Caribbean Beach Resort at Disney World
Written: Nov 09 '01
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Product Rating:
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Pros: lovely lake, nice room, really fun pool
Cons: food court wasn't the best
The Bottom Line: While it wasn't our first choice, the Caribbean Beach Resort was a very nice place to stay; if you like the theme idea, it could be perfect for you!
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| serc's Full Review: Disneys Caribbean Beach |
During our recent trip at Walt Disney World, we were lucky enough to be able to stay at one of the Disney resorts. We had chosen a moderate resort, the Port Orleans – French Quarter, but two nights before we left we received a phone call informing us that they were closing our choice down (temporarily, we presume). While the reasons weren’t entirely clear, it seems that the events of September 11 have caused a downturn in travel, and Disney was getting a lot of cancellations. We were given the choice of either the Port Orleans – Riverside (formerly known as Dixie Landings), or the Caribbean Beach Resort. Without a lot of time to think about it, we chose the latter option, which proved to be an enjoyable place to spend a week.
Our first experience at the Caribbean Beach Resort was a little rocky, though. We had just flown in from Minneapolis, missing dinner, and then we were delayed by the remarkable incompetence of the people at National car rental in Orlando. Just when we thought we’d leapt over our last obstacle and we could eat and then collapse into bed, our check-in was… well, it took a long time. Our previous reservations for the Port Orleans – French Quarter – had been credited back to our credit card account, but no one had informed us of this. So there was some confusion because we didn’t want to be charged twice, no matter how much we liked the resort! To Disney’s credit, the young woman behind the counter was very patient and kept calling people until she found out what had happened. Thankfully, the check-in lobby was complete with (1) a big bathroom in which I could change my 3 year old’s diaper and (2) a television playing Toy Story 2. I had a terrible time dragging Alex out of there when we were finally checked in officially!
If the beginning of our trip seemed a bit rocky, things smoothed out the next day and were great for the rest of the week. The room itself featured two double beds with bright bedspreads, a table and two chairs, a television (complete with video inputs for those taping their Disney vacation), a good number of drawers for storing clothes, a sink area with two basins, and a bathroom with a perfectly functional (if kind of loud) toilet, and a shower and bathtub. For the most part, it was a basic hotel room, just sort of brighter and more interesting in appearance. A bottle of combination shampoo and conditioner was provided, as well as two bars of soap; both items featured none other than Mickey Mouse on them. I should add that I found that the hotel walls seemed thin at times during the week. We could clearly hear fireworks from the parks every night, and sometimes we heard yelling and screaming kids from the room next door to ours.
Also in the room upon our arrival were four of the ubiquitous Caribbean Beach Resort beverage cup, priced at $9.99 each, several rain ponchos (approximately $5.50 each), and numerous coffee packets (not sure on the price but I think the coffee was $1.00 a packet). These things are provided when you arrive and if they are gone at the end of the week, the assumption is that you are purchasing them; they are then added to your bill. We decided to buy one of the beverage cups at the beginning of the week because we knew that it allowed free refills at the beverage bar at the Food Court. It seemed like a good deal, and it would be if you enjoy drinking soda pop or lemonade a lot. I am more of a milk, water, and juice person myself, and really, I could have gotten my water from the tap. Still, the cup is a fairly inexpensive souvenir, and I did use it some. We also decided to buy one of the rain ponchos for our tour of the Animal Kingdom; Austin and I traded off wearing it on the Kali River Rapids! The coffee was ignored by us completely, but I noted that the hotel room does provide a Mr. Coffee in which to make it.
There are six "villages" in the resort, all named after Caribbean countries. We stayed in "Martinique," but the others are Barbados, Trinidad North, Trinidad South, Jamaica, and Aruba. Martinique and Trinidad North are on either side of Old Port Royale, which is where the food court, the bus stop, the resort’s themed pool, the arcade, and most of the other things you might want to get at are. Even though our "village" was right next to Old Port Royale, it was still a five to seven minute walk to Old Port Royale – or even longer since Alex gets interested in things so easily and he never wants to move on!
One of the coolest things about the resort is the lake that the buildings surround. There are beaches along the lake with playground equipment, hammocks, and lawn chairs. Alex loved going down to the beach to throw sand into the water! While swimming is forbidden in the lake, you can rent boats of various kinds to take out. We didn’t exercise this option, but it looked fun, although the lake isn’t huge. Some of the fireworks that happen nightly around Disney World – in particular some from Epcot’s nightly Illuminations show – can be seen from the beach as well. Just don’t expect the view that you would get from actually going to one of the parks; trees blocked a good deal of what was happening.
Another wonderful thing about the Caribbean Beach Resort; the pools. Each village has its own swimming pool. The village pools are much quieter and more relaxing than the theme pool at Old Port Royale. However, the theme pool area is very clever and worth the walk and the somewhat more crowded experience. Themed after a Spanish war fort (I believe), it has a water slide, cannons that periodically shoot water at swimmers, and a lovely waterfall. Also in this area are a small hot tub and a kiddie pool that Alex adored. We spent only one afternoon swimming, but it was great fun. Also of note, the theme pool has actual lifeguards on duty, something I’ve never seen in a hotel pool before.
Eating was probably our biggest problem during our vacation, and I can’t say that I loved the Food Court at Old Port Royale. During the dinner hour people flood in from the parks looking for food, and so we would wind up standing in long lines for mediocre, overpriced food. There are several counter service options at Old Port Royale, including a pizza counter, a pasta counter, a deli, a bakery, a hamburger shop, a pasta bar, and a "broiler" (which featured chicken and turkey items). The selection isn’t bad if you only go there once or twice, but dining is tricky in Disney World, and we wound up there five or six times.
My best advice here is to do one of three things. (1) If you have to eat at Old Port Royale, time it so that you are eating at a weird time, preferably not just after one or more of the parks have closed. (2)Buy some food at a grocery store off of Disney property and store it in a cooler; you could make adequate sandwiches this way, for example. Or (3) Make an effort to eat elsewhere. The fare at the parks isn’t great, except at Epcot, but it offers variety. Other resorts have different restaurants as well, and it is great fun to see the other resorts!
Still on the subject of food, there is a full service restaurant at Caribbean Beach Resort called Captain’s Tavern. We knew Alex wasn’t up to sitting still in a restaurant, so we ordered take out from this restaurant. It was pretty good, and the prices weren’t much higher than the food court. They have a really delicious Tutti Frutti smoothie that is worth trying out.
Transportation around Disney World is available on the Disney bus system; the bus stop is at Old Port Royale. We never used the bus service because we had a rental car and it seemed easier to get away from the crowds as soon as possible after leaving the parks. Still, it is a great service, and you can get from your resort to any of the four major theme parks, the three water parks, and Downtown Disney. With the car we were able to park for free at any of the resorts or parks; I’m not sure if that was because we stayed at a Disney Resort, or if it was because of the vacation package we chose.
The cost per night of the rooms varies somewhat from season to season, and it is always a bit more expensive if you want a water view room. I believe we paid $169 per night to stay at this particular resort, but look at the Disney.com web page (or call Disney World) for more up to date pricing. Prices may have been dropped a bit due to the reduced number of tourists.
We liked Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort, and I think we’d happily stay there again. It wasn’t wildly expensive and it offered a few luxuries that we’ve never encountered before at a hotel or resort. Just being able to stay in Walt Disney World itself was a great feature. Because we had a park hopper pass for the duration of our stay, we were able to quickly get back to our hotel room for a break when we needed one. And being in what I call the "Disney Bubble World*" was a welcome relief after the events of the past few months.
* "Disney Bubble World" is the place where you have no clue about the events of the outside world, and your only thought is to what kind of Disney activity you should do next.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
serc
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Member: Sara Robinson-Coolidge
Location: Northfield, MN
Reviews written: 975
Trusted by: 345 members
About Me:
mother of two kids, student nurse, feminist, bibliophile, and compulsive Epinions writer
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