Yeah, I saw that thread too. Just like the old days before the main pool was redone, before queen sized beds, and before Pirate themed rooms. I thought about responding but thought better of it, some folks just want to stick with their opinions. That's fine with me. The last thing many of us around here want is for CBR to become *that* resort that everyone "just has to stay at".
1. Resort size. CBR just got quite a bit smaller with the removal of Barbados. I think this size complaint can be tied into how far away check-in and check-out is at the Custom House. By the end of the year, Old Port Royal will have the new "lobby" which will make it so much easier for checking in as well as getting to and from the DME buses. OPR will have an expanded bus stop (three covered stops) to better handle any crowding there. I've honestly never understood this complaint. DW and I are in our 60s, regularly do up to 35000 steps a day in the parks and are not bothered by a 5 or 10 minute walk around the resort. I don't know how others do the parks but a bit of walking around the resort should not bother any reasonably mobile guest. If it truly is an issue then Trinidad North or Martinique is the perfect location that will be close to everything.
2. Location. Jamaica is really a good choice for a close bus stop and more than reasonable walk to OPR. We were in 4616 a few weeks ago and it was just about perfect for this. Personally I have always liked Aruba 56. Extremely close to the bus stop and was very handy to walk to/from Custom House at the beginning and end of our stay. That'll no longer be a concern in the future so I'm not sure if 56 will continue being a draw for us. The walk over to the island and on to Centertown is a very pleasant one and I really missed it in 2015 when the bridge was undergoing reconstruction. We stayed in Barbados that time.
3. Park buses. As you note, there is no way to know what will happen once the construction dust settles and the gondola begins operation. Keeping this in mind, while we were there at the end of March, they were running separate bus routes during the mornings. Jamaica and Aruba had one bus and the others had theirs. It was a very busy spring break week and we never, ever saw a full bus come to our stop in the mornings and we had baseball and lacrosse players staying at the resort at the time.