When it comes to deciding where to stay during your trip to Disney World, there are SO many options.
With over 25 places to stay, each Disney Resort has something different to offer. From themes to restaurants to amenities, there are so many things to weigh. Today, we’re taking you on a little tour of one of the rooms at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort!
Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort is a Moderate Resort with theming committed to making guests feel like they’re vacationing on an island in the tropics.
Now, when you mention Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort to any Disney fan, you will likely get one of two answers — and they are at completely different sides of the spectrum! This seems to be a hotel that people either truly love, or very much do not. The reasons for this are varied.
On one hand, you have Moderate resort-pricing with excellent transportation options. Specifically, Caribbean Beach Resort is home to the hub of Disney’s Skyliner, meaning it’s an easy line to easily get over to EPCOT or Disney’s Hollywood Studios when you want to go to the theme parks.
However, it’s also a big resort that is incredibly spread out. The hotel hosts over 1,500 guest rooms that are split up across five different areas — Martinique, Aruba, Jamaica, Trinidad, and Barbados. Guests can get from one section to the next via bus or walkways, but there’s no denying it can be a trek to get anywhere you need.
This includes traveling to some of the main amenities of the resort, which are located at Old Port Royale Centertown. These amenities include restaurants, gift shops, and more.
At the hotel you will also find six different pools, including the main pool — Fuentes del Morro. This huge pool has the feel of a Spanish fortress, with waterslides and water cannons.
Throughout the resort, there are little walkways that connect the different villages together. Everything has a very beachy feel to it, and really creates the feeling of being on a lush, Caribbean island.
We recently paid a visit to the resort, so we’re giving you a look around!
Pirate Room
One of the options for your stay at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort is in a Pirate Room! Yes, pirate-themed rooms! How cool is that? We spent the night in one of these swashbuckling rooms — here’s a closer look.
The main attraction of the room is the two double beds designed to look like pirate ships, but those aren’t the only nautically themed features in the room. Dressers and tables are disguised as crates, trunks, and barrels. And even the carpet has some impressive designs!
The headboard of the bed looks like the mast of a ship, with netting, a shredded sail, and cage lights.
Oh, and there’s even a little steering wheel!
The sides of the bed even look like the sides of the ship, making it look like a fully enclosed vessel.
Between the beds is a barrel, er, nightstand!
On it is a phone, along with a few different charging outlets.
On the wall next to the bed, you can find some really cool artwork too!
Across from the beds is a dresser, TV, set of drawers, and table with chairs.
The table has a nautical design, and the chairs are covered with a red pattern.
A guide on the table outlines the room’s cleaning procedures, which include the enhanced sanitation of high-touch surfaces like light switches, door handles, electronic devices, bathroom amenities, and much more.
Right next to the table is a large TV atop a bunch of wooden crates. Hey, pirates have to store their clothes somehow.
The drawers are deep enough to hold your park outfits, souvenirs, etc.
The TV remote is wrapped in plastic as a means to prevent the spread of germs in between guest stays. It’s swapped out in between parties.
Atop this wooden barrel, you’ll find a coffee maker, along with cups, tea, and coffee. There’s also an ice bucket. This room is all about surprises because that’s NOT just a barrel.
It’s a mini-fridge! Pretty sneaky, huh?
A drawer also slides out of the corner trunk for any extra storage space you may need.
Oh, and before we forget! Look at the carpet! The green, brown, and tan colors fit in with the theme of the room, and the design incorporates little symbols that have to do with navigation and a Jolly Roger.
And that’s not the only Jolly Roger you’ll see. The curtain that separates the bedroom from the bathroom area features a big ol’ pirate skull from Pirates of the Caribbean.
In the closet area, there’s plenty of space to hang clothes. There’s also an ironing board and iron, a safe, and extra pillows.
The bathroom has double-vanity sinks set in front of a huge mirror. The counter is stocked with extra washcloths, tissues, and H2O soap products. Even the faucet matches the pirate theme!
Below the sink, there are extra towels, tissues, toilet paper, and a blowdryer.
The door to the bathroom is covered with a huge mirror.
Inside the bathroom, you’ll find a blue and gold shower curtain covered in pirate ships.
And, the shower has refillable H20 shampoo, conditioner, and body wash. The bottles are covered with a “clean” sticker, to let you know that housekeeping has sanitized them in between stays.
There are also plenty of extra towels, and spots to put them.
There’s also a little ledge on the bathtub for extra towels, products, etc.
Alright, back to the main room. There’s a sizable window next to the entrance of the room. Its curtains are covered in a pink and blue floral pattern.
The door has multiple locks and a little door hanger to let housekeeping know if the room is occupied.
Let’s give you a peek at what’s just outside too!
We were located in the Aruba section of the resort, so the buildings surrounding us were a bright pink color.
There were tables with umbrellas, as well as benches, so guests could sit and relax outside. Also, look at those huge palm trees! Even the foliage makes the resort feel really serene and immersive.
Now, Caribbean Beach Resort seems to be one of the most divisive hotels at Disney World, with guests either loving or hating it. Let’s break down a few of the pros and cons of staying here!
Perhaps the BIGGEST pro is that it’s home to the Skyliner hub, meaning you are an easy ride in the sky away from Disney’s Hollywood Studios and EPCOT.
On the flip side of transportation, this is also a big hotel with a ton of bus stops throughout, meaning if you are going anywhere you need to take the bus you are likely in for a bit of a longer wait.
Caribbean Beach Resort can also get fairly pricey for a Moderate Resort. For example, the Standard View for the Pirate Room we stayed in started at $325 a night for nights in April. The regular Standard View rooms are less expensive, starting at about $225 a night. Both of these rates can go down with certain promotional offers, including deals for Passholders or seasonal savings.
Ultimately, if you’re looking for a Moderate Resort with great theming, transportation options, and a great pool, Disney’s Caribbean Resort is one to consider!
The Problem You’re Not Planning for in Disney World
Have you stayed at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort before? Tell us in the comments!
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This resort has no wheelchair access for the upper floors. We stayed here a few years back and despite multiple calls before our arrival to ensure accessibility for our family which includes a person in a wheelchair, we were placed on the second floor which we could not access as there is no elevator. We were told there were no other rooms available and we may need to switch resorts. We lost a day of our vacation to deal with a mistake on Disney’s side that never should have happened.
My husband and I stayed at CBR during July/August 2019 on our honeymoon. It was our first ever visit to WDW so our first ever stay at a Disney resort. Despite not having anywhere else to compare it to, we loved it! We had a preferred room in Martinique which was super central to everything luckily. The theming was wonderful throughout and the main pool was so so lovely.
The busses were a bit of a pain as they we’re often late and the skyliner hadn’t opened yet during our stay.
I think when we revisit we’d give a different moderate hotel a try, just to compare 🙂
Having recently stayed at Riviera for the first time we decided to walk to Caribbean beach to check it out. We haven’t stayed at CBR before either. To me it looked old and tired and not kept up. I don’t know how the rooms were but Pop looked much more appealing!
This WAS a great resort. Wife and I stayed there many many times. Totally immersive. But then they built Riviera which totally destroyed the atmosphere, and the OPR redo turned a thematic masterpiece into a generic seen one seen ‘em all hotel lobby. And the food court got worse. Only good thing now is the Skyliner. Next trip I will be staying at Pop while we wait for POR to reopen.
I stayed here in November a couple of years ago. It was my second or third time. It turned out to be my worst WDW Resort experience out of my 62 trips. The room was dirty to begin with and never got better. The wastebaskets were never emptied and the coffee service was never refilled.
Never again.
We stayed at Caribbean Beach on our last visit. It is so beautiful. I am particularly fond of the lighthouse and the walkway to get across the water. Banana Cabana is such a cool spot, and the main pool has to be one of the best resort pools. It smells amazing in the lobby, and the gift shop is fantastic. The only bummer is the buses. It takes a while to get around all of the island stops. Also, if you’re not into walking a lot outside of the parks, it can be quite a trek to the main area. Overall, I think it’s a great moderate option.
Aruba? For the pirate rooms? Or Trinidad. I’ve looked everywhere online to confirm this. Are the Aruba pirate rooms new?
Not sure if you have gotten a response but, just got back from staying in a pirate room and we were in trinidad! Not sure if aruba has ones as well, but that was my experience.
It depends on what you are looking for on your trip. I took a resort only trip this past June at Caribbean because they had some good discounts on rooms.
PROS
Skyliner access – this gives you several resort dining options, as well as a fun way to get to Epcot/HS (if you’re not afraid of heights, that is!
Walking distance to the Riviera Resort – The Riviera is beautiful and its like a two-for-one deal having it so nearby!
Beautifully themed and landscaped – lovely colorful Caribbean themed buildings and foliage. The Lake is amazing to sit by at night with the light on all over the resort and the Riviera.
Excellent Main Pool and Five Quiet Pools – The main pool is well-themed, heated and zero entry. You can visit any of the five quiet pools as well no matter which section you are in, and most are REALLY quiet. I actually had the Martinique quiet pool all to myself for three hours one afternoon.
CONS
Large and Spread out – Plan to do a lot of walking IN the resort. I didn’t mind it so much because I did not go into the parks everyday, but depending which section you are in the skyliner and buses may be a schlep away from you.
Buses – The buses do a loop around the resort and again, depending on which section you are in, the buses may be all full when they finally get to your stop. I saw a mom nearly have a nervous breakdown at one bus stop when the bus to Disney Springs was too full for her and her baby (buses were only 2/3 full in June for physical distancing) and apparently she had already been passed-by by two other buses. Thankfully the bus driver was compassionate and moved some people around to let her on. This was to Disney Springs in the mid-afternoon! I can only imagine what they are like in the morning going to the parks.
Skyliner Lines – While I did not take it to the parks, I clearly saw the line-ups in the morning and I would say they were near an hour – hour and half wait to just get on one. Keep in mind, Carribean is a HUB for the skyliner, so get there EARLY!
Rooms – While not horrible, they are nothing impressive either. They are dark, with dark furniture and mucky paint colors, and the furniture looks like it has seen better days.
Food Court – The food and choices aren’t all that great. Not horrid, but you’d be better off going to the Riviera to get Quick Service or consider Sebastian’s which was actually very good.
Pirate Rooms – Ok – Can’t really put in either category, because this REALLY depends on what you are looking for. As a solo traveler, I first booked a discounted Pirate Room, however upon reading up on them I found out that not only were they the furthest section from anything (Trinidad) but it was the same size and layout as a standard room for more money – they will cost you an average of $100+ more per night. Also the pirate beds are doubles not queens, as are in the preferred and standard rooms and I read many complaints that the beds were NOT comfortable to sleep in. (The standard beds were very comfortable to me) Learning all this, I switched to a regular standard and was kindly upgraded to a preferred, corner room (more windows!) in Martinique when I arrived. I was less than a two minute walk to the main building and five minutes to each skyliner station and the Riviera. I am so glad I made the switch! My advice is only book a Pirate room if you have a die-hard pirate fan amongst your children, otherwise it is not worth it, sorry! It seems to me that Disney themed those rooms to make them bookable, because otherwise they would be bottom choice.
To sum it up, I guess if you’re going for a more leisurely, less park heavy vacation, Caribbean is pretty ideal and a great moderate. Keep in mind it is the oldest of the moderates and it does show somewhat, but it is also the only moderate with the skyliner. If you plan on spending a lot of time in Epcot and HS, it is also pretty great. However, if you plan on a park heavy trip the bus system will slow you down, as well as the distances leaving and returning to your section if you aren’t near the skyliner. That could be a real bummer when you’re tired after a long park day and all you want to do is get back to your room.
My wife and I stayed at the CBR for a week earlier in April. We had previously stayed there in 2009. Both times we had standard rooms in Jamaica. We love this resort. It was even better with the Skyliner. If you have mobility issues I can see where the CBR would not be ideal for you. For a healthy 40 something couple who proudly logged 35k steps on our last full day of the trip it’s paradise. Also, now that the Riviera is there you can take that bus home from the parks as it will usually have a shorter bus line.
I am definitely not a fan of this resort. It has the look and feel of one of those super cheap motels next to that tacky wizard hat on the not so nice side of town. The pirate rooms are a huge cash grab, that are unimpressive to anyone over 5. It was super spread out, and even getting ice feels like an event. The transportation is horrific, and the restaurants are not good and again a pain to get to. I am from the Caribbean and thought I would especially appreciate the resort. I never in life thought I would say this, but for what you get and the money you pay, you are even better off at an All Star resort. There is no way I would pay that type of money to stay here again. AKL and the Poly are not that much more, and are way better.
We stayed at this resort when it first opened. We were literally walking into our room as the painters and mouse keepers were walking out. Our stay at that time was very enjoyable.
I really appreciated the very thorou room review with pictures from every angle AND what it looks like just outside the door. Thanks!
We stayed here at the end of December top of January 2021. We chose a premium room so we could be near the food court and theme pool. That’s a good thing but you must know skyliner is far away from Martinique. We had to ride the internal bus to get to skyliner and they don’t always stop there (there is no guarantee they will pick you up at skyliner when you come back). Bus transportation was definitely a negative. We are going deluxe next time. That was the third time we stayed at Caribbean Beach.
We loved this resort. Banana Cabana is a great pool bar and the main pool is a lot of fun. The lobby smells like banana and has a great vibe. Centertown Market has great food options and we liked everything we tried. The gift shop had everything we needed from sunscreen to souvenirs, and they even shipped some items gone for us. The resort cast members were all incredibly friendly and helpful. And we loved our room. We had a regular room close to the skyliner (which is gold plated amazing) and the theming was fun Caribbean with good layout and space. There is plenty of outdoor seating (hammocks to picnic tables) for snacks and enjoying the views, the beaches are fun, and the landscaping on the grounds is gorgeous. We loved it.