Planning an early May trip to Caribbean Beach. 5 days 6 nights. Any Tips?

Early May is a great time to visit. However, I would stay at any moderate except Caribbean Beach. If that's the only one available, I'd book at Pop Century. I've tried to like that resort, but it disappoints me every time - it just isn't as nice (in my opinion) as the other moderate resorts. However, other people love it - go figure!

i hated it the year we stayed there. seemed like a most un-disney like hotel to me. unmarked buildings, difficult to navigate, it often felt like we were dropped off in a parking lot at a mall. the number of bus stops really annoyed me too. took forever to get out of the place to a park and almost as long to get back after a day/night ion the park.

Yes - I think there were 7 bus stops last time I was there....that's way too many. It feels like it takes forever to get anywhere....and although I think the exteriors of the buildings are pretty, I hate the inside decor. Since I spend more time IN the room vs standing outside looking at the building - it's off my list :D

Not looking to pile on here, but I do have to say that my worst WDW hotel experience was at the CB.

We had what had to have (until recently) been a smoking room and it smelled awful. Everyday I called to complain, everyday nothing got done. It was August and the hotel was full (or so I was told). Finally after really loosing my temper the room was de-oderized to out satisfaction, but really I've never had such bad service at Disney.

On the plus side, the grounds are lovely, the food court area was fine, the main pool was lots of fun and there are quiet pools too, we drove so I can't tell you about bus service.

No matter what, you'll have a great trip.

We've stayed there the last (five?) times we've been to Disney. Absolutely love it. Rooms are bright, clean & comfortable. The resort is very convenient to all parks. I believe all moderates have multiple bus stops, so I don't know how CBR is so much less desirable in that category--in fact, I think the Port Orleans resorts (Riverside & French Qtr) even share a bus. The multiple bus stop locations just mean that you're never very far from a bus stop, regardless of where your room is.

One of the complaints I've heard is that the resort is too big. Well, the other side of that coin is that it's not cramped. I've never felt crowded there, even at the busiest times of the year. One of the things I like about the resort is the size. I love an early morning walk around the lake. The landscaping/theming is beautifully tropical & Caribbean. Yes, you might have to walk a bit to get to the main pool/food court/etc, but even when we were in Trinidad South, I don't think it was more than a 10-min walk. A bit more than the walk from the couch to the fridge ;), but it's very pleasant.

Anyway, just wanted you to know that there are folks who've stayed there multiple times, have never had any problems with quality/CMs/rooms, etc. and love it. But hey, the more people who have other favorite resorts, just makes it that much easier for me to get in @ MY favorite resort :D .

We've stayed there the last (five?) times we've been to Disney. Absolutely love it.

We've only stayed on property once, and it was at CBR. I loved the landscape and the sprawling look of the resort. We spent part of one afternoon renting one of the boats and tooling around on the lake. It was awesome. Our room was in Jamaica, so it was very convenient, and we had our own car, so we never used resort transportation. The only reason I wouldn't be staying there again would be if we decided to upgrade to Deluxe.

I'd also look at the schedule for pool closure - We first looked at CBR for our June trip but then found out the main pool would probably be closed during our visit so we switched to POR. If that is important to you, you may want to check those dates to see if they stil apply.

Though I liked the resort when we stayed there, I felt is was was too much bus time for us, but that is just my personal opinion.

For May 2008 just be aware the main pool will be closed. It's closed now for major rehab and scheduled to open until September. They will add child size slides to two of the quiet pools, check Mark's WDW updates for info.

The quiet pools are actually nice, though the two with the slides might be more busy. The coin laundry is at the quiet pool area in each village section.

We stayed there in 2006 and hated it. The transportation there is horrible. We has to wait and hour and a half for a bus to Downtown Disney, because they were full by the time they reached our stop. I too would recommend booking at the Pop Century...you will enjoy it much more.

It seems like most of the complaints surround bus service to the CBR. Since I always have a car, the CBR was just as nice as most of the other moderates for me. I always try to get in a building near Old Port Royale, as the resort is pretty spread out.

We always stay at CBR and love it. Never have a problem with the room or Mousekeeping or food court or buses.

We like the size of the resort because it's so spead out and you don't feel cramped.

There are 7 bus stops but it has never bothered us.

The main pool will be closed till Sept. so that may sway your decision.

We stayed there for the marathon weekend with Team in Training. We were on the second floor with no elevator. That wasn't too fun. I also didn't like how spread out it was. However, the grounds are very nice, with the beaches and all. I thought the food court was fine. I had a salmon dish for dinner one night that was pretty good.

If you're going to stay there I might recommend renting a car and also requesting a room near Old Port Royale.

We loved it! Mom and two teen boys. Room was spacious, bright, mousekeeping was a joy. Never felt cramped either in our room or around the resort. Liked the beach feel. Buses were prompt-yes, the additional stops were a pain-but as all the moderates have the same issue, never felt that was a make or break deal. Food court-hmmm-felt the choices were limited as compared to the value we've stayed at-Pop. But...very clean and well kept and adequate seating-unlike Pop. Loved being able to enjoy a meal by the fountain outdoors. Main pool was a zoo each time we tried-but...quiet pools in each village were empty and a great way to get laundry in while enjoying a swim. Quiet-never heard neighbors-showers or toilets-again, unlike Pop.

Wouldn't hesitate to stay at this moderate again, but we'd lke to try the other moderates first.

We stayed here 2 times last year. We loved it. We didn't have children with us so that may make a difference. It's spread out and there is lot's of walking involved.We stayed in Aruba and also Jamaca.Short walk to Old Port Royal. The food court did get crowded. We often took our food to the gardens. They have tables there away for the crowds. You have your own pool and laundry close by the pool.We were there in Jan and Oct. So walking weather was plesant. People I met there said there children wanted to just hang there and not go to the parks. So I guess some children enjoy it also!One thing that dissapointed people was no swimming at the beach. The beachs were very nice!The bus system was fine. We never waited longer than 15 mins. Epcot bus was crowded. That was the only one that took time. People were so nice and pleasant and our rooms were clean! You can see fireworks from Epcot each night. You can also order pizza till 11:30. They deliver. The main pool was going to closed in Jan 08. I don't know if that affects May.They sent us a letter in Sept 07. We were booked for Oct 07 so it didn't affect us.

I have to side with the people who didn't like CBR. We stayed for a week in August, and the bus situation was just ridiculous. It took as long to get through the resort on the bus as it did to get to most of the parks once we left the resort. I love the comment about how someone felt like they were being dropped off in a mall parking lot. That's exactly how we felt. We also found that the crowds at the pool (which will be closed during your stay) were unbearable. We never got an unoccupied chair. Getting through the food court was crazy too, and we got there pretty early in the morning.

We didn't like POR much better last month, so maybe it's just us. Although we really liked the French Quarter last year. That's where we'll stay if we ever stay within WDW again (and if we don't rent a car).