Carribean beach resort!!!

[yodiwan1]

So, I am going to WDW from jan 14-19, 201, for my two year wedding anniversary. We have one night free at a moderate resort and decided to move up a pay scale from the values and stay the other says at a moderate resort as well. Since we get the one night free we figured we'd stay all of our nights at the same resort. The agent in charge is also hooking us up also with a great room. I have seen mixed reviews in the CBR. Anyone here ever been? If so please tell me, and the rest of us! Thanks! Any romantic ideas would be greatly appreciated as well! I am usually good at that stuff on my own, but a little help never hurts.

[Amy]

We stayed there once or twice. It was very nice. Two drawbacks in my opinion, both which could have been remedied in the years since we have stayed there ~ over 10 years ago now.

#1 - the food court was meant to resemble a Caribbean marketplace. Unfortunately the food also had those influences as well. Not a good thing if you are a picky eater. My Mom ordered a simple egg (I forget whether it was scrambled or fried) every morning and it was cooked differently every time. And never how you would expect an egg to be cooked!
Looking at the menu now it looks like they have actually Americanized the food greatly.

#2 - the buses stop at all the different "islands" as well as the main building. This is nice since it saves walking. But it also tiresome when all you want to do is get back to your hotel room.
Other than those two things ~ which might not bother you at all, the resort was a beautiful place to stay.
Be aware that while we were there, again quite some time ago, while the beaches were lovely and the water looked inviting, there were huge snapping turtles in the water!

Here is a tip from the WDW info site as well...TIP: The closest rooms to the main building, Old Port Royale, are found in Martinique buildings 24, 25 and 26, and in Trinidad North buildings 31, 32 and 33.

[yodiwan1]

Thanks Amy!
I was told we were being put in a corner room of one of the Matinique buildings facing the Lake. We use our car sicne we drive up from South Florida, so I don't worry about the buses. Is there anything you can think of romantic there besides the beach?

[Amy]

Thanks Amy!
I was told we were being put in a corner room of one of the Matinique buildings facing the Lake. We use our car sicne we drive up from South Florida, so I don't worry about the buses. Is there anything you can think of romantic there besides the beach?

Nothing else comes to mind ~ they do have hammocks out on the beaches so it is nice to relax out there...maybe someone else who has been there more recently will have some more suggestions...

[boilerbabe]

I've stayed at CBR 3x's. I like it overall, it's just a very large resort. If you don't have to worry about the buses, then you're o.k. there. Like Amy mentioned, the food court is just o.k. If you are staying far from the food court area, it's a hike to get there. The last time we stayed there ('07) there were in the process of updating the main pool. I'm not sure about romantic things to do there?! If you go to POR, you can take a carriage ride. B-dude and I did that in '08 for our anniversary, very romantic.

[yodiwan1]

I sent my parents to POR for their anniversary a while ago and they got a free carriage ride. I was thinking about bringing her there as a surprise. I will just have to wait and see what else i pull out of my sleeve!!! Thanks Boilerbabe!!!

[stinoi]

We stayed at CBR on our honeymoon, which was (gulp!) almost 10 years ago. However, we really enjoyed walking around the lake at night. It was romantically lit and very serene. However, you might want to wait late enough until the moon and stars are out and the children have predominantly gone to bed. There are plenty of activities there, but we didn't partake of them. Our housekeeper did a great job making different little towel/washcloth animals and lots of little "extras". We enjoyed the main pool, although we went at an hour during which there was a lot of traffic. However, there was still plenty of room in the pool and we even found a private corner.

Overall, we enjoyed our stay there. Our only complaint was the bus service. We felt it was too slow, and it was hard to get a seat on it. I hear that may have improved since our stay, but given that you'll have a car, that won't matter.

Have a great time, and please be sure to share with us what you think! Our tenth anniversary is coming soon and we'd like to stay there again.

[SorcererDonald16]

CBR was my favorite Moderate Resort at WDW, and is the one we've stayed at the most. Last time there was 2007. It is a spread out place, but that never bothered us since we drive down to FL anyway and use our car to get to the parks. Food court is fine; more variety than you'll find at Roaring Fork at Wilderness Lodge anyway, which never ceases to amaze me. Water view rooms are my favorite at CBR. Sandy beaches, lounge chairs, etc. Nice walking paths as well.

My beef with CBR is that they Nemo-ified the rooms a couple years ago. There are the more costly Pirates rooms that they created at the same time, but at least that makes sense theme-wise. Every other room got the Nemo treatment. I refuse to go back there until they re-do it all again. There is no excuse for them to slap a theme of a movie set in Australia into a resort set in the Caribbean.

Otherwise, I think you'll enjoy it. But if you're a theme nut like me, I'd suggest you try POR or POFQ. Theme is much better. I also really like the boat service that runs to DTD from both resorts. Plus, as others mentioned, there's the carriage rides at POR.

Hope y'all have a great time, no matter where you stay!

[yodiwan1]

Sorcerer- Don't forget, while the movie is in AUstralia, the fish are all over the place, expecially the carribean. From what I have been told Nemo is only on the borders of the room, and the comferter. At least they didn't over do it. MY wife loves Nemo so that wil actually put a smile on her face, lol. Thanks for the imput so far everyone. For a while I really was leaning towards changing to POR, but I think we;ll stay at the CBR still.

[Amy]

Sorcerer- Don't forget, while the movie is in AUstralia, the fish are all over the place, expecially the carribean. From what I have been told Nemo is only on the borders of the room, and the comferter. At least they didn't over do it. MY wife loves Nemo so that wil actually put a smile on her face, lol. Thanks for the imput so far everyone. For a while I really was leaning towards changing to POR, but I think we;ll stay at the CBR still.

You can always pop over to the POR to take a carriage ride if you decide to do that

[yodiwan1]

Just want to give a quick update...I really want to go into huge detail, and post all 700 pics, but since now I am on the comp all day at work, i don't go on that much at home. Hotel was great! Room was much bigger than a value resort, and the addition of a mini fridge and ceiling fan really are great! We had a corner room with a king bed. We did not explore the resort too much. Our first night we walked to Port Royale, and after that we drove every time, lol. It was pretty cold while we were there. IF anyone has questions fire away!

[jlpeaches255]

Well you don't have to post all 700 but how about 1 or 2.....or 20 or 30?

[Amy]

Well you don't have to post all 700 but how about 1 or 2.....or 20 or 30?

Yeah, pick your favorites

[Josh Q]

post em! Lol This is the ONLY WDW Resort I've ever stayed at during my One and ONLY trip ever to WDW! I can't wait to go back!