Fun in the Sun
Written: Jan 26 '01 (Updated Jan 26 '01)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Beautiful, great activities, friendly staff.
Cons: Rooms were not anything special.
The Bottom Line: I am going to give Caribbean Beach Resort four stars because the rooms were not as nice as I expected, but I loved everything else about the resort.
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| kimbiemeister's Full Review: Disneys Caribbean Beach |
How did my husband and I choose the Caribbean Beach Resort? Well, we went to a travel agent and picked up a brochure that had pictures of all the Disney World resorts. The picture of Caribbean Beach showed a really cool looking pool so my husband and I thought it would be a fun place to stay. After I made the reservations I got really nervous. I thought that we probably should have done a little more research before making a choice. So I asked two friends who had recently visited Walt Disney World. One friend said that they stayed at Caribbean Beach a few years earlier and liked it so much that they were planning another stay there in the next few months. The other friend said that they had recently stayed at Caribbean Beach and they were really happy the resort.
Our Stay:
We stayed at Caribbean Beach for 7 nights in December of 2000. With our Disney Club discount, we paid $1468 and that price included the Disney Unlimited Magic Pass which gives unlimited access to all of the WDW parks and water parks. Both of our children were under 3 so we did not have to pay for them. Without the discount, the regular price for this time of year was $848 per adult and includes the Disney Unlimited Magic Pass.
The Resort:
The resort has a Caribbean theme. It has five villages that are named after Caribbean islands: Jamaica, Trinidad, Martinique, Barbados, and Aruba. The villages are made up of several buildings of rooms. Each village is close to a heated pool, beach (an area with sand and hammocks, but there is no swimming allowed in the water – only in the pools), a playground, and laundry facilities. The grounds are absolutely beautiful with amazing landscaping.
Old Port Royale Center Towne:
Old Port Royale Center Towne has a food court with six restaurants: Cinnamon Bay Bakery, Royale Pizza Shop, Old Port Royale Hamburger Shop, Kingston Pasta Shop, Montego’s Deli, and Bridgetown Broiler. As you can see, there is quite a wide variety so every member of your party should be able to find something they like. The restaurants in the food court sell mugs for around $8. If you buy a mug, you can have unlimited beverage refills at the beverage island. It is really a pretty good deal. If you prefer a more formal dinner, the Captain’s Tavern is open from 5:00pm – 10:00pm. It is a table service restaurant that serves meals such as prime rib and chicken. There are also two shops that sell souvenirs, toiletries, and other items you may need on your vacation. I noticed they were even selling baby food. There is also an arcade.
Activities:
There are plenty of things to do at Caribbean Beach. You could relax and play for an entire week without ever leaving the resort. The main pool is huge! It is heated and has a water slide, cannons shooting water, and a waterfall. There is also a huge baby pool. All of the pools are open 7am – midnight. You can also rent boats (2 seaters, pedal boats, etc.) and bicycles for 1, 2, 4, or 6 people. For athletic people, there is a 1.4 mile paved path for walking or jogging and a sand volleyball court.
Rooms:
The standard room is the size of an average hotel room. It has two full size beds. You can request a crib if you are traveling with an infant. There is also an amoire with a TV and a table and 2 chairs. The rooms are decorated in bright colors. The soap in the bathroom was imprinted with Mickey’s face and came in a Mickey Mouse box. I was a little disappointed with the rooms. I thought that since it was a Disney resort it would be a little nicer than the typical hotel room. I was also disappointed that the resort only supplied shampoo, not conditioner. And I also had to ask for an iron and ironing board and a hair dryer. I know this isn’t a big deal, but I have stayed at chain hotels that automatically supply these items in every room. Traveling with 2 small children, I was trying to pack as lightly as possible and I figured I could leave those things at home to save some room.
Staff:
The staff was very friendly and they went out of their way to say hi every time we passed them walking to or from our room. The housekeepers did a couple of fun things with my daughters’ toys when they made up our room. They wrote “Minnie Mouse” on the magna doodle and lined up all of the toys in our portable crib. They also made bunnies out of wash cloths and left notes that said, “Welcome Home. We hope you enjoyed your day.”
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
kimbiemeister
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Reviews written: 45
Trusted by: 17 members
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