Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort

This resort is something special. I think perhaps one of the most overlooked resorts on property and to us, almost a hidden gem because of it. If you told me I had to do an "eternity" anywhere in the world and I am talking eternity the way that film by the same name that just came out explained it (Olsen and Miles Teller one) a place where you had to stay for eternity and not go anywhere else, for me it would be Caribbean Resort. Everything you could want in this space, rooms excellent, food, service, pools, arcades, running route, parks, movie nights on the beach. You can say "well plenty of places offer this and especially Disney, this is quite standard for Disney" but Caribbean Resort has something else, I think at night is where you notice it the most. Walking back from the sky liner after a day in the parks, this resort has an incredible atmosphere, unrivalled in my opinion. Read less

My girlfriend and I stayed at the Caribbean beach resort between April 25th and May 9th for the first time having previously stayed at other disney resorts incl French Quarter as the Skyliner was ideal for access to our two favourite parks. Upon arrival be aware if you use a satnav as we did then it will take you to the Riviera Resort entrance which isn't an issue as they will allow you access, however it would be good if magic bands/room cards worked there also once checked in (especially for those staying in Jamaica and Aruba) as it's a lot closer. Checking in: Upon check-in we were pleasantly surprised by the cleanliness and layout of the reception. The queue for checking in was very short and the guy who checked us in was very polite, professional and friendly. We were given a great room and location (Aruba 5444) which is right by the Riviera skyliner to Epcot and there was not only ample parking but the grounds around us and the small pool near our block were both well maintained. The room was a great size with more storage and hanging space than we had previously as French Quarter, but the aircon unit the same, very loud, inconsistent and it seemed to have a mind of its own. In the end we learned to not really mess with it much and just leave it set and running as they it doesn't have the sporadic loud spikes in its cooling to bring temperatures down as it seemed to really struggle at times. This is one thing I feel these buildings could benefit from, new and updated aircon units. The block was huge, and the closest drinksachine for us and the Disney mugs was on 55, again not too far and so block 54 really was great. The room: The bed and pillows were very comfy, the TV huge, although I found it very odd that there was hardly anything ever on and Disney doesn't even have the basic Disney+ setup for all its paying customers to enjoy when on property... We had an iron and ironing board, hairdryer and plenty of power outlets incl USB and USB-C, however these were very inconsistent in their output and you could not use more than one at a time we so generally reverted back to using the good old plugs which worked fine. The bath/shower had plenty of pressure, the sinks (duel) were very spacious and overall the room was great. One other thing to note is the walls are pretty thin, and with the noise of the aircon you'll find you have the TV up very loud. We could regularly hear everything next door was saying and/or watching... To get to the reception, main pool and breakfast was not far at all, I've seen some moan about the size of the property and getting around it, but honestly there is nothing moan about and everything is easily within walking distance (imo). The main pool: We only visited this once, far too many kid focussed loud games going on all the time and loungers were a pain to get. This pool is very well themed and 100% aimed at families only imo The small pool: The smaller pool located by our block was superb, plenty of loungers, regularly quiet, however I do feel the smaller pools need some fixed or removable umbrellas for putting up and down around the loungers as the only shade is via a few linked to a few tables, whereas loungers also could benefit from these. The food: Average at best imo, the Caribbean pancakes, not that good at all, I'm a if pancake lover and was excited for these but they were far from enjoyable, cheap generic pancakes with next to no taste at all. Once and done... The Mickey waffles were the same, which again was a shame. Aside from this we don't eat here again as it was a bit disappointing... The house keeping: This was very questionable and imo below average. If I could score the hotel a 3.5 I would based solely on this. Although they came each time they were meant too our room was far from clean each time, loads of dust left, sometimes rubbish was left, other times no coffee or cups or stirrers were supplied to the point we kept having to go and ask for them. It was a shame as the housekeeping really was a big letdown for the hotel in our opinion and so with a few things listed below being addressed it would make it far better value for money. 1) better consistent house keeping where the rooms are cleaned better, bins and rubbish emptied each time, coffee, cups and stirrers replaced every time. 2) Improved fresher and better tasting foods especially the breakfasts. Pancakes and waffles are not hard to get right, so for both to be so average is shocking for this property. 3) Umbrella/shades for loungers at the smaller pools. Overall thoughts: Would we stay here again? - Yes Why would we? - Location and Skyliner Final scores: Parking - 4/5 Location - 4/5 Skyliner - 5/5 Busses - 4/5 Room - 3.5/5 Large pool - 3.5/5 Small pool - 4/5 Food - 3/5 House keeping - 3/5 Read less

A friend and I stayed in the Barbados section May 4-8. The room had light blue walls and was attractive. Only negatives were constantly dripping water in the tub/shower that could not be turned off completely turning the levers as hard as we could. And the floor was dirty as evidenced by our dirty socks if we walked on it too much without shoes. Beds were comfortable and location was good. We walked to the Riviera Skyliner station for Epcot and even Hollywood Studios days. Read less

I have to say that I am struggling with "moderate" resorts at WDW. Value resorts are generally available at a great price point and they pack a lot for what you pay. Moderate resorts marginally improve on the value resort experience, with the main differentiator being more on-site services and slightly larger rooms. Deluxe resorts raise the bar and are worth the premium. Up until this stay, my "favorite" moderate resort was Coronado Springs... the rooms and overall ambiance is a notch above the rest of the moderate options. So no, Caribbean Beach does not come ahead... but for the price, and the ability to sleep five in some of the rooms with the convenient 5th sleeper option, this is a resort that has a lot to offer. The location also has a lot to offer - the Skyliner access to Riviera, Hollywood Studio and Epcot is a great feature that has significantly contributed to our overall enjoyment of our stay there. Yes, it is a fairly large complex, but we didn't find it problematic to go from where we were, to where we needed to be. Being in the Trinidad section, we were really close to the Skyliner station, we had one (smaller) pool next to our building and the attached restaurant was convenient for breakfast and lunch. The main building was maybe a 10 minutes walk which was fine for us. Yes, those "moderate" resort rooms do have a bit of a motel vibe - even when considering the high quality amenities offered. This has to do with the layout and AC unit. Not much that one can do about that, and the only reason why our stay is rated as "Good" as opposed to "Excellent". The beds were really comfortable. The shower temperature and water pressure was adequate. AC (and heat) worked fine during our stay. WIFI coverage was reliable. The look and feel was modern enough. There was enough space for the 5 of us to move around and store our bags. The room was clean when we arrived and had all the necessary amenities for our party size. Because this section is toward the end of the complex, it is quieter than the rest of the resort. No issues with finding parking and accessing our room. Disney took really good care of us during this stay. Highly recommended Read less