The Caribbean Beach Resort is one of five Moderate-type accomodations at Walt Disney World, and now you can act like Captain Jack or sleep with the fishes (metaphorically, of course) with Nemo and friends.
Caribbean Beach Sand, Water and Boats - © Disney
First a little about the Moderates. Pricing is similar across the moderate level resorts (except for the campgrounds). But the range is wide depending on the season and location. Disney has five seasons (Value, Regular, Summer, Peak and Holiday). Value is the least expensive and Holiday costs the most. But then each season has weekday or weekend rates and every holiday is different. Essentially, the busier it is, the more expensive. Of the 28,000 accommodations at 28 WDW resorts, there are 8,000 Moderate rooms.
Moderates cost more than Values, so it is here that add-ons start appearing. For example, Moderates have special recreation such as boating and more interesting spaces and entertainment. But not four-star services like room service, fine dining, valet parking or fitness centers. (Oh I forgot, you can get pizza delivery.) There is daily high-speed internet access (it was $10 a day when I was last there). Elaborately themed pools, slides or hot tubs are the norm, but except for POFQ (Port Orleans French Quarter for the uninitiated); you will also find a few “quiet pools” here and there.
How to save money and still stay on property? Go during Value Season (i.e. early December, January-February except holidays), don’t book a “water view” room, travel during the week and stay at a Value Resort. But the bottom line is watch for the specials or link up with a Disney expert travel agency.
One more thing, get a great Disney guide, of which there are many. I like the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World and their related Touring Plan site. It is only 850 pages (yes, really). And if there is something you wanted to know, it’s here. It's a must reference for every new or experienced WDW traveler.
OK, let’s get started with the Caribbean Beach Resort.
This is the first Moderate resort built at Walt Disney World and rooms are a little bigger than others (+ 26 square feet). A Caribbean theme, devoted to the lazy days of sun and sand includes plenty to do surrounding the 45-acre Barefoot Bay. Nice place to slide into a hammock on the beachfront and just relax.
Checking in is different than the other resorts, as the Custom House for registration is physically separated. There are six “villages” of pastel-colored two-story buildings, each clustered around its own swimming pool. These are Barbados, Martinique, Aruba, Jamaica, Trinidad North and Trinidad South. It opened in 1988 and has about 2,100 rooms. Caribbean Beach is the most spread out of all the Disney resorts, so it takes some walking to see the whole thing. The food court, restaurant and main pool at Caribbean Beach are in one central area.
Custom House Bus Stop
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The daily rack rate on rooms range from $149 (standard view, value season, weekday) to $274 (Pirate-themed room, water view, New Years Day) and a hundred combinations in between (plus a King-size Bed can be $25/per night more) That is why planning, reading, using a good Disney travel agency and finding the best specials is important. There was a recent announcement on summer resort special pricing for May 2 to Aug. 14, 2010. Average room discounts include 15% (Value), 20% (Moderate), 25% (Deluxe), and 30% (Deluxe Villas) off the rack rates, but the number of rooms is limited.
Caribbean Beach Main Pool © Disney
Recently Disney refurbished hundreds of rooms in new themes like Finding Nemo and another to help you have your own Pirates of the Caribbean experience (well, maybe not). Actually, they are very popular and increased the interest in Trinidad South, the furthest village from the resort’s main house Old Port Royale where food, shopping and services are located. But they cost more than the other rooms on site. Disney transportation to the theme and water parks is by bus. At this resort the maximum occupancy is four (usually two double beds), plus a crib or extra single should fit (tightly).
I recently found some great videos from Len Testa who brings you a video tour of a Pirate-themed room. and a Nemo-themed room . These videos are courtesy of the Unofficial Guide I referred to earlier. And according to the most recent issue of the Guide, 63% of guests would recommend Caribbean Beach to a friend and 87% would stay there again.
A Regular Room at Caribbean Beach Resort
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Here is what you will find at the Caribbean Beach Resort: swimming pools (one with a themed waterfalls and slide), boating (sailboats, canoes, personal craft), bicycles and a game arcade. Kids will enjoy Parrot Cay Island, via footbridge and through a nature trail, playground and water play areas. There are long walks from one end to the other, and it is a family friendly location. There is plenty of food; with your two primary selections the cafeteria-style Old Port Royale Food Court (I like this place) and Shutters, a table service restaurant.
More Planning Resources: There is a comprehensive fan site about the
Caribbean Beach Resort that’s a good place to start since it has nearly everything you would want to know in just one place including guest preferences. The site is
disneycaribbeanbeach.com. I only touch the surface, this specialized fan site digs down into everything.
TripAdvisor rates Caribbean Beach 124 of 350 Orlando Hotels Finally, take a walking tour of Caribbean Beach courtesy of DIS on YouTube.
This has been a
A World View of the Caribbean Beach Resort. I hope you found this helpful, but as always, if you have a question, leave it here or contact me at
brucewdw@gmail.com.
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