Disney's CARIBBEAN BEACH RESORT Information & Questions

[wdw4rfam]

Please note, my only major complaint is the transportation. This is not a CBR issue. It would be like that at any resort and indeed, I shared my worst transportation experiences trapped with people staying at the Contempo, Poly and GF.
Please don't be worried about CBR, as we enjoy this resort. I am sure that you will as well.

I am saying the same. We love it here. It tried the buses yesterday again and yikes. We will drive today. My DD ad her BF waited 45 min for a MK bus around 11:00. We waited about 20-25 at 8:15. Coming back was great though. We love everything else about this resort.

 

[MissouriJen]

Jamaica building 45, rooms 4529 and 4530 are connecting with Murphy beds.

 

[titansgal]

Gosh..... I'm disappointed with some of the negative reviews. Things are bound to happen sometimes, but when you spend so much money on a vacation it's hard to take and I get that. I'm curious to see how it will be for us, and have to admit I'm a bit worried after reading some of these! Our last trip was spent at Fort Wilderness. DS got sick the first night we were there... ended up taking him to urgent care. Unfortunately is was just a virus that had to run its course. NO quick fix. We were there 8 nights. He was finally fever free our last day. It. was. AWFUL. There was nothing we could do, but make the best of it though. I hope everyone has some better experiences to post soon!

We were there in early October and had a fantastic time. Yes, we had a few hiccups that in the past may have upset us, or would make us complain (and thus ruin our mindset of the trip), but we tried to go in expecting them. Yes, one day (out of 14) we didn't have coffee refilled or new shampoo. A few of the other days we had extra though without asking and our room was always cleaned to perfection Yes, one day housekeeping still hadn't come at 4:30. We called, and they came while we were out eating dinner (they left extra toiletries that night). Yes, the crowds were the worst we have ever seen. We still rode every single ride we wanted to ride and made some fantastic memories. One night coming back to the resort from Disney Springs we waited almost 20 minutes for a bus. Every other time we almost always had a bus waiting for us at any bus stop we arrived to the entire trip. One day I spent over 30 minutes at Concierge because the app wasn't working and I needed to know my fast passes for the next day. The whole computer system was down park wide and would only come up for a few minutes at a time. Eventually it came up long enough for the cast member to quickly print my plans for the day. Yes, my feet were swollen for many days for no apparent reason. I just tried to eat less salt, drink more water and rest more and they got much better. It allowed me time to sit with my feet up in the middle of World Showcase and people watch which is something I never would have made time for before.

We made a pact on day one that no matter what happened, we weren't going to complain to each other about things and that we would remind each other as needed that we were just lucky to be there. Many people would give anything to be there one day, and we were lucky to be there two weeks. That mindset alone really helped us to stay positive the whole trip. Now, don't get me wrong. I 100% get that people pay a lot of money for this vacation and have higher expectations. I think I personally have gone to Disney too many times expecting perfection. I finally realized this time that it just isn't possible. Just remind yourself of that before you leave and it will help your trip. It's Disney! You won't be sitting at home or at work with a million things to take care of. There are trained professionals there to take care of everything for you. Let them, and realize that they are human as well. They make mistakes. Give them a chance to correct a mistake if one occurs. Remember, a rainy day at Disney is better than a rainy day at home

To any who read this who have had bad experiences. Please don't read this as I think your problems were trivial, or that you shouldn't be upset. I wasn't there to experience what you did. I get that people have bad experiences (we have had them as well). If something really bad would have happened (like the air not working or being locked out of my room), I would have had a really hard time overlooking that as well. I would have complained for sure. Heck, in the past I would have complained about much less. We were lucky that our "issues" were trivial. I hate reading that people had less than magical experiences. It makes me sad as I know how amazing so many of our own Disney trips have been. My point in posting is to help people who haven't gone yet put things in perspective to ease their worried minds. I hope everyone who is eagerly anticipating a trip has a fantastic trip!

 

[kwbrad]

Jamaica building 45, rooms 4529 and 4530 are connecting with Murphy beds.

Are those rooms standard view? I am putting Jamaica as one of my requests, hoping we get Jamaica 45, and connecting w my BIL/SIL/nephew

 

[oj01]

We were there in early October and had a fantastic time. Yes, we had a few hiccups that in the past may have upset us, or would make us complain (and thus ruin our mindset of the trip), but we tried to go in expecting them. Yes, one day (out of 14) we didn't have coffee refilled or new shampoo. A few of the other days we had extra though without asking and our room was always cleaned to perfection Yes, one day housekeeping still hadn't come at 4:30. We called, and they came while we were out eating dinner (they left extra toiletries that night). Yes, the crowds were the worst we have ever seen. We still rode every single ride we wanted to ride and made some fantastic memories. One night coming back to the resort from Disney Springs we waited almost 20 minutes for a bus. Every other time we almost always had a bus waiting for us at any bus stop we arrived to the entire trip. One day I spent over 30 minutes at Concierge because the app wasn't working and I needed to know my fast passes for the next day. The whole computer system was down park wide and would only come up for a few minutes at a time. Eventually it came up long enough for the cast member to quickly print my plans for the day. Yes, my feet were swollen for many days for no apparent reason. I just tried to eat less salt, drink more water and rest more and they got much better. It allowed me time to sit with my feet up in the middle of World Showcase and people watch which is something I never would have made time for before.

We made a pact on day one that no matter what happened, we weren't going to complain to each other about things and that we would remind each other as needed that we were just lucky to be there. Many people would give anything to be there one day, and we were lucky to be there two weeks. That mindset alone really helped us to stay positive the whole trip. Now, don't get me wrong. I 100% get that people pay a lot of money for this vacation and have higher expectations. I think I personally have gone to Disney too many times expecting perfection. I finally realized this time that it just isn't possible. Just remind yourself of that before you leave and it will help your trip. It's Disney! You won't be sitting at home or at work with a million things to take care of. There are trained professionals there to take care of everything for you. Let them, and realize that they are human as well. They make mistakes. Give them a chance to correct a mistake if one occurs. Remember, a rainy day at Disney is better than a rainy day at home

To any who read this who have had bad experiences. Please don't read this as I think your problems were trivial, or that you shouldn't be upset. I wasn't there to experience what you did. I get that people have bad experiences (we have had them as well). If something really bad would have happened (like the air not working or being locked out of my room), I would have had a really hard time overlooking that as well. I would have complained for sure. Heck, in the past I would have complained about much less. We were lucky that our "issues" were trivial. I hate reading that people had less than magical experiences. It makes me sad as I know how amazing so many of our own Disney trips have been. My point in posting is to help people who haven't gone yet put things in perspective to ease their worried minds. I hope everyone who is eagerly anticipating a trip has a fantastic trip!

What a fantastically well written piece.

 

[MissouriJen]

Are those rooms standard view? I am putting Jamaica as one of my requests, hoping we get Jamaica 45, and connecting w my BIL/SIL/nephew

I think so. That's what we booked, but we could see the water from 4529. It was really the perfect location! Have a great trip!

 

[wdw4rfam]

2637 has a Murphy bed and connects to 38.

 

[3Goofy's]

4627 is an accessible room with a Murphy bed

 

[3Goofy's]

4627 is an accessible room with a Murphy bed

It also connects with the room closer to the water - 4628?

 

[happydwarfs]

Jamaica 4359 has a murphy bed. @mickeystoontown

 

[ConnecticutNonna]

Hi Everyone! We have booked CBR for our Honeymoon in 2016! This is our first Disney trip together. My fiancé is a non-Disney lover (he grew up in Orlando), so I am hoping Disney will sprinkle a little Disney magic on him. He has never stay on-site before. This is our second marriage for both of us, we will be 50 at the time of our honeymoon. Does anyone have any recommendations to make this trip even more special for him? (For me it's a dream of a lifetime to be able to honeymoon with him at Disney. It's something that I never thought would happen).

CONGRATS!

 

[ConnecticutNonna]

Wanted to see if anyone had a similar situation to what we had checking in today. Received the email saying we may get a text to go straight to our room. Got to the resort around 3:45 today and never got a text. Went to check in and after several minutes of waiting the CM asked if we would accept a complimentary upgrade...to the Grand Floridian! Um, I guess that will work! It threw us for a loop since for 6+ months we had been planning for CBR, but we'll take it. Spent the rest of the evening acquainting ourselves with the resort. Looking forward to a great week!

Holy Cow!

 

[dpswift]

I forgot to post that 1210 in Barbadoes does not have a Murphy bed. We had issues locking the bathroom door but the was not important to us. Our only complaint was the water pressure in the shower but we reported it and the manager said the would check it after we left.

 

[linny172]

Here now, got the requests we wanted. Jamacia and ground floor. Have 4 rooms in Jamacia 4405 corner room, Murphy bed, 4406 has Murphy bed, 4407 has Murphy bed also. 4409 no Murphy bed. When I made the reservations I asked for a room with a Murphy bed for my brother and his family, there are 4 in their room, was told you had to have 5 in your room, well they got the room without the bed, there are only 2 of us in the other rooms, and we all have the bed.
Resort is beautiful,

 

[lazer]

Finally at a computer to write a longer review. We were there 11/13-11/21.
CheckIn: We got an email saying we could bypass the front desk, but had to change after a 15 hour drive. Immediately, we were greeted with someone wanting to 'check us in'. Went for it, and so happy we did. He was so enthusiastic about his job and was really great with our kids (swords, buttons, eye patches, stickers). Our room wasn't ready, so we parked (he told us where our room would be) and headed to the parks. Got a text about 11 am that it was ready and when we eventually went back we had no problems with the room.
Room: Wasn't anything near what we requested via fax, but worked out in our favor. We loved overlooking both the pool and water and being in Jamaica. Our room was very clean and we couldn't hear anything outside or from the rooms around us. Only issue, and I wouldn't even call it that, is we always had the Do Not Disturb sign up so we never received a refill on toiletries or towels, until we called. Just a little different from our past stays when we came back to a bag of it every day (which I think is excessive).
Resort: The resort was beautiful, and we ended up liking the grounds more than POR. Didn't seem as spread out and taking the bridge to OPR was great and my kids loved looking for the many turtles and fish. We skipped the quiet pool, but loved the slides at the main pool. The water was a perfect temp, too. Food court was okay, didn't spend much time there, just to refill drinks mainly. None of the food looked too great to me, except the chocolate croissants! This was the only place we encountered a rude CM. I was trying to use a counter service credit for three snacks and she was so annoyed she huffed and puffed like a toddler. I just smiled and told her to have a nice day.
Shutters: Loved our meal. My husband eats steak whenever possible and he said this was the best on property. Our waitress was amazing too, and really attentive to our kids and making them happy (which to be honest is easy). She brought out chocolate covered marshmallows on a Mickey straw, with a candle, for my son's birthday.
Buses: We drove to Hollywood Studios and Downtown, but took buses everywhere else. No real complaints. I do miss the 'line system' at pop century. Only because people are rude! And, often someone in a rascal would roll up as the bus pulled up and they'd load first, along with their family...leaving people to had been waiting to load last and maybe stand. Loved that Jamaica was the first pick up and first drop off after leaving a park (only one time Jamaica was later in the 'pick up').

Non CBR related: Minnie's Holiday Party at Hollywood & Vine was super cute and my kids really enjoyed meeting the characters in their holiday attire, same with Santa Goofy at Hollywood Studios. Parks weren't super crowded, and we were able to do everything multiple times. Osbourne Family Lights are totally worth the hype. They were awesome and we all loved it! Star Tours has a new adventure that you might get, based on the Force Awakens, had it a few times and it's pretty neat. I hate the garages at Downtown. Best, and most fun meal we had was Teppan Edo. Glad we purchased Memory Maker as we got some great photos and really enjoyed looking at them after each ride and knowing we didn't have to buy them individually! Found most of the bathrooms at the parks pretty gross, which is expected for how much they're used. I have a little anxiety in public restrooms to start and it was just over the top on this trip with smells and sights (tmi, sorry).

Pre-park opening ADRs are awesome. We had an 8:25 for Be Our Guest and the park opened at 9. By 10 am we had ridden Mine Train (twice, once with fast passes), Barnstormer, Little Mermaid, Met Ariel and rode Dumbo!

We had a great trip, but I just don't know if we'll be back for a couple of years. I'd like to wait for some of the new attractions and have both my kids be a little older (they're 3 and 7 now). We've gone so much, it's just kind of lost it's appeal to me. But, my anxiety was on high this trip and I need a break from all the planning involved!

 

[vrajewski10513]

I'm kind of a roll with the punches person so as long as our room is clean with a king bed, I'll be ok! Is it weird to want Jamaica because I think the color of the buildings is the prettiest? . And the bridge would be nice as well!

This is why we chose Jamaica over Aruba!

 

[jeepwreck]

Barbados rooms 1245 and 1246 are connecting with Murphy beds.

just got back from a 11 night stay. it was out first time at this resort and it was a good experience

the bridge reopened the 4th night we were there but since I changed our room location it did not effect us

we had breakfast every day at the resort and even tried out shutters which was good.

only thing I was a bit disappointed in was the resort was not decked out in Christmas decoration. I am not sure when they do it but we left on Nov 19 and there was still no decorations anywhere only in the parks

 

[crazymomof4]

We made a pact on day one that no matter what happened, we weren't going to complain to each other about things and that we would remind each other as needed that we were just lucky to be there. Many people would give anything to be there one day, and we were lucky to be there two weeks. That mindset alone really helped us to stay positive the whole trip. Now, don't get me wrong. I 100% get that people pay a lot of money for this vacation and have higher expectations. I think I personally have gone to Disney too many times expecting perfection. I finally realized this time that it just isn't possible. Just remind yourself of that before you leave and it will help your trip. It's Disney! You won't be sitting at home or at work with a million things to take care of. !

Just started reading this thread (from the end backward, LOL) bc we are considering CBR for our 2016 trip.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE the above quoted post! Soooo true!

 

[EpcotBill]

Just started reading this thread (from the end backward, LOL) bc we are considering CBR for our 2016 trip.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE the above quoted post! Soooo true!

You should really start at the beginning and read the first 30 posts. That's where all the information is.

 

[3Goofy's]

only thing I was a bit disappointed in was the resort was not decked out in Christmas decoration. I am not sure when they do it but we left on Nov 19 and there was still no decorations anywhere only in the parks

Oh, too bad, we weren't around OPR on Fri Nov 20, but it was decorated Sat Nov 21 early in the morning. They didn't do a lot, just a tree in the outer gift shop, a couple wreaths and garlands - but Caribbean themed, with fish, starfish, blues and coppers. It's fun to see all the resorts decorated with their theme. That's a job I would love!