We're just back from our 1st CBR stay, and def not our last! We have June 2017 booked and feel like we found our "home" going forward
It's taken us 3 trips to WDW to find where we "belong". Granted our 1st 2 stays were at Values & you could argue Moderate differences skew our views. Possibly...However, between our last stay (2 months ago) and this one; we toured 3 deluxes thinking we might stay those places come next June instead. I know tours aren't the same, and the ones we toured are nice. But, CBR has the right "vibe" to fit our vacation interests.
Our stay was 10/8-10/16 (was 10/7 prior to hurricane Matthew). Out of ALL the gazillion positives for this resort, there's literally only 1 negative I can think of (listed below), possibly 2 depending on your village location.
We felt truly blessed to get our room selection, and def don't plan on it happening in the future (although the building will remain 1 of the 3 we request each time). We were in Jamaica 45, room 4557. Lake view, 2nd floor, corner room, closest to bridge, pull down bed, connecting room if needed...AMAZING view when you opened your room door. Pics attached are to show the 3 angles of view.
The "Vibe": We loved the atmosphere all around! You have the crazy fun of the parks, then the relaxing feel of the tropics as soon as you step off the bus. The perfect tranquil escape from the madness! We loved the lake views, the village beaches, the bridge to OPR, the main pool area, and even OPR on the inside itself. Well done Disney!
The room: We loved the size, didn't feel cramped at all. We loved of course the queen beds (and they were comfy too!). We loved the many available drawers for space. And we loved the wooden doors separating the vanity space from room. I'm an early riser & my family sleeps in. I was able to get ready & iron our clothes each morning (plenty of space for me to move even with ironing board), without waking my sleepy heads. The doors block noise & light well. I personally loved the Cuisine Art single cup coffee makers. Makes 2 @ a time, & tastes even better than the OPR industrial pots.
The Location: There's DEF a reason this building and/village is recommended as a request folks! If you don't book preferred, this building/village should def be on your list of requests! You can see how close to the bridge from my pic! The bridge was a short, peaceful, enjoyable walk away from the hussle & bussle of the OPR.
Mousekeeping: Our room was always cleaned well. Our 1st night checking in (the very day after the Matthew craziness!) my husband called to request a box fan & extra coffee. No problem to them. They were there a couple hours later with both. The next day, we came back from HS for a mid afternoon break before our room was cleaned. When they knocked, we asked it to be cleaned later at a specified time. The woman was sweet about it, and the room was cleaned when asked. We also kept getting extra coffee every day after our 1st request of more.
OPR: My expectations for Disney "food courts" were admittedly pretty low after our 1st 2 stays (so I might be biased?). But, the atmosphere was so adorable! Def not "cattle herd" at all! And the food even better. When we can get huge chicken breast jerk chicken, black beans, & mashed potatoes for dinner that taste fresh /yummy, then deli cut sandwiches on multi grain bread with pasta salad & veggie soup that tastes fresh/yummy for lunch; a Disney "food court" doesn't sound so bad lol! And don't get me started on how we loved the main pool area! Even my grumpy 39 yr old hubby slid down the big slide with us and loved it! Plus, we saw the SW's fireworks from there one night! (Pic below).
The negatives: #1 Every courtyard is pretty closed in. And, every courtyard is a smoking area. I say this with no bias bc I myself am a smoker (I'd always go to the main one by the pool bar. But, smokers further away from OPR have no choice but their courtyard). It gets pretty smoky within the confines of those buildings. I smoked in ours once, & I didn't even like it. I felt bad for the non smokers & kids with rooms in those areas. If you're sensitive to smoke & didn't book a Water View, request a non courtyard room (parking lot or side walkway) & specifically tell them your family is sensitive to smoke. You might get cars as your view coming out the door, but a view is only a couple seconds anyway. #2 This is a huge resort! Unless your family is pirate theme or bust, do NOT get the pirate rooms and expect to be happy with your location. If you don't book preferred, my own advice is Jamaica 1st, then Aruba as your requests (closest villages to the bridge on the opposite side of the lake). And phone them in/have your TA phone in. Don't just rely on the generic online requests.
The buses: I saved this for last bc I personally feel the luck of buses has no bearing on a resort. But, we loved the wait time boards posted at the bus stops! We also had incredible luck the whole trip through coming/going. Again, keep in mind it's luck & not CBR. There are internal stops at each village then OPR before heading off to your desired location. All I can say is you might want to consider another resort if you're looking to fly off after getting on the bus. But, chances are you're not taking a Disney bus if so lol!
So that's it. We're already looking forward to our stay next June, and we're already talking about which 2018 dates to book afterwards!