Cabana Bay Review - Oct. 2016

[twocat]

I stayed 2 nights at Cabana Bay in a Courtyard Poolside Family Suite (10/30-11/1) and 2 nights at Sapphire Falls in a Standard Room (11/1-11/3). I travelled solo and had my own car. What follows is, I hope, a helpful review. Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures but there are many out there, including the ones in the Resorts topics on this forum.

My Sapphire Falls review can be located here: http://www.disboards.com/threads/sapphire-falls-review-nov-2016.3558942/


Cabana Bay Courtyard Poolside Family Suite

​

Living room
With the Courtyard rooms, your door opens from the exterior corridor into the living area. There are 2 comfortable chairs, a loveseat and end table and 2 mini tables in front of the loveseat. There is also a 40 inch (I'm pretty sure it was 40 inches) television on the credenza directly across from the 2 chairs.

In addition, there is a cute kitchenette with microwave, sink, shelving and larger than average fridge along with 2 bar stools extending from a little island.

Np matter how they tout this I can't even imagine how 6 people could be in this room. 4 would be fine if 2 are adults and 2 are small children.

Bedroom
There are 2 very comfortable beds. I'm not sure if they were queens or full since I was sleeping alone it didn't really matter to me. There's another 40 inch tv mounted on the wall. Very limited drawer space; access to 2 drawers from the bedroom and 2 drawers from the living room credenza. Closet was small but adequate.
There is a sliding door that separates the living area from the bedrooms.

Bath Area
The bathroom is broken up into 3 distinct areas within the bedroom area; toilet with a closing door, shower and sink with a closing door and a sink that is open to the bedroom. Water pressure in the shower was barely adequate but no worse than most hotels. Lighting in all rooms was good. I like the little night lights on the light switches. And the VO5 shampoo and conditioner were a cute touch and the products themselves were not half bad!

Parking

Parking is $12 per night. The Courtyard rooms all have exterior corridors. I liked this because my car was close to my room. What I didn't like is that parking was at a premium. The resort was nowhere near being full and the 2 buildings perpendicular to the lobby were jammed. The back building (Thunderbird I think) seems to have much more parking. The entire time I was there, my room card never worked to let me in or out of the resort gate. I had to press the button for assistance , give my room number and they let the gate up.

Pools

The Courtyard pool has the water slide. The Tower pool has the Lazy river.

I loved the Lazy river. It was bigger than I expected; it took a good 10 minutes to go the whole route. You can buy tubes there and the attendant is happy to blow them up and deflate them when you're done for the day. I brought my own and he was very happy to inflate and deflate my float. Other than the Lazy River the pool was fine. Didn't get a drink at the pool bar. There is a great deal of construction going on in this area; Volcano Bay and new Towers (I think). You saw a bit of it cruising the Lazy River and was very apparent while sitting at the pool.

I really like the Courtyard pool. Plenty of seating, close to my room, nice bar area (Margarita $9). Seemed a bit quieter than the Tower pool but that may just be me. There's a Coke Freestyle machine near the bar for refillable mugs.

Plenty of lounge chairs in both pool areas.

Food

The Starbucks opens at 6 am which is great when the early open park opens at 7. The food court doesn't open until 7. I had a kid breakfast (scrambled eggs, 2 sausage links and a biscuit for $6) and was perfectly satisfied. Last night there, I ordered a pizza from the food court ($11) and it was...meh...food court pizza.

Overall, food looked really good and fresh. Salad bar, yogurt bar. Grab and go at reasonable prices. This is a really good food court.

I do really miss a full service restaurant though.


Transportation

Okay this is where i hate CB. The only option is the buses. And the buses are FABULOUS. I never had to wait for more than 5 minutes for a bus. It's when you get off the bus is when it all goes awry.

The problem with the buses is they let you off where everyone entering Universal has to go through security. This can be a madhouse since everyone who is coming from the parking garage has to go this same security.

Once you get through security you have about a half mile (via my GPS) walk to get to an entrance to a park. You've got to work the entire length of Citywalk. If you were staying at a resort with boat service you have a few hundred yards to get to a park

Random Thoughts

The big draw to the Tower rooms are the indoor corridors. Decide for yourself if that is important.
I'd take a Courtyard room for parking, outdoor corridors.

I hated the buses from Cabana Bay with the long walk through Citywalk.

I would stay here again in a heartbeat BUT, only in a Courtyard Family Suite. Poolside wouldn't matter much but the Family Suite was fabulous. This is a great resort if you have no plans to go to a park as there's enough to do and the vibe is fun and relaxed. It goes to the top of my list for an inexpensive 2 night getaway to Orlando.

Gosh, That's all I can think of for the moment. I'll post my Sapphire Falls review shortly.


I hope this is helpful. I will try to answer any questions.

 

[macraven]

Such a well written report in the hotel

I am sure many will find this very helpful!

 

[smallworldnh]

Thank you for your review! We will be staying there for the first time next September and I found your comments interesting and helpful!

 

[dreynolds1982]

Thanks for the review! I'm staying there for one night next Wednesday.

Would you recommend the Garden Walk then, rather than the buses? From what I understand it's not a terribly long walk (15 mins) and it brings you into City Walk next to Margaritaville which would presumably avoid the security bottleneck you're talking about.

Also, is the Starbucks there a regular Starbucks, in that do they have the breakfast sandwiches, bagels, etc., or is it just coffee?

 

[twocat]

Thanks for the review! I'm staying there for one night next Wednesday.

Would you recommend the Garden Walk then, rather than the buses? From what I understand it's not a terribly long walk (15 mins) and it brings you into City Walk next to Margaritaville which would presumably avoid the security bottleneck you're talking about.

Also, is the Starbucks there a regular Starbucks, in that do they have the breakfast sandwiches, bagels, etc., or is it just coffee?

Hmm, tough call on the walk as I didn't do it. At some point you are going to have to be run through security no matter what mode of transportation you use. When taking the boat from Citywalk to Portofino Bay (I was resort hopping to check things out) I think I saw a security area just as you entered the Citywalk area near the water. I don't remember if it was by Margaritaville though. There was no one there waiting to be checked through security.

My main issue with the buses versus the boats wasn't so much the security but the relatively long walk from the where the bus let you off and the entrance to the actual 2 parks. Close to a half mile. Short by Disney standards but still something to consider.

The Starbucks at CB was a full service Starbucks. Prices were the same as any other Starbucks. $4 for a breakfast sandwich although I didn't get a beverage the prices were Starbucks prices, not Theme Park prices. Loved that they were open at 6 am!

 

[macraven]

Security check are at the hotel boat docks

Or using the walking path from rpr , SF or Cbay, security check is right before the end of margarittavile

 

[TommyJK]

Looking at a map I measure the distance from bus drop off to the front gate being about a 1/4 mile. I never found the walk to be all that long.

Next time I go to CB I'm gonna try the walk across the street to SF and try out their water taxi.

I absolutely LOVE that CB has a full-on Starbucks in it. We'd always grab some quick breakfast sandwiches and a coffee before heading out to the parks

 

[ExpatDisneyLover]

I will be staying end of this month. Is there a way to walk to Sapphire Falls from Cabana Bay and then take the water transportation from there? This is what I was thinking I would do - don't mind walking.

 

[twocat]

Yes, there's a very easy walk.

Exit the Lobby at Cabana Bay and walk down the small hill to the stoplight.
Cross at the stoplight into the Sapphire Falls driveway and walk up the hill to the lobby.
From the lobby, just ask where the water taxi is located. It will be on the first floor (Lobby is on the 4th floor).
If you head towards Guest House/Tower 3 and get on the elevator to the first floor you'll be right near the water taxi.

I believe there is an actual walkway from CB to the parks but I'm thinking it's a fairly long trek. Water taxis are the way to go.

 

[ExpatDisneyLover]

Yes, there's a very easy walk.

Exit the Lobby at Cabana Bay and walk down the small hill to the stoplight.
Cross at the stoplight into the Sapphire Falls driveway and walk up the hill to the lobby.
From the lobby, just ask where the water taxi is located. It will be on the first floor (Lobby is on the 4th floor).
If you head towards Guest House/Tower 3 and get on the elevator to the first floor you'll be right near the water taxi.

I believe there is an actual walkway from CB to the parks but I'm thinking it's a fairly long trek. Water taxis are the way to go.

Thanks!

 

[twocat]

Looking at a map I measure the distance from bus drop off to the front gate being about a 1/4 mile. I never found the walk to be all that long.

Next time I go to CB I'm gonna try the walk across the street to SF and try out their water taxi.

I absolutely LOVE that CB has a full-on Starbucks in it. We'd always grab some quick breakfast sandwiches and a coffee before heading out to the parks

Well, I used the GPS on the Map My Fitness App on my phone and it was over 4/10ths of a mile to the entrance to IoA. YMMV.

I loved the Starbucks, too. Great breakfast sandwiches to grab and go and so reasonably priced.

 

[pigletto]

We just returned yesterday and I can say I agree with every single thing in your review with one exception. I didn't hate the bus drop off point.. I just didn't like it all that much . We actually preferred the walk in the mornings, and to take the buses back to the resort when we were done a full day at the parks and just too tired to walk anymore. We were on the backside of the back building in the Courtyard section and far prefer that side of the resort for the quick walk to the walkway, the pool on that side, and being close to our rental car.
My kids (19 and 12) have stayed here three times now and declared it their favourite onsite resort. They've stayed at RPR five times and Portifino Bay once. They don't even care about giving up express pass (though the parks were not that busy). They love the cheery theme, the diner, the amenities, the pools etc. And these are kids that would rather not go to Disney than stay in a Disney value resort.. so that's saying something.

It was an awesome visit for us yet again. So awesome in fact that we upgraded to Seasonal AP's and are picking our 2017 travel dates this week !

 

[RalphinSC]

Thank you for this review! Helps in deciding to book CBBR for my stay in February.

 

[pigletto]

Thank you for this review! Helps in deciding to book CBBR for my stay in February.

We just returned in October and are booked again for May! We have an August trip to Disney and we were just going to tack on two days at Universal, but we had enough flight credit/points left after an incident (long story) for free flights, have AP's, and tacked a few days on to a four day weekend so our son isn't missing much school. So it's off to Cabana Bay for a week in May. We will only eat one meal a day out of the room, and plan to use the kitchenette for breakfasts /lunches/snacks. This is going to be a very cheap trip and we are so excited to go back again. Cabana Bay has become our Universal home.

 

[SwanVT2]

I stayed 2 nights at Cabana Bay in a Courtyard Poolside Family Suite (10/30-11/1) and 2 nights at Sapphire Falls in a Standard Room (11/1-11/3). I travelled solo and had my own car. What follows is, I hope, a helpful review. Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures but there are many out there, including the ones in the Resorts topics on this forum.

My Sapphire Falls review can be located here: http://www.disboards.com/threads/sapphire-falls-review-nov-2016.3558942/


Cabana Bay Courtyard Poolside Family Suite

​

​

​

​

​

​

Living room
With the Courtyard rooms, your door opens from the exterior corridor into the living area. There are 2 comfortable chairs, a loveseat and end table and 2 mini tables in front of the loveseat. There is also a 40 inch (I'm pretty sure it was 40 inches) television on the credenza directly across from the 2 chairs.

In addition, there is a cute kitchenette with microwave, sink, shelving and larger than average fridge along with 2 bar stools extending from a little island.

Np matter how they tout this I can't even imagine how 6 people could be in this room. 4 would be fine if 2 are adults and 2 are small children.

Bedroom
There are 2 very comfortable beds. I'm not sure if they were queens or full since I was sleeping alone it didn't really matter to me. There's another 40 inch tv mounted on the wall. Very limited drawer space; access to 2 drawers from the bedroom and 2 drawers from the living room credenza. Closet was small but adequate.
There is a sliding door that separates the living area from the bedrooms.

Bath Area
The bathroom is broken up into 3 distinct areas within the bedroom area; toilet with a closing door, shower and sink with a closing door and a sink that is open to the bedroom. Water pressure in the shower was barely adequate but no worse than most hotels. Lighting in all rooms was good. I like the little night lights on the light switches. And the VO5 shampoo and conditioner were a cute touch and the products themselves were not half bad!

Parking

Parking is $12 per night. The Courtyard rooms all have exterior corridors. I liked this because my car was close to my room. What I didn't like is that parking was at a premium. The resort was nowhere near being full and the 2 buildings perpendicular to the lobby were jammed. The back building (Thunderbird I think) seems to have much more parking. The entire time I was there, my room card never worked to let me in or out of the resort gate. I had to press the button for assistance , give my room number and they let the gate up.

Pools

The Courtyard pool has the water slide. The Tower pool has the Lazy river.

I loved the Lazy river. It was bigger than I expected; it took a good 10 minutes to go the whole route. You can buy tubes there and the attendant is happy to blow them up and deflate them when you're done for the day. I brought my own and he was very happy to inflate and deflate my float. Other than the Lazy River the pool was fine. Didn't get a drink at the pool bar. There is a great deal of construction going on in this area; Volcano Bay and new Towers (I think). You saw a bit of it cruising the Lazy River and was very apparent while sitting at the pool.

I really like the Courtyard pool. Plenty of seating, close to my room, nice bar area (Margarita $9). Seemed a bit quieter than the Tower pool but that may just be me. There's a Coke Freestyle machine near the bar for refillable mugs.

Plenty of lounge chairs in both pool areas.

Food

The Starbucks opens at 6 am which is great when the early open park opens at 7. The food court doesn't open until 7. I had a kid breakfast (scrambled eggs, 2 sausage links and a biscuit for $6) and was perfectly satisfied. Last night there, I ordered a pizza from the food court ($11) and it was...meh...food court pizza.

Overall, food looked really good and fresh. Salad bar, yogurt bar. Grab and go at reasonable prices. This is a really good food court.

I do really miss a full service restaurant though.


Transportation

Okay this is where i hate CB. The only option is the buses. And the buses are FABULOUS. I never had to wait for more than 5 minutes for a bus. It's when you get off the bus is when it all goes awry.

The problem with the buses is they let you off where everyone entering Universal has to go through security. This can be a madhouse since everyone who is coming from the parking garage has to go this same security.

Once you get through security you have about a half mile (via my GPS) walk to get to an entrance to a park. You've got to work the entire length of Citywalk. If you were staying at a resort with boat service you have a few hundred yards to get to a park

Random Thoughts

The big draw to the Tower rooms are the indoor corridors. Decide for yourself if that is important.
I'd take a Courtyard room for parking, outdoor corridors.

I hated the buses from Cabana Bay with the long walk through Citywalk.

I would stay here again in a heartbeat BUT, only in a Courtyard Family Suite. Poolside wouldn't matter much but the Family Suite was fabulous. This is a great resort if you have no plans to go to a park as there's enough to do and the vibe is fun and relaxed. It goes to the top of my list for an inexpensive 2 night getaway to Orlando.

Gosh, That's all I can think of for the moment. I'll post my Sapphire Falls review shortly.


I hope this is helpful. I will try to answer any questions.

So with Sapphire falls you don't have to go through security?

 

[TommyJK]

So with Sapphire falls you don't have to go through security?

You do the security check before boarding the boat from SF to City Walk. So you don't have to go through the "general" security (which can have long lines) at the entrance to City Walk if you were to take the bus from CB, Aventura or the newer Endless Summer resorts

 

[schumigirl]

You do the security check before boarding the boat from SF to City Walk. So you don't have to go through the "general" security (which can have long lines) at the entrance to City Walk if you were to take the bus from CB, Aventura or the newer Endless Summer resorts

And also if you walk from Sapphire Falls, you`ll go through security at the side of Margaritaville.....so you`ll go through security whether you take the boat or walk.

Both ways are usually very quick.