A Review of Caribbean Beach Resort – Part I

I began to get really excited last year when Disney announced free dining for this past March. When I looked at the dates on the offer and realized that not only was it during my kids’ Spring Break, but it was also the week of my birthday. I was so excited that yet another Spring Break trip would soon be ours! How could I be denied free dining on my birthday and Spring Break? Of course, I didn’t get much of a fight and my kids were as thrilled as if it were their first trip, not their 11th! However, I did cause them to gasp aloud when I told them to pick a moderate resort since we wanted the regular dining package and not just the quick service variety that comes with the value resort package. We could’ve paid the extra for free dining and stayed at a value resort (um, Pop Century!), but I just threw the moderate thing out there to them.

We looked at all the moderates, and to be honest everyone was really struggling with not going back to Pop Century, which has become like home to us since we first went there in 2004. The only moderate we’ve stayed in was Port Orleans Riverside and no one really wanted to go back there. After browsing pictures of moderate resorts, the kids informed me that we must go to Caribbean Beach since it combined our two favorites – Disney and the beach!  I made the reservation and I must admit I second and third-guessed myself for months until I was forced to stop reading comments about the resort. There are a lot of negative things out there about CBR and it really concerned me a little.

Fast forward to the day we arrived at Caribbean Beach resort. It was a beautiful day as we pulled into the gates.

We pulled into the parking lot of the Custom House and found plenty of great parking. When we stepped inside, it wasn’t crowded and the atmosphere was so relaxed. I had completed the online check-in, so I picked that line and was face-to-face with a cast member in just a minute or two. Check-in was flawless and the cast member was very friendly and helpful. As he was wrapping up, he reached over and handed me a birthday button! I’ve been to Walt Disney World several times on my birthday and have never received one at check-in. I just knew this was going to be a great trip!

Being unfamiliar with CBR, it took us a few minutes to get oriented and figure out which way to go to our village of Aruba. The resort is pretty big and the Custom House, where you check-in, is slightly detached from the rest of the resort which centers on a 45-acre lake and beach.  We were able to pull pretty close to unload our luggage and we were totally surprised at the amount of available parking! We always had to fight for parking at Pop Century, but there were parking spots galore at the CBR!

The six different sections or villages of the CBR are painted different tropical colors. They are all beautiful, but we fell in love with the pink and plum colors of our Aruba buildings. The buildings are surrounded with lush greenery and the curving walkways made it feel more like a park instead of a resort

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We were amazed at all the beauty as we walked along the pathway to our building.  Every couple of buildings in the village had a really neat courtyard with seating areas.   When we found our room in Section 55 and opened the door, we were so surprised at our beautiful corner room!

At this point, all of my fears about CBR began to dissipate.  However, the fears were totally nonexistent when I walked around the corner of the building and saw the incredible beach and lake!

There were plenty of empty chairs and open hammocks on the beach begging you to come sit and enjoy the view! I’d have to fight that urge since we were starving by this time, but I made a promise to myself that I would be back to enjoy some time just sitting on that beach,enjoying that amazing view!

To be continued …