Among the best of the Disney run resorts
Written: Jun 15 '04 (Updated Mar 15 '05)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Nice rooms, nice grounds, good location, good dining options.
Cons: Your room can be very far from food and pools.
The Bottom Line: If you want the extras of staying on property, Moderate resorts are a good bet for families, and the Caribbean Beach is an excellent choice.
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| ayjay's Full Review: Disneys Caribbean Beach |
My family recently spent five nights at Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort. We have stayed at some of the Premium resorts (Yacht Club, Contemporary) and Value resorts (All-Star Sports). While Caribbean Beach is a Moderate resort, I would consider it among the best of the resorts on the Disney property.
The resort grounds are beautiful. In typical Disney style, the landscaping is lush and the architecture is pleasing. The hub of the resort is the Port Royale building, which contains the food court, a regular restaurant, a gift shop, and a game room. The resort is also big. Two story hotel building dot the landscape, surrounding a large central lagoon. This layout means that some of the rooms are far away – really far away. You can pay a small premium to ensure a room close to Port Royale (we did). If you are far away, you can walk, or take an intra-resort bus.
There is no lobby per se. Check-in and Guest Services take place in a separate "Customs House" building, set off by itself. It's a large space with a nautical theme and several service windows, though it was virtually empty the day we were there. There is a small area with a television showing Disney fare and places for the kids to sit while you take care of business. The "cast member" that took care of us was efficient, and even helped us purchase a park ticket package that should not technically have been available (we got Ultimate Park Hopper passes for fewer days than our stay, which required some tricks with the computer system).
The rooms are in clusters of small buildings, and have exterior entrances. Rooms are nicely appointed and decorated in a Caribbean theme. Beds and pillows were comfortable. In addition to the beds, there is a dresser/armoire with large drawers (it also holds the television) a table with two chairs, and a padded bench that was useful for dressing and as a diaper changing surface. The sink area has two sinks, and is outside the bath/shower room. There is a curtain that can be pulled out to separate the sink area from the bedroom. Our room faced a pool, but was very quiet.
Except for being slightly smaller, I would say that the room was nicer than our room at the Contemporary. In general, the rooms at the Moderate resorts are slightly smaller than at the Premium resort, which also means that they don't have the extra bed you find at those hotels. This can be an issue for families of a certain size or if your kids don't like to share a bed.
Along the lagoon there are several "beaches", where kids can play in the sand. Some of the beaches have playscapes. You cannot, however, swim in the Lagoon.
There are several pools spread around the property. Most of them are unremarkable – rectangular pools with some deck chairs. The main pool, however, is very nice, with a decidedly Caribbean theme. The main pool also sports a slide, but don’t get too excited; it’s small and slow. There is also a nice large baby pool, but it is visually separated from the main pool, so you can’t keep an eye on both.
The food court is, in my opinion, a good thing. The food is good, reasonably priced (for hotel food - most things around $5-7.), and the variety is nice. The Pizza counter was very popular, and whole pies can be ordered to go for about $19. There also a quick service area, where you can get bagels, fruit, milk, juice, etc. Lines can be long, and service can sometimes be slow. The dining room can also be loud and crowded. There is a seating area outside if you prefer (which we did, almost every time). There is also a bar right outside, if adult beverages are desired.
Transportation to the parks is by bus. Disney runs a transit system larger than most mid-size cities, and they are pretty good at it. Buses stop at several places around the resort, so you never have far to walk. There is a bus for every park, and they run every 20 minutes or so. One thing to keep in mind: when the parks close, the lines for the buses are very long. Be prepared for the wait, or leave a little early.
Staying “on property” has some advantages. Transportation is good. You have room charging privileges at every park, hotel, restaurant, and store. You can park your car on property for free. There are more park ticket options. And the Disney “magic”, though subtle, is noticeable, especially by the kids.
We’ve tried all three levels of resort, and will probably stick with the Moderate resorts in the future. And we would not hesitate to return to the Caribbean Beach.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
ayjay
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Reviews written: 74
Trusted by: 7 members
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