Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort

CONCEPT ART: First Look at New Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort, Shutters, Centertown Market, Banana Cabana Lounge, Lobby, ETC.

WDWNT on December 11, 2017

Hiding in the hallway to the restrooms in the Customs House, guests will now find several pieces of concept art for the reimagined Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort, a massive project scheduled to be completed by Late Summer 2018. The Old Port Royale Food Court, Shutters, Banana Cabana Pool Bar, and Calypso Trading Post at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort all closed May 1st, 2017 to begin the project.

The board features nine pieces of concept art that we have not seen before. Sadly, Spy Glass Grille was not included.

A reimagined outdoor courtyard area should be rather pleasant to stroll around.

The new new food court, Centertown Market, will feature indoor and outdoor seating. It will take up most of the space that was the old Shutters restaurant.

The interior will be quite the departure from the old look.

The Porte Cochere and lobby are moving to Old Port Royale, with the Customs House set to be demolished once the new check-in area is complete.

It should be nice to finally have everything in one building here.

The lobby cuts through what was the Calypso Trading Post store.

Shutters is moving to an entirely new location on the waterfront which should offer fantastic views. Banana Cabana Lounge will act as the bar for the dining venue.

The interior of Shutters does leave a little to be desired as the exterior is just way more vibrant.

The interior of Banana Cabana looks pretty fun.

The reimagined Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort is set to open Late Summer 2018, with the Disney Skyliner and adjacent Disney’s Riviera Resort (also part of this project) coming online sometime after that.

To relive what Centertown Old Port Royale once was, be sure to check out our tour of the area from just before it closed:

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New Spy Glass Grille Restaurant at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort Set to Open in Early 2018

WDWNT on December 1, 2017

Since the massive overhaul of Old Port Royale’s Centertown began a few months back at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort, details have been scarce on exactly what the new dining options would be when they opened next year. Disney is now posting job opportunities at the new eateries, set to open in early 2018, providing some information on the new resort counter service location called Spy Glass Grille.

While details on Spy Glass Grille are scarce, we know that it will feature Coca-Cola Freestyle machines and Disney is currently only looking for existing cast members to fill the roles at the new location. The Spy Glass Grille name had not been previously announced. The venue is rumored to be located between the pool and the beach at Trinidad South within the resort.

While no details are available yet, new table service venues, bars, lounges, and shopping venues will also be a part of the new complex when it is completed sometime next year.

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Caribbean Beach Resort Introduces Breakfast and Dinner Buffet for Hotel Guests

WDWNT on May 18, 2017

Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort is now offering a breakfast and dinner buffet (called the Centertown Buffet) while extensive work is done to the existing Old Port Royale restaurants.

Centertown Buffet is for Caribbean Beach resort guests only. Supposedly, cast members will scan MagicBands to verify that guests are staying at the resort.

For breakfast, adult meals cost $13.99, and children 3-9 cost $7.99. For dinner, adults cost $20.99, and children 3-9 cost $11.99. Both breakfast and dinner will use one Quick Service dining credit for those on the plan. Breakfast buffet hours are between 6:30AM-11:30 M, and dinner buffet hours are between 5:00PM–10:00PM.

The breakfast buffet includes:

Scrambled Eggs
Potato Casserole
Bacon
Sausage
Carved Breakfast Ham with Spiced Pineapple Glaze
“Gold Doubloon” Pancakes
Buttermilk Pancakes with Assorted Toppings and flavored syrups
Island Crêpes in Warm Dried Fruit Compote
Biscuits and Gravy
Warm Buttery Biscuits with Sausage Gravy
Stone Ground Grits drizzled with Florida Honey
Mini Vegetable and Cheese Frittatas
Fruit and Yogurt Station
Assorted Seasonal fresh and Dried Fruits
Plain and flavored Yogurts
House-made Granola
Selection of Mini Pastries, Donuts, and Bagels

The dinner buffet includes:

Island Conch Chowder
Curried Pasta and Vegetable Salad
Iceberg House Salad with Assorted Dressings
Sweet Island Slaw with Mango, Cabbage, and Papaya
Carved and Sliced Meats Mojo-roasted Pork
Citrus-brined Turkey Breast
Sugar-glazed Ham
Jerk-spiced BBQ Chicken
Curried Shrimp
Sustainable Fish with Chutney
Glazed Mahi-Mahi
Penne Pasta with Assorted Sauces
Breaded Chicken Breast Nuggets
Assortment of fresh Sliced Fruits
Coconut Rice Pudding
Chocolate Rum Cake
Lemon Cream
Roasted Pineapple Cheesecake
Brownies, Cookies
Rice Krispies Treats
Dinner Rolls
Sweet Corn Muffins
Island Rice
Black Beans
Macaroni & Cheese
Braised Collard Greens
Mashed Potatoes
Buttered Broccoli
Sweet Corn
Specialty Vegetable Medley

RUMOR: 10-Story Tower, Waterfront Dining, and More Changes Coming to Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort

WDWNT on March 6, 2017

While Coronado Springs has stolen a lot of the thunder with the announcement of a 15 story tower and massive expansion, the far-longer-rumored expansion of Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort is beginning as well, but Disney is saying very little on the project…

Also during this exciting time, Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort will be reimagined with new additions to the resort’s current marketplace, Centertown, including new waterfront dining and retail shopping areas. This centralized location will offer the resort’s guests more convenient access to services, amenities and dining.

This doesn’t really tell you a whole lot about the overall project. Why? Well, it would be kind of hard to sell the Copper Creek Villas at Wilderness Lodge (which aren’t even on sale yet) when people know that another Disney Vacation Club Resort is on the way.

The following information comes from cast members at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort and is in no way official as of yet. This is simply what they are being told at this time.

The expansion of Old Port Royale that begins May 1st and runs through Summer 2018 will reportedly include moving the Shutters table service restaurant onto the waterfront and will include a new bar and lounge. Small grab and go locations are also being constructed elsewhere around the resort, including one in Trinidad South. The counter service location and shop space inside of Old Port Royale will be completely reimagined during this process.

Other pieces of the project include the demolition of the Customs House and the move of all important guest facilities to Old Port Royale as well. A centralized pathway system over the water (similar to another facet of the Coronado project) is also planned to allow guests an easier way to traverse the large resort.

Of course, the focus of the project will be a new, 10-story tower with 600 guest rooms that will make up the Disney Vacation Club wing of the resort. This and the rumored gondola system are yet to be announced, and knowing DVC, it could be a while until they are formally. The tower should also have a rooftop dining restaurant similar to the one being constructed at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort.

Hopefully Disney will come forward with more information soon, but in the meantime, guests staying at Caribbean Beach should keep in mind that it will be a “war zone” in there starting this May. Guests are being compensated with $75 gift cards per night until the Old Port Royale project is completed.

VIDEO: Coronado Tower, Transportation, The Fanily Feud and More on WDW News Tonight

WDWNT on February 23, 2017

Last night on WDW News Tonight…

The Coronado and Caribbean are expanding! Our staff gives some thoughts
The alternate entrance walkway closes at Hollywood Studios
Tom talks about the Oscars for the sole reason of getting one overused joke into the show
We can’t do a show without a little Guardians and AVATAR talk
Is Celebration at the Top a worthy event?
We continue our discussion about the state of transportation at WDW
“The Wonderful World of Psychotic Comments presented by The WDWNT Inner Globe Society
We play the Fanily Feud presented by Theme Park Connection

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Hosted by radio veterans and life-long Disney fans Tom Corless and Nick LoCicero, WDW News Tonight is a live, weekly, audio and video program presented on 105.5 FM, 660 AM, and AM 1520 WBZW in Orlando, Florida, as well as online at WDWNewsTonight.com every Wednesday from 9-11pm EST. The show covers the Walt Disney World Resort and other Disney news. The show combines the latest headlines, comedy, trending vacation topics, call in games, and in-depth discussions to bring Disney fans a one-of-a-kind 2-hour program covering the Disney Parks. While the show is being live-streamed in both audio and video, listeners and viewers also interact via a live chat online. The show is also available on demand as an audio download, online audio stream and can be watched live or recorded on YouTube.

RUMOR: Skyway Gondola Transportation System Between Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios to be Constructed

WDWNT on February 16, 2017

This one is a bit wacky, but according to recent permits filed by the Walt Disney World, it seems that a Skyway-type gondola transportation system may be installed to transport guests between Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios (as well as a few resort hotels in between).

If you think Skyway systems are out of date, think again. New York City still utilizes such a system to and from Roosevelt Island and has proposed an additional system for the future, seen here.

If the buildings on the permits are indeed for stations, the system would include stops at Epcot’s International Gateway, Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort, a shared station at the Pop Century and Art of Animation Resorts, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios. See our illustration below:

The rumored route, stops and turns of Walt Disney World’s new Skyway system.

It’s no secret that Disney will not build a monorail expansion for cost and efficiency reasons, so would they build this instead? The timing seems right with the massive expansion work at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and soon-to-commence at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort. The stations and turns are in spaces not currently used by any other structures or infrastructure.

The original Skyway attraction once operated at the Magic Kingdom park from 1971 until 1999. This new system would likely include much larger, enclosed gondolas, however (similar to the New York system pictured at the top of the article). It would be nice to have the Skyway back at Walt Disney World, in name at least. A modern homage to a classic Disney attraction that would now serve a real transportation purpose for many a guest.

The original Magic Kingdom Skyway

We will keep you in the loop as more information on this rumored project becomes available.

Our thanks to the group of Disney World fans who pieced together this information!

CONFIRMED: Permits Filed for Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort Vacation Club Wing & Expansion

WDWNT on January 29, 2017

Permits have finally been filed for the rumored Disney Vacation Club wing and expansion of Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort. We first reported of these additions and changes in June of 2016.

The permits show the large, multi-story building that will likely be part of the Disney Vacation Club wing, as well as 6 other new structures, some replacing the existing Barbados Village. There is also a series of roadway and waterway improvements planned as well.

The project is set to begin construction this year and be completed by 2019.

Tag: Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort