Got the new UFG 2020 ready for our planned trip to CBR next Aug. Having already booked we’re slightly panicked by the reviews in the book that strongly suggest not staying there.
We stayed at POFQ last summer and loved it but wanted to try something new and with Skyliner opening CBR seemed ideal.
Do people think it is as bad as made out? Will Skyliner make the transport (which seem to be a main issue) much better?
We’ve booked a water view room, any suggesting on where to request?
Thanks
In reading the surveys, it seems people don’t like the remoteness of the rooms, their dated design, the transportation, and the food options at the food court. I don’t think it’s that bad - the landscaping is very good, I don’t mind the rooms, and the food court is decent enough.
Jamaica 41 and 43 are closest to the Skyliner station. Barbados 31 and Martinique 26 are closest to the food. Jamaica 44 might be a good compromise between the walk to the Skyliner and to food.
It was several years ago, but we were in Jamaica and it was a very nice stay. It was a short walk across the bridge to the pool and food court. We never had an issue with the buses. And granted it was a while ago, but the we thought the rooms were very nice. And the pool is fun one for kids!
We have stayed at both FQ and CBR. Most recently, CBR in February because I could not turn down the room rate and we needed room for 5. We were upgraded to a preferred room in Martinique and I must say that made a world of difference. We were steps away from the lobby, food court and pool. The bus service was not as good as FQ. Multiple bus stops make a difference. I can’t compare the food courts because FQ was under renovation when we stayed. The meals we had at CBR we’re all good though. My kids loved the pool at CBR. I would stay again but in a preferred room, the resort is really spread out compared to FQ.
My family just got back from a week long stay at CBR in August. We really enjoyed it and would stay there again.
We stayed in building 45 in Jamaica, it was a centrally located, non preferred room. There was a walk to the food court & main pool but a much shorter walk to a quiet pool.
There’s a beautiful view of Spaceship Earth from the outside dining area a Centertown Market.
The busses can be an issue but we found if we walked to the Old Port Royale bus stop it was easiest to catch a bus. I have to imagine the Skyliner will help out with transportation tremendously.
As long as you don’t mind walking some, I think it’s a really beautiful resort, with friendly, helpful cast members, and some decent food options.
This is my preferred moderate hotel. However, I usually have my own car / rental. I can definitely see how people wouldn’t like how far it away it is. The bus stops are super crowded and often buses fill quickly.
I’m interested to see how this may change when the Skyliner opens.
The rooms / resort are pretty basic. However, the main reason I like this resort is it is very quiet at night as the doors open to the outside and people aren’t running up and down the halls.
It’s a beautiful resort; it really does kind of transport you to the Caribbean. The only downside for me was the size. I booked last minute, shortly after it opened, and I was in one of the furthest away rooms. I didn’t have a car and kind of resented the 10 minute walk to get to the lobby/food court area. The internal bus system was irregular and always crowded. I think if I had stayed near the pool and main building I would have really enjoyed it. Of course now SO much as changed since my stay (like the addition of decent food) - not to mention the Riviera Tower that took over part of the original CBR, my issues from the past may not be a factor anymore.
My suggestion is that if you got a good deal on the room and like the theming. Try the bus system once and if there’s issues, use Uber or Lyft. It’s inexpensive and very efficient. We used rideshare every morning from POR and took the buses back in the evenings.
We stayed at CBR at the worst possible time … construction zone 2018.
It was not bad. We got a good deal, and the room met its purpose, quiet spot to shower and crash. We left each day early, got back late. All we needed was a room at a good price. CBR was just that.
As far as a theme … i did feel like we were in an apartment complex. I personally don’t get the Caribbean theme that some people do. I would go back no problem. The new skyliner access is just icing on the cake.
Reviews of the brand new Sebastian’s restaurant are very positive as well.
I was there in Jan/Feb 2017. So it’s been a little while. But I enjoyed it just fine. I liked the landscaping a lot. It is pretty spread out. Whether that’s a problem will vary person to person. I didn’t mind the walk at all. The food court was pretty blah, but we don’t eat at the hotel so that isn’t an issue for us. We were there at a very low crowd time, so YMMV, but the buses were great for us. I guess that’s a lot of “it depends” type feedback, but hopefully it’s helpful!
Skyliner sounds very interesting and I would’ve booked CBR for our upcoming trip for that reason alone, but only the pirate rooms were available and now way I’m sleeping 4 people in 2 double beds.
You can add me onto the list of people who really like CBR - I agree things are spread out, but we love walking the grounds. Some of my favorite moments have been my sunrise walks over from Jamaica and Aruba to get coffee, just a beautiful place.
Even if your a person that doesn’t like resorts that are spread out, we always found the bus locations were not too bad wherever we were.
We just stayed at AS Movies a few weeks back and visited CBR to see the new main building - very nice, and the food court was very good. Chef Larry there (a transplanted Long Islander) was terrific dealing with our kids’ allergy questions too.