Second Thoughts…and 3rd, 4th and 5th thoughts

[Robbydj13]

I am second guessing and more which hotel to stay at in December. Currently I am booked at Caribbean Beach. I have not stayed there since the renovation, however I did stay there during it LOL. I like CBR but it is not my normal. We typically prefer Port Orleans Riverside, French Quarter, or Animal Kingdom Lodge. Obviously those are not open. I even enjoy Pop Century. I just don’t know what to do. I was almost talked into GDT at CSR, and I am still considering. Bottom line is….I have no clue where to stay since my top 3 are still closed.

 

[pixiemama91]

I would probably choose CBR over CSR if I had to choose. While I liked both resorts, I think the pool is better/bigger at CBR in my opinion. I also haven’t been to CBR since they renovated the food court area. Both are large and have a nice feel to them. I also stayed at CSR for a conference so I didn’t experience all the amenities like I would have if I was actually on vacation. Having the sky liner at CBR also seems like it would be a big plus as well.

 

[mouschievous]

Take what I have to say with a grain of salt, because we've never actually been!

Our first priority is distance to parks. We planned to stay at the Epcot area resorts, but we need two rooms and when we missed out on a 2 Bedroom DVC villa, we decided we couldn't justify rack rate for those rooms.

We settled on CBR because of the skyliner hub. It's not walking distance to Epcot like we had hoped, but it's an easy Skyliner ride away. We did think about Pop Century, but the potential loss of time with having to transfer at the hub seemed to negate any financial savings. We don't really care about the pool, but we may want to use the hot tub, so that was another consideration for us. The rooms at CBR don't really look like the kind of place we'd normally choose, but the grounds of the resort look lovely. We figure any non-park time we have, we can hang out outside and enjoy the scenery if the room isn't our vibe.

 

[hereforthechurros]

Keep your CBR res. It has Centertown, Banana Cabana, and is close enough to Riviera to enjoy their dining options as well. Skyliner makes it easy to get to HS and Epcot. Pool area is excellent. There is are beach areas, a large island and decks for relaxing. Hopefully Spyglass or Sebastian’s reopen soon; there’s absolutely enough demand to warrant it.

 

[Dug720]

Just remember that if there are storms in the area, the Skyliner shuts down. Or if it breaks down (or crashes). Then that advantage goes away and you're waiting a long time while they reroute some busses. If it's running smoothly (and you don't mind being suspended in a box with strangers), it's fine. But when it's not running, it's even more of a pain than busses are usually.

 

[Robbydj13]

Just remember that if there are storms in the area, the Skyliner shuts down. Or if it breaks down (or crashes). Then that advantage goes away and you're waiting a long time while they reroute some busses. If it's running smoothly (and you don't mind being suspended in a box with strangers), it's fine. But when it's not running, it's even more of a pain than busses are usually.

We always rent a car so Disney transportation is rarely used by us, unless its the monorail going to the resorts on a relaxing day. The skyliner was fun the first couple times, but its not our thing. Its cool, but just doesnt do it for us. The car is easier lol

 

[Dug720]

We always rent a car so Disney transportation is rarely used by us, unless its the monorail going to the resorts on a relaxing day. The skyliner was fun the first couple times, but its not our thing. Its cool, but just doesnt do it for us. The car is easier lol

I was mainly responding to the people touting it as THE reason to select CBR.

Not everyone drives - or wants to. So knowing the options is beneficial.

 

[kylenne]

Just remember that if there are storms in the area, the Skyliner shuts down. Or if it breaks down (or crashes). Then that advantage goes away and you're waiting a long time while they reroute some busses. If it's running smoothly (and you don't mind being suspended in a box with strangers), it's fine. But when it's not running, it's even more of a pain than busses are usually.

I feel like this can’t be stated enough. I would be very hesitant to pick a Skyliner resort in the summer during peak afternoon storm season. After what I saw at Epcot during Food & Wine one Saturday night when it had been down all night...yikes. After fireworks on my way back to BC I helped a tired and stressed family find their way to BWI to catch a bus back to AoA since that’s where Skyliner resort guests were told to go.

In fairness it’s not just a Skyliner issue. The Port Orleans resorts also have this problem with the Disney Springs boats. It seemed like every time I had an ADR there those boats were down for weather and I had to take a bus or Lyft anyway.

 

[Dug720]

I feel like this can’t be stated enough. I would be very hesitant to pick a Skyliner resort in the summer during peak afternoon storm season. After what I saw at Epcot during Food & Wine one Saturday night when it had been down all night...yikes. After fireworks on my way back to BC I helped a tired and stressed family find their way to BWI to catch a bus back to AoA since that’s where Skyliner resort guests were told to go.

In fairness it’s not just a Skyliner issue. The Port Orleans resorts also have this problem with the Disney Springs boats. It seemed like every time I had an ADR there those boats were down for weather and I had to take a bus or Lyft anyway.

Yeah. I was there when the Skyliner opened and I was staying at Pop. The second or third day it was running, I was coming back from Epcot and it went down. There was a LONG wait at the CBR hub to get a bus, and when they did start to show up, they were putting people from both AoA and Pop on the same bus and it was going to drop off at each - which just caused a HUGE mess as it seemed like the bus had to empty about half out at the first stop just to have people get back on. It would have been less time to alternate busses and then people could have decided if they wanted to walk from one resort to the other or wait for their designated bus.

 

[Gehrig1B]

Big Skyliner fan… It is a GameChanger and I would love to see the actual data on how often the system is shut down and riders are forced to use alternate transportation.
Maybe we have been lucky but in at least 30 days since the system has been running we have never had to use alternative transportation. I would not hesitate to book a Skyliner resort if that was my primary mode of transport for the stay.

 

[Robbydj13]

Big Skyliner fan… It is a GameChanger and I would love to see the actual data on how often the system is shut down and riders are forced to use alternate transportation.
Maybe we have been lucky but in at least 30 days since the system has been running we have never had to use alternative transportation. I would not hesitate to book a Skyliner resort if that was my primary mode of transport for the stay.

Ive never been stuck either, but I know people who have. Nothing major for them as they said it was a minor inconvenience. I still think im sticking with my rental car to get around lol, maybe a rideshare here and there. I used to love Disney busses, and by love, I didnt mind them at all. I never had issues getting one and thought they were pretty quick from point A to point B....since covid, not so much

 

[Gehrig1B]

Interesting…. Everyone has different experiences I imagine. We have made 3 COVID visits and bus transportation at WL and Gran Destino have not been an issue. We do take Uber/Lyft in the morning often to rope drop EPCOT and DHS and the boat to MK from WL but I can’t recall ever waiting more than 15 minutes for a bus. We do avoid buses at park closing. Usually wait awhile or leave early.

 

[ENJDisneyFan]

It depends on what your priorities are.

Transportation wise, I would pick CBR because for me the Skyliner is a game changer and I'll have a hard time staying anywhere that is not on the line.

Budget wise, I would pick Pop. If you are at all concerned with saving money, Pop is a great value for the price. I love the refurbished rooms there.

Amenities wise, I would pick CSR. You get the deluxe feel at more of a moderate price.

So I'm not sure that helps, but I really think you can't go wrong with any of them. It really just depends on what type of stay you're looking for and how much you want to spend.

 

[Robbydj13]

It depends on what your priorities are.

Transportation wise, I would pick CBR because for me the Skyliner is a game changer and I'll have a hard time staying anywhere that is not on the line.

Budget wise, I would pick Pop. If you are at all concerned with saving money, Pop is a great value for the price. I love the refurbished rooms there.

Amenities wise, I would pick CSR. You get the deluxe feel at more of a moderate price.

So I'm not sure that helps, but I really think you can't go wrong with any of them. It really just depends on what type of stay you're looking for and how much you want to spend.

It’s not a budgeting issue, it’s more of a newness feel and look. Transportation isn’ta biggie as I prefer to use a rental car over Disney transport besides the monorail.
GDT is the riddle in all this. I hear good things and am considering it. But I also am hoping they’ll open other resorts up soon.

 

[ENJDisneyFan]

It’s not a budgeting issue, it’s more of a newness feel and look. Transportation isn’ta biggie as I prefer to use a rental car over Disney transport besides the monorail.
GDT is the riddle in all this. I hear good things and am considering it. But I also am hoping they’ll open other resorts up soon.

Based on that I would choose GDT. I haven't stayed there yet but hear it's beautiful!

 

[Honeypot]

If you are not worried about transportation, I would book GDT. I looked at it, and was almost swayed but the skyliner is what ultimately keeps pulling me back to CBR. But we use Disney transport with a bit of lyft/uber when needed. If driving I would for sure pick Coronado/GDT out of currently available options.

 

[Robbydj13]

If you are not worried about transportation, I would book GDT. I looked at it, and was almost swayed but the skyliner is what ultimately keeps pulling me back to CBR. But we use Disney transport with a bit of lyft/uber when needed. If driving I would for sure pick Coronado/GDT out of currently available options.

I am thinking that too. Honestly, I have never used the SkyLiner as regular transport, just rode it a few times at the beginning without any care when I got to the parks. How efficient is it really?

Honestly, I keep wanting to stay with CBR unless POR or AKL opens up in the meantime, but GDT is giving a good run tho

 

[ENJDisneyFan]

How efficient is it really?

IMO - it's awesome. It's constantly running so never have to worry about just missing it like you do with a bus. And the ride itself is just fun, an attraction in and of itself.

 

[Robbydj13]

IMO - it's awesome. It's constantly running so never have to worry about just missing it like you do with a bus. And the ride itself is just fun, an attraction in and of itself.

I definitely agree with it being fun. Just never used it as a Point A to Point B transportation, more as a fun thing. Maybe I will give it more of a shot this year.

 

[Honeypot]

Oh I see you are only travelling in December. In that case, maybe just keep CBR because I bet at least one if not all of your favourites will be back open by then if you want to switch. Sorry I'm not really much help here, lol!