re near the pool complex and restaurants though. The food court was fun and the food was good when we visited CBH last time.
My experience is that POR rooms are much quieter than CB. LOL @ fabulous rather than shwashbuckling!
We stayed in Aruba, Building #56 for a week in December 2011. I agree that the rooms could use the upgrade, but I didn’t have any other complaints. We got breakfast foods and snacks from Garden Grocer. We never ate at the resort restaurants or went to the main pool.
The smaller pools at each country was what sold the resort for us. We only went swimming twice, but we basically had it to oursevles both times. For Disney, it was nice to have some peace and quiet. We also had a nice run around the resort, it was nice to have a pretty running trail as an option.
I would be willing to try another resort, but CBR was OK for us!
Whats the effect on the outdoor pics? Look a little different lately…
Thanks for the pictures. My wife and I stayed here during our honeymoon in 1996, but I dont’ have any pictures and can’t really remember the resort at all. (Age, it does terrible things to the mind.) Of course, it probably looks different than it did in 96.
“And there are lots of bushes for us creepy Disney lifestyle bloggers to pop out from behind to take pictures of your kids.”
God’s my life, that made me laugh!
We stayed here in February and got a free upgrade to a pirate room upon check-in. It was exciting for my kiddos (5 and 2 at the time). I want to mention that the skull curtain is very creepy at night when the bathroom light shines through. We needed to keep it open to avoid nightmares! Although I’m looking forward to staying somewhere else next time, it wasn’t so bad.
We stayed at CBR in August, and we loved it! I was a little worried about it after reading different posts (DH wanted to stay there), but we all would definitely stay there again. We stayed in Jamaica, so it was a quick walk to the main pool and building. We swam just about everyday during our mid-day breaks, and DS6 enjoyed the activities around the pool for the kids. We only have the Yacht Club to compare it to, but we will probably stay at CBR on our next trip. Great pictures Josh! They bring back great memories!
I loved staying at the Caribean Beach. We were in Jamica so it wasn’t much of a walk to the food court. I loved laying out in the hammocks by the water and the grounds were very nice.
The south is starting to get in your blood, you got your drank!
Pretty soon you’ll be fixin to go to Epcot !
We visited the resort during out last stay and I really enjoyed the look and feel of the resort but did NOT like the size. We took the bus and got off in Jamaica since it was the first stop (I can’t imagine having to wait for a bus to stop at every different area only to find it’s full and you have to stand) walked to the island then to the main building(s); it was kind of lengthy. Doing it a couple times a day wouldn’t be bad but I wouldn’t want to make the trek to refill my mug. If I weren’t at Disney I think I would stay there, if that makes sense…? It’s a lovely resort and is very relaxing but when I am at Disney I want to be able to get to the food court and/or buses within 5 minutes or so.
You forgot one major thing that this resort has over most others. And this is pretty huge for us. Each area within the resort has it’s own smaller pool. These pools are never crowded (at least not when we were there). No long walk, nice and close and empty. For people like us that take mid afternoon breaks every day, this is a great way to relax. You can totally forget you are at Disney and slow things down.
Is the food court a bit far, sure. But I actually like the walk. I often go early in the morning (for coffee). Since we are RD people, this is early. Nice, quite and peaceful walk. Again, a big plus.
“But I guess I prefer to feel fabulous rather than swashbuckling.”
Of course you do.
Thank you for a really good review of CBR. Ambiance-wise, it’s my favorite moderate. Until, however, I try to cram my nearly 6′ tall frame into a double bed. UGH. If they upgrade to queens, I would consider staying there instead of the Poly every visit. And that’s likely why they’re not … the Mouse wants my money. LOL
Dh and I stayed here in December 2009. It was awful! We had a room in the Jamaica section. Room was fine but hated the buses at every country. It took forever to get to and from the parks. One night we waited an hour and forty minutes to get back from the Magic Kingdom! We hated the food there too! Took forvever and everything was tasteless! We just got back from All Star Music last month and had a much nicer stay at the value resort. Buses where quick and efficient and the food was much, much better than CBR. We’ll definitely be staying there again!
This was the last Disney property we stayed at since our family has grown to 5 people. We had one in a playpen, 2 boys in one bed and the wife and I in the other. We were so crowded. The big bathroom became our fortress of solitude while the kids past out. Correct me if I’m wrong, but this was/is the only moderate or less that can accommodate 5. Anything else costs a whole heck of a lot more.
We stay off site now
The place we stay, Windsor Hills, is wonderful and we have so much room when we return to decompress from the parks.
I would put CB on my bottom of the list also
You are correct the rooms are in need of some TLC, but CBR is still on the top of my list! This is one of the very few reviews where I disagree with you. The bus system has always been fabulous – the drivers know there are a few stops at the resort so they are extra quick and sometimes drive right by the stop if no one is waiting. We had many times last trip where our family was the only one on the bus to go to the park for RD! The grounds are gorgeous and the pool is wonderful! We don’t do a lot of eating at the resort because we are at the parks, but the few times we had to use the food court it was just as good as what you could get at a park CS. Just thought I would share with you why your review is wrong – because I know how much you love that!
@Brian “Whats the effect on the outdoor pics? Look a little different lately…”
I beleive Josh recently discovered HDR and is using it abundantly in his outdoor pics.
I have stayed at other Mods, but CBR just doesn’t interest me. I imagine that might have to do with the fact that I live in Florida. When at Disney, I want to take advantage of some of the other resorts that do not remind me of where I live. I’m a big ol’ hypocrite though as I am sure I’ll stay there one day.
This is one of the few reviews I disagree with. We stayed at CBR in August 2012. It is a huge resort and we paid extra for a preferred room (well worth it). We were in Martinique and were close to OPR, the bus stop and main pool. The kids were able to rent boats and we watched fireworks one night from the hot tub. We usually stay at POP but I’ve stayed at POR and like CBR sooo much better.
We love CBR! Favorite moderate, hands down. The ONLY complaint I have ever had about it is Customs House being so far removed from everything else. It’s a hell of a haul at the end of a vacation to bring everything there.
We have stayed there…..5 or so times. Perfect each time. Even in Trin South (pre-pirates!).
I think CBR is second on my list so far, after CSR. though I am headed to POR again in two weeks, and hopefully it will be better this time around. I found the walk to the bus at POR worse than CBR, and the distance to the lobby just as bad really. The pool at CBR is the main reason I like it there. For the under 5 crowd, that pirate pool is worth staying there. The rooms do need an update though. staying in Alligator Bayou at POR is not much better than the far flung ends of CBR.
CBR was our first on site resort and we loved our stay in Jamaica. We were by the quiet pool, and a short walk over to food court. I thought the grounds and Caribbean Cay were very pretty. Liked seeing the higher Epcot fireworks.
But, there’s always a but…..for the moderate category POR Riverside mansion section def wins, hands down for us now. We’ve stayed at POR 3 times, the last in a refurbed room. Wow. They really did a great job. Def makes the CBR rooms look old and tired.
We stayed here and we LOVED it. Granted, we got our requested Aruba building and we have very tiny kids and so the zero entry pool was a must do for us… and since we had one in a crib still we liked the curtain in front of the sink area to put him behind so he could sleep.
Otherwise we will move on to something else next trip but I would highly recommend it if you are a pool family like us just try to get the closest buildings to the main areas.