Another move by Disney negatively impacting guests (re: Caribbean Beach)

[Fantasyland Mom]

I know some feel Disney doesn't "owe" anyone anything and while I do agree there are not guarantees in life (or vacations) this is a larger symptom from having such crazy lead times on ADRs, hotels, fastpasses, etc. People are booking a crazy number of months in advance to secure the room category and restaurants they want. While this wouldn't have helped in this case, did all the people who were booking Caribbean when the dates first got released know they would have ANY construction let alone to this extent?

We knew when we booked in October that there would be construction in the Trinidad South village. We were fine with that. That's WAAAAYY far out. They didn't file the permits for the OPR renos until mid-January, and only told the cast members the details three days ago.

I thought Max mentioned food trucks in his original post.

For most families I still don't think it's enough to warrant being moved or expecting discounts (always nice if that happens) but in your case they definitely should have allowed you to move to somewhere like Port Orleans and they cover it.

Where did you end up?

Maybe he's heard news I haven't, which is totally possible.

I think they might have moved us to POR had it been available, but they still told me I'd have to pay the difference. As it was, it was all booked up for the whole length of our stay, so that wasn't even an option.
We ended up at Boardwalk Inn, which is one of the only available options for our dates for parties of 5. I looked up food options right away, and I'm happy to say that there are several hot things she will be willing to eat along the Boardwalk, and even more if you consider that YC and BC are walking distance and so is Epcot, if Brandon needed to walk there while I stayed with her in the room. There are also microwaves we can use. I've never been there, but I'm sure it's going to be nice, and I'm super thankful.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

I thought Max mentioned food trucks in his original post.

For most families I still don't think it's enough to warrant being moved or expecting discounts (always nice if that happens) but in your case they definitely should have allowed you to move to somewhere like Port Orleans and they cover it.

Where did you end up?

Definitely wasn't from me - or not intentionally at least. All I heard was cold "to go" food

 

[Tonyz]

Definitely wasn't from me - or not intentionally at least. All I heard was cold "to go" food

From your first post: "will eliminate all current food offerings, to be replaced by food trucks/cold food only."

No biggie or anything.

 

[Tonyz]

We knew when we booked in October that there would be construction in the Trinidad South village. We were fine with that. That's WAAAAYY far out. They didn't file the permits for the OPR renos until mid-January, and only told the cast members the details three days ago.


Maybe he's heard news I haven't, which is totally possible.

I think they might have moved us to POR had it been available, but they still told me I'd have to pay the difference. As it was, it was all booked up for the whole length of our stay, so that wasn't even an option.
We ended up at Boardwalk Inn, which is one of the only available options for our dates for parties of 5. I looked up food options right away, and I'm happy to say that there are several hot things she will be willing to eat along the Boardwalk, and even more if you consider that YC and BC are walking distance and so is Epcot, if Brandon needed to walk there while I stayed with her in the room. There are also microwaves we can use. I've never been there, but I'm sure it's going to be nice, and I'm super thankful.

Oh wow you hit the jackpot! Boardwalk Inn is gorgeous! I fell in love with it this past trip. I love the Beach Club (only thing better about the BC is you get the view of the Boardwalk) but this is even better. Great night entertainment, great bakery and bar. Flying Fish Cafe (the pork belly is as amazing as Corey made it out to be). Beautiful walking paths and boat rides. You can watch Illuminations from the bridge. Just an amazing resort.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

From your first post: "will eliminate all current food offerings, to be replaced by food trucks/cold food only."

No biggie or anything.

Then that is my bad - must have seen another rumor or something. Apologies

 

[DiaryofaDisneyKid]

I'm not sure where the food truck thing is coming from. I spoke with four people in total, and not one of them said there would be food trucks. They all mentioned grab-and-go items and beverage stations in several villages of the resort, but no food trucks. Now, if they do have food trucks, that's great! If they're the ones parked at DTD, though, then I know fries are about the only option she'd go for. And if that was all she'd eat, I'd have to supplement with other foods, but still have no way to cook or heat other foods.

We have 3 kids also and it is very limited on where we can stay. I am so happy that everything worked out for you! Have a magical trip.

 

[katiz]

Well this was quite an interesting series of posts. And of course one in particular brought me to tears as I know all to well the give and take of having a child with special needs. Since I am now rethinking my stay, as of yet booked, for a fall stay at CBR, I'd love to hear thoughts on POR as I think that is our go to at this point.

 

[Fantasyland Mom]

Well this was quite an interesting series of posts. And of course one in particular brought me to tears as I know all to well the give and take of having a child with special needs. Since I am now rethinking my stay, as of yet booked, for a fall stay at CBR, I'd love to hear thoughts on POR as I think that is our go to at this point.

POR is a lovely resort, if you can book it! It's beautiful, and the boat to DTD is such a peaceful trip. There are also lots of activities: horse and carriage rides, Yee-Haw Bob, surrey bikes, cane pole fishing, and access to the pools at both POR and POFQ. It's also really quiet, which we love.

 

[GreatLakes]

Better than a food truck? Yes.
For some that may be what they can afford. Not everyone can take the family to Shulas every night.

MG

You must not have eaten at any good food trucks. I'll take the food trucks I've encountered over Shutters 11 out of 10 times.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

You must not have eaten at any good food trucks. I'll take the food trucks I've encountered over Shutters 11 out of 10 times.

Regardless how good or bad the food may be, it's not a restaurant.
To us, dinner means a leasurly, relaxing dinning experience. A place to socialize with a pre dinner drink with a nice surrounding atmosphere.
A food truck does not fit that description.

MG

 

[samsteele]

I'd love to hear thoughts on POR as I think that is our go to at this point.

Both POR & POFQ are incredible resorts. Gems. But not hidden gems. They are both some of WDW's worst kept secrets and are in demand. With CBR and CSR under construction, that demand will be very high. If you think POR is the best fit for your family, you may need to book sooner rather than later. portorleans.org is a wonderful in-depth site lovingly devoted to these resorts. Wonderful information & a great webmaster.

 

[rmm7e]

[QUOTE="Fantasyland Mom, post: 57169284, member: 268551"

So, like you said, I looked at other options. I tried to change resorts, but price differences were too vast. To stay off-site means to incur the extra cost of parking for ten days, plus the loss of guaranteed food options. I could get a grocery delivery, but again would have no way to cook or even heat items...which if you actually read my post, you'll note that temperature is a sensory issue with her. I cannot plan breakfast and lunches in the parks, as with autism you never know how long your child will be able to handle the parks. Will I make it to lunch without her having a meltdown and needing to return to the room? Possibly! Will I even make it through the ticket gates before we have to turn around? Possibly not! You never know; with autism, THERE IS NO PLAN.[/QUOTE]

I'm glad Disney came through for you, it sounds like a great solution.

I know offsite comes with additional costs, but I don't know if you looked into renting a vacation home such as from All Star Vacation Homes. Plenty of room for 5 people with a kitchen and often a private pool, often for less than even a moderate Disney resort per night. Just mentioning this for future reference or in case it helps someone else. Have a great trip!

 

[Dashzap]

I hear they are offering $25/room/night starting in May.
Food options will include a Caribbean-style buffet for breakfast and a la carte offerings for dinner, selection of grab-and-go meals available for purchase throughout the day in three island markets in the Aruba, Jamaica and Martinique regions of the resort, and in-room pizza delivery will remain available. Dining Plans will be accepted for these offerings and dining locations will offer menu options to meet dietary needs. Coca-Cola Freestyle machines will be available throughout the resort for refilliable mugs. And new quick service location will open near Trinidad island this summer, featuring a walk-up quick service window as well as Guest services assistance in the evenings.

 

[*NikkiBell*]

Just saw this online from a guest...

 

[SorcererHeidi]

Thanx for sharing. That seems appropriate for most cases, and reminds me of the Disney I know and love!!

 

[DisneyRookie2007]

We are booked for May 9-18. We have received a $75/night discount and $75 gift card per night. We decided to stay at CBR and are satisfied with the compensation.

 

[SorcererHeidi]

We are booked for May 9-18. We have received a $75/night discount and $75 gift card per night. We decided to stay at CBR and are satisfied with the compensation.

Awesome, glad it worked out, and you are happy with it. When not under construction, it definitely is a beautiful, relaxing resort, so I'm hoping some of that will definitely shine through for you. Have a magical trip!

 

[Tonyz]

Even though I've said I don't know if Disney had to do this it's great to see that their guest service is still top notch. But this brings up an interesting question… If your dream resort was under heavy construction (think Poly a couple years ago) would you still stay there with a discount or would you go somewhere else?

 

[Aerin75]

Even though I've said I don't know if Disney had to do this it's great to see that their guest service is still top notch. But this brings up an interesting question… If your dream resort was under heavy construction (think Poly a couple years ago) would you still stay there with a discount or would you go somewhere else?

I think it would depend on the construction. I'd have stayed at the Poly during construction because I'd still get my enjoyment out of it, just for a lower price. If it was making impossible to enjoy the uniqueness - like completely blocking all view of the Savannah at Animal Kingdom Lodge for example - then probably not.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Even though I've said I don't know if Disney had to do this it's great to see that their guest service is still top notch. But this brings up an interesting question… If your dream resort was under heavy construction (think Poly a couple years ago) would you still stay there with a discount or would you go somewhere else?

We were actually in that situation a few years ago as we fit in a second trip using my AP (the one time I had one) and was a relatively short trip so decided to splurge a bit and do a monorail resort (also had a baby with us so easy stroller travel was key). Wanted to stay at poly but was under construction and no real discounts offered so stayed at Contemporary instead.

Not sure what it would have taken as far as discounts to stay there but would have to be fairly significant I think for us given a) the price of deluxe, even discounted would be fairly high so want deluxe experience and b) with you kids wanted a functioning pool and just afraid how much it would spoil the feel of the resort, etc. (basically for us if we were going deluxe we wanted true deluxe experience)