ENDLESS SUMMER RESORT.

[wmoon]

We stayed at Dockside 3-11th July in a 2 bed family suite on an aph rate. I have to say we loved it.

The room was perfect for travelling with our teen giving him a little bit space away from us or vice versa.

I loved - our view, the food court, the bar with live music at the weekends, the buses which were awesome and the staff. The pool was nice, Starbucks was good. Everywhere was very clean.

The hotel was big and bustling and I wasn’t sure about it as we arrived during a down pour and the lobby was packed but I’d absolutely stay here again. We had one noise issues on our first night which was just kids running about crazy until they were told off. Other than that the noise wasn’t any worse than other hotels for us.

We moved to Cabana Bay for the next 9 nights to a family suite, didn’t really like it, grubby and tired compared to Dockside, wouldn’t stay there again. Spent our last 5 nights at Portofino which was lovely as always but for a budget universal resort Dockside certainly exceeded my expectations.

 

[luvsvacations]

I was just wondering if anyone knew if the pool was warm in December.

 

[MrBellatrixLestrange]

I was just wondering if anyone knew if the pool was warm in December.

Was last year.

 

[ilovetotravel1977]

Do either/both of these resorts have grab-n-go options in the food courts (i.e., sandwiches for lunch)?

 

[f1rstxlas7]

Two questions:

1) On check-out day, is it allowed to drop your bags at Luggage Services for them to hold while you're in the parks during the day and then just come back and scoop them?

2) Has anyone rope dropped during Early Park Admission by walking from the hotel rather than using the bus? I've seen reports saying that the walk is 10 or 15 minutes, but Google Maps is showing me 25 minutes to get from the Surfside/Walgreens intersection to the turnstiles of Islands of Adventure.

 

[wdwrule]

Two questions:

1) On check-out day, is it allowed to drop your bags at Luggage Services for them to hold while you're in the parks during the day and then just come back and scoop them?

2) Has anyone rope dropped during Early Park Admission by walking from the hotel rather than using the bus? I've seen reports saying that the walk is 10 or 15 minutes, but Google Maps is showing me 25 minutes to get from the Surfside/Walgreens intersection to the turnstiles of Islands of Adventure.

1) yes we do this during every visit at all of their resorts including Dockside.

2) we have not, but you could easily Uber to Hard Rock Hotel for example, use the garden pathway small security checkpoint and then continue to walk the short walk into Citywalk/parks if you’re looking to avoid the bus and busy main hub security. Buses are plentiful and frequent though.

 

[f1rstxlas7]

Just following up here because I could not find a definitive answer online...

I wasn't sure what the hours were for Luggage/Bell Services so I gave Universal a call. They found that their internal informational portal said that it opened at 7am. I mentioned that seems inconvenient because I wanted to drop my bags off on check-out day to go directly to the parks, but that would've meant having to wait until 7am and I wouldn't be able to catch a bus as early as I'd like. The Team Member called the front desk at Surfside and then confirmed with me that you actually can just speak to someone at the front desk to get a ticket, drop your bags there, and then come back whenever you're ready to pick them up. The Team Member specifically said after 6am, which makes more sense, but since this isn't clear on the Internet or even in their own internal systems I figured I'd mentioned it here for future reference.

 

[sandam1]

Just following up here because I could not find a definitive answer online...

I wasn't sure what the hours were for Luggage/Bell Services so I gave Universal a call. They found that their internal informational portal said that it opened at 7am. I mentioned that seems inconvenient because I wanted to drop my bags off on check-out day to go directly to the parks, but that would've meant having to wait until 7am and I wouldn't be able to catch a bus as early as I'd like. The Team Member called the front desk at Surfside and then confirmed with me that you actually can just speak to someone at the front desk to get a ticket, drop your bags there, and then come back whenever you're ready to pick them up. The Team Member specifically said after 6am, which makes more sense, but since this isn't clear on the Internet or even in their own internal systems I figured I'd mentioned it here for future reference.

My experience was that, if it is outside of the normal bell services hours, the front desk can take care of you - even in the middle of the night.

Last January I was running in the Disney races which start at 5 a.m. so we were leaving the hotel around 3ish. We were doing a split stay at Royal Pacific and Cabana Bay and on our transfer day, we wanted to drop the vast majority of our luggage at bell services as we headed out. The front desk was able to take care of us, no problem.

 

[PollyannaMom]

Do either/both of these resorts have grab-n-go options in the food courts (i.e., sandwiches for lunch)?

I was at Surfside March 1st-5th, and yes, I did see a grab-n-go section.

 

[PollyannaMom]

Any advantages to booking surf side over dock side?

I just liked the "vibe" better. (We were staying at Surfside, but I took The Dockside bus back one afternoon to explore and then just walked across.) I found Surfside more bright and colorful.

Does anyone know if housekeeping is back to normal?

We had daily housekeeping in a suite March 1-5, 2023.

 

[Mom3girls]

Does anyone have any questions about Dockside? Here now.

 

[PollyannaMom]

Quick notes on a recent stay (apologies if I duplicate something already said, and feel free to ask specific questions) -

Details:
suite, 6th floor - had one closed-off room and two beds in the main room, a kitchen area with a table and it's own small sink, and the double vanity sinks were separate from the toilet and shower.

Occupants:
two older adults, and two adult "kids"

Pros:
room and common areas were clean and bright
staff was cheerful and friendly
wait for busses to CityWalk was consistently short (one longer wait for Volcano Bay)
fridge was big for a "mini" - larger than than what I'd call dorm size
easy to order extra towels or whatever via text

Cons/things to plan for:
no nightlight in the bathroom
limited drawer space
no towel hooks in bathroom (there were some in the common area)
return bus was one of the farthest from the escalators at CityWalk

Food Court:
lots of selection
never had trouble getting a seat
rather high charge for paper coffee cups if you didn't have the mugs

Pool:
nice enough
no deep end
plenty of seating
bar with good service (per DS, 22)

Overall:
I wouldn't mind staying there again if I do another budget trip.

 

[dez1978]

I have a 2 bdrm booked at Dockside. Wondering if I should switch to Surfside now.

 

[Tink3815]

I have a 2 bdrm booked at Dockside. Wondering if I should switch to Surfside now.

I have stayed at both. I liked the Surfside food options better than Dockside. I liked the larger pool area at Dockside.

 

[Sandi]

I have a 2 bedroom booked at Surfside for a two night stay in July before we move over to WDW for the rest of our vacation. We are planning to go to IOA for one day, but may wish to get a one day two park ticket instead. We probably won't decide until much closer to our trip. Will we be okay waiting and buying our admission at Surfside after we arrive? My understanding is that we don't need to reserve park admission like at WDW, so I was hoping we could just buy tickets for Universal when we arrive. Does that sound okay? Is the Universal desk open all the time or only certain days/hours?

Also, any suggestions for location of a room at Surfside? It seems that a higher level is preferred, but I'm wondering what other things I should consider. Thanks!

 

[Tink3815]

I have a 2 bedroom booked at Surfside for a two night stay in July before we move over to WDW for the rest of our vacation. We are planning to go to IOA for one day, but may wish to get a one day two park ticket instead. We probably won't decide until much closer to our trip. Will we be okay waiting and buying our admission at Surfside after we arrive? My understanding is that we don't need to reserve park admission like at WDW, so I was hoping we could just buy tickets for Universal when we arrive. Does that sound okay? Is the Universal desk open all the time or only certain days/hours?

Also, any suggestions for location of a room at Surfside? It seems that a higher level is preferred, but I'm wondering what other things I should consider. Thanks!

Surfside has a ticket counter in the Lobby where you can purchase your tickets, but I believe if you buy online ahead of time, its a bit cheaper. They have a kiosk at the counter where you can pick up the tickets. It seems like they were open at 7am everyday.

 

[PollyannaMom]

Also, any suggestions for location of a room at Surfside? It seems that a higher level is preferred, but I'm wondering what other things I should consider. Thanks!

Tower 1 is closer to the busses, and Tower 2 to the food court - whichever is more important to you.

 

[sunnyshari]

My family will be staying in a suite at surfside and having a grocery order delivered. We plan to eat breakfast in the rooms. Should I include paper products (bowls, plates, paper towels, cups, etc) in my order. From videos I’ve watched it looks like there may be some stuff provided but I can’t tell how much. Thx!

 

[EveDallas]

My family will be staying in a suite at surfside and having a grocery order delivered. We plan to eat breakfast in the rooms. Should I include paper products (bowls, plates, paper towels, cups, etc) in my order. From videos I’ve watched it looks like there may be some stuff provided but I can’t tell how much. Thx!

Cups, bowls, plates, and utensils are provided. You can always ask for more if you need it.

 

[honeybiscuit]

I have a few questions -


1 - Can you rent a microwave still? How much is it? Do they charge per day or is it for X number of days? At other hotels, like Pop Century, I've seen a communal microwave in the food court area. Does Endless Summer have anything like that? I don't want to upgrade to a suite.

2 - I was thinking about checking out the other hotel after the parks close. For example if I take the Dockside bus from CityWalk, will there be a bus at Dockside that I can take to get back to Surfside? Do they go directly from Dockside to CityWalk? I don't mind making a big loop as long as it goes back to my hotel. I'm trying to minimize walking, otherwise I would take the sidewalk path.

3 - What should I request at Surfside to get a room as close as possible to the bus stop? Like I said, trying to minimize any extra walking, so I was thinking Tower 1, ground floor close to the lobby. (I'm assuming the lobby is the main way to access the bus stop, is that right?)

4 - Are the pillows really as bad as some guests say? Seriously debating whether I should get some delivered!