CBR Transportation Question

[Buttercup]

We are booked at CBR in February for free dining and I've requested a Main Floor room in the Jamaica buildings. (I didn't want preferred and I've heard good things about Jamaica)

I've also heard that a lot of people don't like the giant size of CBR, but we don't mind that at all -- we regularly stay at Fort Wilderness and it's so huge it has it's own bus system. So I have 2 questions regarding the buses at CBR.

1. If we are staying at Jamaica, are we closer to being the first or last of the bus stops around the resort?

2. We will be driving to Florida so we'll have our van at CBR with us. Are the buses such a pain that we'd be better just to drive to the parks ourselves each day? We always have our car with us at WDW but I actually enjoy taking the buses as part of the whole Disney vacation experience... but if the buses are THAT horrible at CBR, just tell me and I'll drive to the parks instead this trip!

[Scar]

1. Depends on which (of 2) entrances the bus comes in. If it comes in the main entrance, then Jamaica is in the middle. If it comes in the back entrance, then Jamaica is the first. Not excatly sure what determines it but I think it has to do with destination so there's always a bus to get to Old Port Royal.

2. Personally, I would drive, with the exception of Epcot at night.

[The Hitchhiking Ghost]

Last time we stayed at CBR we stayed in Jamaica, LOVED it, especially the leisurely walk across the island to the food courts and Port Royale. My rememberance was that the bus wasn't a pain, although it does make I think 7 stops. As another poster mentioned, Jamaica can be first, but I don't recall that happening much.

I believe that I'm correct in the statement that if you are staying on Disney property that you get free parking at each of the parks. That's a big perk in terms of $$ and in saving time. The downside is that in some parks the bus gets you much closer to the entrances (like MK).

We've stopped using rental cars and only rely on the Disney bus/boat transportation system. That said, if I drove down in my own vehicle, my inclination would be to drive to the parks each day. Mornings aren't so bad, but after you've been to the park all day, then to have to wait for a bus, and if there is a long line, it can be a bit frustrating. But if you enjoy the experience, well then you have some really good options.

You will enjoy Jamaica, that I can guarantee.

[Buttercup]

Thanks guys!
Yes, you do get free parking at the parks when you stay at a Disney resort -- we've driven to the parks on occasion in the past. I might be weird but I sort-of *like* taking the bus... I think of it like a little Disney ride! ha ha ha

You're probably right though, driving might be more convenient this year if we're staying at CBR. Can I ask, Scar why you don't drive to Epcot in the evening? We've done it before and never found it to be a problem... but maybe I'm missing something?

[Scar]

Scar why you don't drive to Epcot in the evening? We've done it before and never found it to be a problem... but maybe I'm missing something?

You're missing the beer.

[Buttercup]

Ahhhhhhhh..... I gotcha! I thought it was something more sinister like there are lots of bad guys roaming the parking lots at Epcot at night! ha ha ha
Speaking of sinister... the $8.00 price tag on beer at Epcot...

[Ms. Mode]

Even with the bus stopping at every "country" it still moves through the resort pretty fast.

[CleveRocks]

Buses for Magic Kingdom and buses for Downtown Disney start at Martinique. All other buses start at Jamaica.

As far as walking distance from Old Port Royale from NON-preferred location villages, there's no such thing as a perfect village to request. I'll try to explain this as briefly as possible, using a totally made-up "one to ten" scale, where 1 is as close as possible to OPR and 10 is as far away as possible.

There is one building in Jamaica, #45, that I'd rate as a 1 ... it's as close as you can get to OPR. But there is another building in Jamaica, #41, that is quite literally as far away from OPR as you can get (not including the Pirate rooms in the Trinidad South village, but let's ignore those rooms for the purposes of this discussion).

Aruba is in the same boat. #51 rates a 1, #56 rates a 10.

Then you take Barbados. Barbados has no rooms that rate a 1, but it also has no rooms that rate a 10 ... all of Barbados' buildings are in the 4 - 6 range.

So really, it comes down to your personality. If you request Jamaica or Aruba, you COULD hit the jackpot and get a room as closse as you can get. But in those same villages, you can also be very far away (relatively speaking). If you request Barbados, you know you can't hit the jackpot because it has no "close" rooms, but you also know you can't get unlucky and get stuck with a "far" room, either.

So like I said, it comes down to personality ... gamble on the best room with the possibility of getting the worst, or take the sure middle-of-the-road bet to ensure you won't get the worst but knowing you have no chance at the best.

Speaking of odds and gambling, let me throw Martinique into the mix. Half of Martinique's 6 buildings are preferred location, which of course means that half of its buildings are NOT preferred location. Martinique building #22 is EXACTLY the same distance from OPR as Aruba 51 and Jamaica 45. This means that the other two non-preferred Martinique buildings are relatively close, as well. But requesting Martinique has only half the amount of standard rooms as the other villages do, which means you're only half as likely to get your request met by getting a room there.

Am I over-thinking this? YOU BET! But for a Disney geek like me, it's fun to think about all of this!

[And by the way, I wasn't guessing at the walkiing distance stuff. A while ago, I measaured EXACT walking distances from all of those buildings using a runners' website that uses satellite photos to measure running routes. Aruba 51, Jamaica 45 and Martinique 22 are EXACTLY the same distance to OPR, and when I say exactly, I mean down to the same one-hundredth of a mile (two decimal places).]

[Gator]

Whoa, that was a long one Don't worry about the bus transport system. It runs really well at that resort regardless of which building you're in.

As far as the size of the resort, being to big and all, I don't see what the big whoop is. It's so well designed and landscaped, you'll enjoy walking any distance to Port Royale.

I'm with you about liking the bus ride. Sure, waiting is a bummer, and it can get a bit crowded, but I hate having to find my way in new towns. Riding the bus is an escape for me, cus I don't have figure out how to get "there". Plus, I like meeting new people, and you can't do that in your own car.

[GoofyforFun]

We never had a problem with waiting for buses to and from the resorts for CBR.. We would use our TS for the breakfast at the food court ( very Good) and then catch the bus just outside ..very convenient we all enjoyed (7). never a long wait for any resort.

[Pirate Granny]

My favorite is AnY bldg. Waking up, going for oatmeal and a cup of tea, and a long peaceful walk around the water and the closest hammock to our room...pure heaven