5 Amazing Reasons to Visit Disney’s Caribbean Beach
Imagineers work tirelessly to improve the various Disney hotels around the world. The most recent example is one of the best. Designers have reinvigorated one of the most popular properties, creating a modern wonderland for vacationers. Here are five reasons you must visit Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort.
The Theming
When you check into the hotel for the first time, you’ll quickly grasp the theme at Caribbean Beach. Imagineers have built a series of villages, each of which is inspired by one of the Caribbean islands. You can stay in areas modeled after Aruba, Barbados, Jamaica, Martinique, and Trinidad.
The lakes at Caribbean Beach tie directly into the theme, and you’ll want to take a leisurely stroll across the campus during your trip. You’ll appreciate just how richly detailed the island vibe is while you bask in the serenity of the idyllic setting. The lush landscape includes detailed foliage that’s island-appropriate.
Disney fans often compare Caribbean Beach to Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, as they both have the same general premise. When you stay at either one, you’ll have a pleasant combination of theme park vacation and island getaway. The difference is that Polynesian Village is part of the Deluxe Tier of resorts, meaning that you’ll pay at least twice as much to stay there. Caribbean Beach provides many of the same amenities but costs much less since it’s a Moderate Tier property.
Even as someone who believes that Polynesian Village is the greatest of all Disney resorts, I must admit that Caribbean Beach is possibly a better value. Its gorgeous beaches would seem right at home in the Caribbean, and the ample hammocks and other relaxing beachy elements reinforce the notion.
The resort has something that the Polynesian doesn’t, though. Its colonial forts hearken back to the golden age of exploration when Spaniards sailed across the globe in search of new places to settle. Disney somehow honors the past of the Caribbean while emphasizing its current status as one of the destination vacation locations in the world.
Old Port Royale
When you reach your hotel, you want to feel like you’re immediately at Walt Disney World. You expect quality theming that allows you to suspend your belief and feel immersed in the environment. Disney’s recently updated their hotel lobby and main building to satisfy your desire.
Old Port Royale is the first place that you’ll visit when you exit Magical Express or park your car. It’s the hotel lobby plus a few other updates. When you enter the lobby, you’ll notice a kind of common area with plenty of sitting space. On one side is Calypso Trading Post, the hotel’s general store. Close to it is Centertown Market, which we’ll discuss thoroughly in the next section.
Imagineers have structured Old Port Royale so that it’s equal parts stylish and efficient. You’ll have all your hotel guest needs met in this one location, but you’ll be blown away by the look of the place, too. It has Spanish fountains, dockside walkways, and colorful pastels that will grab your attention everywhere. Old Port Royale is the hub of Caribbean Beach. It will quickly become the place that feels like home when you stay here. You’ll long for it months after your trip is over.
The Food
Disney recently plussed Caribbean Beach in all phases. One of the most noteworthy changes happened with the food options, as the hotel has opened several new restaurants. In totality, these places have elevated Caribbean Beach into the conversation for best resorts to grab a bite at Walt Disney World.
The most convenient place to stop is Centertown Market, the food court area. Cast members serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner to hungry guests here. You can either order off the menu or pick one of the many pre-made sandwiches available at the Grab-n-Go counter.
Centertown Market has a couple of unique features for a hotel restaurant. One is that a cast member will bring your food to your table. Like at Be Our Guest, you’ll receive a tracker when you place your order. So, you go through the line to pick your meal, but then you can take a seat and have it brought to you when it’s ready.
Alternately, you can order via Disney’s Mobile Ordering. Centertown Market was the first resort restaurant to offer this amenity, and it remains part of a select few. When you stay at the hotel, you’ll find that Mobile Ordering is a life-saver. You can order as you take transportation back to your room, or you can schedule your breakfast while you get dressed in the morning. It’s terrific.
Fans of Caribbean food will have other options, also. Spyglass Grill mixes American staples with the tastes of Trinidad, which is fitting since it’s part of the Trinidad South section of the resort. A Table Service restaurant is a waterfront establishment themed to one of Ariel’s buddies in The Little Mermaid. It’s currently only open for dinner, but the gorgeous setting and Sebastian’s style make it the destination dining experience at the hotel.
The Skyliner
Okay, I’m technically getting a bit ahead of myself here. The Disney Skyliner won’t open until the Fall of 2019. Six months from now, its arrival will elevate Caribbean Beach in the Disney resort standings. Currently, transportation at this hotel is a bit spotty. The expansive nature of the property leads to a total of eight different bus stops at Caribbean Beach. When you stay here before the Skyliner’s debut, you must allow extra time to reach the various theme parks.
The situation will change dramatically due to the Disney Skyliner. This gondola system will transport guests directly to two different parks, Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios. When you stay at this resort, you’ll be only five minutes away from Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and roughly eight minutes away from the World Showcase. The logistics of Caribbean Beach haven’t always been the best, but the Disney Skyliner will squarely position the hotel in the upper tier of Walt Disney World vacation options.
Fuentes del Morro Pool
Every Disney resort on the planet includes a sensational themed pool. It is page one of the Disney playbook. Even by the company’s lofty standards, however, Caribbean Beach Towers above the rest. Its theming is so elaborate that you’ll have an out-of-body experience when you first see it. You may feel like you’ve been transported back in time to a different era.
The Fuentes del Morro Pool is themed like an abandoned fort encampment. You’ll believe that you’re swimming in the lake of a Spanish settlement. Fittingly, cannons are part of the theming, but they don’t shoot deadly cannonballs. Instead, they gently drip a steady stream of water on delighted guests standing beneath them.
The Spanish towers hide a secret, too. A pair of waterslides is integrated into the colonial theming. One of them is 102-feet long. Children are sure to love a trip down this slippery slope. Of course, fans of calmer swims can visit one of the other five quiet pools at Caribbean Beach instead. Imagineers have positioned one in each of the villages across the resort campus.