Should I upgrade from Pop to Carribean beach?

Walt Disney World
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Normally I’m a " cheaper the better" girl when it comes to resort stays. But now that my solo trip is a trio trip I was thinking about changing to Caribbean beach.
Right now, it looks like there are only preferred rooms at CB available. I will have to see what rooms those are when I research more.
So: pros/cons
Is a preferred room a quick walk to the skyliner? I’m thinking by bypassing the pop skyliner may get me to HS a little quicker.
Are preferred rooms in louder areas? and can you suggest a good area/room that is quiet?
Is the QS food better there?
I’ve heard not so great things about the buses at CB. Is there a better bus stop that you are more likely to get an empty bus, and does the bus circle all around the resort before leaving for the park?

Do you think its " worth" the extra cost?

What are your thoughts overall?
Thanks for your help…

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Can’t speak to the other points, since I’ve only stayed a Pop. But it definitely will save you time to bypass Pop. But, having said that, the line for the CB Skyliner station at HS opening was the longest line our entire trip, because you have the CB folks plus the Pop/AoA folks all trying to get to a single HS line. So, definitely get to the Skyliner station early BEFORE the Pop line starts running to get ahead of the wait.

When we took the Skyliner from Pop to HS, it took 56 minutes. Of that, the first 14 minutes waiting/riding from Pop. The remainder of the wait/ride time was at the CB station.

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Haven’t stayed at either— but with the hours, liking the resort grounds seems really important. Also a CB perk sounds like if you are near riviera and can be close to all
Their food too.

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Yes, last time we were at pop, we got in line at 8:15. I’m thinking we would do the same for CB. My biggest concert would be the bus schedule to MK the next morning for sure.

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I’d recommend the Touring Plans Room Finder in order to identify quiet rooms and such - and also, just a tip because I just upgraded from Pop to Contemporary this morning. I called the line (too late to modify on line) and they gave me an upgraded rate at a significant discount from what I was seeing on the website. So I’d call Disney when you can have your phone on hold for awhile…

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CBR is my preferred moderate hotel. I haven’t been back since the Skyliner started (Happy First Anniversary this week Skyliner!) But I can answer a couple of your questions…

The preferred rooms are at Trinidad North and Martinique (buildings 24, 25, 26) - The walk from those to the skyliner isn’t too bad. It’s “preferred” because you are closer to the main building / lobby.

Here’s an image I use when helping people figure out the buses there that I’ve highlighted for you. (The yellow line is the bus route)

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They are closer to the center of the complex. As with a lot of places it’s going to depend on the people staying around you. All the rooms at CRB have doors that face the outside - not interior halls. This is something I like as hallways / elevators tend to echo as people come & go at all hours.

Personally, I stay in Trinidad South. I’m a very light sleeper & I have found these to be the quietest buildings. IME - The reason for this is because they are the furthermost away from everyone. But I’d rather walk 5 extra minutes & sleep better all night. (Plus these room have the Pirate Ship beds! They are small double beds, but I’m 5’ 2" so I fit easily! :stuck_out_tongue_closed_eyes: Also, I like sleeping in a themed bed that my parents would have never gotten me as a kid!)

This is a real issue at CRB. Even though I like staying in the furthest section to sleep it means you can get bad bus service. This is because by the time they get there they can already be full and won’t stop. Then you have to wait until more buses come, which will continue to pick up those guests at the closer stops first and still have to find room for you. I’ve watched 3 - 4 full buses go past people waiting at stops further down the line.

I gave up on buses about 12 years ago due to how long & unreliable they are. If you want better odds of getting on the bus it does help to stay in the preferred rooms. This way you get picked up right at the lobby building (Old Port Royale / Centertown). For me… If I was going to get on the bus, I’d just walk the extra 5 - 7 minutes from my Trinidad South room to the lobby pick-up spot.

Again, I’m excited to try out the Skyliner to see if this is better. However, in “normal” times I just take an Uber / Lyft and get dropped off at / near the parks. Totally worth the $10 - $12 IMHO to save that time and cheaper than renting and/or parking a car at WDW.

IMHO - It’s pretty typical QS food. Nothing special I would plan a meal around, but it’s not terrible either.

The reason I love CRB is because I can get a clean & quiet room at a decent price and the rooms have been recently updated. You don’t get the large groups of sports teams / cheerleaders & etc… that you deal with at the All-Star Resorts that run wild.

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I saw from just looking at the upgrade some quite reasonable CR prices. But they’re just a little too much for me for a short trip.

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We love CBR, but do not pay for preferred. We actually like Aruba and using the Riviera skyliner station, blgs 55 and 56.

Second consideration…Pop rooms have been updated, CBR have not. Pop is all new laminate flooring and bathrooms and furniture, CBR is nice, but tired, worn, needs some TLC.

Third consideration, Pop puts more people in closer proximity. CBR is Huge spread out complex.

Having said all that…we just did a long weekend at Pop last week, and have another CBR trip in Jan.

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We just stayed at CBR and I would recommend it over Pop for exactly the reason you said - Skyliner is far better from CBR because if you are coming from Pop, you have to exit at the CBR station and get in the CBR line (that already has CBR and Riviera people in it).
On Thursday of last week, DH got in line at the CBR station at 8:50. The Skyliner didn’t start running until 9:10 that day. He got on at 9:25 and was in HS by 9:35.
Also, you might consider the Aruba section - it is super close to the Riviera skyliner station (if you go to EPCOT or HS during non park opening). But it is also an easy walk to the CBR Skyliner station as well.

It is also close to the Riviera for QS which we did a few times. We also got the bus from Riviera which was far better than doing it from CBR.

We were in room 5542 and loved it (view from the room)

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CBR%205542%20View
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This is not correct. Rooms are a bit tired. The new construction was on Old Port Royale, not the rooms.

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Are the aruba rooms a preferred section? A standard rooms was unavailable for my travel dates.

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It is a water/pool view room. I think different than preferred?

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I said updated, not remodeled… Not trying to debate semantics, I promise. :smiley: I purposefully chose my words. :smiley:

Here’s a pic from before the update

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Here’s one from after

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That “before” picture is just…um…wow. And not in a good way.

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Yep i agree, but it was a total room remodel just not “recently”. It was like 2015/2016. The rooms, carpet, furniture are a bit tired and worn, as of our Jan 2020 trip. The 2019 rebuild was all Old Port Royale, only. As i said, still nice and we are still going back for our Jan '21 CBR trip. In terms of remodel, Pop rooms are nicer — which is what i was conveying in my post.

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I totally agree about Pop rooms. I’m still a CRB fan for the layout of the buildings. I hate that the skyliner has bumped up the price so much and they haven’t done a better remodel - laminate floors & etc…

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Oh yeah. I’m just saying you should call about your potential upgrade because the CM will likely give you a better deal than what you see online! I mean —-they gave me an upgrade price that was 40% less than what I saw on the website. I didn’t even ask for it.

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