Caribbean Beach Resort Update – May 2019
Construction at Caribbean Beach Resort is finished…again…for now? While work remains on the adjacent Riviera Resort and Skyliner stations, the construction around Caribbean Beach is done. Presumably for good this time. In this post, we’ll share photos of the finished work, and also take a look around the Caribbean Beach at Sebastian’s Bistro, Banana Cabana, and Centertown Market.
This continues our Walt Disney World Construction Updates & Photo Reports, and is hopefully the last time we’re at this hotel to report on construction. For a basic primer on Caribbean Beach, including a look inside the guest rooms (all of which were refurbished only a few years ago), read our comprehensive Caribbean Beach Resort Review.
Late last year, we covered the good and bad of the larger-scale changes in our Photos & Thoughts: Re-Imagined Caribbean Beach Resort post. We won’t rehash all of that here, so those are good starting points if you want to know about the substantive changes to the dining, layout, check-in, and amenities at Caribbean Beach Resort in the last 2 years…
If you’ve missed the last few construction updates from Caribbean Beach Resort, we’ll start with a quick recap. Last summer, the Skyliner pillars were installed in Aruba and Jamaica at Caribbean Beach. All of this work was completed by September, ahead of the re-imagined resort’s launch in October.
Suffice to say, Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort was looking good (save for the eyesores of the pillars themselves). Grass replanted and the beaches had been largely restored. The lushness of the resort had returned to about the full extent that it ever will. The project, at least to the extent that it existed on the grounds of Caribbean Beach, had a sense of finality to it.
For several months, all was looking good. We started recommending Caribbean Beach to those who didn’t mind the Skyliner or Riviera work on the perimeter of the resort. Then, fences went up around those same Skyliner pillars and large areas of the grounds throughout Aruba and Jamaica. These large areas–essentially half–of Caribbean Beach once again became a maze of construction walls. Here’s how things looked just a few weeks ago:
Apparently, the areas of ground around the resort needed to be reinforced for Disney Skyliner gondola evacuation points, with irrigation lines having to be rerouted. That work took a few months to be completed but, fortunately, it is now finished.
All of the walls are now down, grass has been replanted, and the grounds are looking like they did back last October through this January. Here’s how Aruba and Jamaica are looking as of early May 2019:
There’s a bit more minor landscaping work and grass replanting that could (and hopefully will) be done, but construction crews have packed up and gone home, and the heavy equipment is all gone.
Nothing that remains to be done to the grounds is anything that would cause me not to book a stay at Caribbean Beach. There are landscaping crews at every resort on a daily basis, and you’re more likely to be disrupted by a random weed-whacker or lawn mower than vegetation being planted.
What is a potential disruption is on the northern perimeter of the resort, where construction continues for Disney’s Riviera Resort, the newest Disney Vacation Club property.
Above is a look at current progress, with the Fuentes del Morro Pool in the foreground. Note that a lot of the exterior scaffolding is coming down around Riviera Resort. This project is not nearly the disruption that it once was.
On the other side of the resort, the largest Skyliner gondola station is now testing. Some minor construction work also continues, but that should be wrapping up very soon. This is primarily a test site now.
Speaking of which, as you can probably gather from the photos above, Skyliner testing is now occurring on the route between the Caribbean Beach and Riviera Resort Skyliner stations. This means gondola cabins are gliding above Aruba and Jamaica. These are relatively quiet, and there’s almost no way you’ll hear them in your room, unless you have the ears of an owl.
Both the Riviera and Skyliner projects are either outside the current boundaries of Caribbean Beach Resort, or on the far perimeter of the resort.
You won’t actively encounter walls for these projects while wandering the grounds of Caribbean Beach Resort, but you can see the work and sound does carry. This is especially true across the large bodies of water at Caribbean Beach.
With all of this in mind, we once again revisit the common question of whether we recommend staying at Caribbean Beach Resort right now. That really depends upon your sensitivity to construction.
We don’t view the Skyliner or Riviera work as particularly major, but if you are more averse to this, you might feel differently. If you want minimal ‘construction blight’ during your vacation, 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.
If you are thinking you might want to stay at Caribbean Beach, or have already booked a stay, the question becomes which building(s) we recommend at Caribbean Beach Resort right now.
Once again, we are comfortable recommending both Aruba and Jamaica. It’s possible there will be some evacuation testing here in the future, but that’s likely to last a few hours, not weeks or even days.
This is good news, because it’s my favorite area of Caribbean Beach. Buildings 51 and 45 are great, with a leisurely walk across the bride through Caribbean Cay. They’re removed from the heart of the action and have great across-the-water views, but aren’t a prohibitive walk over to the dining, pool, and lobby.
All of the buildings adjacent to these are also good options, and you’re unlikely to see or hear any construction from buildings 42-53. All of Barbados is also good, and the upside to this location is that it’s roughly equidistance from the Fuentes del Morro Pool, Centertown, and Spyglass Grill.
The Pirate Rooms in Trinidad are another option, especially now that work is wrapping up on that Skyliner station. We revisited these last month after many readers pointed out that our critical Pirate Rooms at Caribbean Beach Resort Review is now outdated in terms of room decor.
Our opinion of these rooms is more positive now, but that’s in large part to changes made outside the rooms. Having Spyglass Grill right there, plus a nice view of the gondolas gliding overhead across the water is pleasant and relaxing.
Currently, we do not have any stays at Caribbean Beach Resort booked. Nevertheless, we would not hesitate to stay here from any point going forward, as the remaining work doesn’t bother us. Your mileage may vary on that, though. We still think that booking strategically for August 2019 or later remains the best course of action. While nothing is guaranteed, it now seems like a near-certainty that the Skyliner will debut by late summer. Booking stays then gives you the benefit of minimal construction and access to the Skyliner without paying more for it–rates at Caribbean Beach (and all other Skyliner resorts) will almost certainly increase once Walt Disney World releases its 2020 pricing.
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Your Thoughts
Have you stayed at Caribbean Beach Resort in May 2019 since this work ended? How did you feel about your stay? Any other construction impacts? Do you agree or disagree with our Caribbean Beach Resort building recommendations? 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!
Booked the CBR Pirate Room for 11-21-2019 5 nights. How close will we be the Skyliner? Walking distance ? What about the time on the resort bus to get to the sSkyliner? Thanks in advance for your help.
How do you request a specific building? I made reservations for a stay in July.
We stayed in Martinque back in Sept which was during a lot of construction. The advantage was for transportation. Our closest stop was the first inside CB. We always had a seat on the bus. Returning “home” from a day at the park this was an advantage to be the first stop to get off. We did not see or hear construction from our room.
DO they still have the free-style coke machines throughout the buildings? That was a nice perk last time we were there.
Yes, the freestyle coke machines are available in several locations throughout property. My husband is an iced tea and hot coffee drinker and was bummed that these beverages can only be found at the QS locations. Soda is at the main pool and throughout property but no tea or coffee is elsewhere.
Staying at CBR in July. We have booked a preferred room, but the only options it gives us is Martinque, corner room or near transportation. For now I have chosen the Martinque section. But I have heard that Barbados is better. Any thoughts?
We stayed in Martinque back in Sept which was during a lot of construction. The advantage was for transportation. Our closest stop was the first inside CB. We always had a seat on the bus. Returning “home” from a day at the park this was an advantage to be the first stop to get off. We did not see or hear construction from our room.
Hi Tom! My family of 4, along with my parents, and my sister and bother-in-law are looking at staying at CBR the end of December. We are wanting to be in the Epcot area but hoping not to pay the price of the Beach Club Resort. Also, really important is easy access to Epcot and Hollywood Studios for my mom so that she can come back to the room to rest when needed. I am thinking that the Gondola will most likely help with that? And if so, which area of CBR should we try to stay? Which ones will be closest to the gondola and close to the main house for dining options, etc? Thanks so much for your help!
We last stayed at WDW in May/June 2018. 1 night at Beach Club, added on due to our arriving early since Tropical Storm Alberto was going to be moving through the panhandle when were scheduled to drive through it, and for the rest of our stay 2 different rooms in Building 55 in Aruba at the Caribbean Beach, the building featured in the second photo of this article. The Skyliner pylon that can be seen went up over the course of 2 days while we were there, while we were at the parks.
While Beach Club easily won in comparing the 2 resorts (which it darn well should as a deluxe), the CBR’s rooms hold up very well in comparison, so you definitely save money at the CBR, but still get a great resort.
Now, where to stay? Building 55 in Aruba is as close to a station as you can find. Since Riviera is scheduled to be open by the time you arrive, any issues about whether that station will be open, or just working as a pass-through should be over, and it should definitely be up and running. Building 56, behind 55, and 54, are also close. A bit more of a walk, but less of a walk to Centertown/Main Pool, is 52.
If you want to use the CBR’s Skyliner station, Jamaica, Buildings 41, 42 & 43 are closest.
My Advice: Google “WDW Caribbean Beach Resort Map 2019”, which should lead you to a vew of the current map handed out at resort check in. Neither Skyliner station is shown on the map. Rivera station is just past Building 55 on the beach, the CBR station is just below where “Main Entrance” is listed on that map. Good luck!
Thanks Paul!
Paul, thank you! Exactly the info I needed, the locations of the Skyliner stations. We are staying at CBR in Jan 2020. Booked a preferred room. Thinking i need to request Barbados.
Tom, glad to hear this as we are heading down this Saturday 5/18. Looking forward to it, all the more now with construction wrapping up. Appreciate the update!
Tom, this week at CBR has been outstanding. Light crowds all week, great pirate room in Trinidad very near Spyglass Grill. Warm afternoons but perfect mornings and evenings. Exceptional remodel of Old Port Royale. Using Lyft primarily to get around. Hard to think of a better week we’ve had at a moderate resort. -JM
We just checked out 3 hours ago and are at MCO right now waiting for our flight home. We stayed at Caribbean Beach Thursday-Sunday, 5/9-5/12. I was nervous reading past review of construction noise but not once during our trip did we experience any noise at all. The resort was quiet all around. The sky liner was testing during our stay as well. Again, not a sound. We stayed in building 45 and would definitely recommend staying here.
Hi Kelly, we are staying CBR next April and planning planning (so exciting), what room did you stay in and did you get a good view of the beach/pool? From being there what room number would you recommend. My sister said she would love a corner room – do they have two windows? (hard to find information on corner rooms and numbers)
We stayed in a pirate room 4/27-5/1. The room was great. The resort was wonderful. The Skyliner construction directly across from our water view room was terrible! I guess they were pushing to stay on schedule which meant they worked overnight. Bright construction lights, back up beepers, and loud metallic bangs that startled us awake numerous times.
We stayed in Martinique in May of 2018- and weren’t bothered at all by the construction, even though there was a lot more happening.
We’re usually a family of 5 and can’t stay in a single pirate room, so I was really excited to be visiting as just 4 (oldest had finals) and able to book pirate and water view! I hadn’t expected that much of an impact since Trinidad didn’t have construction and it was pretty disappointing.
We still love CBR and just added 2 days after our YC stay next month.
Thank you for the update! Such good news!