Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort Review – Pirate Room
We are always trying out new resorts on Disney property, and our latest visit was to Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort. We found out quickly that is the largest resort at Disney. It is a Moderate resort, putting it in the ~$200 per night price range. If you want a full review of the other Disney Moderate Resorts, you can check out the Full Ranking of Disney Moderate Resorts.
Resort
Caribbean Beach contains six different sections and a main house. We stayed in Trinidad South where most of the Pirates rooms are located. The other sections, in order:
- Customs House – Check-in
- Aruba
- Jamaica
- Martinique
- Old Port Royal – Food Court and Main Pool
- Trinidad North
- Trinidad South – Pirate Rooms
Due to the size of the resort, a round-trip to Port Royal from Trinidad South could take 15 minutes plus wait time for the bus. We ended up walking from our resort to Port Royal, where the food court and main pool are located. It was one easy 10 minutes walk around Barefoot Bay. The pool was reminiscent of an old Spanish fort with slides and cannons.
I would advise about being aware of the size of the resort. We weren’t fully prepared for how large it was an how much it would add to our travel time.
Location and Transportation
Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort is located in the Epcot area and also close to Hollywood Studios.
The only transportation available to the parks is via bus. As the resort has six separate sections and a main house, the buses make six total stops and are also necessary just to travel between sections of the resort. They run a separate bus for transportation inside of the resort, although we found it quicker to walk in some cases. We were on the last stop which made trips to the parks quicker, but delayed the trip home. We took several trips to each park and the rides from Trinidad South were approximately:
- Hollywood Studios – 10 minutes
- Epcot – 15 minutes
- Magic Kingdom – 30-40 minutes
- Animal Kingdom – 25-30 minutes
We tend to spend a lot of time in Magic Kingdom, so the lengthy ride was not ideal. If Hollywood Studios is your favorite, then this a great resort. Another plus was that due to the size of the resort, they ran their own buses. You didn’t have to share with other resorts like you do at even some of the Deluxe Resorts. They also ran double buses during the busier hours. We only had to wait for a second bus one time and that was at park closing at Hollywood Studios.
Room
We were staying in a Pirate’s of the Caribbean themed room. The rooms are similar in size to other moderate resorts, with two queen beds. The special treat for my son is that the queen bed was inside a pirate ship! When we opened the door, he was ecstatic! Both my son and daughter spent plenty of time just playing in the bed.
There is a small table with two chairs, refrigerator and lots of storage space. The bathroom has a Pirate curtain flying the Jolly Roger to separate the sink area from the room. The bathroom itself has the toilet and bath tub in a separate room. The carpet boasts a stylish compass pattern. Overall, the details and styling of the room were excellent and our kids had a great time playing pirates!
As with all Disney resorts, the housekeeping staff do an amazing job. My favorite, by far, is the attention they pay to the kids’ stuffed animals. We always look forward to seeing how they decorated when we come back to the room. This year, my son was obsessed with Tsum Tsums, so a lot of the designed took those into account.
Food
Caribbean Beach has quick service dining in a few locations including a central food court, Old Port Royal. It is closed for refurbishment as of May 2017, but when it is open, it has several food choices. We chose it mainly for breakfast and were very happy with the selection.
Summary
Overall, we really enjoyed the room but prefer a smaller resort. The travel times to Magic Kingdom were longer than we expected, but the short trip to Hollywood Studios was a pleasant surprise.
Caribbean Beach would be a good choice for you if:
- Hollywood Studios and Epcot are your main parks
- You are major Pirates of the Caribbean fans and enjoy a good, themed-room
- Plan on eating mostly quick-service or in-room dining
Caribbean Beach may not be the best fit if:
- Magic Kingdom is the main park you visit
- Bus transit times need to be short
- Want a table-service option in your resort
