Cabana Bay! New Universal Hotel in 2014!!!

[RMulieri]

As a family of five who was cringing at the US resort prices, we're also interested in this option but trying to decide if the Express Pass is worth the extra money. We'll be going at a semi-busy time (our spring break but a couple weeks before Easter). We will be mainly focused on HPW and will be taking advantage of early entry. I went to US a couple years ago in the off-season and everything was basically walk-on all morning, but I'm guessing Islands of Adventure is never like that thanks to Harry.

and US wont be empty anymore once the HP expansion is done

 

[damo]

and US wont be empty anymore once the HP expansion is done

Transformers is going to be a big boost as well.

 

[macraven]

We often arrive late and need a cheaper hotel for the first night so we can hop over to an onsite hotel first thing in the morning. I'd rather stay at the Cabana Bay for that first night than stay at one of the hotels on Major Blvd.

the past years, i have come in to rph from the motherland resorts.

i looked at the site for the new 4th hotel rates for my next years darkside stay.
it looks like $100 + tax for one night for me.

if i didn't switch over from the motherland stay, but came direct from the hotel, i believe i would still do the entire stay at rph.

the 4th hotel is cheap but i'd just live with one check in at rph.

 

[tiggerguy2000]

I can see on the map that it would be the furthest away from citiwalk and the park entrance.it would be nice if they would have another entrance from the new resorts into island of adventure.The problems I see for universal is park expansion which could hurt them later but they seem to get rid and start new with rides so who knows...

 

[Hooked On The Mouse]

The theming has zero appeal for me personally, but I'm sure there will be a big market for this hotel, especially with the early park access. I think the idea of a Harry Potter themed hotel is great though. I would be quite happy to pay deluxe prices for that, and I'm sure there are thousands of others worldwide who would be happy to pay for that as well. Imo the Universal "deluxes" like Portofino are nicer than some of the Disney deluxes.

 

[DCTooTall]

I can see on the map that it would be the furthest away from citiwalk and the park entrance.it would be nice if they would have another entrance from the new resorts into island of adventure.The problems I see for universal is park expansion which could hurt them later but they seem to get rid and start new with rides so who knows...

I'm wondering if they might consider reworking and opening up the little turn-around off the side of the IOA front gate for use with a shuttle for this resort. http://maps.google.com/?ll=28.471167,-81.467459&spn=0.00274,0.003503&t=h&z=18

I'm not sure if the space or it's existing usage would allow the repurpose... but it is closer to the resort side and would save the onsite guests the walk/bag check bottleneck at the hub where the current taxi and shuttle dropoff location is.

The theming has zero appeal for me personally, but I'm sure there will be a big market for this hotel, especially with the early park access. I think the idea of a Harry Potter themed hotel is great though. I would be quite happy to pay deluxe prices for that, and I'm sure there are thousands of others worldwide who would be happy to pay for that as well. Imo the Universal "deluxes" like Portofino are nicer than some of the Disney deluxes.

SOME Disney Deluxes? I'm curious to know which Disney Deluxe you think actually has anywhere near true "deluxe" level accommodations.

 

[macraven]

i've heard that rumor about a shuttle bus from the 4th hotel to the parks.

 

[DCTooTall]

i've heard that rumor about a shuttle bus from the 4th hotel to the parks.

I'd say it's not so much a rumor at this point, but a question on what qualifies as a Shuttle Bus.

https://www.universalorlando.com/Hotels/Hotel-Comparison.aspx

The new hotel has a checkmark (along with the existing hotels) next to the section labeled "Shuttle busses and walking paths to both parks and Citywalk").

It does not have the checkmark next to the "water Taxi" section... so obviously they are not expanding the canal to the new hotel.

 

[Disney Holic]

Having never stayed onsite at any of the Universal Hotels, just wondering how often the free scheduled transport to SeaWorld/Aquatica might be?

We will definitely be staying at the Cabana Bay for a few nights when we first arrive at the end of October 2014, we can't afford the other hotels and I am not bothered about the Express Passes as the parks will be quiet, but do want early entry to WWoHP. Though a very long time ago I read a rumour that Express Passes might be available to be bought at a discounted price if staying there.

However, we might stay an extra night there and visit Aquatica or SeaWorld before we collect our hire car and move to the townhouse we are booking for afterwards.

Also, what is the latest on when Diagon Alley etc is likely to be open, last I heard nothing was official about this, but been out of circulation for a few weeks.

 

[damo]

Having never stayed onsite at any of the Universal Hotels, just wondering how often the free scheduled transport to SeaWorld/Aquatica might be?

We will definitely be staying at the Cabana Bay for a few nights when we first arrive at the end of October 2014, we can't afford the other hotels and I am not bothered about the Express Passes as the parks will be quiet, but do want early entry to WWoHP. Though a very long time ago I read a rumour that Express Passes might be available to be bought at a discounted price if staying there.

However, we might stay an extra night there and visit Aquatica or SeaWorld before we collect our hire car and move to the townhouse we are booking for afterwards.

Also, what is the latest on when Diagon Alley etc is likely to be open, last I heard nothing was official about this, but been out of circulation for a few weeks.

As it is now, there are only one or two trips to SeaWorld in the morning, depending on how busy it is. Only one time leaving at the end of the day.

Diagon Alley is rumoured for end of 2014 to early to mid 2015.

 

[macraven]

I'd say it's not so much a rumor at this point, but a question on what qualifies as a Shuttle Bus.

https://www.universalorlando.com/Hotels/Hotel-Comparison.aspx

The new hotel has a checkmark (along with the existing hotels) next to the section labeled "Shuttle busses and walking paths to both parks and Citywalk").

It does not have the checkmark next to the "water Taxi" section... so obviously they are not expanding the canal to the new hotel.

i'm guessing no water taxi.
looks like a pedestrian bridge will be built for the guests at Cabana Bay.

The Orlando City Council passed a vote this week that would allow the city to spend $4.5 million to build a new pedestrian bridge near Universal Studios. The bridge would connect the theme park with its newest hotel, Cabana Bay Resort, opening in March of 2014. This bridge has been quite a source of contention in the city since the plans were announced. Opposition to the funding is upset that the bridge will primarily be used for Universal hotel guests, even though the city is paying for it. Cabana Bay will be located on Kirkman Road and the bridge will span Hollywood Way, allowing hotel guests to avoid the busy road.

This bridge is part of a larger $9 million investment on the city’s part, that would also include making enhancements to Hollywood Way and Adventure Way. City commissioners say "it's critical to support companies like Universal that bring jobs and drive tourism, and the $9 million would come from a fund specifically set aside to make transportation improvements in the Universal area, money that essentially can’t be spent on anything else."

 

[disneyred]

I may be clueless but what is the reasoning for excluding the express line benefit for patrons staying here?

 

[macraven]

I may be clueless but what is the reasoning for excluding the express line benefit for patrons staying here?

the CB will be more of a value hotel not a deluxe one.

either peeps stay onsite or stay offsite for an UO vacation.
when you stay off site you then have to deal with transportation to the parks.
at CB, that won't be an issue. it will be walkable.

the onsite hotels are deluxe and have the amenities.
the hotel perks are one thing that draws people to stay onsite.
it also helps to keep their occupancy level in the range they need it to be.

the value onsite hotel will have lower rates, larger rooms for more families but not all the hotel perks.

i think it is a good thing Universal is doing more to bring guests into the parks with the new hotel. More families will be able to come and enjoy the fun things in the parks then.


a person can stay onsite at the motherland or offsite.
those onsite are able to take in more of the disney activities.
those staying offsite do not get all the amenities but still do the motherland and have a ball.
staying off site at either resorts can be cheaper but take longer to get to.

 

[DCTooTall]

I may be clueless but what is the reasoning for excluding the express line benefit for patrons staying here?

the CB will be more of a value hotel not a deluxe one.

either peeps stay onsite or stay offsite for an UO vacation.
when you stay off site you then have to deal with transportation to the parks.
at CB, that won't be an issue. it will be walkable.

the onsite hotels are deluxe and have the amenities.
the hotel perks are one thing that draws people to stay onsite.
it also helps to keep their occupancy level in the range they need it to be.

the value onsite hotel will have lower rates, larger rooms for more families but not all the hotel perks.

i think it is a good thing Universal is doing more to bring guests into the parks with the new hotel. More families will be able to come and enjoy the fun things in the parks then.


a person can stay onsite at the motherland or offsite.
those onsite are able to take in more of the disney activities.
those staying offsite do not get all the amenities but still do the motherland and have a ball.
staying off site at either resorts can be cheaper but take longer to get to.

Like Mac said, It's one way for Universal to Differenciate between the perks/amenties of staying at one of their existing "Deluxe" level hotels, and this new cheaper Value/Moderate level hotel.


There is also a very simple and valid logistical reason too....

With the current 3 deluxe hotels, You have approximately 2400 rooms, with a theoretical capacity of 9600 people. (a few more however if you put 5 in some of the rooms which will allow 5 people per room).

The New hotel, by itself, is going to have 1800 rooms, or 3/4 of the total existing room numbers of the 3 existing onsite hotel. 1/2 of those rooms will be "Family Suites" that will accommodate 6 people per room. So the total capacity of the new resort is approximately 9000 people.

Or in simpler terms... You would almost be doubling the number of guests the Express system would need to support if you gave the same benefit to the guests of the new hotel. Based off the way the Express benefit is currently designed and operated, It's highly likely that if they added that many new express users to the system the system would become overloaded and either negatively impact the standby lines or remove the benefit of using the Express benefit. So the decision to not offer the new guests the Express Benefit was probabley made (or highly influenced) by the simple desire to keep the Express system working as it is now and to not ruin the good thing they have run successfully for years.



And going into purely speculative mode:

With the 1800 onsite room increase, I'm actually thinking that once this resort comes fully online, that we will see Universal phase out the existing Partner Hotel system. The Early entry benefit offered at the new hotel is similar to the one given to Partner Hotel Packages, so removing the Partner Hotels could result in not much impact to the early entry numbers after the new hotel opens.

Universal would also, with it's price point, be able to move a large number of those guests from offsite "partner" locations to the new onsite location, where Universal would stand to make much more of a profit off those guests thru getting all the nightly stay revenue (instead of just the partner hotel kickback), as well as having them in a better position to spend money in the parks (hotel package delivery), spend money at a late night at Citywalk (easier to get from the hotel to the entertainment/restaurants at Citywalk), and making it easier to keep the guests completely onsite for their meals (parks, resorts, and citywalk). There is also the branding advantages of being able to control more of the guest's "Universal Vacation Experience" at an onsite hotel, instead of having a large part of it out of their control when the guest is dealing with the Holiday Inn.

 

[macraven]

And going into purely speculative mode:

With the 1800 onsite room increase, I'm actually thinking that once this resort comes fully online, that we will see Universal phase out the existing Partner Hotel system. The Early entry benefit offered at the new hotel is similar to the one given to Partner Hotel Packages, so removing the Partner Hotels could result in not much impact to the early entry numbers after the new hotel opens.

Universal would also, with it's price point, be able to move a large number of those guests from offsite "partner" locations to the new onsite location, where Universal would stand to make much more of a profit off those guests thru getting all the nightly stay revenue (instead of just the partner hotel kickback), as well as having them in a better position to spend money in the parks (hotel package delivery), spend money at a late night at Citywalk (easier to get from the hotel to the entertainment/restaurants at Citywalk), and making it easier to keep the guests completely onsite for their meals (parks, resorts, and citywalk). There is also the branding advantages of being able to control more of the guest's "Universal Vacation Experience" at an onsite hotel, instead of having a large part of it out of their control when the guest is dealing with the Holiday Inn.

i had the same thought when they announced CB.
off site hotel packages could bite the dust.....


people that just want one or two nights onsite, would be better off at CB.
no car rental or taxis needed to travel from hotel to the parks/cw.


think the next step will be direct transportation from ORD to UO hotels.

 

[Metro West]

Here's a shot of the construction on Cabana Bay Beach Resort. I only got one shot today due to a Mears bus being in between me and the construction.

This is out of the car window.

The sign on Turkey Lake Road:

 

[AlexandNessa]

Thanks for the pictures, Todd! My sentiment is still "yuck!" but it is nice to see the progress.

 

[martymcflyy85]

Thanks for the pictures, Todd! My sentiment is still "yuck!" but it is nice to see the progress.

I agree. I don't understand this theme. But I'm very interested in the lazy river.

 

[DCTooTall]

I agree. I don't understand this theme. But I'm very interested in the lazy river.

How is it hard to understand the theme? Just looking at the concept art it's hard to not notice the "60's motor Lodge" theme/style, From the room decor, to the Building design, and even the huge "Dive Platform" feature by the pools.


IMHO, It's a much more cohesive, thought out, and less tacky theme than sticking a bunch of 20ft props around a generic Motel 6 style building to create the theme.

 

[tinkerdorabelle]

I really do not understand this at all. Am I getting this correct, you don't get the front of the line access or fast pass, the way you do with the other Universal hotels? Why stay there then, I don't understand it. Disney has their value hotels, and they still offer many of the same perks that their higher end hotels offer, just at a lower price per room. I personally will NEVER stay there if it doesn't at least allow the fast pass option, NEVER. Very, Very, Very disappointed!