I have a confession to make – of all the moderates, the Caribbean Beach has always been my least favorite. It’s an ironic fact, considering it’s the moderate resort that I’ve stayed at the most, and the one that I have always seen the most potential in. It’s also the first Walt Disney World Resort I ever stayed at, when I was in 4th grade, and I have incredibly fond memories of the resort from when I was a child, and of that trip in general. Coming back as an adult though, I remembering finding the rooms completely unchanged from how they were in the 90s, and feeling a bit remiss. The brightly colored, somewhat garish, tropical feel was still very present in the rooms, and it always evoked scenes of Gilligan’s Island in my mind. I loved the grounds of the resort however – with it’s lush greenery, central lake, sandy beaches with hammocks, and brightly hued buildings. I just longed for the potential of the resort to be realized more fully.
We stayed at the resort on our last trip to Disney World, after all the rooms at the resort had gone through a refurbishment, and I was cautiously optimistic to see what had been done. The changes are, in a word, stunning. Gone are the bright, garish, tropical colors, and floral, kitchy bedspreads. In their place, is an all white look, with a subdued orange and green runner on the bottom, that nicely complements a similar throw pillow. The headboards have been replaced with dark wood, that matches a sliding dark wood door that has replaced the curtain partition in the bathroom. All the fixtures in the bathroom have also been redone and modernized. For families of 5 or more, there’s a pull down bed, featuring a snoozing Mickey in a hammock on the baseboard. The overall feel of the room is still tropical, but in a classy, modern, very toned down way, that matches the amount of money you’re spending on the room. I was thrilled with the changes, and felt like they brought the overall ranking of the resort up significantly.
This is the largest of all the moderated resorts – which can be a blessing, or a curse. It’s good, because you can almost always get a room, and many times, it’s the cheapest of all moderate resorts. On the other hand, because it’s the biggest, it’s the hardest to navigate by foot, and if you’re in the building that’s furthest away from the dining hall, walking to get breakfast, or a drink in the morning, might seem like a hike.
Caribbean Beach has six pools, plus the main one right by the dining hall, that has a heavy pirate theme. It’s features two water slides, cannons, and hot tubs for the adults.
Overall, we feel like our last stay at The Caribbean Beach Resort really boosted our opinion of this moderate hotel, and gave us the confidence to recommend it as one of our favorite places to stay at Walt Disney World, especially if you’re looking for a place that really gives you the bang for your buck