New Dining Post

Our review of The Hollywood Brown Derby is up! Check it out on the Palate Sensations: Reflections of Disney Dining page.

The Caribbean Beach Resort - a review

For this wonderful 5 day, 4 night trip, we stayed in the beautiful and relaxing Caribbean Beach Resort. This was the resort that I stayed in with my best friend for our trip in 2009, but the last time Kristin was here was our first trip in the glorious year of 1989! So much has changed since then! Before going on our trip, I took the opportunity to write up a brief profile of the resort so that we had a great idea of exactly what we would be encountering during our stay.

The Caribbean Beach is considered an EPCOT resort because of its close proximity to the park; however, you cannot walk between the CB and EPCOT. CB is split up into 9 sections: the Customs House, Old Port Royale Centertown, Caribbean Cay, and the 6 “islands” of Barbados, Martinique, Trinidad North, Trinidad South, Jamaica and Aruba. The Customs House, OPR and Caribbean Cay are common areas for all guests; the 6 islands house the rooms.

The Customs House is probably the one part of the resort where you will spend the least amount of time. In here you will find check-in/out, Magical Express drop off/pickup, airline check in, bell services, concierge, storage, restrooms and a bus stop. The contents are nothing special, but the atmosphere is great! In all honesty, you should only need to use the Customs House at check-in and check-out, especially if you’re using the Magical Express. You can check any luggage or large items with bell services for any length of time during your stay. Most of the islands are a bit of a walk away; however, there is an internal bus that literally drives around the resort all day, with a stop at the Customs House.

As with all other Disney resorts, check-in officially begins at 3 PM. Of course, you can check-in at any time of the day; however, there is no guarantee that your room will be ready. Especially during the busy seasons, I would plan on carrying your essentials on your person. This way, if you do find yourself waiting for your room, you are prepared to take a walk around the resort, go for a swim or even head directly to a park while the hotel staff readies your accommodations and delivers your luggage to your room. Check-out is at 11 AM; as the clock strikes that hour, your room key is deactivated and you will be unable to squat in your room with the hopes of becoming a permanent Disney resident. If you are paying with a credit card, you can opt for express check-out which allows you to by-pass the line at reception. You will receive an itemized bill on your doorknob by 8 AM on the day of your departure. If you have payed in full at check-in, you will not receive this bill; however, you can request one at the front desk before you leave.

In all honesty, when you are not in your room, you will most likely be spending most of your time at the CB in Old Port Royale. This “Centertowne” contains almost every public amenity you will need during your stay. It includes the Market Street food court, Shutters restaurant, shops, another concierge desk, an arcade, the large pirate themed pool with hot tubs, bike and boat rentals, a beach volleyball court, a bus stop and a parking lot. Every island can access OPR by walking or taking a bus. Those guests staying on Aruba or Jamaica can most easily access OPR by taking a shortcut through Caribbean Cay: a small grassy island in the middle of Barefoot Bay with picnic areas and great landscaping. Even if you don’t need to cut through, you should head on over to Caribbean Cay and sit for a spell. The surroundings are relaxing and could give you that little bit of “me” time that you may desperately need.

Five of the islands have six buildings each, while Trinidad North has only three, for a total of 2,112 rooms. Each building has 2 floors; however, the second floors are only accessible via stairs. Anyone who would need a wheelchair accessible room or has difficulty with stairs should request a room on the ground floor. Each room can accommodate up to four adults and one child under 3; they come equipped with two full size beds separated by a night stand holding a phone, phone book and the customary hotel Bible. The dresser supports the TV (hooked up to Disney cable), complimentary coffee pot and coffee, and house the mini-fridge; a dining table with two chairs is nearby. The bathroom area is separated from the sleeping area by a themed curtain. A double vanity with shelving, glasses, and a hair dryer is right next to a closet of sorts with hangers, laundry bags, an iron and ironing board and a safe. The shower and toilet are house in a separate room all together. Extra towels, blankets, pillows, cribs and roll away cots can be requested from housekeeping free of charge. Every room opens out directly on to an open air corridor.

Every island has a beach along the bay where guests can relax on hammocks and chairs, but absolutely cannot swim! This is because boats are available for rent that utilize the same bay. There are 9 pools in total: one in each of the six villages, the main “pirate themed” pool, a kiddie pool and a hot tub. Only the main pool has lifeguards up until 9 PM - after that, you swim at your own risk. There are also 3 playgrounds on resort property; they are located in Barbados, Jamaica and Trinidad South. The path around the bay is equivalent to1.4 miles and is great for running!

Room rates start at $149.00 and vary by season. You can access official room rates, including Florida taxes, on the official Disney Caribbean Beach website. http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/resorts/caribbean-beach-resort/

Now that you have (almost) all the facts about this hotel, it’s time for us to talk about our experiences!

First impression

In all honesty, the resort does not make that big of an impact when you first get off the Magical Express. You almost sneak up on the place. When you enter the grounds, there are two understated signs with pineapples on them (which mean “welcome,” for anyone who is wondering) and you drive down a tree lined road to a small, unimpressive building. The customs house, though perfectly themed, is fairly unimpressive. Don’t let the first impression fool you, though. Wait until you get to the main part of the resort.

Welcome to the Customs House...

Grounds

 One word: GORGEOUS! Don’t believe me? Just look at the photos below. If you are like us and love to walk, this is the perfect resort to do it in. Not only is the 1.4 mile promenade around Barefoot Bay a pleasant walk that passes white sandy beaches and playgrounds and pools, but the walkways through the islands themselves are calm and peaceful. Every inch of these walkways are shadowed by gorgeous trees and feature seating areas with umbrellas for those who want to relax close to their room but can’t bare to stay indoors. The buildings of each island are painted in some typical island colors, but the choices are pretty impeccable. Although we stayed in Trinidad South, my favorite island to look at was Jamaica; Kristin’s was Martinique. There was just something about these two islands that took our breath away and calmed us down even more.

Caribbean Cay was probably the best idea they could have had for this resort. I took a detour through it early one morning and all I can say is “oh my!” When I say the entire area is brimming with lush vegetation, I mean it. Picnic tables, bench swings and play areas are quietly nestled amongst flowering bushes and tropical trees of all sorts. You get a great view of the resort from every angle and, if we had more time, I definitely would have hunkered down for a nap in this green oasis. I didn’t get too many pictures, but the one posted is a great representation of the area as a whole. I would look out for it; especially if you’re walking past the pool, you might miss it all together.

                                         

Old Port Royal

The main pool

  

The dock

  

An example of the white sandy beaches along Barefoot Bay

  

Jamaica

 

 

Martinique

Aruba

 

Trinidad

Barbados

 

 

 

 

The island pool in Barbados

An example of the street lamps and signs you will find

Caribbean Cay - even from far away it's gorgeous!

Even the parking lots are gorgeous!

Room size and cleanliness

We stayed in a pirate room. Yes, that’s right, a pirate room. Apparently, it’s a little odd for two twenty-somethings to book the pirate themed rooms at CB. I don’t know why, because it was SUPER AWESOME!!!! Just the right size for two (or even four) people who are really only using the room to sleep and get ready for the day’s events, our room in Trinidad South was always impeccably cleaned when we returned from our day at the park. I really don’t have any other words to describe the supreme fantastic-ness of these rooms, so here are some pictures! “Yo ho! Yo ho! I’m getting into bed!!!!”

Each chest is a drawer!

Inside this rum barrel is your mini fridge!!!!

Hello there, Flying Dutchman!

Food court offerings

I have a confession here – we didn’t really eat in the food court. I know, I know! Not helpful for our review. However! We did frequent the “convenience” store attached to the food court. Kristin and I aren’t big breakfast people, so what we did instead was grab a bottle of juice and a piece of fruit or yogurt parfait before going to the parks. Surprisingly, the store had a great selection: you could find everything from freshly baked muffins, to fruit cups, to milk and even some spirits. Naturally, the food court offers everything from fresh fruit to scrambled eggs to Mickey waffles and more. You will not go hungry! And if it’s late and you really don’t feel like leaving your room, try the pizza delivery service. It was pretty decent pizza, especially for Florida!

Overall decor

The entire resort was excellently themed and completely relaxing. The decor was just right. Fun and lively in Old Port Royale, while cool and welcoming in the Customs House. You already know how I feel about the grounds and, of course, I’m head over heels in love with the Pirate themed room. But, I’m just head over heels with pirates in general. The only thing that would have made it better is if Captain Jack Sparrow left a message on our phone welcoming us to our quarters.

Staff approachability and friendliness

No complaints here! On our first day, we checked our bags at bell services because our room wasn’t ready yet. Well, we left the room keys in Kristin’s suitcase and expected our bags to be delivered to our room. So, after our day at the park, we had to trudge on over to the Customs House and pick up new room keys. Good job, right? Well, the story gets sillier. Turns out that bell services didn’t deliver our bags to our room because we forgot to put our Magical Express luggage tags on the bags. Yup. Even through that, the entire staff was great, friendly and accomodating.

Transportation

Excellent! The transportation at the CB is far better than that at Port Orleans. In all honesty, they’re not that far away from each other, but the buses work much more efficiently and seem to run more often than at PO. We had two complaints with our transportation from resort to park the entire time, and this was mostly due to impatience on our part. On the day we went to EPCOT, we were waiting at the bus stop for about 10 minutes and the 3rd Magic Kingdom bus was pulling up. So, rather than wait for EPCOT (which was probably right around the corner), we hopped on the MK bus and took the monorail to the TTC and then the monorail to EPCOT. The second was that the bus stop for the CB at Downtown Disney Marketplace is not very well marked. Otherwise, no complaints here.

RATING: 9

We really loved staying at the Caribbean Beach. It is, by far, our favorite moderate resort (so far). I’m already saving up for our next trip during which, hopefully, we’ll be able to try out Coronado Springs. It’s the next resort on our list and we can’t wait to get there!

Well, that’s all for now. Please check back this week for a review of The Brown Derby restaurant and their Fantasmic dinner package.

I hope you all have a magical day!

We're back!

Well, we're back from WDW and what a great vacation we had! We have some great posts planned, and we'll begin publishing them this weekend.

TTFN!

Fun After the Fireworks!

Ok, so it’s 10 pm, you’ve had dinner and the theme parks are now closed.  Time to head back to the hotel room, crawl into your PJs and hit the sack, right?  WRONG!  Just because the parks are closed doesn’t mean the fun is over!  Walt Disney World is FULL of exciting night time fun.  From bars, to clubs, shows and shops, there is something for everyone after the fireworks end.

When I am on vacation, my great nights usually begin and end with a cocktail.  Bottles of wine and beer, as well as small bottles of liquor, are available for purchase at any time of the day, at every hotel convenience store, snack/food court and of course, through room service.  So if the day has been really crazy and you aren’t into getting dressed and going out, you can enjoy some wind-down time, and a nice drink, in the privacy and comfort of your hotel room.  If you do have enough energy to get out of your room, but not quite enough to venture out of your specific resort, every deluxe and moderate resort hotel is equipped with at least one full service bar or lounge.  Some of the lounges even offer nightly live entertainment.

Not a drinker?  Want to spend more time with your kids? No worries. Many of the resorts offer family friendly night time entertainment such as movie nights, sing-a-longs or story time.  Each hotel is different, so make sure you check with the concierge at your hotel to find out exactly what kind of special nightly entertainment is offered.  And of course, EVERY resort has at least one awesome pool that is usually open until midnight.

Well, you’re happy to find out that your specific resort hotel offers some fun.  But you’re dressed and ready for a night on the town, Disney style.  Then hit the Boardwalk!!  Literally!!  Disney’s Boardwalk Hotel is the center for night time fun.  Modeled after the turn of the century Atlantic City beach resorts, the Boardwalk is chock full of places to eat, drink and let loose.  Three highlights of this resort are: The ESPN Club; Jellyrolls; and the Atlantic Dance Hall.  Here is a basic break down of each establishment.  The ESPN Club is a sports bar with non-stop airing of all major sporting events, beer, burgers, wings and other sports related fun.  The Atlantic Dance Hall is a dance club hosting live musicians and DJs.  This club only allows admission to guests 21 years old and older.  Jellyrolls is a piano bar complete with dueling pianos (no, the instruments don’t actually fight each other- the musicians try and out play each other) and a whole lot of fun.  Jellyrolls is also only open to guests 21 years old and older.  You can also find traditional boardwalk style games (complete with prizes) and entertainment at this resort.  The best part about this resort?  Location!  Disney’s Boardwalk property is connected to Disney’s Yacht and Beach club resort as well as Disney’s Swan and Dolphin Resorts and is also a short walk from both EPCOT’s World Showcase and Disney’s Hollywood Studios. 

Want to EXPAND on the fun?  Once the sun goes down, Downtown Disney is brimming with entertainment.  Disney is currently hosting a special production of Cirque du Soleil.  This show can only be seen at Disney; you can purchase tickets through the hotel concierge.  So if you’re into this exciting alternative art, I would recommend checking it out.  You can also sit down and see a blockbuster at AMC Theatres.  This is a full functioning movie theatre showing Hollywood’s most recent blockbusters.  The coolest thing about this theatre- it is one of AMC’s new Dine-In Theatres.  These theatres offer full service restaurant and bar menus with wait staff bringing you your order during the movie.  I’ve been to one of these theatres before and it’s a cool novelty.  They are a bit pricey - not something for every Friday night - but hey, you’re already in Disney! For more information about these theatres, check out http://dinein.amctheatres.com/.

Downtown Disney is also home to DisneyQuest.  An interactive virtual reality theme park, DisneyQuest is a super cool way to keep the family friendly theme park fun going all day and night.  Here you can even design your own virtual reality roller coaster and then RIDE it!  Entrance to DisneyQuest is additional (and can be expensive) so you may want to investigate this more before you tell you kids about it.  Some other fun places in DD: House of Blues, which is a restaurant/club that hosts live music and fancy Southern food; and Raglan Road.  Raglan Road is an Irish pub style bar complete with food, drink and live entertainment.  Musicians play fun, traditional Irish music while a beautiful Irish step dancer entertains the crowd.  Live musicians and stage shows are also constantly going on all over the grounds at Downtown Disney, so you don’t have to be inside in order to get a show.

Of course, Downtown Disney is a host to great shops and restaurants throughout the Marketplace and the West Side.  It is also a really great place to just walk around!

Speaking of walking around, the majority of these resorts have beautiful grounds; many of which come with beaches or other water views.  So if it is late and you are looking for a nice quiet way to unwind, take a stroll around your resort or explore the resort adjacent to yours (if there is one of course).  It is easy, relaxing and can be very romantic.   

In addition to all this information please let me offer two bits of advice.  The first: don’t worry about transportation.  Disney buses will take you anywhere you want to go, even if it is after hours.  You also don’t have to “bus hop”.  When it is late and your party is one of only a few on the bus, ask the driver if he will take you directly to your hotel.  Even if it isn’t technically on their route, they will do it.  Now, if the bus is packed, and routed to go to The Yacht Club don’t try and bully the driver into taking you to Coronado Springs.  But if it is late, the staff won’t make you sit at the bus stop waiting for your designated bus.

My second bit of advice:  Disney has a strict carding policy.  “21 and older” means 21 and older.  If you are underage and try to get served alcohol and you get caught, you will not only be kicked out of the establishment, you may be denied entrance to all the parks for the remainder of your vacation.  I’ve seen it happen to people- it’s embarrassing and quite frankly, a complete waste.  Don’t try and screw with these guys either.  These security guys have seen and heard it all.  It may be Disney, but a club bouncer is still a big, mean, angry dude whether he has to wear Mickey Mouse ears or not! 

Want an example of the great prizes at the Boardwalk? Meet Chauncy....

One Mor Disney Day - Update!

Hi Everybody! This weekend I was a little bit obsessive about the 24 hour Magic Kingdom extravaganza and I called Disney to ask lots of questions! I spoke to one of the most wonderful people; unfortunately, she could not give me too many details. Due to the fact that this is an inaugural event, Disney headquarters is not being very open or forthcoming with information. Ok, so Disney is being a little bit hush, hush about it. They don’t want to spoil the magic. Got it.

Even though I could not get too many specifics, the customer service representative did give me some excellent suggestions and some food for thought, too. And here I am to share those with you!

Make dining reservations in advance. Disney has no real way of accurately predicting crowd levels, but they are predicting that restaurants, both quick service and sit down, will be jam packed. None of the sit down restaurants will be taking walk-ins this day, so if you are looking to have a character breakfast at the Crystal Palace or slurp up some yummy spaghetti at Tony’s, you have NO CHOICE but to reserve. If you don’t want to go the reservation route, that’s fine. The quick serve restaurants will be open for almost the full 24 hours. You can head in there at any time; however, be prepared to wait a long time to place you order and even longer to get a table. There will also be snack and beverage carts serving guests all night, but I don’t recommend going the full 24 hours hyped up on Mickey Premium Bars and popcorn. It is tempting, but probably not a plan for success.

Another really helpful piece of information that I gathered was that there is no way to determine if they will have to close down entrance to the park during the day. As with any other public place, Disney World has crowd limits and has to keep overall safety in mind. Once the parks hit a certain number of visitors, they have to start limiting the number of people admitted. If it reaches the limit, they refuse admission all together. Luckily, Disney has what they call “3 phases of closing.” These phases designate the appropriate crowd control and admission procedures for the parks depending upon the number of people currently in the park. The customer service representative that I spoke with said that any cast member should be able to tell you at what phase of closing the park is in. If you want to be 100% sure that leaving is a good or bad idea, stop in Guest Relations before leaving the park. They will tell you whether or not your should be able to get back in later on in the day.

Transportation between other resort areas and the Magic Kingdom will be running from approximately 1 hour prior to opening through their normal schedule on March 1st. You will never be stranded!

There are also supposed to be some surprise events going on throughout the day. I would stay on the look out for anything from commemorative t-shirts to special parades to fireworks galore. I DO NOT know if any of this will happen, but just stay on the look out. You could run into some really cool, unexpected happenings.

I would also stay on the look out for long lines, especially at the bathrooms. What’s our plan for waiting on long lines? We’ll be doing a Hidden Mickey hunt, of course! No better way to kill some time than by straining our eyes for the smallest hint of every ones favorite mouse!

If we get more details, we’ll post more updates! Oh, and I’d like to recommend one thing. If you are in the mood for some waffles and it’s 3 AM, head to Sleepy Hollow in Liberty Square.  It is a small, hole in the wall (literally) that never sees too much traffic.  We have never eaten here before, but apparently they make the best waffle sandwiches ever tasted. Kristin’s not big into waffles, but I think I may be able to convince her to split the Nutella and fruit one with me. Just maybe....

TTFN!

Follow Us

On the top of the page, just below the Our Mousecapades label is a small icon saying "Follow Me On Twitter".  Please follow us!!!

Adult fun? In Disney World? But of course!

As Michelle and I plan our 27^th (!!!!!!) WDW vacation, I have been asked by some friends “How do you enjoy yourself as an adult in Disney?  Its all roller coasters, Princesses and fried park foods, right?”  The short answer is “No.”  I get asked this question from time to time and have decided to start a series of “How to Enjoy Yourself as an Adult in Disney:  A Guide to Grown Up Fun”.  The first blog post in this series focuses on fine dining restaurant options offered at the WDW resort.  To read this blog, please click on the “Palate Sensations” link on the right side of the page.  I hope you find the post to be helpful and informative.  Thanks for reading and Have a Magical Day!!!