CABANA BAY BEACH RESORT Thread..........

Nov28-Dec1 booked!

Decided on a quick trip about a month ago and have been wanting to stay at CBBR for years now. Looking forward to it!
 
Just changed our booking from a standard room to a family suite. It was only about $30 a night more on Expedia, and I think my 13 year old will really appreciate not sharing a bed with her little sister. Plus, I'm really happy about the divisions in the bathroom!

We decided on the courtyard because we don't mind the exterior rooms, and we aren't paying for a view, so we're doing to "entry level" family suites.

I'm wondering how comfy the living room furniture is - we might end up watching TV or a movie in the room one night.
 
Hey @staceychev We stayed at CBBR last year in a family suite and enjoyed it so much that we're going back again this year.

If you can upgrade to a "poolside" on the courtyard, you might want to think about it. We had paid for just the "courtyard" too and it automatically gives you a "parking lot" side. At the time last year, there was still a lot of construction sound from the building of the Adventura. And just generally there'd be sound from the road (which is rather busy) and the parking lot (which even at a slow time of year was rather full). After we saw that we went back over to the lobby and asked to upgrade to the 'poolside'. It wasn't a bad upgrade fee, but think it would've been a bit cheaper if we'd decided on that ahead of time. We found the poolside better for our family. We liked being able to see/walk down to the pool and to be so close to cutting over to the lobby building too. We didn't find the pool too loud. And we definitely favoured the looks of the "courtyard" side of the resort over the "towers". We aren't big fans of the large resorts with hallways, hallways, hallways.

We loved the room and the resort. We have a medical issue in our family so having a living room space was definitely great for us. As when we did end up spending afternoons/downtime and evenings in the room, it felt much less like we were just sitting in bed and watching TV. It was like a nice little condo.

As for the comfort level of the furniture -- it's not bad but not great. It likely depends on the ages of your kids and how many people. Be aware that the couch is really more of a two-seater loveseat. A child could likely stretch out and fit on it but after you hit about teen-aged height (likely more than about 5 foot or so), you aren't going to be able to lay flat on it. Your back will be against the armrest and your legs will take up most of the couch -- your feet likely hitting the armrest on the opposite end. So it's a little cramped as a couch -- but we did find when it was set up as a couch that it was pretty comfy (for sitting). The two chairs provided in the room again are comfy but rather small (they have armrests and are padded but certainly not 'armchairs'). There are also two high stools at the kitchenette counter for seating.

When the couch is pulled out and used as a bed it's not super comfy for sleeping. It would likely be OK for a lighter-weight child maybe under 10 (maybe pushing 12 if they're on the small side). But after you get into teens or adults (or if they're heavier set), it's not going to be that comfy. It's not so much a mattress on it as it is a very firm pad a few inches thick. What we ultimately ended up doing was putting an extra comforter on top of the pad to provide some additional cushioning. And then we also had a heating blanket with us (due to the medical condition and stiffness) and we put that on the base of the mattress too and had it on to sort of ease the back muscles while sleeping too to avoid waking stiff.

We are talking about going out to Target and buying a small camping pad or inflatable mattress to put on the pull-out this trip.

It worked well for us but it wasn't the most comfortable experience. The family member sleeping on the couch at nights some nights curled up just as a couch without pulling it out. And also some nights didn't sleep well enough so ended up napping on one of the beds in the sleeping area on our afternoon rest periods.

Still, we liked it enough (and liked the price enough) that we are doing it again. It's not disastrous by any means -- but depending on the size and age of the pull-out sleeper(s), be aware that it might not be the most comfortable, unless they are pretty used to and like a very firm mattress. It definitely wasn't one of the better pull-outs we've ever dealt with. We've never stays a AoA or FW Cabins to have a comparison of US vs WDW pull-outs. But our understanding is they are using a simliar-style pull-outs now since their refibs too.

Hope you love CBBR as much as we did. We're counting down too. 29 days.
 
Thanks! This is all really great info. I was going to put my DD13 on the pull-out bed (she weighs about 105), but now I'm thinking it might be better for DD8 who weighs less than 60.
 


I don't think I'm going to bring my french press, but if I decide to save some money and not drink Starbucks all the time, is there a place in CB for me to get hot water easily?

Thanks!
 
Leaving for CB a week from today - does anyone know if there is a toaster available for use in the food court?
 


We will be staying at Cabana Bay for the first time Nov 26-28. It’s our first time at Universal as well. Can’t wait!

What time do the buses start running prior to early entry?

Hi we caught a bus at 7 am for early entry at 8 so about an hour before early entry time. The bus service is really good. In the morning they have buses lined up. Enjoy!
 
Nice to read all the good stays people are getting here. We really enjoy this resort and you can beat the pools, food court and lazy river. I think it is a great value. We can't wait to visit again.
 
We really enjoyed our stay here last weekend, and I'm glad we upgraded to the Family Suite. The girls slept in the same bed, so we didn't use the pull-out, but it was still nice to have the extra space and to have somewhere to sit other than the bed. The only criticism I'd have is that the furnishings in the room (in Castaway) were really worn, faded, and threadbare. I'm wondering if they've started renovating, and if we just got an older room, or if they are due for renovations.
 
We're thinking of renting one of the pool cabanas at Cabana Bay. Has anyone experienced them? I'm curious as to the cost, and whether they'd be a good idea (crowds?) for a trip in early February. We have a very late flight on our departure day & will probably spend the whole day by the pool (weather permitting), so we thought having a "home base" might be a nice idea.
 
I don't think I'm going to bring my french press, but if I decide to save some money and not drink Starbucks all the time, is there a place in CB for me to get hot water easily?

Thanks!

I know this question is almost 2 months old, but in case you haven't found your answer - yes, in the food court seating area there is an option for hot water. It's where the freestyle soda machines, coffee, juice etc are located.
 
When you ride the bus from cabana bay to the parks, do you have to go through the same security lines as the people not staying on site? Is the bus drop-off located outside of city walk?

I've read conflicting stories about just walking over to SF and taking the boat from there. If the weather is nice, do you guys recommend going that way. Last time we were there we stayed at RPR and walked to the parks several times I'm thinking the walk from CB to SF may be a good bit further?
 
When you ride the bus from cabana bay to the parks, do you have to go through the same security lines as the people not staying on site? Is the bus drop-off located outside of city walk?

I've read conflicting stories about just walking over to SF and taking the boat from there. If the weather is nice, do you guys recommend going that way. Last time we were there we stayed at RPR and walked to the parks several times I'm thinking the walk from CB to SF may be a good bit further?

Yes, the cabana bay bus drops you off outside of city walk so you go up the escalator and go through the main security check point that everyone not staying on site would go through. Not that big of a deal, but we preferred taking the sapphire falls boat.

My husband and I found it easiest to just dart across the street at the light (no cross walk) to go to sapphire falls and take the boat. Because there's a light, it's not that challenging. The only thing you'd need to be mindful of is turning traffic. However, if you're with older people/kids who aren't keen on dashing across the street, you can (and "should") take that garden path that starts between the castaway/thunderbird buildings. For a reasonably paced walker, I'd guess it shouldn't take longer than 10 minutes from the start of the path to sapphire falls entrance, but my guess is that if you're with someone who isn't able/willing to safely run across the street, it's probably gonna take you every bit of 10 (maybe more) minutes with a lot of whining on the way. Also keep in mind that the cabana bay resort is fairly big and if you're staying at the tail end of the tower side and need to get to the exact opposite end of the courtyard side to take the path, it's going to add some time on to your walk.

So I recommend just walking the 2 minutes across the street to take the boat. That being said, we did the long/safe garden walkway many times to get to the sapphire falls and didn't find it too terrible, but I did feel stupid whenever I had to go that way. Have fun!
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My friend just reserved a room for the same time we're there. Her confirmation lists parking at $17/day. Mine lists it as $14/day. Any chance I'll get charged the cheaper rate since I made my reservation before the price change?
 
If you book 2 rooms for a party travelling together, will they assign you rooms next to each other or is this not guaranteed? Thinking about this hotel for a possible 2021 trip.
 
My friend just reserved a room for the same time we're there. Her confirmation lists parking at $17/day. Mine lists it as $14/day. Any chance I'll get charged the cheaper rate since I made my reservation before the price change?

If you ask they’ll see you booked before the change and may honour it.....doesn’t hurt to ask. But if it’s on your confirmation as $14 you should pay that.
 
You're right, it can't hurt to ask! And in the grand scheme of things, $3 a day isn't horrible. I think I was just surprised about the jump in the month since I booked and she booked.
 
That's simply an unreasonable expectation. They are not obligated to give you a room for free simply because of the view.
If you had seen the room we were put in, and the room with the view of Volcano Bay, then you would not be saying that. The chance to stay in the room we initially booked for just 3 of our 7 days completely made our holiday. Sounds daft, but there it is. Kids love it. Loved the view. Could not stop taking pictures, and the short walk every morning.

Reading through this thread supports my claim. It was the primary reason I booked the more expensive room as it advertised a view of the water park. And could accommodate 6 people.
 

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