Caribbean Beach Construction Update – Spring 2019
Another Caribbean Beach construction update? Aside from the Skyliner station and Riviera Resort, wasn’t that totally done?! We thought so, but apparently not. Nevertheless, we continue our Walt Disney World progress reports, with a look at what seems to be an unexpected project at Caribbean Beach Resort.
Before we get to that, the good news here is that Caribbean Beach’s reimagining is finished. We covered the good and bad of the changes in our Photos & Thoughts: Re-Imagined Caribbean Beach Resort post. Suffice to say, the redesigned Old Port Royale lobby area is open, as are Centertown Market, Banana Cabana, and Sebastian’s Bistro.
Even after that major piece of the puzzle was completed and before the latest work started, construction wasn’t entirely finished around Caribbean Beach Resort, with an emphasis on around. Along the northern perimeter of Caribbean Beach Resort, construction continues for Disney’s Riviera Resort, the newest Disney Vacation Club property. Over there and on the other side of the resort, there are two Skyliner gondola stations also under construction.
Both of these projects are either outside the current boundaries of Caribbean Beach Resort, or on the far perimeter of the resort’s boundaries. Which is to say, you’re not going to actively encounter construction walls for these projects while strolling around Caribbean Beach Resort. Nevertheless, sound does carry and that’s especially true across the large bodies of water at Caribbean Beach. Additionally, there’s visual blight resulting from this work.
To keep tabs on the Riviera Resort and Skyliner projects (and because we enjoy eating at the restaurants in Old Port Royale), we’ve still been visiting Caribbean Beach on a fairly regular basis. On our most recent visit, we noticed some quite unexpected construction all around Aruba and Jamaica…
The only reason I came over to these sections was for a different vantage on construction photos of Riviera Resort.
I was quite taken aback when I saw so much pavement torn up and construction fencing all over the place.
For those who haven’t followed the work at Caribbean Beach Resort, the Skyliner pillars were installed last summer, a process that was completed by September.
Looking back at our construction update from that month, the beaches had been largely restored, grass had been replanted, and the area around the pillars was once again looking good.
Now, for reasons totally unbeknownst to me, it looks like these areas have reverted to how they looked around July and August of last summer. In comparing photos from those months, this is arguably worse.
When seeing this in person, my initial inclination was that something must’ve been done incorrectly with the initial installation of the Skyliner pillars. I don’t purport to be a construction expert, but this actually looks worse than how Aruba looked during the installation. Maybe there’s more to whatever’s going on than that?
One thing I did note is that there are Skyliner signs up on various sections of the fencing that state: “Pardon our pixie dust as we enhance this area for Disney’s Innovative Transportation System.”
Taking those signs at face value, this work does seem related to the Skyliner. So why do all of this months after the initial install and restoration of these areas?
While there’s no construction notice on the Caribbean Beach page of DisneyWorld.com, we have heard of guests with upcoming stays this month and in April receiving email notices of construction.
As with all Walt Disney World email correspondence, these are incredibly hit or miss. Not everyone (and maybe not even 50%) of guests will receive them. If you have received such a notice and you’re staying at Caribbean Beach Resort after April, we’d love to hear from you in the comments.
At this point, that’s about all we have to go on regarding the scope and duration of this work. (It’s also entirely possible that Disney doesn’t know how long it’ll last.)
This is all really a bummer, as certain buildings in Aruba and Jamaica were previously the best options for avoiding the noise and visual blight of construction on the Skyliner stations and Disney’s Riviera Resort.
With all of this in mind, we need to revise our answer to the common question of which building(s) we recommend at Caribbean Beach Resort right now. At present, that’s a tough question because many of our favorite non-preferred buildings are eliminated by this work.
For the remainder of the time that the Skyliner and Riviera are under construction, our new answer is simply going to be Barbados. This location benefits from being far enough away from the construction on the stations and Riviera to not notice any of that, and there aren’t any Skyliner pillars over there, so the likelihood of “surprise” construction is (hopefully) minimal.
Moreover, Barbados is roughly equidistance from the Fuentes del Morro Pool, Centertown, and Spyglass Grill. As we noted in our full Spyglass Grill Review, that restaurant is a far better dining option than it has any business being (many of you will prefer it to Centertown Market).
Building 26 is another good option if you want a room in Martinique. With this new work being a wildcard, I personally would err on the side of caution and avoid Jamaica and Aruba until the Skyliner is scheduled to open. I also am not a fan of the Pirate Rooms in Trinidad, but that’s largely a matter of personal preference.
With work once again occurring at Caribbean Beach Resort, the best option honestly might be just to look elsewhere. If you want minimal ‘construction blight’ during your Walt Disney World vacation, there are plenty of good options. On the Moderate Resort level, our top alternative recommendation is Port Orleans Riverside. It’s thematically quite different, but the approach is similar with sprawling, beautiful grounds and a charming atmosphere. (Port Orleans French Quarter is great if you want something more compact.)
Anyway, sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but that’s how Caribbean Beach Resort is looking right now. To be honest, this does make us more hesitant to stay here, as there’s no guarantee of a Barbados room request being granted. If you’re a frequent Walt Disney World guest, you might consider waiting until the Skyliner debuts, but the downside of that is it’s also likely to increase room rates at Caribbean Beach Resort once it does open. Booking strategically for a Late 2019 stay (after the Skyliner is done but before rates increase) might be the best course of action.
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Your Thoughts
Any idea what’s up with this new work? If you have an upcoming stay here, have you received a notice about the construction? Do you agree or disagree with our Caribbean Beach Resort building recommendations? Have a favorite area of CBR? Least favorite room location at the resort? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
From the UK we were lucky enough to stay at Carribean Beach Resort and receive a gift card in 2017,we booked well in advance and had no idea. This year we have booked for 3 weeks at cbr for 3 weeks in August. Really hoping this work will be completed. Had no email.
We were there in 2017 during the gift card period as well and it was so great to have that extra vacation money! I was hoping they might extend that offer again during this construction period and then I would book another last-minute vacation. The construction noise was really no big deal.
We are staying in June and did also receive that email regarding construction. We were considering doing a split stay with Beach Club or Boardwalk, so now that is a definite! Just in case 🙂
Also staying the last week of July and received the construction notice. Thank you for the latest updates! Eager to track the progress on this.
Yikes, the last week of July?! Clearly this is a big issue.
Sorry is it the gondola system they are working on? Did the email give you any other news or offers? We are staying in August!! Thanks
Really appreciate this posting Tom. We were going to stay at CBR for Easter weekend but after this posting, receiving the “warning email” from Disney and seeing dubious room complaints on Tripadvisor, we switched to Port Orleans French Quarter and are very glad we did. I was really worried we would be stuck with the construction which would be a huge downer. This posting cinched it for us that we should change.
Just to add further anecdotal evidence, we are staying at CB the third week of May and received an email the first week in February that there would be ongoing construction (the email had the same text as the one quoted above.)
We got an e-mail about a week ago on construction for our stay at the end of July:
We are delighted you have chosen to stay with us at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort!
Walt Disney once spoke of how his creations would never be complete as long as there is imagination left in the world. It is in this spirit that we have embarked on some refurbishment projects across the Resort, including the development of Disney Skyliner, which will give Guests a bird’s-eye view of Walt Disney World® Resort while traveling via gondolas. This brand-new gondola system will connect future Guests of Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort with Disney’s Hollywood Studios®, the International Gateway at Epcot® and other Disney Resort Hotels.
While we work our magic, the Resort will be in full operation with all amenities available to you, including our dining, merchandise and recreation locations. It is possible that you may see or hear construction, but noise should not be heard from your Guest room between dusk and 9:00am. We apologize for any inconvenience this work may cause and appreciate your patience and understanding. Please know we are making every effort to ensure your comfort and enjoyment.
If you have questions or need assistance prior to your arrival, please contact the Disney Reservation Center at 407-939-1822 between the hours of 7:00am-11:00pm (ET).
General Manager Brian Vucinich and the team at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort will be happy to assist you.
Sincerely,
Disney Destinations, LLC
Staying at CBR June 28-July 5th was sent an email about a week after booking mention there may be visible construction and noises but no noise near guest rooms between dusk and 9am.
Also important to note that the construction around Aruba & Jamaica is utilizing 3rd shift with people complaining about being woken up at 4AM. The resort is sold out with nowhere to be moved to. Barbados & Martinique are technically both Preferred locations now & it has been slim pickins to find availibility.
Will the support pillars be painted?
We are staying at CBR at the end of May and have recieved no notice of construction. We are there to enjoy time as a family, and we will do that construction or no construction. Life is what you make of it! Choose to see the positive and magic that Disney World encompasses not the minor inconveniences. 🙂
Thank you for the update. Supposed to stay there for our honeymoon the first weekend in April. May look somewhere else! What a bummer!!
Tom, I stayed in Jamaica at the end of Jan. I had a conversation with a cast member from Housekeeping at the Jamaica bus stop. She getting feedback from people staying at the resort. We had a discussion about the construction around Jamaica. Apparently, they found out the ground wasn’t stable when they went to use the Skyliner rescue ladder. So the have to reinforce it.
Normally, I wouldn’t give much credence to this type of thing, as Cast Members often create or spread rumors with little basis in reality.
However, for some reason, this one just passes the smell test with me. I’m going to do some digging to see if I can corroborate it before posting it myself, but it’s interesting and is plausible–thanks for sharing! 🙂
Ugggg we never received a construction email notice….I’m not sure what building we are in, I’ll have to check…our trip is upcoming.
Thanks for the update!
We booked for the second week of November in 2019. I think I’m just going to stick my head in the sand, and assume that’s close enough to the skyliner opening and it will all work out.
Otherwise I think I’ll drive myself nuts thinking if I should book somewhere else.
Not a bad call. I think I’d likewise just assume the best and roll the dice with CBR if I were going in November.
We’re staying at Caribbean Beach at the very end of April, into the first of May. We received a construction email shortly after booking back in December!
I won’t be staying at Caribbean beach until October. Is there an online map of where the huge pillars are for the Skyliner, where the station is, and the other features of this resort? So far, my searches online have been fruitless.
Could be rerouting and widening or refurbishing/redesigning walkways to accommodate anticipated crowd traffic increase. Maybe they’ll also incorporate creative Skyliner station path directions.
That’s possible, but the only walkways torn up are between guest buildings and those aren’t really in areas that will see increased foot traffic. I do find it odd that a lot of the ground that’s torn up is grass adjacent to the Skyliner pillars, and the main walkways are all open for business.
I know one mandate by Reedy Creek for all new resort construction is that main pathways are wide enough to accommodate emergency vehicles. (Which explains the huge pathways at the Poly and Wilderness Lodge.) However, that doesn’t seem to be what’s happening here…at least, not yet.
Tom, it looks like you have the light pole confused with the gondola pylon! To me, this looks like routine grounds maintaince and upgrading. WDW employs contractors for there work, and each contractor is responsible for the safety fenicing perimeters, which will vary from contractor to contractor.
Ha, I see that a few light poles have been torn up–but that’s not to what I’m referring.
It’d be odd for this to be routine grounds maintenance given that most of the grass and dirt you see pictured here was torn up and replaced last summer when the Skyliner pillars were installed.
Thanks, Tom, for this update! In February we received the construction email from Disney Destinations as we have a split stay at Caribbean Beach in May around a 4-day Disney cruise. This is our first time staying at this resort as we wanted to “test the waters” before committing to a week long stay in October.
Well, I guess that gives some degree of ‘confirmation’ that this is expected to go until at least May! (Thanks for sharing the info you received!)
Hi Tom, can you let me know which would be the best building in the preferred rooms please? We’re going to be there from Mid May ….
Thanks
Ian
Building 31 or 26.
Thanks Tom – we were there 22 years ago with our kids and are taking them back along with our grandkids now – really looking forward to it.
Have been following your blog and think it’s fantastic – keep up the great work 🙂
What’s the best building to stay in if you are looking to be as close as possible to the skyliner station (once it opens)?
Buildings 41-42 for the DHS route or buildings 55-56 for the Epcot route.
Great question! Glad it was answered!
We are going first week of aug…what r your thoughts tom…also we r book fir pirate rooms…i know you said wasnt your favorite..can u ask why?