Resort Review: Disney's Caribbean Beach

It's hard to write things like these especially the day after you come home. Disney is a special place for everyone who loves it and it gets harder and harder to leave every time. This past week I had the chance to stay at Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort. The resort is very large getting to resort last Sunday and realizing that where you check in at the Custom House is totally separate from the buildings where you are staying.

Our room was located on the opposite end of the resort from the Custom House in Building 39 of Trinidad South. Disney's Caribbean Beach is split into seven different sections: Jamaica, Aruba, Barbados, Martinique, Old Port Royale, Trinidad North, and Trinidad South. We were in a Pirate Room, Room 3908 to be exact.

The room isn't what we are used to although it was perfect for just the three of us (Mom, Dad, and myself). With my dad being disabled we always need the bathroom to have a walk-in shower with a chair for him. Bathroom was one of the nicest bathrooms in any of the resorts. Only issue was the sliding door seemed to get stuck when closing, not to big of an issue. 

There were two double beds that were made to look like you were sleeping in a literal pirate ships. The dresser looked like large crates ready to hold pirate loot. The refrigerator was inside a large barrel. It was pretty neat. Here are some pictures of the room:

Food, the main pool, and shopping area of the resort are all located in the Old Port Royale section of the resort. It was about a 15 minute walk from Trinidad South. CenterTown has a food court and Shutters Restaurant. We didn't not eat at Shutters but we ate the food court every day for breakfast and once for lunch and once for dinner. The food court had several options for everyone from the usual burgers, chicken nuggets, and pizza to some other pretty cool options. The menu can be quite adventurous especially for someone like me who is extremely picky. 

Tuesday night we didn't have any sit down reservations so we headed back to the resort for dinner before we headed over to Hollywood Studios for Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular. For dinner we all had the baked chicken which came with two sides. I had mine with mashed potatoes and broccoli. My parents had it with rice and broccoli. It was also served with cornbread which was delicious. The meal itself was almost like a table service meal anyway. The other time was yesterday for lunch before we left the resort. I went with the basic Angus Bacon Cheeseburger. Overall, the food was pretty good here and I enjoyed it. 

While I didn't get to go in the pool I did capture some views of the area. This resort is absolutely beautiful. I would stay here again but, I would request somewhere closer to Old Port Royale or even closer to the Custom House. You really do feel like your living life in the Caribbean. Check out some of the amazing shots I captured.

So overall, I really enjoyed my stay at Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort. Despite being so far away being at the opposite end of everything, the size and beauty of the resort made up for everything. The bus transportation to the parks was also pretty amazing. We were lucky enough to not have to wait more than 5 minutes for every bus going to the parks. The room ,although smaller than most of the rooms I've stayed in Disney resorts, really was perfect for the three of us. If people asked me about Disney's Caribbean Beach, I'd say go ahead and book it. I would just tell them request Barbados or even Martinique. I can't wait to see where I stay for my next visit at Disney World. 

Disney Files Patent for Projection Technology in Hotel Rooms

Soon when guests enter their hotel rooms at Disney Parks they will be immersed into an interactive world. The Walt Disney company has filed a patent for projection technology in their hotel rooms that will allows the resort rooms to become an interactive environment, according to the Orlando Business Journal.

Here is the detailed description of the patent filed by Disney:

For instance, right now if one plays a car racing game on a computer, they not only drive the cars, they also hear them, hear other cars, hear the crowd, see fiery crashes, hear the explosions, and the game play is back-grounded by emotional music and the like. If they play with a slot car, they only get to drive a car. There are few sounds, certainly no background music to amp up the emotions. When they play on a screen, the world is completely surrounding and immersive, they only have to move by brain through the frame of the screen bezel and they are into another world. If they play in their room, none of this is true. The goal of the projector with its camera and audio attachments of the display systems described herein is to allow a room, where ever the room is located, to become as immersive as any screen environment or even more so.
To this end, the display system is a device that can be both an input and an output device. On the output side, the display system is a projector of still or animated visual imagery, and the display system may include a speaker or otherwise be capable of sending audio signals to speakers elsewhere in the room. In this way, the display system may provide an audio track to projected imagery to enhance the display and/or gaming experience.

In the patent, it shows that the projection devices can be controlled by everyday electronics such as smartphones, tablets, and a radio-frequency enabled book that will communicate with the devices. This will further enhance the interactivity between the guest and the room. 

Stay tuned for more details on when Disney will start using this new technology in their resort rooms at their parks. 

Fall Room-Only Disney World Discounts Released, Former Walt Disney World Speedway Cars on Ebay, and More

Fall Room-Only Disney World Discounts Released:

Today, Disney World released their Fall savings for their resorts, Room-Only, the offer is called "Fall Room Savings. The booking window is for dates between today July 20th until September 18th. For travel purposes the discount on available dates between October 4 through November 24, and November 28 through December 23. The discount also depends on the travel dates.

For dates Oct 4-10, Oct 16-17, Oct 23-31and November 8-21, 2015:

• Save up to 10% at Select Value Resorts
• Save up to 15% at Select Moderate Resorts
• Save up to 20% at Select Deluxe and Deluxe Villa Resorts

For dates Oct 11-15, Oct 18-22, Nov 1-7, Nov 22-24, and Nov 28 - December 23, 2015:

• Save up to 15% at Select Value Resorts
• Save up to 20% at Select Moderate Resorts
• Save up to 25% at Select Deluxe and Deluxe Villa Resorts

Offer Exclusions include: 3-bedroom villas, campsites, the Villas at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, Disney's Polynesian Villas & Bungalows, Bay Lake Tower at Disney's Contemporary Resort, and the Little Mermaid Standard View Rooms at Disney's Art of Animation.

NASCAR Race Cars Used at Walt Disney World Speedway Sold on Ebay:

NASCAR race cars that were used in the Richard Petty Driving Experience have been sold on Ebay. The racers have been part of the experience since the early 2000's were stripped of their engines and transmissions and were used as retired "rollers" for promos. 

The car was sold for $3,500 and you can view the listing of the vehicle here. The Richard Petty Driving Experience along with the Exotic Driving Experience are now closed. The experiences were supposed to close the speedway later this year but a fatality at the track earlier this year forced them to close earlier. The Walt Disney World Speedway is rumored to become parking lot space for the Magic Kingdom.

Disney's "The Sword in the Stone" to be Remade into Live-Action Film:

It appears as though Disney isn't kidding about how its more than just an animation studio as Hypable is reporting that they are turning another one of their animated classics into a live-action film. Disney's "The Sword in the Stone" is the next film set for live-action with "Game of Thrones" writer Bryan Cogman set to write the script.  The film joins more then a half-dozen other remakes that Disney plans to turn into live-action films. 

"The Sword in the Stone" which was released in 1963 was the final film released before Walt Disney's death. It is the tale of Young King Arthur who was mentored by the famous wizard Merlin. The film is based off of T.H. White's novel which would later become part of White's The Once & Future King. Hypable says,  "its no surprise to see this animated classic getting a live-action remake of its own." 

"Game of Thrones" writer Bryan Cogman will be joined by producer Brigham Taylor. Taylor is also producing Disney's remake of "The Jungle Book."