Major Indecision: Caribbean Beach v. French Quarter

[khmoorefield]

Hi all, first post- so excited to be returning to WDW! We're planning our April 2020 (4/26-5/2) trip to WDW. I'm slightly obsessing about which resort we should stay. We're looking at Moderates, would love Deluxe, but just don't want to spend that kind of money this trip (unless a major discount comes out...unlikely, but hey! it could happen). Our decision is down to a King Room at Caribbean Beach or Standard at French Quarter.

I've done a lot of research and here are my overall takeaways: CB is huge, room quality seems to be hit or miss, food and customer service are also hit or miss, bus situation can be rough. We love the look of the CB pool (toddler splash area) for our 2 year old son. French Quarter seems to be much higher rated consistently, splash pad is okay even if the theming may go over son's head, room's seem better without the carpet and greater storage options, and an overall better (much better?) bus situation.

Now here's the crux of the situation- the Skyliner. Obviously it hasn't opened yet, but I'm assuming that will be a game changer in getting to Epcot as well as restaurants at any of the Epcot area resorts (I'm disregarding DHS because we don't plan on going there). And so I am completely torn on which resort to book. I like having peace of mind... CB reviews are all over the place and that worries me, but love the idea of Skyliner. FQ seems like a safer bet overall, decent transportation, even though it will be slower to get to Epcot. Please help, I'm going crazy over here! We are talking with a travel agent (okay, two agents...indecisive over here) and they haven't been very helpful in this aspect (or any aspect other than pushing us to book a package- but that's a post for another day). Also! I've been told this is a cheer competition weekend...is that a deal breaker? Should we look for a different week?

Thanks in advance, you have no idea how much I appreciate!!

 

[DSLRuser]

French Quarter no question. it is just a better resort. Better theme, closer to Disney Springs.

 

[unrequited23]

When we stayed at POFQ it was a less than 15 min ride to Epcot, plus just one bus stop and you have the boat to Disney Springs for even more dining options. The only reason I would hesitate to stay there again is that we like to try some where new. Most of the cheer competition participants will be at the value resorts, usually the All Stars. I would look at the menus and see if that gives either resort an edge for your family. I don't see the need to book now, so you should be able to wait for reports once the Skyliner is open and discounts to be released. I would suggest you look at past discount release dates, but this year's discounts have not followed a typical release schedule. Remember you can make ADRs 180 days in advance no matter if you have a reservation or not. We've saved money booking room only and buying tickets from UT, but there are more hoops to jump through that way.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

French Quarter!

We stayed at CBR for our first two Disney trips in 2008 and 2009. We loved the resort and it still holds a special place in my heart. I recently stayed at POFQ in November with just myself and DD12. We really enjoyed the resort. We only stayed for two nights but it's definitely on my list for future trips!

 

[Schneewittchen37]

Let me make this more difficult for you. I've never stayed at French Quarter, but Caribbean Beach is actually a decent place. I stayed there for 10 days this past April, there were lots of teenagers there, for baseball maybe???? Anyway, the teens didn't cause any troubles. It was much better than a value.... but not so nice as a deluxe (really liked my stay at Boardwalk last month).

1. Riviera Resort and Skyliner construction didn't really impact us. Yes, it was happening, there were fences and hard hats, etc. but it wasn't loud or annoying. There was some garden work happening while we were there that led to blocked pathways, but I don't freak out over having to walk an extra few feet here and there.

2. Buses. All Disney buses are potentially terrible. No matter which resort you stay at (value, mod, deluxe) there will be times when you have to wait 30 minutes for a full, standing-room only bus. I could go on a rant about the Boardwalk bus to MK but this is a family message board, right? On the bright side, the buses to HS and Epcot are very quick from CBR.

3. Food. Centertown Market is not bad, it's just got some unusual Caribbean-inspired items on the menu. Breakfast is really yummy actually. Dinner can be interesting.... I've heard Sebastian's is great, but I haven't tried it yet.

4. Pool. Love, love, love the pool. Zero entry area. Cool slides. Great spots to just chill out in the water. There's a hot tub kind of hidden from the kids. Nice big splash pad area for little people.

5. Rooms. I liked my room. 2 queens and a fold down bed. The mattresses were very comfortable. There was plenty of storage for our 4 small suitcases in the open closet area in the bathroom. I think there were 2 drawers that we used in the fold down bed/fridge/below the tv thingy - we used those as well for storing backpacks. The barn door at the sink area made it easier to have some privacy to change or let the kids sleep in.

 

[nkereina]

IMO, you can't go wrong with either resort. I also find opinions on food, customer service, and bus service are subjective. These can be good or bad to anyone at any resort on any given day.

At this point, I'd be hesitant to book a resort based on the Skyliner since we don't know yet how it will impact everything. Will it be hot? Will lines for it be long? Will bus service be reduced from the resort? There's variables I'd like to see play out first before I determine if the Skyliner will sway my resort decision in the future.

As for POFQ, people love it because its small. I don't like it because its small. It always feels busy and crowded to us because there are less places for people to be! The one bus stop at the front of the resort can also become a mad house. That said, the food court is great, the boat to Disney Springs is great, and there is an added perk of being able to use the amenities at POR as well. Its just a quick walk down a pretty path.

For CBR, its recently renovated and the new configuration and restaurants look great. For me, it has a very vacation-y feel, so I like the theme. I also would prefer a King bed whenever possible, so that's another plus in the CBR column for me.

 

[Tigger in a kilt]

French Quarter, for sure. It’s only about 10 minutes to EPCOT on the bus, so I’m not convinced the CB Skyliner will be particularly advantageous.

 

[Disneylvr1971]

Sometimes during cheer competitions, if there is overflow, they sometimes go to CBR.

 

[pearljamin03]

Honestly, I think it's really subjective. I love the beach theme. You can't pay me to stay at POFQ because we're not into that theme. Stayed at Caribbean more times than I have fingers and toes and have never had a bad experience like many of the reviewers post. If size is an issue, it's big. No denying that. Again, though, we've never had an issue with the walk and with a freestyle machine in every island it really doesn't bother us. I get my refillable mug worth

 

[dachsie]

I stayed at POFQ in May and just got home yesterday from CBR. I much preferred POFQ. First I liked that it was a smaller resort. CBR is very spread out. They have the internal shuttle which is fine but its about a 12 min wait if you just miss it. Centertown has very generic food now, the more Caribbean options are at Spyglass grill down in Trinidad which you probably would take shuttle to if you go there and there is very little seating. Sassagoula had some really great food options. In observing the Skyliner while there, it does not travel that fast and it will have to stop for ECVs and such. I think thats really going to be a wash. Also as mentioned above CBR has cheer and dance groups that will overflow. As far as the rooms go, POFQ seemed slightly bigger and nicer. My room at CBR had old, worn, and discolored carpeting. Then I got locked out of my room and they had to get engineering to fix the lock. I never made it to the big pool at CBR - I just used the one closer to my room. The POFQ pool was really nice tho and the splash pad area looked fun to me - wish I had some of them when I was a kid. LOL

One more thing about the Skyliner - the one access point I saw went across a busy street so while there is supposedly another one, I did not see it. I fear some little one will get too excited an run into traffic if parents are careful.

Anyway, hope that helps.

 

[jerseyduke]

Not a fan of CB grounds and rooms, but Sebastian's is excellent for table service and the pool is good. PORS is my favorite of the moderates, but FQ is nice too. I like the theming of the 2 better. last time I stayed at CB I just felt the place was neglected.
I do not think I would let the skyliner swing me, particularly since you aren't planning on DHS.

Since budget is a topic, one other thought is renting DVC points - If you can get a rental, those dates at either Boardwalk, Beach Club, or wilderness lodge will be 1500-2000 for a studio and no hotel tax. (A Mod will probably approach 1500 when you are done with tax) Boardwalk and Beach Club are a walk to Epcot. However there are disadvantages to this route as well, big ones being you have to kind of act now, and if you cancel you are SOL (I threw in WL since it is one of the cheaper ones)

 

[LeeLee'sMom]

I prefer CBR over POFQ. I like the theme and the overall "openess" of the resort compared to POFQ. Though for a two year old it may be easier to navigate and they do have the boat over to Disney Springs. Sorry don't think I made this easier for you. Now if you were asking CBR vs. Port Orleans Riverside, I would choose Port Orleans Riverside.

 

[spacegirl2007]

We are having the exact same debate for our trip next April (either 4/17-4/24 or 4/20-2/28). Currently have POFQ booked but have been debating hard about CBR. However, I know there will be cheer competitions going on and I fear that many of them will be at CBR. I know there are some other sporting events at ESPN WWoS that are offering packages at CBR (you can see this info on the ESPN WWoS website). CS is also likely to be housing many many cheerleaders. Though I don't like the idea of missing out on any good discounts with POFQ, it might be appealing enough to avoid the cheerleaders at the resort. I am also considering that if a good promotion comes out, it might be reasonable to upgrade to a deluxe. At least one of the cheer competitions this year will be at the Contemporary, so I expect the monorail and MK to be busier due to this.

Ugh. Also contemplating just rescheduling our trip to Mid-May.

 

[jerseyduke]

Will also throw out there that Coronado Springs had a recent refurb, so the rooms are in great shape, Pretty sure the restaurant over the water will be open.

 

[Lumpy1106]

The busses at CB are the worst we've ever encountered - so bad in fact that we switched to AoA the last time we went. I hate to make your decision even harder, but we LOVED AoA!! The BBP has a splash pad, plus better access to the gondola. You rtoddler will love the theming. Depending on which building you get @ CB, you will likely need to take an internal CB bus to get to the gondola. Personally, for your situation, I'd do AoA or POFQ (in that order), and take CB off the list unless you REALLY can't live without the CB splash pad (which is pretty cool I will admit).

 

[Shellyred8]

French Quarter, for sure. It’s only about 10 minutes to EPCOT on the bus, so I’m not convinced the CB Skyliner will be particularly advantageous.

I think one of the benefits of the Skyliner will be that you won't have to deal with the unknown of "when will the next bus arrive". Though, that can be minimized by using the app and watching the bus arrival times. But if you are ready, and there won't be a bus for 20 minutes, you still have to wait somewhere or do something else until the bus arrives. With the Skyliner, you should just be able to walk there and get on with minimal wait time ("should" being the key word). I know people are all over the board with the Skyliner, some are excited for it, some hate the idea of it. I guess until it's up and running, we can all just speculate. As you can probably tell, I'm on the "i'm excited for it" side. I have high hopes for it, but in the back of my mind there's a little piece of me preparing for the worst!

 

[khmoorefield]

Since budget is a topic, one other thought is renting DVC points - If you can get a rental, those dates at either Boardwalk, Beach Club, or wilderness lodge will be 1500-2000 for a studio and no hotel tax. (A Mod will probably approach 1500 when you are done with tax) Boardwalk and Beach Club are a walk to Epcot. However there are disadvantages to this route as well, big ones being you have to kind of act now, and if you cancel you are SOL (I threw in WL since it is one of the cheaper ones)

You may just be a genius. Just did a little research on renting DVC points and it sounds way too good to be true! Seems to me the only major hiccup with the whole thing would be availability, but looking at the availability calendar at one of the major rental websites and we may get what we want! Just seems to good to be true...haha I'm highly skeptical.

 

[khmoorefield]

So much good advice and so fast- thanks all! I'd like to say I think I'm leaning towards FQ, but I'm sure I'll waiver again until we finalize. Going to look at renting DVC points too, but like I said above, seems to good to be true maybe. That would be absolutely ideal because then we could hopefully get a resort that we could minimize the bus situation entirely.

 

[Sandiz08]

I would go with any resort that offered an alternative form of transportation, so Carribean Beach. The flexibility is nice to have when you run into snags with the buses.

 

[DisneyCowgirl]

Such a tough decision! I love POFQ--the rooms are nice, the theming is great, the small footprint makes everything so convenient, the quickservice is good, the boat ride to Disney Springs is great. I usually hate the busses, but had a good experience with them here actually. I always suggest POFQ as the best option for a moderate.