Dockside Inn and Suites Thread..... FAQ and more.....

[schumigirl]

We are going next month and staying in a family suite with five adults - I will give everyone the scoop when we come back

Look forward to it.

 

[StefBar]

I wanted to say how impressed I was with the Dockside Resort! I just returned from a 2 day/3 night stay with my 11 year old son and we both absolutely loved it. I would compare it to Pop Century, but much much better!! The rooms are so big with tons of space, modern touches, and hooks to hang lanyards, masks, etc. Our trip was solely to ride the Velocicoaster during the APH Preview so I wanted to spend as little as possible since this was not a planned trip, and it ended up being our best trip yet. The food court was fabulous, especially at breakfast. We had hot breakfast one day, and Krispy Kreme donuts and scones the next day, both from the food court. With children, I think a food court is so much easier than sit down restaurants. The mugs were an incredible deal because you could fill your mug with hot drinks or cold drinks from the freestyle machine. It was $9 the first day then $3 for each additional day. I believe when we were at Cabana Bay it was a lot more than that and did not include coffee or hot drinks.

A food court tip - I ordered a grilled cheese for my son for $5 which included a cup of fries and a bottled water or milk and then ordered a side of french fries for myself. The fries were the same size as the ones he got with his grilled cheese and were $4.50 so I ordered the kids grilled cheese meal instead and got an extra sandwich for him, the same size fries and a bottle of water to take to the parks for $0.50 more.

I was worried about transportation to the parks and this was just amazing. We never waited more than 3 minutes to get on a bus going to or coming from the parks and we were there during the cheer competition with a hotel full of cheer families.

I also requested a room on the first floor and close to the lobby/buses and we were steps away from the food court, the bus to the parks, and one of the pools. Room was 1124 and it could not have been a better location. It made it easy to refill our mug because we were so close.

One note, our room did not have a coffee pot if that is important to anyone but it wasn't necessary if you buy a mug.

The pool had no slide but was big and had a sand area and tons of seating. We loved it! We can't wait to stay here again.

 

[macraven]

Thank you for that awesome review!

it will help others when they have to narrow down which resort to book

 

[schumigirl]

Absolutely agree with mac Stefbar........loved reading your review of the hotel and glad you and your son enjoyed it so much.

Thank you for taking the time to do it, we do appreciate the feedback on the newer hotels.

And hope you enjoyed the coaster too!

 

[AJA]

I’ll echo what the pp’s have said, Thank You for the review Stefbar!

We are trying Dockside in January. After staying in the family suits at Cabana as a family with an older teenager I can’t see going back to a standard hotel room for a 4+ day visit.

As much as we love Cabana (3 trips in a row now) we’re excited for something new.

The family suites with the extra living room, t.v. and bed mean as much to us now as express pass and a short walk used to mean when our daughter was little. Universal really seems to understand this with the emphasis on affordable mini suites for families.

 

[RocketCityMama]

When you arrive at USO from Dockside, where do you get on/off bus at? Is there a separate check point or do you just join the main one upstairs in City Walk area?

 

[DizneyFamof4]

Just turned down a great HRH rate and made our reservation at Surfside for October. We are a family of 4, but we are bringing a girlfriend of my oldest DD and we do not feel comfortable having only one sleeping area. It's great that US has these 2 bedroom suites at such a great price. I did some searching and the Surfside food court had some really bad reviews and some posted food photos and I have to agree they looked pretty bad. We are hoping that they get better by October.

 

[hokiern]

We just got back from a four night stay at Dockside from May 14-May 18 and had a wonderful time! This post will be partially a review of Dockside and part trip report. We have been to Universal before but had never stayed on property before as we usually stay on site at Disney.

We flew into MCO and had prior arrangements with Tony Hinds for transport to the hotel. Our group consisted of myself, hubby, our two twenty-something year old sons, and our youngest son's fiance. We had a two bed-room suite reserved and the room was ready when we arrived at the hotel around 4 pm. We were given a choice of whether we wanted a first floor room or a higher floor room. As we did not anticipate being in the room very much, I chose a first floor room because I thought it would be closer to the cafe, the pool, shuttle etc. The desk clerk said an added advantage was no need for elevator service - although masking rules had loosened up in the parks, the elevators were limited to one traveling party at a time and she said getting up and down on the elevator could be a hassle at peak times.

The hotel lobby was welcoming with a seating area, a check in area, a Starbucks, a gift shop, a luggage handling area, and a customer service area for ticket pick up, reservations, etc. Our room cards were printed with our individual names on them and later we learned could also serve as a ticket instead of using the paper tickets. We had reserved our trip through a travel agency and got the Wizarding World of Harry Potter package. We received our lanyards, Harry Potter luggage tags, and welcome letter in a special Harry Potter keepsake box via mail, but had opted to pick up our tickets at the hotel. I decided to go ahead and get the tickets while we were checking in to make sure we had everything in order, as we also had to pick up our tickets for our breakfasts to the Leaky Cauldron and the Three Broomsticks, our Shutterbuttons photo entrance certificate, and some other freebies from the travel agency. We had also chosen to get the full service dining package for our stay and had to pick up our dining plan cards.

Our room was 1163 and was very convenient to the workout rooms, the pool, the resort cafe , Coke Freestyle machines, and the shuttle pick up area. We did not have a car but is also appeared to be very close to the parking area as well. Apart from a few carpet stains in the hallway, the hotel was immaculate and our room was sparkling clean. I knew from reading the posts in these forums that we would need to use a key card to turn the lights on in our room. Upon entrance there was a full sized picnic table immediately to the left with three chairs and a bench. On the other side of the picnic table was a long counter with a microwave and a small sink; the fridge was under the counter. The fridge was what I would consider to be a tall dorm fridge rather than a mini fridge. To my surprise there was also a Cuisinart coffee pot and minimal coffee supplies in the drawer immediately underneath it. Disposable cups for cold and hot beverages were provided, as well as a roll of trash bags. There were two queen sized beds in the main area with a wall mounted television. The beds had lighting on either side as well as electrical and USB outlets and there were plenty of hooks to hang lanyards, towels, etc. There was a lot of shelving around the outside edges of the room.

A recessed area held double sinks with shelving underneath for towels. To the left of the recessed area was the bathroom with a commode and a bath/shower combo. There were beach-themed toiletry items provided - small bottles of shampoo and conditioner and individually wrapped bars of soap for the sinks and the shower/bath. To the right of the recessed area was the door to the private bedroom. This room was very small, but contained a tiny closet, the queen sized bed, and an ottoman-type stool that could be used as a seat or a foot rest. There was shelving on either side of the bed, again with electrical outlets, USB outlets, and lighting. The wall opposite of the headboard also had narrow shelving and more hooks for towels, lanyards, etc. and there was another wall-mounted television.

Because of COVID, we were told upon check in that housekeeping would be very limited. However, they asked permission to send us a welcome text message and to use this texting platform as a means of communication if we needed anything. We did request extra towels and pillows as there were two pillows only per bed and no extra pillows or bedding in the room. There was also one towel set per person. (I never got in the pool but the kids did and there was towel service provided poolside.) Other than what we requested via texts, we received no housekeeping services during our stay. We had to bag our trash and place it outside the door for housekeeping to pick up.

There was an ironing board and iron provided, as well as a wall-mounted hair dryer. We didn't use them so I can't comment as to the quality of these items. One of my sons brought his Ipad but the rest of us only had cell phones. We used the free internet and did not have any connectivity issues. I did notice at the end of our stay that the computers in the lobby that were designated for printing boarding passes were not working but the front desk was able to print ours when we were checking out.

Some people have complained about the noise level at Dockside, but I am a light sleeper and did not have any issues. However, hubby and I had the private room which offered another layer of noise protection. My youngest son said he was awakened one night by a group of screaming teens stampeding down the hallway but that was the only noise problem we experienced.

As we had the dining plan and it was not usable at the resort, we only ate once in the hotel cafe and that was for dinner the evening of our arrival. The cafe reminded me of a college dining hall with different stations. There was one station for cold sandwiches, another station for hot and pressed sandwiches, a prepared salad area, a pizza and pasta bar, a grill area for burgers, hot dogs, fries, tots, etc., a fried chicken and waffle area with the usual barbecue types of sides, a dessert area, and a couple of different grab and go stations with both refrigerated and non-refrigerated items. The pizzas were pretty small so we did not try those. However, between the five of us we had a chicken caesar salad and a cobb salad that were large enough for us to share, the turkey club, a cuban, and a couple of burgers. Hubby had the onion rings and one of the boys had the fries. The sandwiches and salads were large and the fries/onion rings were what I would call medium-sized portions.

We debated whether to have bottled water and soda in the room or whether to get the Coke freestyle resort cups. Since we were only there for four nights we opted for the refillable resort cups although I am sure we would have saved a lot of money if I had taken advantage of a Publix run or Amazon delivery. The refillable mugs cost around $96 for the five of us. There were two sets of side by side Coke Freestyle machines in the back of the dining area that were accessible 24-7. There were also two sets of commercial style coffee pots, and options for dispensation of half and half, French vanilla creamer, hot chocolate, and hot water. Of special note, the coffee pots, hot water dispensers, creamer dispensers, and hot chocolate dispensers were NOT chipped and were usable with any type of cup. The coffee pots were not in service until 7 am however. I learned this the hard way as they were set up and ready to brew and I made the mistake of turning one on at 0640. A passing staff member began yelling at me for doing so. (I really wasn't trying to cause a problem - I am a night shift RN and am used to the concept of making coffee in commercial machines at the hospital). I don't think the Starbucks opened until 7:30 so there is no early morning java except for the cuisinart machines in the rooms that run with coffee pods. Next time I will probably bring my single cup Keurig and avoid the issue entirely lol.

Hubby and I did not go to the pool and so did not try out the pool bar. However, our older son went in the evening a couple of times after we returned from the parks. He mentioned that a Capt Morgans with gingerale was $9.50 and that other mixed drinks were more expensive. He also said that any masking or social distancing rules for COVID went out the window after about 10 pm.

Shuttle service to and from the hotel and parks was amazing and one of the very few areas that Universal outdoes Disney. We never had to wait on a shuttle - even in the morning rush there was a constant flow of incoming shuttles.

As this review is getting rather long I will stop for now but will add more details later

 

[macraven]

Thank you for sharing all the details.
It really helps all the readers when they can’t make a decision on where to stay.

Many hotels to chose from and your report answers questions that some of us haven’t thought of yet.

 

[DizneyFamof4]

We just got back from a four night stay at Dockside from May 14-May 18 and had a wonderful time! This post will be partially a review of Dockside and part trip report. We have been to Universal before but had never stayed on property before as we usually stay on site at Disney.

We flew into MCO and had prior arrangements with Tony Hinds for transport to the hotel. Our group consisted of myself, hubby, our two twenty-something year old sons, and our youngest son's fiance. We had a two bed-room suite reserved and the room was ready when we arrived at the hotel around 4 pm. We were given a choice of whether we wanted a first floor room or a higher floor room. As we did not anticipate being in the room very much, I chose a first floor room because I thought it would be closer to the cafe, the pool, shuttle etc. The desk clerk said an added advantage was no need for elevator service - although masking rules had loosened up in the parks, the elevators were limited to one traveling party at a time and she said getting up and down on the elevator could be a hassle at peak times.

The hotel lobby was welcoming with a seating area, a check in area, a Starbucks, a gift shop, a luggage handling area, and a customer service area for ticket pick up, reservations, etc. Our room cards were printed with our individual names on them and later we learned could also serve as a ticket instead of using the paper tickets. We had reserved our trip through a travel agency and got the Wizarding World of Harry Potter package. We received our lanyards, Harry Potter luggage tags, and welcome letter in a special Harry Potter keepsake box via mail, but had opted to pick up our tickets at the hotel. I decided to go ahead and get the tickets while we were checking in to make sure we had everything in order, as we also had to pick up our tickets for our breakfasts to the Leaky Cauldron and the Three Broomsticks, our Shutterbuttons photo entrance certificate, and some other freebies from the travel agency. We had also chosen to get the full service dining package for our stay and had to pick up our dining plan cards.

Our room was 1163 and was very convenient to the workout rooms, the pool, the resort cafe , Coke Freestyle machines, and the shuttle pick up area. We did not have a car but is also appeared to be very close to the parking area as well. Apart from a few carpet stains in the hallway, the hotel was immaculate and our room was sparkling clean. I knew from reading the posts in these forums that we would need to use a key card to turn the lights on in our room. Upon entrance there was a full sized picnic table immediately to the left with three chairs and a bench. On the other side of the picnic table was a long counter with a microwave and a small sink; the fridge was under the counter. The fridge was what I would consider to be a tall dorm fridge rather than a mini fridge. To my surprise there was also a Cuisinart coffee pot and minimal coffee supplies in the drawer immediately underneath it. Disposable cups for cold and hot beverages were provided, as well as a roll of trash bags. There were two queen sized beds in the main area with a wall mounted television. The beds had lighting on either side as well as electrical and USB outlets and there were plenty of hooks to hang lanyards, towels, etc. There was a lot of shelving around the outside edges of the room.

A recessed area held double sinks with shelving underneath for towels. To the left of the recessed area was the bathroom with a commode and a bath/shower combo. There were beach-themed toiletry items provided - small bottles of shampoo and conditioner and individually wrapped bars of soap for the sinks and the shower/bath. To the right of the recessed area was the door to the private bedroom. This room was very small, but contained a tiny closet, the queen sized bed, and an ottoman-type stool that could be used as a seat or a foot rest. There was shelving on either side of the bed, again with electrical outlets, USB outlets, and lighting. The wall opposite of the headboard also had narrow shelving and more hooks for towels, lanyards, etc. and there was another wall-mounted television.

Because of COVID, we were told upon check in that housekeeping would be very limited. However, they asked permission to send us a welcome text message and to use this texting platform as a means of communication if we needed anything. We did request extra towels and pillows as there were two pillows only per bed and no extra pillows or bedding in the room. There was also one towel set per person. (I never got in the pool but the kids did and there was towel service provided poolside.) Other than what we requested via texts, we received no housekeeping services during our stay. We had to bag our trash and place it outside the door for housekeeping to pick up.

There was an ironing board and iron provided, as well as a wall-mounted hair dryer. We didn't use them so I can't comment as to the quality of these items. One of my sons brought his Ipad but the rest of us only had cell phones. We used the free internet and did not have any connectivity issues. I did notice at the end of our stay that the computers in the lobby that were designated for printing boarding passes were not working but the front desk was able to print ours when we were checking out.

Some people have complained about the noise level at Dockside, but I am a light sleeper and did not have any issues. However, hubby and I had the private room which offered another layer of noise protection. My youngest son said he was awakened one night by a group of screaming teens stampeding down the hallway but that was the only noise problem we experienced.

As we had the dining plan and it was not usable at the resort, we only ate once in the hotel cafe and that was for dinner the evening of our arrival. The cafe reminded me of a college dining hall with different stations. There was one station for cold sandwiches, another station for hot and pressed sandwiches, a prepared salad area, a pizza and pasta bar, a grill area for burgers, hot dogs, fries, tots, etc., a fried chicken and waffle area with the usual barbecue types of sides, a dessert area, and a couple of different grab and go stations with both refrigerated and non-refrigerated items. The pizzas were pretty small so we did not try those. However, between the five of us we had a chicken caesar salad and a cobb salad that were large enough for us to share, the turkey club, a cuban, and a couple of burgers. Hubby had the onion rings and one of the boys had the fries. The sandwiches and salads were large and the fries/onion rings were what I would call medium-sized portions.

We debated whether to have bottled water and soda in the room or whether to get the Coke freestyle resort cups. Since we were only there for four nights we opted for the refillable resort cups although I am sure we would have saved a lot of money if I had taken advantage of a Publix run or Amazon delivery. The refillable mugs cost around $96 for the five of us. There were two sets of side by side Coke Freestyle machines in the back of the dining area that were accessible 24-7. There were also two sets of commercial style coffee pots, and options for dispensation of half and half, French vanilla creamer, hot chocolate, and hot water. Of special note, the coffee pots, hot water dispensers, creamer dispensers, and hot chocolate dispensers were NOT chipped and were usable with any type of cup. The coffee pots were not in service until 7 am however. I learned this the hard way as they were set up and ready to brew and I made the mistake of turning one on at 0640. A passing staff member began yelling at me for doing so. (I really wasn't trying to cause a problem - I am a night shift RN and am used to the concept of making coffee in commercial machines at the hospital). I don't think the Starbucks opened until 7:30 so there is no early morning java except for the cuisinart machines in the rooms that run with coffee pods. Next time I will probably bring my single cup Keurig and avoid the issue entirely lol.

Hubby and I did not go to the pool and so did not try out the pool bar. However, our older son went in the evening a couple of times after we returned from the parks. He mentioned that a Capt Morgans with gingerale was $9.50 and that other mixed drinks were more expensive. He also said that any masking or social distancing rules for COVID went out the window after about 10 pm.

Shuttle service to and from the hotel and parks was amazing and one of the very few areas that Universal outdoes Disney. We never had to wait on a shuttle - even in the morning rush there was a constant flow of incoming shuttles.

As this review is getting rather long I will stop for now but will add more details later

Thanks for the excellent post We will be staying at the Surfside resort in October, it will be our 4th US resort to stay at. We have been doing WDW for maaaannny years and just over the last few years started adding US. We have found that the resorts, transportation and food courts have been much better at US than at WDW, especially for the price you pay. Now whenever we do a trip that includes both parks, we have decided to stay at a US resort over WDW. This trip we are taking our DD friend, so we are now 5 people and we are getting a 2 room (3 bed) suite for less then a value that only sleeps 4 at WDW. We would have to spend 3+ times more at WDW and still all be in one room US really knew what they were doing when they built these 2 resorts.
The $9.50 for a mixed drink is a real good price if you compare it to WDW. I paid $9 just for a beer at the Laguna bar in CSR, their mixed drinks were $11+.

 

[christophles]

 

[yeheyprincex2]

will be at Dockside next week. What time in the am does the shuttle start? we want to arrive for EE at US, will we be able to rely on the shuttle to get us there before EE? TIA

 

[hokiern]

Sorry, just saw this question about the shuttle - it starts one hour before whenever EE is, so no problems. They even brought in extra shuttles from Mears when the lines were longer to get everyone going quickly

 

[hokiern]

Thanks for the excellent post We will be staying at the Surfside resort in October, it will be our 4th US resort to stay at. We have been doing WDW for maaaannny years and just over the last few years started adding US. We have found that the resorts, transportation and food courts have been much better at US than at WDW, especially for the price you pay. Now whenever we do a trip that includes both parks, we have decided to stay at a US resort over WDW. This trip we are taking our DD friend, so we are now 5 people and we are getting a 2 room (3 bed) suite for less then a value that only sleeps 4 at WDW. We would have to spend 3+ times more at WDW and still all be in one room US really knew what they were doing when they built these 2 resorts.
The $9.50 for a mixed drink is a real good price if you compare it to WDW. I paid $9 just for a beer at the Laguna bar in CSR, their mixed drinks were $11+.

We have a Disney trip planned at the end of December going into New Year's (yeah, we're crazy but it fit everybody's schedules, lol) and will be staying off property for the first time. We have a three bedroom condo booked at Club Wyndham Bonnet Creek. I love being in the "bubble" but the loss of the Magic Express, the pitiful early magic hours, and the loss of the Disney dining plan make the bubble less attractive when I can get so much more space and be so close we can see the pixie dust. We will be a party of six for a week-long trip and the tickets alone cost more than the condo we rented. I considered a DVC rental but for a party of six during the holiday season we still came out way ahead with the three bedroom at Bonnet Creek. Hubby and I are considering a weekend trip for two in October for the 50th anniversary celebration and the Disney Halloween decorations, but if we do we will probably stay off site at one of the Hilton properties.

 

[RocketCityMama]

Hello!

We checked into Dockside today, arrived about 12:30 pm. Line was fairly short, they were very efficient and had many tm’s working the desk. I got all checked in and lucked up with our room being ready! So we parked and unloaded and got a 2nd floor room in tower 1. We could have upgraded for a pool view but I declined.

Room is nice, we are in a 2 bedroom suite. I wish they had more than 1 luggage rack for the room. We ended up using the kitchen table bench for the kids suitcases. We aren’t really eating in the room anyway. The mini fridge is a decent size, plenty of room for cold items, no freezer space. Has a tiny coffeemaker and has a microwave.

We ate in the market for a lunch snack. They had some grab n go things, like sandwiches but no labels that I could see. So not sure what that was about. Salads available, fruit cups, yogurt parfaits, poptarts, and some chips and such.

If you have any questions let me know and I will try to answer. We are here until Saturday before we switch to hard rock

 

[RocketCityMama]

Oh and forgot every TM we have encountered at Dockside has been phenomenal!

 

[Skywalker3]

Hello!

We checked into Dockside today, arrived about 12:30 pm. Line was fairly short, they were very efficient and had many tm’s working the desk. I got all checked in and lucked up with our room being ready! So we parked and unloaded and got a 2nd floor room in tower 1. We could have upgraded for a pool view but I declined.

Room is nice, we are in a 2 bedroom suite. I wish they had more than 1 luggage rack for the room. We ended up using the kitchen table bench for the kids suitcases. We aren’t really eating in the room anyway. The mini fridge is a decent size, plenty of room for cold items, no freezer space. Has a tiny coffeemaker and has a microwave.

We ate in the market for a lunch snack. They had some grab n go things, like sandwiches but no labels that I could see. So not sure what that was about. Salads available, fruit cups, yogurt parfaits, poptarts, and some chips and such.

If you have any questions let me know and I will try to answer. We are here until Saturday before we switch to hard rock

Thanks to all the posters for the great info. we're considering adding a night here before our switch to RP, and maybe afterward too.
I was wondering if you had any issues checking into HRH after leaving the first hotel? like did you need to stop at the first desk and make you were checked out, before they let you check into HRH/get the express passes, etc???/ we have always spent the first night nearby, like Holiday Inn, Fairfield, then checked into a Universal hotel, never moved from one Universal to another. And we hope to be at RP as early as possible to get the express passes active.
Thanks, and thanks again for the info

 

[macraven]

Check out I believe is 11:00
I check out earlier as need to get to the airport

I always ask for a print out of my room charges which only takes a few minutes

I, on occasions, had charges in my account which were an error
I find it much easier to have my account corrected while still at the hotel.

Another reason I check out at the desk is they can notify housekeeping the room ls vacant.

House keeping can start preparing that room for another guest.
I leave at 7:30 am.
No need to have to them wait until 11:00 before they can enter that room


Since you are moving to another onsite hotel, I’m sure there will be no issue for you to check in early.
Your room might not be ready but you will get a text and room number when it is available for you.

 

[Lori74]

Will our park tickets automatically get put on our room keys or do we need to do something to make that happen? Can you check in virtually? Thank you, this is the first time we're staying on property and very excited!

 

[macraven]

Tickets are separate from hotel keys