Sneak Peek: New Little Mermaid Rooms at Caribbean Beach Resort
Walt Disney World has revealed a reimagining for Caribbean Beach Resort’s Trinidad area that replaces the Pirate Rooms with Little Mermaid themed styles. This post shares the original announcement, a new sneak peek inside the redesigned rooms, and other commentary.
Let’s start with the official info from Disney Destinations, which was first shared earlier this fall: “In an effort to continually enhance the guest experience, some of the resort rooms in the Trinidad area of Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort will be receiving a brand-new look and feel.
These new rooms, which will include subtle nods to fan-favorite characters from under the sea, will accommodate more guests and feature updated finishings that can’t be found anywhere else at the resort. As we prepare these new rooms, guests will be able to see and hear refurbishment work in and around Trinidad beginning October 3. We look forward to welcoming guests into these new rooms in 2023.”
This didn’t exactly coming out of left field. Back this summer, Walt Disney World released 2023 vacation packages and resort reservations, and one room category was absent from the resort roster: Pirate Rooms at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort. Nothing was available from January through October 2023, and the rooms weren’t even listed as unavailable. Vanished as if they never even existed.
The company followed up with a statement during the Walt Disney World travel agents webcast indicating that the Pirate Rooms at Caribbean Beach Resort were being discontinued. Disney also announced that the no new theme is planned to replace the Pirate Rooms “at this time.”
Walt Disney World just shared a sneak peek at these new rooms on social media. These what the message there had to say about them: “Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort recently added some fin-tastic touches to guest rooms in the Trinidad area of the resort, and cast members were excited to be the first to ‘sea’ them!”
“These new 5th sleeper rooms accommodate more guests and feature special touches inspired by the timeless story The Little Mermaid. They are among the newest of the ongoing enhancements happening at our Resort hotels all around Walt Disney World!”
Since these were posted, I’ve seen a lot of criticism on social media that they’re too bland and look like a real world Hilton or other chain, with simply a few splashes of The Little Mermaid here and there. To be sure, we’ve had this criticism of many past Walt Disney World room redesigns.
However, that was definitely not my initial reaction here. First, this doesn’t show the entirety of the room. When the two beds are pulled down, that’ll almost certainly reveal huge artwork from The Little Mermaid. I’m guessing the reaction from Walt Disney World fans would be very different–and much more positive–if the photo below instead had both beds pulled down.
In addition to that, there are little touches that evoke the Caribbean. The end of the coffee table, bathroom door, and dresser drawers all appear Caribbean-inspired, as do the color choices. It’s definitely more on the subtle side, and not over-the-top like the previous Pirate Rooms or current Little Mermaid rooms at Art of Animation, but not everyone wants that.
While I would love to see more immersively themed rooms like those or the Royal Rooms at Caribbean Beach, I would personally rather stay in this room. Honestly, I’m a bit surprised at how nice this looks. I’m even more shocked that they borrowed the Riviera Resort-style pull-down bed for the new rooms (see below). I figured that was going to be a Disney Vacation Club-exclusive design feature to distinguish those. I’m shocked they’d introduce this at a Moderate Resort.
To be sure, Disney’s Riviera Resort rooms (or those at the Polynesian, Grand Floridian, and coming soon to Wilderness Lodge) are much nicer and more spacious. They also have balconies, which is a big deal for many.
However, if I were primarily concerned with location, amenities, and price–and the room were a bit lower on my list of priorities–it would be difficult to book the Riviera over its next-door neighbor given the colossal cost differential. These new Little Mermaid rooms will close the gap between the two resorts for many families.
Ironically, almost a decade ago we dubbed the then-new Caribbean Beach rooms as “Poly-lite” (above) since they’d be the budget-friendly alternative to staying at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort. That was based on the rooms alone, as Caribbean Beach and the Poly are nowhere near one another, and offer none of the same other upsides (save for “vibes”).
These new “Reasonable-Riviera” rooms (still workshopping the name) will offer not just a very similar style, but many of the same advantages in location, transportation, dining, and more by virtue of both being located at Barefoot Bay. I know if it’s a choice between paying ~$250 per night or ~$700 per night, I’m booking the reasonably-priced ‘version’ of these rooms every single time. I don’t need a balcony or to be in the tower that badly.
There have also been rumors and speculation that new rooms are coming to other buildings at Caribbean Beach Resort beyond the Trinidad area. Recently, Walt Disney World filed a permit for “general construction” that encompasses multiple buildings at the resort that were not previously Pirate Rooms.
Balfour Beatty is listed as the general contractor, and they have extensive experience with major projects in the Orlando area. Just off the top of my head, they were responsible for the work within Pandora – World of Avatar, Gran Destino Tower (standard guest room pictured above), Reflections Lakeside Lodge, plus Cabana Bay & Loews Sapphire Falls Resorts at Universal Orlando and the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts.
It’s entirely possible that this is a different project entirely, but the nature of the permit and what it encompasses suggests a room refresh. The fact that the Pirate Rooms are being redone and the existing rooms at Caribbean Beach are starting to show their age reinforces this.
One thing to note is that Walt Disney World’s original announcement about The Little Mermaid rooms is that it indicated they would “feature updated finishings that can’t be found anywhere else at the resort.” That could have changed since, or might still be accurate. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Disney go a different direction in order to distinguish the rooms and give the Trinidad area its own selling point. My bet is that the substantive design features end up being the same, but maybe the art or intellectual property ends up being different–or they’re completely the same. I guess we shall see!
Interestingly, Caribbean Beach had character rooms somewhat like this prior to the 2014 redo. Above is our photo of the room back from one of our stays in 2011 when there were Finding Nemo characters on the bedspread and wallpaper borders. While I enjoy a good crazy comforter, I also think the new Little Mermaid room is quite the ‘glow up.’
Nevertheless, Disney has released a lot of marine movies in recent years, including Moana, Luca, and Finding Dory. There are other characters residing underwater who could also be used. So I wouldn’t necessarily be upset to see the other CBR room redesigns go in a different direction with the IP.
It also doesn’t bother me that there are already The Little Mermaid rooms over at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort (above), which is only a short Skyliner ride away. Those are some of the most popular and seldom-discounted rooms in all of Walt Disney World, and they are also incredibly different from what’s being done at Caribbean Beach Resort.
The new Little Mermaid rooms at Caribbean Beach Resort are subtle and slightly sophisticated, aimed at an older audience (or at least a better balance of interests and needs). By contrast, the rooms at Art of Animation are more in-your-face and kid-focused. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with either approach, and there are audiences for each. The Little Mermaid is also a classic that has stood the test of time, so even more rooms featuring its characters might make more sense as opposed to Luca or something newer.
Even if the new rooms only end up replacing the Pirate Rooms, we are excited. We hated those but absolutely love the new DVC style that has been rolling out since Disney’s Riviera Resort opened. We’ve also become growing fans of the Trinidad section of Caribbean Beach in the last several years.
In the time since the Pirate Rooms debuted, so too have the Skyliner and Spyglass Grill. The hub gondola station is directly across the water from the Trinidad section of Caribbean Beach where the Pirate Rooms are located, and they now have a convenient dining option in Spyglass Grill. These are excellent enhancements that truly elevate the Pirate Rooms.
In other words, if you haven’t stayed in the Pirate Rooms in the last 5 years, things have changed. While still a long walk from the main lobby and feature pool, this area isn’t as undesirable as you remember. It’s not where ‘premium’ rooms would be located if this were a brand new resort being built, but it’s no longer an awful location, either.
Ultimately, it’ll be interesting to see what happens with scope and scale of the new rooms at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort. At the very least, the Pirate Rooms are going, which was the most desperately needed improvement. Whether Disney follows suit with the rest of the resort matter less, but we hope the same substantive style is replicated throughout the resort.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
Are you excited for The Little Mermaid replacing the Pirate Rooms at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort? What do you think of the functional design of the new rooms? What about their aesthetics? Think these are too bland or just right thematically? Does the nearby Skyliner hub change your perspective on the Trinidad section of CBR? Do you agree or disagree with my assessment that this real estate is too ‘prime’ to remain part of Caribbean Beach forever? 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!
Although light on the theming (I’m surprised there is nothing but plain white on the trundle in the pic), this really looks nice and bright. I hope they spread the design to the rest of the resort, and soon. It needs the upgrade, badly!
I’m generally a value resort person when I go to WDW as I can’t see paying a lot of money for a room that I’m just going to sleep and shower in. That being said, I might have to change my mind the next time I go to WDW as I think the new rooms are beautiful with pastel colors and prints. After a full day spent at the parks, the color and design theme is just what I need to help me relax and calm down.
I wish when resorts are updated they attempt to refurb with a character theme that is conducive to the aesthetic vibe look of that resort. Like GF, it’s Victorian and you would never see little mermaid room look there. Or Nemo at wilderness. I guess Disney figured LM would work because duh water and Caribbean is a beach lol. People that think AoA LM is the same no way it’s like the 90s over there and some like that. aoa just needed to revamp their LM rooms to look like this but then again CB is a moderate and needs some kind of draw to a customer guest. Can’t make all the values have more then moderate and moderate to deluxe because obvi thousands of people would book value because they would save and get the best. I think Disney is noticing recent trends and the people like my fiancé and that started off at strictly value are going to moderate sometimes because funds allow now. We still do value also. I myself would not stay in a deluxe as a little girl I longed for the GF lol. Now nope I’m good cuz I go all the time and stay everywhere. I do love how modern the rooms are becoming property wide.
I really like the look of the new Little Mermaid rooms. I want to go back and stay there again now, it’s been about 7 years since we last stayed at that resort. Awesome pool, skyliner and beautiful new rooms!
Odd choice to go with The Little Mermaid as there are similar rooms at Art of Animation.
We’re booked into CBR for 3rd week of August next year. We’ve got a “preferred” room, mostly because there wasn’t a lot of choice of room types when I booked. Does anyone know if these new rooms are likely to be preferred rooms? I like the look of them and would put a request in for one if it’s a preferred room – assuming they’ll even be ready by August!
I love that they’ve managed to create a different version of the theme. This style manages to incorporate TLM into the Caribbean Beach theme while capturing both.
I’ll be curious to see if the general public agrees with me that you can have immersive theme without just throwing on some cheap leftovers from a Target sale. Not the AoA rooms, which actually look nice and thematically consistent, but those old CB rooms are giving out “T.G.I. Friday’s nail-stuff-to-the wall theme” vibes with cartoons on top of Caribbean without embracing both. Not sure when those were “created,” but surely it was one of the nadirs of Resort theming.
I think they are fresh and beautiful. The lightness adds to the feel of the Caribbean ocean and sand.
Well, that’s super boring. I won’t be staying in these rooms. I’ll stick with the Royal Rooms and other properly themed ideas. Honestly I prefer the Art of Animation Little Mermaid rooms to these, despite it being a class lower. Glad you like it I guess, but this kind of modernistic stuff is taking away Disney’s edge. Nobody is staying in a Disney resort for their good value. It’s about immersion. I wish they would remember that.
For the record, I do like that it’s brighter than the regular CB rooms, because that adds some stylistic variation/choice. But it seems like Disney is done with theming things properly down to the furnishing designs. I’ll take the shaped/themed chairs and mirrors of the AoA room over this any day.
Fresh, light and pretty. I haven’t stayed at CBR in years, but I’ll definitely try it again when this refurb is complete.
I think the room design looks great. My only criticism is that we already have LM rooms. That bothers me. LM doesn’t even live in Caribbean Sea, she lives in the Caspian Sea so geographically this doesn’t even make sense. Unless, as another commenter mentioned, they retheme the AoA rooms to something else like Encanto (which is a great idea), I just think its too much of the same.
These rooms are a game changer! I may stop renting DVC points and stay in these rooms. I ove the subtle theme. I have always wanted to stay at AoA but my husband hates the in your face Disney. This will be a great compromise.
Maybe I’m a unicorn, but we stayed in one of the pirate rooms just this August and I thought it was cute. I think the word had reached however high up it needed to get to change the mattresses, because mine was fine :). That said, I’m super excited by these rooms and would be happy to stay in any of them :). I don’t get to go to Disney World or land as often as I’d like, so I guess when I’m there I’m basically just floating on cloud 9 anyways :).
Agree with Jeff above. The playful fun of Disney rooms has gone sterile and blank.
I’m wondering if the pull down bed will be a queen or just full size like at Pop Century. I’m also interested to see how much walking space there is when both pull down beds are down. Love the new decor, but then I’m happy with any of it so long as I’m at Disney.
Reservation availability for Caribbean Beach Resort now says “2 Queen Beds and 1 Child-Size Pull-Down Bed or 1 Queen Bed and 1 Queen-Size Pull Down Bed and 1 Child-Size Pull-Down Bed” for both Standard View – 5th Sleeper and Water or Pool View – 5th Sleeper. I do not recall seeing that before so they must be queen size.
The pull-down beds at Pop Century are queen sized. Love being able to have the extra room during the day and two queen beds for at night. 😉
I’m wondering if the AOA rooms will be changed to Encanto? I know the live action Little Mermaid is coming soon, but it seems odd to have LM in two resorts while a huge hit like Encanto is nowhere. Or maybe Coronado will get an Encanto refresh?
I would be thrilled with an Encanto refresh! I mean, it was the home, itself, that was enchanted (people, too, but you know what I mean 🙂 ). So, this seems like a pretty natural transition from an enchanted home to an enchanted DVC property :)!
I absolutely love these rooms. I don’t get the reaction I’m seeing online, people seem to be mourning the pirate rooms but all I heard prior to this was how uncomfortable the beds were and how dark and drab they were. I can’t believe they’re basically replicating the new DVC style rooms, but I’m all for it because those rooms are gamechangers in my opinion. We love to be able to come back to the room and just plop on the couch and actually be facing the TV. Sounds like these rooms are already open as well, there’s a thread on Disboards where someone is posting photos, they were told they were the very first to stay in the room. These are definitely at the top of my list for my next trip in the event I don’t rent DVC points.
“…people seem to be mourning the pirate rooms but all I heard prior to this was how uncomfortable the beds were and how dark and drab they were.”
This is peak WDW fan behavior. Complain about something until it’s gone, then complain Disney changed it. Good thing there’s literally thousands of other rooms for those who don’t like these to choose from.
100% this. The Pirate Rooms were awful. Anyone who claims otherwise is blinded by nostalgia or…I don’t know what.
I’ll add that complaints about changes like this–which will without a doubt receive significantly higher guest satisfaction scores than the Pirate Rooms–make it easier for the company to ignore the legitimate complaints of Walt Disney World fans. When we (collectively) complain about everything, we become so much easier to ignore as a group that’s resistant to change of any kind.
The colors are definitely beautiful. And I give Disney credit for adding the 5th sleeper to the moderate tier rooms. 15 years ago if you had a family of 5, you most likely were looking at a deluxe resort stay or two rooms at value or moderate. It’s a thoughtful addition.
Wow! Beautiful and functional! As Saratoga owners, I really appreciate what a thoughtful redesign can do. Hoping they eventually do something similar to the rest of CBR (and especially building 45, my favorite spot to stay on non-DVC trips)!
I think these rooms look beautiful. I am shocked at all the negative comments. They are nothing like the AOA rooms. We love CBR (just stayed in May) but the rooms definitely need a refresh. Looking forward to trying one out.
It’s so subtle and basic, as if a Best Western used a Little Mermaid color scheme based off of one of those multicolor rectangles where you have to guess the cartoon character and proceed to slap some art on the walls. If I’m paying more to stay on property and even more at that for a themed room, it best be better than something I could do with minimal design skills in my own home. Don’t get me wrong, the room is beautiful just like you said, but it’s far from the creative wow factor that Disney used to be known for.