Reviews of Caribbean Beach Resort (Moderate Resort)
Reviewed by TeacherManJoe Review Date: 05/31/2022
Rating: (6) Not Recommended
Caribbean Beach is a resort that I feel VERY conflicted on for several reasons. Ready to take a journey?
On the positive side, Caribbean Beach is a gorgeous resort. Each section of the resort being themed around a different island is cool, the colors are bright and beautiful, and the design of the resort really feels like a tropical getaway. There are nice beaches all around the campus to sit on and the main building is beautiful. The food options here are pretty good as well. The Skyliner station here is a big advantage as well for travel. But the design and theming of Caribbean Beach is the star and makes this a really nice resort to just walk around.
This is a good thing, because there is a LOT of walking involved with staying at Caribbean Beach. While the walks are beautiful, this is also the resort’s biggest disadvantage.
Because the campus is so large and spread out, getting around can not only be quite an involved process, but also a bit confusing if you do not know the way. While each “island” is differently colored, that does not necessarily mean you will always be able to navigate easily. As such, we experienced a long walk to wherever we wanted to go, whether the main building for a meal, or even the bus stations to get to the park.
And the bus stations are the other challenge of Caribbean Beach. Because the resort is so large and spread out, if you are looking to take a bus to a park, or are returning from a park at the end of the day, you will likely have additional time involved in the travel, as you will need to either stop at one or more additional stations around Caribbean Beach on the way to the park or the way back from the park. These stops are typically pretty brief, but they can put a damper on the travel experience if you are just looking for a zippy trip. The fact that there is a Skyliner station here is helpful, as that at least offers another transportation option. However, if you are not close to the station, you are either in for another long walk, or even a bus ride to the Skyliner, which seems like transportation-ception.
Overall, Caribbean Beach is a gorgeous retreat. There are lots of great relaxation spots here, and some nice amenities. However, you will need some extra relaxation after all the walking to get from one place to their other, or extra relaxation after the challenges of transportation.
Pros:
Beautiful property with lovely beaches Good amenities and food optionsCons:
Really long walk to get most places you might want to go Transportation options can be pretty frustratingReviewed by RachelReviews Review Date: 05/19/2022
Rating: (10) Recommended
Our family LOVES CBR! We don’t mind that things are spread out because it feels a lot more peaceful and quiet. A great spot to relax after crowded park days. The louder activities (like pool and playground) are away from the rooms. We love the look of the resort and the way it makes you feel like a real escape.
Pros:
Peaceful, beautiful resort. Fabulous pool, playground, and setting.Cons:
No elevator to the second floor rooms.Reviewed by Anonymous Review Date: 04/19/2022
Rating: (5) Not Recommended
For the price you pay the room service should be everyday. If lack of employees are the reason then lower the price since there is no salary overhead
Pros:
LocationCons:
House keepingReviewed by MelissaCunningham Review Date: 04/14/2022
Rating: (9) Recommended
We absolutely LOVED staying at the Caribbean Resort! We stayed in Jamaica and were the perfect distance from the Skyliner and the Main Pool/Lobby. Having the Skyliner go overhead was serene and we could watch the Epcot fireworks from the bridge every night. Oh - and that pool and the splash pad!! Perfect for our budget. I don't know that we'll stay anywhere else ever again!
Pros:
Skyliner Access, PoolCons:
Carpet in the RoomsReviewed by Anonymous Review Date: 04/14/2022
Rating: (8) Recommended
My family of four had a great stay at this resort! We had a fifth-sleeper room in the Aruba section and it was a great fit for us. My daughter (9) loved riding the skyliner. We rode it to Hollywood Studios, Epcot, and Art of Animation all on our arrival day. The kids and I even rode from ‘our station’ to the Joffrey’s cart for coffee and donuts, then back to our room, on our departure day. The pool is great fun and one of my personal favorite dining experiences of the whole trip was dinner at Banana Cabana. We had a great server and it was a relaxing mid trip resort day.
I should mention that this was our first ever trip to WDW so I don’t have any comparisons to make, but the ease of getting around combined with an easy vibe, was perfect for our first ever visit to The World.
Pros:
Skyliner! (Ask for a room in the 5400 building) Beaches & hammocks Banana Cabana Pool & slide Grab and Go breakfast options Use the Riviera for more dining!!Cons:
Busses (the waits can be loooong) Get better breakfast options at the RivieraReviewed by Anonymous Review Date: 04/07/2022
Rating: (10) Recommended
i thought caribbean beach was AMAZING!!! everyone says it’s too big, but i didn’t have any problem with the size. i stayed in trinidad which is just a bridge cross over from the skyliner and JOFFERYS!!! i walked there ever morning it was great. the resort is beautiful and there is SO much to do. i wish i did a resort day. not to mention the lobby smells AMAZING
Pros:
skyliner, jofferys, restaurants, beautiful poolCons:
you could get a room in an inconvenient locationReviewed by Anonymous Review Date: 04/04/2022
Rating: (8) Recommended
I thought the Caribbean Beach Resort was great! The cost was on the lower end for a moderate resort. The rooms have recently been updated and were nice. I didn't love that I had to lug my suitcase up stairs-no elevators. My biggest complaint is that after a long day at the park, I was not in the mood for the 5-10 min walk to my room. This resort is HUGE!
Pros:
Skyliner access, theming, heated poolCons:
SO LARGE- takes awhile to get anywhere depending where you are staying, Didn't love the food choices, no elevatorsReviewed by Anonymous Review Date: 03/08/2022
Rating: (8) Recommended
My husband and I spent a night at Caribbean Beach as we work our way through all the resorts. We thought the theming was fun and the Skyliner access is a huge perk. The rooms are the same copy and paste of all the other moderate rooms, and I mean that in the best way. There’s plenty of space and a large vanity area, although the room with the shower and toilet felt tight. The pool is amazing and there are so many quiet pools. The Banana Cabana had food that was ok but nothing overly exciting, the steel drum chandelier though is a great touch. I’ve seen lots of reviews that the resort is too large, but we personally love strolling the grounds and appreciating all the details that are out into the resorts. Also, the lobby smells incredible!!
Pros:
Skyliner access and walkability to Riviera ResortCons:
Food just okReviewed by Jerkules603 Review Date: 03/01/2022
Rating: (8) Recommended
My family and I are big fans. Caribbean beach has a lot to offer for those who want to round out their trip as best as possible. While not all of the amenities are top tier, they do get the job done well. Room layouts are basic and functional. Food options are a little lacking but offer enough to keep everyone happy. The two best features in our opinion are the easy access to Skyliners and the awesome pool by Center Market. It’s an overall great resort and well worth the money.
Pros:
Skyliner access from two points, main pool, resort vibeCons:
Can be a hike to food depending on your island, food options can be hit or miss with guests, rooms while functional are basic.Reviewed by kmark2 Review Date: 02/21/2022
Rating: (8) Recommended
We were a family of 5 traveling with another family of 4. My kids are 14, 12 and 8. We were there from February 5-12, 2022. We usually stay at Port Orleans Riverside but decided to give Caribbean Beach a try because of the Skyliner. I'm glad that we did! I've always struggled to find accommodations that are affordable for a family of 5. The moderate resorts with the 5th sleeper seems to be the best price. However, the rooms are very small for 5 people and as the kids are getting older it doesn't get any better. I wish Disney offered something a little more affordable for families like mine but that is an issue for a different day.
I hear the biggest complaint with this resort is how big it is but I didn't find this to be a problem. We were in Jamaica Building 45. We were very close to the Riviera's Skyliner, the bridge to the main building and pool, and a bus stop was only about a 2-3 minute walk.
Check-in was fine but our room was not ready by 3pm and we had to wait around a bit. The kids enjoyed the outdoor games that they had by the lighthouse building. They played bean bag toss, chess and jenga. That kept them occupied for the hour that we had to wait for our room.
The room was clean and my 8 year old daughter fit perfectly in the pull down bed. There was also plenty of room for clothes and suitcases. The sink area was very spacious too, which I love!
The main pool area was a hit with the kids. They would spend a couple hours each day in the pool. They loved the slides and cannons. The pool got crowded a couple of days but my kids didn't seem to mind.
We did eat at the Centertown Market a couple of times. It was fine but nothing remarkable. Mobile Ordering was great though! I would place an order in the morning and then hit the I'm here button when I started walking over. By the time I reached the food court my order was ready. My husband and I also used the pool bar to have a couple of drinks. The server was always very friendly. The only complaint about the food and drinks is the price! Very expensive! I would have gotten a drink every day if it wasn't for the price. I only had 2 drinks from the pool bar while we were there because I couldn't justify spending that much money on alcohol. We didn't get to try Sebastian's Bistro but I wanted to so maybe next time.
Bell services was also very nice. They took care of our bags when we got there and on the day that we were leaving because we had a late flight out.
There are only 2 complaints that I have regarding this resort. One is the food and drink prices which I addressed earlier. The other is that they offer the Skyliner for Epcot and Hollywood Studios, which I think is great but a member of our party would have preferred to take a bus as she was scared of heights and that was not offered. We had originally thought that they did offer that but just not as often during the day but when we got to the bus stop one day for Hollywood Studios they said to take the Skyliner.
Overall, this resort is beautiful and the addition of the Skyliner has given it an edge over other moderate resorts for us.
