| Posted By |
Message |
Ang-Rich
Beyond Compare
Member since 5/05 17988 total posts
Name:
|
Caribbean Beach Resort - Disney (any feedback/advice)
We are looking to book a trip to Disney and to stay at the Caribbean Beach Resort for a few days. We were looking to take a vacation with our 1 year old and thought this might be a fun option although this time around the focus will not be on the parks - we'll go I doubt that we will get through the parks completely with a toddler.
So we were hoping to take advantage of some fun at a themed resort - pools and such.
Any feedback or advice?
|
Posted 7/17/08 12:38 PM  |
| |
|
Long Island Weddings
Long Island's Largest Bridal Resource |
mommy2bella
Where does time go?
Member since 12/05 9747 total posts
Name:
Kelly
|
Re: Caribbean Beach Resort - Disney (any feedback/advice)
I am in INSANE Disney planning mode girl, so if you have any questions, please feel free to ask.
I know that the CBR main pool is closed for renovations right now because I was looking to book there for Labor Day...
I think it is through October.
I am staying at Coronado springs...I have stayed there before and like it and the bus situation is much better than the All Star resorts. We had an unplanned two day trip last year and stay at the All Star music which was fun. Bella was 18 months old, honestly the whole atmosphere was enough for her. She did take a two hour naps in her stroller at Magic Kingdom, so DH and I swapped some rides and then stared at her until she woke up because we didn't know what to do, lol!
|
| Posted 7/17/08 12:46 PM |
| |
|
Ang-Rich
Beyond Compare
Member since 5/05 17988 total posts
Name:
|
Re: Caribbean Beach Resort - Disney (any feedback/advice)
Posted by mommy2bella
I am in INSANE Disney planning mode girl, so if you have any questions, please feel free to ask.
Sweet!! Thanks so much - I will definitely be FMing you!!!
I read that the main pool was closed until 9/15 right before we arrive but I am SURE that it will be longer. They have 6 other pools so I am hoping that we'll be fine with that...I also read that the beaches are along the lake but you can't swim in it..do you know if that's right? I guess it doesn't really matter.
I'm so happy to hear that you took Bella at 18 months...hopefully Lucas will have a good time and hopefully seeing so much going on will knock him out for nap time and bed. 
Need to get working on the stroller situation.
|
| Posted 7/17/08 12:52 PM |
| |
|
Lillykat
going along for the ride...
Member since 5/05 16253 total posts
Name:
|
Re: Caribbean Beach Resort - Disney (any feedback/advice)
We are going at the end of september- but are staying at the poly.
I stayed at the CBR years ago with my family and had a nice trip.
The only disadvantage of the mods over say the cheapest room at the Animal Kingdom Lodge or Wilderness lodge (cheapest of the deluxes) is that they don't have patios or balconies. So if your DS wants to nap in the room you are stuck quietly in the room with them (the mods are all outside corridors). Otherwise they have nice pools, and there is a food court there with a good variety of food.
As someone posted before that the main pool will be closed for a period in Sept if that effects your dates.
I like these sites and find them very helpful when planing - between them you can find codes for discounts, lists of rehabs, menus of all table service and counter service restaurants and photos and any information you could want.
mousesavers
allersnet
disboards
DD will be 15 months when we go - we plan on taking a lot of breaks and doing nap and pool time each afternoon.
If you want to do table service restaurants make your advanced reservations now - as they will be very hard to get in September.
|
| Posted 7/17/08 1:01 PM |
| |
|
Ang-Rich
Beyond Compare
Member since 5/05 17988 total posts
Name:
|
Re: Caribbean Beach Resort - Disney (any feedback/advice)
Posted by Lillykat
The only disadvantage of the mods over say the cheapest room at the Animal Kingdom Lodge or Wilderness lodge (cheapest of the deluxes) is that they don't have patios or balconies. So if your DS wants to nap in the room you are stuck quietly in the room with them (the mods are all outside corridors). Otherwise they have nice pools, and there is a food court there with a good variety of food.
This is a great point...something I seriously want to consider. I'm grateful that you posted this! 
And thank you for the websites...I saw a previous post you had with allears.net and started looking at it yesterday - great site!!!
|
| Posted 7/17/08 1:07 PM |
| |
|
Christine
2nd verse same as the 1st
Member since 5/05 15287 total posts
Name:
|
Re: Caribbean Beach Resort - Disney (any feedback/advice)
I stayed at Caribbean Beach for 2 days last year. The rooms were pretty big and the food court was laid out nicely with a lot of choices.
As mentioned, the main pool is being renovated so that leaves the "quiet pools" which are just regular pools with no theming/slides/zero entry. There is no swimming in the water on the beach which is basically a sandy area on either side of the waterway.
The only thing I didn't like about the resort was the size - it's really spread out and it could be a considerable walk to the food court area.
|
| Posted 7/17/08 1:36 PM |
| |
|
mommy2bella
Where does time go?
Member since 12/05 9747 total posts
Name:
Kelly
|
Re: Caribbean Beach Resort - Disney (any feedback/advice)
Posted by Ang-Rich
Need to get working on the stroller situation.
I refuse to rent one as they are overpriced and so clunky...we brought Bella's Maclaren, tied a ribbon around it and we were fine. AND she napped for hours in it, so she must have been comfy.
Not sure if you have another stroller situation.
I agree about another poster...you really need to start booking reservations like now, these disney vacationers are no joke and have had reservations book for like 6 months (you can book 180 days in advance)
I have literally been calling for 5 days straight like a maniac and keep asking and changing and asking....I have some good ones, but right now I am stuck with a Castle reservation at 9:20 pm on a night and you know what, that's what I have to do for some Cinderella action (late nap on that day  )
Bella LOVED Disney at 18months, it's just so visually stimulating! But I she didn't really get it, NOW she is gonna flip out.
Oh and I also suggest highly Hollywood Studios (formerly MGM) they have all of the Playhouse Disney characters if he is into that (JOJO, Einstein's) etc and have this new interactive parade that is supposed to be pretty crazy.
GOOD LUCK!
|
| Posted 7/17/08 5:28 PM |
| |
|
Ang-Rich
Beyond Compare
Member since 5/05 17988 total posts
Name:
|
Re: Caribbean Beach Resort - Disney (any feedback/advice)
Posted by mommy2bella
I refuse to rent one as they are overpriced and so clunky...we brought Bella's Maclaren, tied a ribbon around it and we were fine. AND she napped for hours in it, so she must have been comfy.
Oh and I also suggest highly Hollywood Studios (formerly MGM) they have all of the Playhouse Disney characters if he is into that (JOJO, Einstein's) etc and have this new interactive parade that is supposed to be pretty crazy.
GOOD LUCK!
OMG! Thank you so much!!! This was all such great advice!!!
That is exactly the stroller situation we are in...we don't want to bring our big metrolite (cause it's not so lite ) so we need to get a lightweight stroller to check on the plane and have with us. We are going to buy one in the next few weeks...thanks so much for the info on the park strollers...from the pictures I wasn't impressed and for the price we might as well just buy our own.
And OMG thank you so much for the info on Hollywood Studios! We were going to pass that by but if JoJo is there he would love it!!!!! He watches that show every morning with breakfast while we run around to get ready.
We're going to book this weekend but no special character dinners...DH thinks it would be wasted on DS since he's so small. Do we need reservations at regular restaurants?
|
| Posted 7/18/08 9:36 AM |
| |
|
mommy2bella
Where does time go?
Member since 12/05 9747 total posts
Name:
Kelly
|
Re: Caribbean Beach Resort - Disney (any feedback/advice)
Posted by Ang-Rich
Posted by mommy2bella
I refuse to rent one as they are overpriced and so clunky...we brought Bella's Maclaren, tied a ribbon around it and we were fine. AND she napped for hours in it, so she must have been comfy.
Oh and I also suggest highly Hollywood Studios (formerly MGM) they have all of the Playhouse Disney characters if he is into that (JOJO, Einstein's) etc and have this new interactive parade that is supposed to be pretty crazy.
GOOD LUCK!
OMG! Thank you so much!!! This was all such great advice!!!
That is exactly the stroller situation we are in...we don't want to bring our big metrolite (cause it's not so lite ) so we need to get a lightweight stroller to check on the plane and have with us. We are going to buy one in the next few weeks...thanks so much for the info on the park strollers...from the pictures I wasn't impressed and for the price we might as well just buy our own.
And OMG thank you so much for the info on Hollywood Studios! We were going to pass that by but if JoJo is there he would love it!!!!! He watches that show every morning with breakfast while we run around to get ready.
We're going to book this weekend but no special character dinners...DH thinks it would be wasted on DS since he's so small. Do we need reservations at regular restaurants?
I am so happy to help because it can be confusing and some of the hard core Disney planners had me a bit concerned. I would try and do ONE character meal if you could, even if he stares in awe it would be so fun to see. We waited on line to meet Mickey and Pluto last year and she was HILARIOUS just staring at them.
I would still get reservations to other restaurants because any table service restaurant seems to require them and some hardcore people have been booking them out SIX months in advance. Hollywood and Vine has a JOJO and LITTLE EINSTEIN character mean. They are easier to get if they aren't the hottest tickets in town (like the castle and some Epcot places) I booked last week and call daily to see if stuff has freed up...and it has.
Oh, and the water parks are not fabulous for little ones. They have a couple of kiddie activities, but not enough to waste a day IMHO. We went last year and she wound up napping THERE for an hour and a half while DH and I traded off on rides, but we will be avoiding it this year and utilizing the pools. But, I am excited for Hollywood Studios.
One character meal you MAY want is Crystal Palace (winnie the pooh and friends, one of the easier ones to get) r a tougher one, but they just opened it up for lunch is Chef Mickeys, it's supposed to be clapping and singing with mickey and is one of the better ones (it's at a resort and not at a park)
OOh, and one more thing is that WDW.com, they have a great area for Little Ones at Disney and what works and doesn't work for them...I found it helpful.
|
| Posted 7/18/08 9:55 AM |
| |
|
Ang-Rich
Beyond Compare
Member since 5/05 17988 total posts
Name:
|
Re: Caribbean Beach Resort - Disney (any feedback/advice)
Posted by mommy2bella
I am so happy to help because it can be confusing and some of the hard core Disney planners had me a bit concerned. I would try and do ONE character meal if you could, even if he stares in awe it would be so fun to see. We waited on line to meet Mickey and Pluto last year and she was HILARIOUS just staring at them.
I can't thank you enough!!! This is great!! I pulled up the info on the two character dinners you mentioned - I want to try to book them for our stay now!  At least one of them if possible so I'll do that right away!
I'm going to print the restaurant list to decide what we want to check out and make the reservation!
Thank you so much!!! We'd be eating those fast serve meals out entire time if you had not said this!!!!!
Now I am even more excited about going!!!
|
| Posted 7/18/08 10:28 AM |
| |
|
mommy2bella
Where does time go?
Member since 12/05 9747 total posts
Name:
Kelly
|
Re: Caribbean Beach Resort - Disney (any feedback/advice)
Posted by Ang-Rich
Posted by mommy2bella
I am so happy to help because it can be confusing and some of the hard core Disney planners had me a bit concerned. I would try and do ONE character meal if you could, even if he stares in awe it would be so fun to see. We waited on line to meet Mickey and Pluto last year and she was HILARIOUS just staring at them.
I can't thank you enough!!! This is great!! I pulled up the info on the two character dinners you mentioned - I want to try to book them for our stay now! At least one of them if possible so I'll do that right away!
I'm going to print the restaurant list to decide what we want to check out and make the reservation!
Thank you so much!!! We'd be eating those fast serve meals out entire time if you had not said this!!!!!
Now I am even more excited about going!!!
Disney apparently (unbeknownst to us) NO JOKE. People plan entire years around vacays and I know why, but I thought I was being good planning this two months out.
The good thing is that if you DON'T get reservations right away, keep calling. Every day I call something new opens up that wasn't avail yesterday...
|
| Posted 7/18/08 11:02 AM |
| |
|
burberrygirl
so happy!!
Member since 1/07 2091 total posts
Name:
Mommy
|
Re: Caribbean Beach Resort - Disney (any feedback/advice)
I never stayed at the caribbean beach, but we did stay last year at port orleans riverside with two infants and it was tough. The rooms are smaller and the walk to restaurant/caferteria is long. This year the girls were 20 months, and we stayed at the wilderness lodge. it was totally worth the extra money. elevators, and service was great. easier to get to the parks, without using the horrible buses. it had a balony and we had the 6th floor the baloney was enclosed. You can request a certain floor--fm me for the info.
you will be surprised how much you are able to do with a 1 year old.
I would definitely do character meals, it keeps them entertained while you can enjoy a meal. the playhouse disney meal was great. the characters spent a lot of time with the kiddies. And the liberty tree tavern dinner the characters come around more then twice.
fm me for more info.
|
| Posted 7/18/08 3:44 PM |
| |
|
burberrygirl
so happy!!
Member since 1/07 2091 total posts
Name:
Mommy
|
Re: Caribbean Beach Resort - Disney (any feedback/advice)
I would definitely bring your own stroller if you can. the rentals are hard and plastic. Not breathable or comfortable, and can get expensive to rent every day.
Chef Mickeys at the contemporary is great too. Tell DH the character meals are not a waste, your child will enjoy them and there is also music and activities going on, when at a regular restaurant it can get a bit boring for them. JMO
And use BABY SWAP.
Message edited 7/18/2008 3:49:11 PM.
|
| Posted 7/18/08 3:48 PM |
| |
|
neenie
Member since 5/05 22351 total posts
Name:
|
Re: Caribbean Beach Resort - Disney (any feedback/advice)
we stayed there in 05 and loved it. But, unless i was renting a car, i wouldnt stay there. It's so big, and the food court was so far away from us (it took us over 15 mins to walk there). It was a quick drive though. We loved the pools, too... and their food court was huge (the restaurant they had there was delicious, too). I just loved the feel of the whole resort.
I'm surprised people didnt like the strollers (granted, i wouldnt want to pay though)... but pushing my twins nephews around in it- it was so smooth (my BIL wanted to buy one  ).
|
| Posted 7/18/08 9:55 PM |
| |
|
SweetT
LIF Adult
Member since 4/06 1305 total posts
Name:
Ali
|
Re: Caribbean Beach Resort - Disney (any feedback/advice)
Definately bring your stroller. Don't worry too much about running out or bringing diapers/wipes, etc. as there are so many stores around that offer what we have here. The baby centers are terrific, especially in Magic Kingdom. Use baby swap, as you and DH can go on rides w/o having to wait two times. Buy a "Protect a Bub" from Buybuybaby for his stroller, it's fantastic to block sunrays and keep the heat out. We couldn't have gotten threw 9 days w/o it. Best 40$ spent.
|
| Posted 7/20/08 10:44 PM |
| |
|
Ang-Rich
Beyond Compare
Member since 5/05 17988 total posts
Name:
|
Re: Caribbean Beach Resort - Disney (any feedback/advice)
Posted by SweetT
Definately bring your stroller. Don't worry too much about running out or bringing diapers/wipes, etc. as there are so many stores around that offer what we have here. The baby centers are terrific, especially in Magic Kingdom. Use baby swap, as you and DH can go on rides w/o having to wait two times. Buy a "Protect a Bub" from Buybuybaby for his stroller, it's fantastic to block sunrays and keep the heat out. We couldn't have gotten threw 9 days w/o it. Best 40$ spent.
Thanks so much for this information!!! I will definitely check out the sun-protector!
|
| Posted 7/21/08 9:20 AM |
| |
|
