Gran Destino Tower or Caribbean Beach Resort

[Stitch577]

Hi everyone!

I have a 6 night trip booked for spring break 2021, and currently we have a lake view room at Gran Destino Tower booked. However, if I switch to Caribbean Beach we will save about $250. The only thing making me hesitant to do that is that I've heard some mixed reviews about the cleanliness/maintenance of the rooms at CBR. Some people complained about the rooms being dirty and outdated, while a few others said their ceiling was leaking. We are generally not very high maintenance people, so I take those reviews with a grain of salt, but I wanted to get some opinions on whether or not switching to Caribbean would worth the savings, or if I would end up regretting it. We love taking the Skyliner, so I think that would be a big benefit. Thanks in advance for your opinions!

 

[GADisneyDad14]

I’d say a lot comes down to your location preferences more than anything.

GDT is really a deluxe building within a moderate resort. It’s a bit apples and oranges when comparing GDT and CBR, in my opinion.

Personally I strongly prefer CSR/GDT over CBR, but I can understand arguments both ways. I just like the grounds, the buildings, the tower, and the dining options better than CBR.

While bus only to the parks, CSR has such a convenient central location to everything - I really value that when there.

Granted we were just at GDT last week, so I’m still basking in the glow of a great stay.

If you’re less of a resort person and will be out/about in the parks more often than not, you may prefer CBR and its transportation options.

But $250 doesn’t seem like a lot for 6 days, and in my opinion GDT is a big upgrade over CBR.

 

[Pooh2]

For only $250 more, Grand Destino is a big upgrade!
It's so new and clean.
The skyliner is not a big deal to us so it would be an easy decision.

 

[Gehrig1B]

Gran Destino is a deluxe hiding within a moderate. Great dining options as well. Love the Skyliner but my vote is to stay with Gran Destino.

 

[Ross Kratter]

Gran Destino is a huge upgrade over CBR. As everyone else is saying, it's a Deluxe resort within the greater Moderate of Coronado Springs. It's a great place to stay. I was there about 3 weeks ago and absolutely loved it.

 

[Leigh L]

You definitely can't go wrong with CSR, I'd echo everyone else here, we've stayed 3 times (2 standard, 1 GDT). No matter what kind of room you go with, in our experience, all rooms were immaculate and new. We were there in early November last.

I don't have any experience with CBR though other than a wander around after a Skyline tour with my adult DD and we got out to go to the bus stop to meet DH and DD at a park and got lost, so saw quite a bit of it that way .

(Our next stay is already booked for CSR after the Visa discount dropped. It's going to be a mostly work/school trip with hopefully some parks on our off days, but we thought it would be the perfect resort for however the trip shakes out.)

 

[nkereina]

We just spent a week at CBR in October and our room was perfectly fine. The entire resort received a soft goods refurb in late 2018, so we didn't find it to be outdated at all. It was also extraordinarily clean (given the current cleaning protocols), and the smell of cleaning products hit me in the face (in a good way) when we entered. We had a great stay.

I love both properties, and agree with PPs that GDT has more of a deluxe feel, and $250 more for your whole stay is a good deal. That said, I do think CBR wins in the transportation category which is always an important factor for us since we utilize that probably more than anything else at whatever resort we stay at. The Skyliner is hard to beat, and makes it so you only need to bus to 2 of the 4 parks. Having to bus to all 4 parks would be a disadvantage for us in the current environment with such limited capacity on the buses. There were two instances during our stay when we had to wait for another bus to come because of others waiting before us. People are also lining up an hour before buses start running in the morning to ensure they are on the first bus of the day, which creates crowds and confusion in the mornings (we skipped this mess and used Uber). Anything can change before spring break time, but I'd be surprised if social distancing is a thing of the past by then.

The other thing to keep an eye on is what dining options are available by then. I believe the El Mercado QS at CSR is currently closed, although I'm not sure if GDT has anything separate or comparable. The QS at CBR was open, albeit with a limited menu, and the walk to Riviera is very easy for access to their QS or even Toppolino Terrace.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

The other thing to keep an eye on is what dining options are available by then. I believe the El Mercado QS at CSR is currently closed, although I'm not sure if GDT has anything separate or comparable. The QS at CBR was open, albeit with a limited menu, and the walk to Riviera is very easy for access to their QS or even Toppolino Terrace.

FWIW, here’s the rundown of current CSR/GDT options just for those reading along. Yes, El Mercado is still closed, but there are a variety of other options. Hours are a little wonky and these won’t fit all dining preferences, but it’s some decent clay to work with (others may disagree). Cafe Rix wasn’t available at first but they recently reopened, which has provided at least some relief in terms of another place to grab some food with Mercado still closed.

Open
Barcelona Lounge - 7am-11am
Dahlia Lounge - 7pm-12am
Three Bridges Bar & Grill - 4:30pm-12am
Siestas Pool Bar - 11am-10pm (I think the grill closes at 7pm or 8pm)
Rix Sports Bar & Grill - 7am-11pm (pretty much the main all-day sit-down dining option open right now)
Cafe Rix - 7am-12:30pm & 4:30pm-10pm


Closed
El Mercado
In-Room Dining
Laguna Bar
Maya Grill
Toledo