Island Magic: Reviewing the Disney Caribbean Beach Hotel

If you’re considering waterfront accommodations and a beach vibe for your Disney vacation, you’ll want to read our Disney Caribbean Beach hotel review.

Since this resort has a lot of great amenities, we were very excited to give the island vibes a chance. While some things were not quite as we had hoped, we also found some surprising advantages to our stay at Disney World’s Caribbean Beach. Below, you’ll find our Caribbean Beach resort review as we discuss all this resort has to offer.

Disney World Caribbean Beach Resort Rooms

The Disney Caribbean Beach hotelt is designed to transport you into the Caribbean, without leaving Florida. Themed to 5 distinct islands, Barbados, Jamaica, Martinique, Trinidad and Aruba, this resort may make you want to kick back and lounge on the beach-after a long day in the parks of course.

The Resort has 4 different room types. Every room in the resort comes in at 314 square feet. This is right on par with the room size of the other moderate resorts.

Each room has a shower/ bath combo and toilet in one room, with a detached vanity containing two sinks. The differences in room types have to do with the number of beds, or guests the room can sleep.

One room type has just a king size bed, suitable for up to 2 guests. Other room options at Walt Disney World’s Caribbean Beach Resort include two queen beds, and two queen beds plus a child size fold down bed. This extra bed can also be found at some rooms at Port Orleans.

Pirate rooms have been removed in a recent refurbishment and are being replaced with Under the Sea Rooms. With this renovation, the dark and deep hues have been completely tossed in favor of a light and airy color scheme. It’s a welcome relief for anyone who doesn’t care for closed is spaces, as the former decor could feel tight and oppressing.

Under the Sea rooms feature a queen bed, a queen pull down murphy bed and a pull down twin bed. It’s important to note that as of this writing, you can’t book an Under the Sea room. Some guests have happily been placed in one by booking a fifth sleeper room, but there is no guarantee. We suspect that more rooms will become available as the refurbishment moves on, and Under the Sea rooms will become bookable as a room category on the Disney website or through a Disney Vacation Planner.

For the sake of our Walt Disney World Caribbean Beach Resort review below, we stayed inside a regular room with two queen beds.

The rooms inside the resort open directly to an outside walkway, rather than opening into an interior hallway. This means there are no balconies in the rooms. But, if you are on the second floor, there will be an open air hallway with some views.

The room buildings are arranged in villages, or clusters, themed to the different islands. Each village has a slightly different color scheme, but the room layouts inside are the same.

Walt Disney World Caribbean Beach Resort Amenities

The Caribbean Beach Resort offers a few amenities you may not find at any other Disney Resort. For the sake of our Disney Caribbean Beach hotel review it is important to note the included shampoo, conditioner and bodywash.

Rather than tiny bottles of toiletries that are used up in one use, this resort supplies large bottles inside the shower that are refilled each time housekeeping comes. These are the standard H2O products found across Disney resorts. If you plan to stay here, this could save you money and the hassle of bringing those toiletries with you.

Another bonus of the Caribbean Beach Resort is the separate vanity. Having the vanity in a different room from the toilet and shower allows more people to get ready for a day in the parks at one time.

As with all other Disney resorts, Caribbean Beach also offers complimentary transportation, housekeeping, wifi, online check in through the My Disney Experience App, and an ATM.

One thing we particularly liked about Disney’s Caribbean Beach hotel is the location. This resort is considered an EPCOT area hotel, due to its close proximity to this park. Just like other deluxe hotels in this area, we found it pretty centrally located at an equal distance to most parks. This means you’re spending less time traveling around.

We also found the cost for a night’s stay to be fairly responable for Disney’s standard. Disney’s Caribbean Beach hotel is a considered a moderate resort, meaning you’ll have more spacious accommodations and better amenties than you’d find at a value resort, but also a higher price tag. Moderate resorts also slide in under the deluxe tier, with smaller rooms and fewer amenities than Disney’s upper level resorts, offering a great value with a much lower price point.

In 2024, a nightly stay ranges from $268 to $552. The highest rate is for the week of Christmas, one of the more popular times to visit Disney World. Overall, you should see rates in the $300s. We have more on pricing later.

When was Disney Caribbean Beach Resort Refurbished?

This resort was refurbished in 2017/2018/2019. Our Walt Disney World Caribbean Beach Resort review will be covering the refurbished rooms.

In the refurbishment, the rooms got a newer, modern look. The walls were painted to be brighter, the bedspreads were replaced, and new photos were hung.

The new furniture in the rooms was designed to look more modern as well. Caribbean Beach was the first moderate resort built on WDW property, so it was due for a makeover.

Also added during this time were sliding doors that can be closed to separate the vanity from the main room.

The Disney Skyliner construction was also took place during this renovation period. Two skyliner stations and the Riviera resort were added. Unfortunately, some of the room buildings of Caribbean Beach were demolished to make way for the Riviera Resort.

During this time, Old Port Royale, the main hub of the resort and check in location, was added and all dining at the resort was entirely revamped.

Centertown Market and the Banana Cabana were updated and now offer better and tastier food, or so we have been told. Sebastian’s Bistro was added as a new restaurant that brings  more elevated dining  to the resort.

UPDATE: A brand new refurbishment is underway in 2024

In 2023, Disney CEO Bob Igor made a tremendous financial commitment to the parks, with a plan to double capital expenditures over the next 10 years to $60 billion. Work has started already with an all new refurbishment of the Disney Caribbean Beach hotel in 2024.

As part of the refurbishment, we’ve already seen the old pirate rooms take on a new look with the aforementioned Under the Sea rooms. Other rooms have received enhancements to the small details, such as light fixtures and other decorative elements. The neutral toned walls have also been repainted blue. Carpeting has also been removed in favor of wood grain laminate flooring, a shift that seems to be present across all Disney resorts. Overall, it’s a change we like, since it will be easier for housekeeping to keep up on the cleanliness front. On the downside, when dirt does enter the room, it is highly noticeable.

Disney Caribbean Beach Hotel Prices

Disney World Resort room prices vary based on the day you are staying, (such as weekend versus weekday,). Prices are higher at certain times of year, such as holidays and periods of high demand. During weekends, holidays, and peak visitation times, room prices are generally higher.

Room rates also differ based on the room type you choose. The double queen bed room with a standard view is the most affordable. The double queen bed room with the pull down child’s bed costs a little more, and then the king bed room sees a price increase yet again. Once renovations are fully complete, we expect Under the Sea rooms to command the highest prices.

For a room with a better view, plan on spending more.

In 2024, a basic garden view, two queen room ranges from $262- $505 per night. On average, most nights are in the low $300s. Prices are lowest during weekdays of January and February. There is also a spike in December, with outlying prices between $403 and $505 per night through the end of the month.

For the same room with a water view, prices range from $307- $543 per night. With the lowest prices again being seen in weekdays of the colder months. December again sees inflated prices of $440- $543 during the holiday season.

To book a room at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort, click here.

Room discounts can almost always be found for Disney resorts. Here is our list of 2024 Disney World discounts.

Walt Disney World Caribbean Beach Resort Pools

What would a Walt Disney World Caribbean Beach Resort review be without an overview of the pools?

Caribbean Beach has 6 pools, plus endless “beachfront,” although there is no swimming allowed in the natural water.

Five of the pools are considered quiet pools, meaning they have no waterslides, and no lifeguards. Each village, or building cluster has their own quiet pool.

Old Port Royale houses the main pool. The Fuentes del Morro Pool is a zero-entry pool themed to a colonial Spanish fortress. Inside the fortress are two waterslides, one a whopping 102 feet long. This pool does have lifeguards for a portion of the day.

Next to this pool is a water filled play area for kids. In the shipwreck play area, children can climb to the crows nest or slide down one of the many mini water slides.

Located next to this pool area is the Banana Cabana pool bar, selling snacks and drinks perfect for spending a day by the water.

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Which Village Is Best at Walt Disney Caribbean Beach Resort?

Deciding which village to stay at when visiting the Walt Disney Caribbean Beach Resort is entirely dependent on what your priorities are. Do you want easy access to Old Port Royale for quick access to dining, or would you prefer to be closer to the skyliner? Is getting to the main pool a deal breaker for you? Or are you okay with utilizing the quiet pools.

For the purpose of our Walt Disney World Caribbean Beach resort review, we stayed in the Aruba village of buildings. We chose this area because of its easy access to the Riviera Skyliner entrance. We did not plan to visit the restaurants in the main Port Royal Building, so this was the best choice for us.

While Caribbean Beach does have its own Skyliner pickup and drop off point, it will not take you directly to EPCOT. To travel to this park, you will need to get on at the Caribbean Beach skyliner hub and transfer at the Riviera. Staying closer to the Riviera resort station provides you with direct access to this line, without having to transfer from the Caribbean Beach resort line.

On the other hand, you can travel directly to Disney’s Hollywood Studios from the Disney Caribbean Beach hotel hub without a transfer.

For easier and quicker access to the Riviera Resort station, and therefore quicker access to EPCOT, you will want to request a room in the Aruba Village. For easy access to the  the Caribbean Beach station, you’ll want to request residence in the Jamaica Village..

While these villages are close to the Skyliner, they are far from Old Port Royale. This means you’ll walk quite a distance to reach the restaurants onsite and the main pool.

If you would like to stay closer to Old Port Royale, you will want to stay in the Martinique Village, or Barbados. Just be aware that rooms with a pool view or view of the waterway will incur a price increase over parking lot view rooms.

You can also make use of the internal bus loop which transports guests from each village to Old Port Royale. There is also a land bridge through the water that will take you directly to Old Port Royale, although it is far from the buildings closest to the Skyliner.

For the best village to enjoy the quiet pool, with nearby dining options, you may want to stay in Trinidad Village. Trinidad is the only village with a restaurant accompanying it’s quiet pool. Trinidad is also where all the Pirate Rooms are located.

Getting Where You’re Going

No Caribbean Beach hotel review would be complete without discussing the Skyliner. Transportation options are few at Caribbean Beach, but not as few as a few years ago. Previously, your only option to and from this resort was by bus.

Today you can ride to EPCOT or Hollywood Studios via Skyliner and to all other parks via bus. As discussed above, the Skyliner has two stations that be accessed from the Walt Disney Caribbean Beach Resort. The Caribbean Beach Station offers direct access to Hollywood Studios with no stops.

To get to EPCOT, simply board the Skyliner at the Caribbean Beach Station and transfer to the EPCOT line at the Riviera Station. Or, you can board at the Riviera Station directly. If your room is close to the Riviera Station, you can also board here and then head to the Caribbean station before making your way to Hollywood Studios.

The Disney World bus system will provide transportation to all other parks and Disney Springs on a regular basis. Typically buses arrive every 10-20 minutes during peak times.

Bus stops are located in each village, and at Old Port Royale. While bus routes can vary, they typically follow a standard pattern, stopping at Martinique first, followed by Old Port Royale, Trinidad, then Jamaica and Aruba. During peak times this route may change. It is also not uncommon for buses to only service part of the resort during peak times, as they fill up quickly.

There are buses that service the Skyliner parks, but they are few and far between. Unless you have a severe fear of heights or severe motion sickness, we recommended you ride the Skyliner or use a ride share app over utilizing the buses to visit these parks.

Walt Disney World’s Caribbean Beach Resort also supplies an internal bus service. This resort is sprawling, so the internal bus is handy for accessing Old Port Royale from the different villages.

While this service is helpful, it is not known for its speed. If you can walk, we recommend doing so. Walking will be quicker than waiting for the internal bus.

Walt Disney World Caribbean Beach Resort Map and Address

Below, you will find the map to the Walt Disney World Caribbean Beach Resort located at 1114 Cayman Way, Lake Buena Vista, FL 32836.

Our Caribbean Beach Resort Review- What Was Our Experience?

While staying at the Walt Disney World Caribbean Beach Resort, we definitely experienced some pros and cons.

Our Pros

The two biggest pros of this resort are the Skyliner and the theming. We found ourselves immersed in the island vibes. The beach is wonderful to lounge on after a long day in the parks. The beach hammocks underneath the gondolas are especially enjoyable.

There is also something memorable and marvelous about simply stepping onto the Skyliner right out your back door for a quick trip to EPCOT or Hollywood Studios. The Skyliner is easy, convenient, and a great way to access the parks with a more private feel.

The pools are also another pro. The main pool is simply stunning. Unfortunately, we did not get to use the pools during our short stay, but they were fun to look at!

We also found the room layouts to be a large pro. With the shower and toilet being separate from the vanities, we could have someone showering and another brushing their teeth, or getting ready for the day. This speeds up your prep time before heading out to the parks.

We found the beds comfortable and Old Port Royale charming and fun. Unfortunately for us, we visited not too long after the COVID reopening, and many restaurants inside the resort were closed, and those that were open had very long lines.

The last pro was the fifth sleeper option. Most moderate resorts do not have the option for the pull down bed in their basic rooms, this is a nice perk and for a marginal price increase.

Now that a new refurbishment is taking place across Disney’s Caribbean Beach hotel, we expect even more pleasant rooms to add to the list of benefits.

Our Cons

We ran into a couple cons in this resort that put a slight negative dent in our stay. First, upon entering our room we found hairs that had not been cleaned up off the bathroom floor and tub. It left us wondering if the rest of the room had been cleaned thoroughly.

To give credit to the resort, after calling housekeeping they came promptly, and were friendly. They quickly cleaned up the offending hair, but didn’t do any sanitizing of the area.

We also had trouble getting our magic bands to open the room doors. This is not the first time this has happened at a Disney resort. It seems to be more of a MagicBand fault versus a resort fault.

Another con of this resort is the massive size. Accessing any other portion of the resort is a ten minute walk, or a wait for the internal bus.

One of my biggest disappointments in this resort was the disruption of the theming caused by the addition of the Riviera Resort. This may not be a con to many, but the fact that part of this beautiful resort was torn down to make room for the basic looking Riviera rubs me the wrong way.

The island view is entirely shattered when looking across the water to the direction of the Riviera. Typically, Disney attempts to disguise nearby hotels to keep the theming cohesive, but not in this case.

Last, we found the room design to be pretty bare bones and rather sterile. However, we do like what we see from the 2024 refurbishments and would definitely be willing to give this resort another try.

Caribbean Beach Resort Review Summary

Overall, we enjoyed our stay at the Caribbean Beach Resort. We found the theming, colors, architecture and room layouts all added to the island feel. The fifth sleeper option is an added bonus.

The dining options are varied, and have great reviews. The pools are plentiful with the quiet pools being relaxing, and the main pool being exhilarating.

Unfortunately, the drawbacks of Walt Disney World’s Caribbean Beach Resort for us were the housekeeping and the sprawling size of the resort.

We also have a bone to pick with Disney for the placement of the Riviera Resort and the negative impact it has on the Caribbean Beach experience.

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