I recently decided I needed an extra dose of self-care for myself and my daughter. With Disney World only a hour drive away a Disney World resort stay was an easy choice. I’ve never been to Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort. For some reason it is the resort I found myself gravitating towards in my search for a staycation getaway. After pouring over plenty of reviews thanks to Google, TikTok, and YouTube I booked our stay and off we went! Here’s my personal Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort review.
Price & Discounts
Disney categorizes their hotels in four categories from lowest to highest: value, moderate, deluxe, and deluxe villas. As I understand it, the higher the category, the higher the cost but also the better the amenities, room sizes, etc. Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort is a moderate hotel. When I’ve browsed prices at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort I’ve never seen any of the rooms prices for less than $280. Keep in mind prices can also be determined by factors such as the time of year you’re visiting and type of room you’re staying in. I was able to get a FL resident discount but Disney does offer nonresident discounts as well.
Location & Layout
Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort is one of the largest resorts at Walt Disney World. It consists of five villages: Barbados, Jamaica, Martinique, Trinidad and Aruba. Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort is located closest to Epcot and Hollywood Studios. While you can’t walk to either parks they both are easily accessible by the Disney Skyliner, an aerial gondola system. There are buses that travel between each village and that will take you to all Disney World Parks. Disney Caribbean Beach Resort is also close to Disney’s Riviera Resort which is fun to visit if you’re looking to explore other resorts.
Rooms & Theming
If the name didn’t give it away, Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort is meant to make you feel like you’re at a Caribbean beach getaway! If you’re looking for a Disney themed resort this is not it. There are touches of Disney magic but there are other resorts that are more heavily themed. However, Disney does do a decent job of providing the Caribbean theme.
There are five types of rooms within the resort. From what I hav been told the rooms are slowly being renovated. If you are looking for a Disney themed room, there are Little Mermaid themed roomed that have replaced the Pirate themed rooms. If you are like me and plan to bring a stroller I would advise requesting a ground floor as the resort does not have any elevators!
Our original booked room was a Preferred King Room which meant the least amount of walking to the main area and restaurants. Upon our early arrival we were “upgraded” to a Water Room in the Martinique village, building 25. Room looked similar to the pictures above. I enjoyed that we had a water view but a bit bummed that we didn’t get a King bed. However, the walk to the main area was less than 5 minutes and we could see the Epcot fireworks nicely from our room!
Food & Fun
There are five dining options at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort. Unfortunately we were unable to go to the family style Sebastian’s Bistro but we did enjoy Centertown Market. We ordered dinner and breakfast through the My Disney Experience app. Their cuban sandwich with fries and the kids chicken with rice were a tasty alternative to the usual burgers, tenders, and pizza you find at the resorts.
Like all Disney resorts they had a main pool, movies under the stars, fire pit for S’mores, and kid friendly activities. Each village also had a smaller pool. The main pool at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort also had a Pirate themed play area specifically for younger children which I appreciate.
Final Verdict: 4/5
I really enjoyed my staycation at the Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort! I appreciated the non-Disney theming although that might not be for everyone. While preferred rooms tend to cost more I don’t think I’d pay for anything less because of the closeness to the main hub. When the weather isn’t rainy it is nice to be able to get to the main area quickly.
Speaking of rain…this would not be my first choice for a resort in the event of bad weather. There is covered walkways for the buildings but you will get wet trying to get to the main area. Depending how far away your building is from the main space, you can be mildly wet or soaked from head to toe.
Disney is not known for being cheap. Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort is not somewhere I’d normally stay for a Disney staycation but I was able to book my room for lower than the usual cost. If it wasn’t for the unique price and the fact it would be my first time staying there I more than likely stayed at a value resort.
I hope you all enjoyed my Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort review!
