Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort
Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort is a massive 2,000 plus room property sprawled over 200 acres near Walt Disney World Resorts and Parks’ Epcot. I checked out this resort a few years ago during the 2009 Disney Resort Showcase, but only had the opportunity to peep inside the pirate themed rooms. I honestly had no idea what to expect at this moderately priced Disney accommodation.
Visitors checking in to Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort first have to go through the Customs House. This is a fun themed way to check in an get into the imaginative Disney spirit of your visit. You’ll be assigned to one of five villages located around a 42 acre lake on the property – Trinidad, Martinique, Barbados, Aruba, and Jamaica. We were assigned to Barbados, Building 13. Each building houses 64 rooms.
The Rooms
The rooms are your standard hotel room with double beds and can sleep up to four guests. Each room has a double-sink dressing area with a curtain for privacy. The tub/shower combo and toilet are separate from the dressing area and has a locking door. The rooms have a coffee maker, fridge, small sitting area, dresser with large flat screen television, and a cushioned bench with drawer storage.
Dining
The main hub of activity at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort is at Old Port Royale, which offers a food court style dining area, game room, shops, and Shutters, a table service restaurant. Quick service dining in the food court includes various offerings such as pizza, pasta, burgers, soups, salads, and sandwiches. There is also a Grab ‘n Go which sells bottled drinks, fruit, cereal, and pastries. I stocked up on drinks and cereal for the girls in my room for breakfast the day of their competition. The fridge is a handy amenity in-room and kept my milk chilled for my morning cup of Community Coffee.
The Property
Each village has a pool and laundry facility for convenience. Beyond that, you’ll have yourself a hike to get to the dining area or anywhere else on property. Fortunately, there is a nice walkway along the lake with small beach areas and hammocks set for relaxing and offers a great view for your stroll. In the evenings at Port Royale, The Banana Cabana is open serving poolside drinks for the adults while the kids play in the main Spanish fortress themed pool area.
Getting Around
Disney offers resort transportation, however if you have your own vehicle, it’s much more convenient to drive and park at the theme park of your choice, especially in the evenings. The resort transportation stops at each village inside Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort and during busy times, you just might not make it onto the bus to or from the parks the first go ’round.
The Big Picture
Overall, the room was clean, the girls were excited to be at Walt Disney World, and we had the added advantage of experiencing Disney’s Magic Hours, which are early or late hours at designated parks just for Disney property guests. There are a few other added attractions to Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort, but we were too busy checking out all the parks to spend too much time on the resort property.
Hubby and I love the Caribbean Beach Resort. Only been there once but really, really liked it. We are talking about going back to Disney (if we can pull ourselves away from our yearly Jamaica vacation at Couples Swept Away LOL) and would also like to try the Coronado. We tried it the last time but it was a quick trip so we didn’t get to spend any time relaxing there. Plan to next time!