Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort

One of Walt Disney World's Moderate tier resorts located in the EPCOT resort area

My Disney Experience App Resort Map Caribbean Beach Resort

Themed to the Islands of the Caribbean there are five separate villages to chose from: Barbados, Jamaica, Martinique, Trinidad and Aruba. This is a very sprawled out resort, so depending on which building you are in will determine how close you are to the main lobby, pool and skyliner hubs. If you are specifically looking to be right by the main lobby, pool and main food locations than booking a preferred room will put you in either Martinique (buildings 24,25 and 26) or Trinidad North. As for being near the Skyliner, Aruba is close to the Riviera Resort's station and Trinidad is next to the main skyliner station hub(as well as a Joffery's Coffee location).

Each village also has it's own bus stop, and since the resort is large and sprawled out there is also an internal bus loop that will take you from your stop to the main lobby or any other village. Buses at Disney's Caribbean Beach resort will take you to Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Disney Springs and connections to Typhoon Lagoon or Blizzard Beach. On days where the skyliner is not operating buses will also take you to Epcot and Hollywood studios, there are no buses offered to these two locations if the skyliner is running.

The rooms are what you would expect out of a Disney World moderate resort hotel and the theming of the room matched the theming of the resort so it had various touches of island décor throughout. We booked a standard room each time so that is all I have experience with, but our room was spacious enough for our family. Our room had two queen beds, a small table to enjoy in room snacks and meals and a separated sink area from the main room with a door to the toilet and shower. The sink area has a sliding door that you can close in order to have some privacy from the rest of the room which is a nice feature, however, with a small toddler it a potential toy to play with so keep that in mind while staying with little ones.

Barefoot Bay is the centerpiece of the resort, where the island Caribbean Cay, is located. You can access Caribbean Cay by bridge on either side of the island and it is a great shortcut from the main lobby to the Aruba and Jamaica villages of the resort. On Caribbean Cay there is a playground, picnic and seating areas and it is where Movies Under the Stars is enjoyed on select nights.

Views of Epcot's Luminous over Barefoot Bay

Resort Tip: If you aren't in the parks but still want to enjoy fireworks, you can get great views of Epcot's Luminous! If you stand on the bridge from the Aruba / Jamaica villages going to Caribbean Cay or the pier near the main lobby facing Barefoot Bay. Just look towards the skyliner to the left of the Riviera!

Since Disney's Caribbean Beach is a moderate resort, along with having a quick service area called Centertown Market, there is also a restaurant, Sebastian's Bistro. This family style sit down offers delicious food with Caribbean flare and is located right in the main lobby / pool area of the resort. Another food location at the resort is the Spyglass Grill, this quick service is conveniently located for those staying in Trinidad village as it is the furthest away from the main lobby.

The real bonus of staying at this resort is access to the Disney Skyliner. This gondola transportation takes you directly to Epcot when boarding at the Riviera Resort location next to Aruba village. If boarding at the main skyliner station in Caribbean Beach near the Jamaica village the skyliner will take you straight to Hollywood Studios.

You can also use the skyliner stations to travel from one side of the resort to the other or at the main station in Caribbean Beach, hop on a gondola that will take you to Disney's Pop Century and Art of Animation resorts.

Personal Experience

My husband and I have stayed at Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort twice now and both times we've stayed in the Aruba village.

The first time was in 2018 when the resort was undergoing a massive refurbishment, and although there was so much construction going on we just loved the atmosphere and feel of this resort. I knew nothing about the resort at the time and we were placed in Aruba and enjoyed that spot of the resort so much. My husband also proposed on the bridge from Aruba to Caribbean Cay!

Bridge to Caribbean Cay at Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort

The second time we came in 2024 bringing our toddler son for the first time along with friends and family. This time I specifically requested Aruba to be close to the Riviera Resort that is right next door and it's skyliner station. It was amazing being so close to another resort as I would walk over there to grab some coffee at La Petit Café in the morning or just enjoy their Deluxe resort atmosphere. Basically two resorts for the price of one! We also had an amazing character breakfast at Topolino's Terrace which is located at the top of Riviera Resort and I will write about that whole experience in another blog.

Now on the map the resort looks absolutely huge and intimating, I'm here to tell you it's not as bad as it looks! We stayed in Aruba building 55, our walk to the main lobby was about 5 minutes, depending on how often my toddler was distracted and stopped along the way. It was about a 2 minute walk to the Riviera Resort's Skyliner and a few more minutes to the lobby of the Riviera. If you are staying in Trinidad or the very far side of Jamaica next to the Caribbean Beach skyliner station you are going to be a bit further from the main lobby. Google maps says the the walking distance from the furthest room in Trinidad to the main lobby is about 12 minutes and from Jamaica about 10 minutes. The walks around the resort are absolutely beautiful though so it would be a pleasant one!

Our building Aruba 55 and route to the main lobby

We also enjoyed a pool day at the main pool, Fuentes del Morro. Each village also has their own leisure pool as well, but the main pool was only a few minute walk from our room in Aruba. My toddler got to enjoy the Fuentes del Morro water play area at the main pool and absolutely loved it. There is also the Banana Cabana pool bar located near by where you can grab a drink or a quick bite.

Overall I can't say enough how much I love this resort! The theming and overall tropical atmosphere, skyliner access and being so close to the deluxe Disney's Riviera Resort are just some of the unique perks Disney's Caribbean Beach has to offer.