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Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort Vacation Package and Disney World Tickets

Easy vacation packages for Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort at Walt Disney World

Disney’s Caribbean Beach is a moderate-category hotel that offers gondola service to Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios. This is one of the most popular hotels at Disney World because many of the rooms can sleep up to 5 and it’s close to 2 theme parks. Caribbean Beach is often the first hotel to sell out when a room discount or offer becomes available. This resort is made up of 5 individual, 2-story buildings. Each of the buildings surrounds a lake known as Barefoot Bay.

Best Rooms at Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort - Best Rooms

Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort

Disney’s Caribbean Beach Club Resort Vacation Package

What’s included

  • Accommodations at Caribbean Beach Resort

  • Disney World theme park tickets

  • Early park admission

  • Lightning Lane advance purchase

  • Disney Water Theme Park admission on check-in day

  • Expert planning tips from me so you have more fun

  • Price-monitoring (you’ll always get the best offer)

  • Disney Resort transportation

  • Standard parking at Walt Disney World Theme Parks and Disney Springs

  • Overnight self-parking at hotel

  • Taxes

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What makes Disney’s Caribbean Beach great

  • Closest Moderate Category hotel to Epcot and Hollywood Studios

  • Home to the Skyliner hub

  • Some rooms can sleep 5 guests with a child-size fold-down bed

  • The resort recently underwent major refurbishment

  • Multiple dining options on site

  • An overhead gondola system called Disney Skyliner provides transportation to both theme parks. Skyliner is not only is it efficient, but it’s also fun!

    • Rooms at Caribbean Beach are accessed via exterior corridors.

    • Rooms at the end of most corridors have an additional side window that allows for more natural light, these are known as, “corner rooms.

    • There are no elevators at Caribbean Beach Resort, so if stairs are an issue, you should make a request for a ground-floor room above all else.

    • Heat and air conditioning come from a built-in unit under the window.

    • Rooms can accommodate up to 4-5 people. Those that can sleep 5 are known as 5th sleeper rooms. They come with a child-size fold-down bed that is ideal for a child up to age 9.

    Room Categories at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort

    • Standard View - views of parking areas or landscaping. 2 queen beds.

    • Standard View 5th Sleeper - views of parking areas or landscaping. 2 queen beds + 1 child-size pull-down bed.

    • Water or Pool View - views of the lake or a pool. 2 queen beds

    • Water or Pool View 5th Sleeper- views of the lake or pool. 2 queen beds + 1 child-size pull-down bed.

    • Preferred Rooms - close to Old Port Royale. Views of lake, pool, landscaping, or parking area. 2 queen beds or 2 queen beds + 1 child-size pull-down bed.

  • ATM

    Bell services

    Self-service laundry

    Gift shop

    24 hour security

    Free internet

  • CASUAL TABLE-SERVICE DINING

    Sebastian’s Bistro – salads, sandwiches, burgers steak, and seafood entrÊes.

    QUICK-SERVICE DINING

    Spyglass Grill – featuring American fare with a Caribbean twist for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

    Centertown Market – Fast-casual restaurant with an indoor street market vibe and flavorful Latin- and Caribbean-inspired breakfast and dinner menus.

    Centertown Market Grab & Go – A convenient market for fast meals on the go—from salads, sandwiches, and snacks to bakery items, specialty coffee, smoothies, and a variety of bottled beverages.

    OTHER DINING OPTIONS

    Banana Cabana – Walk-up bar that offers tropical sips and quick bites. Island Markets – Snack stations in select villages throughout the resort.

    Pizza delivery service

  • Caribbean Beach has multiple bus stops around the resort to minimize walking, but stopping at each takes time.

    Disney Skyliner will take you to Epcot, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Disney’s Pop Century Resort, Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, and Disney’s Riviera Resort.

    If you’re afraid of heights, I wouldn’t recommend Caribbean Beach.

    Approximate travel times to Disney World theme parks once underway:

    Magic Kingdom 10 minutes

    Epcot: 20 minutes

    Disney’s Hollywood Studios: 5 minutes

    Disney’s Animal Kingdom: 9 minutes

    Disney Springs: 8 minutes

    • Fuentes del Morro Pool – Spanish fortress-themed pool with two waterslides and whirlpools

    • 5 Leisure Pools

    • Caribbean Beach Campfire Activities

    • Disney Movies Under the Stars

    • Volleyball Jogging Trail Playground

    Each village has a smaller pool nearby for convenience. They each have their own bus depot as well so it’s not necessary to walk to Old Port Royale.

 
 
 
 

Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort address:

  • 1114 Cayman Way, Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830

If you have any questions about this resort or about Disney Skyliner, use the comments section below, or contact me here.

Disney World Travel Agent Darren W

For over 12 years Darren Wittko has been helping people save money at Walt Disney World as both, a travel writer and a travel advisor with Magical Vacations Travel. He’s featured in the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World as a Best of the Best Disney Travel Agent. Darren resides in Celebration, FL.

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How to Get Around Walt Disney World using Disney Transportation

The Disney bubble is huge—50 square miles huge! Learn to navigate the entire resort with this ultimate guide to Disney's mass transportation system. We break down the routes, hubs, and travel times for every free method: the Skyliner gondolas, the iconic Monorail, the bus fleet, and the ferry boats. Plus, we cover Disney's paid, premium option: the exclusive Minnie Vans. Stop wasting time and learn how to travel efficiently across Walt Disney World property!

Walt Disney World has the 3rd largest bus fleet in the state of Florida just behind Miami and Jacksonville. Buses are just one of the ways Disney moves 1 million visitors each week.

Watch the video:

Disney World created a logical, efficient mass transportation system with overhead monorail and gondola systems, buses, watercraft, and even their own rideshare service.

Here’s how Disney moves visitors across its 50 square miles of property in Central Florida every day.

disney world buses

Disney World operates the 3rd largest bus fleet in the state of Florida.

Disney World Buses

Buses are the most common way to get around Walt Disney World. Rather than have bus routes, Disney buses use a point-to-point system making the theme parks themselves transportation hubs.

This eliminates the need to transfer buses in most cases, making it easier for guests, and significantly reduces travel time.

Disney World buses travel between hotels and one of 4 theme parks, more like a shuttle rather than a complex network of routes around a city.

The bus has only one destination so guests do not have to study a map to find their stop.

In exchange for this simplicity, Disney buses do not travel between hotels. They travel between hotels and theme parks, and from theme park to theme park.

The one exception is the Disney Water Parks, guests will need to transfer at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Park to get to Blizzard Beach, and to get to Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon, guests need to transfer at Disney Springs.

For this reason, many guests use Uber, Lyft, and Miniei Van.

At the theme park transportation hubs, Disney buses are constantly arriving and departing from other areas on Disney World property.

Guests can get to any destination from a Disney theme park.

But what if you need to travel between hotels for a dining reservation?

Well, in this case, they will need to travel from their hotel to the nearest theme park and transfer there to the other hotel.

Disney World ensures that bus stops are well-marked with signs because most of its visitors have no idea how to get where they’re going. And digital marques on the bus confirm its destination.

Disney’s goal is to have a bus arrive every 20 minutes. They use a dynamic dispatching system that assigns buses to an area in need.

Disney recently began reporting expected arrival times at its hotel bus stops.

Buses begin operating about 1 hour before the theme park’s earliest posted opening time, taking into consideration early park admission. Buses continue to operate for one hour after the park closes including special after-hours events.

In the mid-2000s Disney began investing in low-floor buses that make it easier and faster for passengers with scooters and strollers to board.

Buses can accommodate up to 2 scooters. Strollers must be folded before boarding, so it’s a good idea not to stuff the stroller.

As we're about to discover, Disney has many other forms of transportation available to move guests around property.

For this reason, bus service is not offered or may be limited where there are other options available.

disney world monorail at Ticket and Transportation Center

The Walt Disney World Monorail System is the 3rd busiest monorail line in the world.

Using the Walt Disney World Monorail System

The Walt Disney World monorail System is an icon, having been in operation since 1971. 12 monorails carry 160,000 riders every day, making it the 3rd most heavily used monorail system in the world.

The current trains came online in 1989 and operate on 3 lines: Magic Kingdom Resorts, Magic Kingdom Express, and Epcot.

The Walt Disney World Monorail System uses a hub and spoke design, with all 3 lines originating at Disney’s main terminal called the Ticket and Transportation Center.

disney world monorail map

There are 3 Disney World monorail lines.

The Magic Kingdom Resort Line services 3 Walt Disney World Deluxe hotels:

Disney’s Contemporary Resort, Polynesian Resort, and Grand Floridian Resort plus a stop at the Ticket and Transporation Center for guests who want to transfer to the Epcot line.

For example, say you are staying at Disney’s Contemporary Resort and you want to travel to Epcot.

You will take the Resort Monorail, get off at the Ticket and Transportation Center, and transfer to the Epcot line.

The Express monorail line has only 2 stops: the Ticket and Transporation Center and the Magic Kingdom.

This line is shuttles guests between the Magic Kingdom parking lot and the theme park. Guests who are park hopping between Magic Kingdom and Epcot will also use this line.

And the Epcot monorails operate between the Ticket and Transportation Center Epcot.

Monorails begin operating about 60-90 minutes prior to park opening and after the parks close.

Scooters are accommodated on the monorails, and strollers do not need to be folded to board.

disney world boats - how to get around disney world

Disney World boats operate on man-made canals and lakes.

Guide to Disney World Boats

When Disney World was being built in the late 1960s, a network of canals was created to manage the high water table and to prevent flooding.

Engineers who worked on the Panama Canal were hired by Disney to oversee the project.

Today these canals also serve as major waterways to move guests around Disney World property.

Disney Water taxis connect all 5 Magic Kingdom resorts, ferryboats connect the parking lot to the Magic Kingdom, Epcot is connected to Disney’s Hollywood Studios and all the resorts in between, and Disney Springs is connected to 4 resort hotels via the Disney created, Sassagoula River.

Disney uses a variety of boats around property, some are scooter and wheelchair accessible while others are not.

If a boat is not accessible, an alternate type of transportation is provided - either a different boat, a monorail, or bus will be operating as well.

On Disney’s smaller boats, strollers must be folded and stowed out of the aisle.

But on the larger boats like ferries and the Friendship boats like this one here, strollers do not need to be folded.

Boats arrive about every 20 minutes piloted by 1-2 Cast Members.

They begin operating 60-90 minutes prior to park opening and will continue operating 60-90 minutes after park closing.

There is no central hub on any of the boat routes, they either shuttle between point A and point B or operate a repeating circuit.

Signs are posted to let guests know where the boat is headed.

And some boats are marked with a colored flag that also indicates it’s destination.

disney world minnie van service

Disney World Minnie Van is Disney’s own version of Uber and Lyft.

Disney World Minnie Vans

As rideshare services grew in popularity, Disney had the idea to create its own version of Uber and Lyft to service its 50 square miles of property in Orlando. Disney transportation is free, but it takes time, think of it as public transportation.

It works, but a car is faster.

In many cases, a bus ride at Disney, from start to finish can take over an hour. Minnie Vans can do the same thing but in much less time. But not for free, of course.

How Minnie Vans work at Walt Disney World. Using the Lyft App while on Disney World property, you’ll see a special feature for Disney Minnie Van service.

A red and white polka-dotted SUV driven by a Disney Cast Member will arrive within a few minutes to take you directly to your destination.

Minnie Vans do not leave Walt Disney World property but if you’re staying Club Level at one of the Disney World hotels, you can have Minnie Van pick you up at Orlando International Airport.

The fee is comparable to a private car service.

Minnie Vans come with 2 car seats for kids and accessible Minnie Vans available.

Minnie Vans cost more than traditional Uber and Lyft rides, but it's a premium experience.

Often they can get you closer to the entrance than other forms of transportation, you’ll listen to Disney music during your ride, and you’ll have a 6-passenger Chevy Suburban to ride in.

Traditional Uber and Lyft services are available on Disney property as well.

disney world skyliner system

Disney Skyliner serves 2 Disney theme parks and 4 Disney hotels.

How to Use the Disney World Skyliner System

In 2017 Disney recognized a need to connect several hotels to 2 of its theme parks. A massive network of overhead gondolas took less than 2 years to complete.

Like the Monorail System, Skyliner uses a hub system with a centralized hub, located at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort. One line travels south to Disney’s Pop Century and Art of Animation Resorts, another extends to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and the third line travels to Disney’s Riviera Resort - terminating at Epcot.

Today a guest can board Disney Skyliner at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort and touch down at Epcot in about 15 to 20 minutes.

But unless you’re staying at Caribbean Beach, you’ll need to transfer to a different route at the hub.

Let’s say you’re a guest staying at Disney’s Pop Century Resort and you want to get to Epcot.

You’ll board Skyliner at your hotel, travel to Caribbean Beach Resort, and transfer to the Epcot line.

Each of the 250 gondolas can accommodate up to 10 passengers. Accessible gondolas are available and can load passengers on a separate, stationary platform if needed.

Disney Skyliner begins operating 1 hour prior to park opening and 1-2 hours after the parks close.

Disney will stop operation if thunderstorms are within 10 miles of Walt Disney World Resort. When Skyliner is not running, buses will be used until it's safe to operate Skyliner again.

If you have questions about getting around Walt Disney World Resort, use the comments below, or contact me at at my website.


Platinum Magic Maker, Disney-Focused Travel Agent

Have questions about planning your Orlando vacation? I have answers! Contact me now to get more out of your vacation.

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Since 2010, Darren has been making Orlando vacations easy! As an Orlando resident, he is able to provide insider, expert advice on Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando, and Florida-based cruises.


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