I need resort help!

[disny_luvr]

Hi, everyone! It's me again!

So we have a stay at Cabana Bay in a Volcano Bay view room booked for the end of June. I am excited about Cabana Bay, but a few weeks ago I was talking to a co-worker and she was telling me they always stay at Sapphire Falls and how amazing it is. Of course, I started watching videos of SF, and it is really, really nice! My TA emailed me about something else and I just asked her about SF and she sang its praises and told me the price difference between the two is about $200 for four nights. I am so torn and I do not know what to do and my DH and sons said they are fine with either, but they did say they think the rooms look nicer at SF. We are not resort snobs, we just need a place that is clean, but we do usually stay deluxe at Disney only because we go there so often and spend a lot of time at the resort. For this trip, we are coming from a stay at the Yacht Club, so I wasn't sure if Cabana Bay would be a shock after staying at the YC for almost a week. Here are my pros/cons for each resort:

CB Pros:
Great view of Volcano Bay
Love the idea of a food court
Awesome pools with slide and lazy river
Bowling (I'm not sure if we'd have time for this)
Super close to VB

CB Cons:
Very large
Rooms look basic (which isn't necessarily a bad thing)
Busses to parks (can walk, too, I guess?)
I've read reviews of dirty rooms
Loud rooms close to Volcano Bay (music playing?)

SF Pros:
Like the look of the rooms more
Like the theme more
Water taxi to parks
Awesome pool
Closer to Royal Pacific (we have booked a throw away room here for one night so I'll have to "check in" in the morning)

SF Cons:
No dedicated food court (could walk to other resorts for food) - this is big to us; we probably wouldn't eat at any of the sit-down restaurants
More $
Farther from VB; no private entrance

Does anyone have any advice? I really am torn between the two. Since this is our first trip, we will probably spend most of our times in the parks, so maybe I am totally overthinking this, but I just don't want to pick one and wish we were at the other.

Thanks for reading my long post!

 

[DoryGirl1963]

This one's a toughie! We've stayed at both & love both although CBBR is our go-to overall favorite. My instinctive reaction is to recommend changing to SF - it is truly an incredibly lovely resort & would be a more seamless transition from Yacht Club.

How many times are you planning on going to VB? If daily, then CBBR has easier access but I want to say there's a garden path walkway to get there from SF & for some reason I'm thinking SF has a direct shuttle? Not sure as we're not water park people - hopefully someone else with experience can chime in on that.

You said the food court was a big draw at CB but if you're planning on being in the parks most of the time, might want to ponder how much you'd really use it. Also, there are tons of quick service options in Citywalk & with the water taxi, that could mitigate losing the food court access.

Aaahhh, the water taxis ❤ - Love them! They're a whole 'nuther ride for us & they drop you directly into Citywalk . They're the thing we miss the most when staying at CB although the busses at Universal kick butt - head & shoulders superior experience to Disney.

Totally different vibes - CBBR is more energetic & lively & SF is more upscale & serene & tranquil atmosphere. The theming at CBBR can be...polarizing. Hubby & I think it cute & fun & it's kind of a nostalgia thing for us given our ages, but others can find it dated & off-putting or simply don't enjoy it which is completely understandable - the theming at SF is more broadly appealing for sure.

I actually prefer the pool at SF a bit over CB - it's huge & beautifully landscaped & not quite so loud & hectic though very lively, of course.

Way easier to pop over to RPR to pick up your room keys - you don't even have to go outside - you can walk from SF to RPR inside. Also gives you easy access to the dining options over there.

Sheesh, after all that rambling I'm not sure I was very helpful, LOL! I will say if you change to SF & it's doable, get a Lagoon View room - that's what we had & it was wonderful!

 

[wdwrule]

My opinion only, but I would switch to SF. I do think the transition from Disney Deluxe will be smoother at SF as everything is under one roof and the rooms are brighter there. The pool is great there too with a slide. SF is not deluxe but has a more elegant feel. The walk is very convenient too. You can cut through RPR… all indoors and then it’s just a short way that’s left (or walk completely outdoors along the serene garden pathway). The boats there are convenient too.

The lobby is wonderful and Strong Water is excellent. We are not too fond of their grab and go area as it’s a little congested and limited. But Aventura right across the parking lot offers a good variety as far as quick service goes and a Starbucks. That area is nice and open.

Haha I think your hubby would be more at peace with SF too if that’s an important factor.

 

[christophfam]

SF all the way! Of course I’m one that doesn’t really like cb, it’s just not my vibe. I find it to have more of a motel feeling. SF is beautiful and being able to take a water taxi to the parks is so much nicer than the busses. I wouldn’t hesitate to switch to SF.

It is an easy walk to the bus drop off area of vb. Directions are at the end of this article -
https://touringplans.com/blog/s6_reasons-we-love-loews-sapphire-falls-resort-at-universal/

 

[disny_luvr]

This one's a toughie! We've stayed at both & love both although CBBR is our go-to overall favorite. My instinctive reaction is to recommend changing to SF - it is truly an incredibly lovely resort & would be a more seamless transition from Yacht Club.

How many times are you planning on going to VB? If daily, then CBBR has easier access but I want to say there's a garden path walkway to get there from SF & for some reason I'm thinking SF has a direct shuttle? Not sure as we're not water park people - hopefully someone else with experience can chime in on that.

You said the food court was a big draw at CB but if you're planning on being in the parks most of the time, might want to ponder how much you'd really use it. Also, there are tons of quick service options in Citywalk & with the water taxi, that could mitigate losing the food court access.

Aaahhh, the water taxis ❤ - Love them! They're a whole 'nuther ride for us & they drop you directly into Citywalk . They're the thing we miss the most when staying at CB although the busses at Universal kick butt - head & shoulders superior experience to Disney.

Totally different vibes - CBBR is more energetic & lively & SF is more upscale & serene & tranquil atmosphere. The theming at CBBR can be...polarizing. Hubby & I think it cute & fun & it's kind of a nostalgia thing for us given our ages, but others can find it dated & off-putting or simply don't enjoy it which is completely understandable - the theming at SF is more broadly appealing for sure.

I actually prefer the pool at SF a bit over CB - it's huge & beautifully landscaped & not quite so loud & hectic though very lively, of course.

Way easier to pop over to RPR to pick up your room keys - you don't even have to go outside - you can walk from SF to RPR inside. Also gives you easy access to the dining options over there.

Sheesh, after all that rambling I'm not sure I was very helpful, LOL! I will say if you change to SF & it's doable, get a Lagoon View room - that's what we had & it was wonderful!

Thank you, thank you, thank you for your response! It has actually helped me!

You make a really good point about going to Citywalk for more food options. In one of the videos I watched, the vlogger said it is only about a 7 minute boat ride and that makes it very doable to head there to eat. It actually got me thinking that when we stay at the Yacht or Beach Club we rarely ever eat at the resort as we almost always head into Epcot so I'm not sure why I'm stressing so much about the food options at SF. Thank you for pointing that out - I never thought about it.

We are planning on one full day at Volcano Bay and then about a half day (our move day from Disney) at the theme parks and then two additional days at the parks using our Express Passes. I had thought we'd maybe go to VB another time, but we want to make sure we have enough time to do everything we want to do in the parks and we will have access to very nice pools at the resorts so I'm pretty sure we'll only be visiting VB once.

 

[disny_luvr]

My opinion only, but I would switch to SF. I do think the transition from Disney Deluxe will be smoother at SF as everything is under one roof and the rooms are brighter there. The pool is great there too with a slide. SF is not deluxe but has a more elegant feel. The walk is very convenient too. You can cut through RPR… all indoors and then it’s just a short way that’s left (or walk completely outdoors along the serene garden pathway). The boats there are convenient too.

The lobby is wonderful and Strong Water is excellent. We are not too fond of their grab and go area as it’s a little congested and limited. But Aventura right across the parking lot offers a good variety as far as quick service goes and a Starbucks. That area is nice and open.

Haha I think your hubby would be more at peace with SF too if that’s an important factor.

I saw it mentioned somewhere else about walking over to Aventura for their quick service options, so if we switch I could see us doing that.

My DH watched some videos on both CB and SF today with me and he definitely likes the more tranquil feel of SF. He saw a quick pass by the pools at CB and he was like that does not look relaxing at all; there were people everywhere.

 

[disny_luvr]

SF all the way! Of course I’m one that doesn’t really like cb, it’s just not my vibe. I find it to have more of a motel feeling. SF is beautiful and being able to take a water taxi to the parks is so much nicer than the busses. I wouldn’t hesitate to switch to SF.

It is an easy walk to the bus drop off area of vb. Directions are at the end of this article -
https://touringplans.com/blog/s6_reasons-we-love-loews-sapphire-falls-resort-at-universal/

Thank you for the link. I'll be sure to check it out.

 

[disny_luvr]

This one's a toughie! We've stayed at both & love both although CBBR is our go-to overall favorite. My instinctive reaction is to recommend changing to SF - it is truly an incredibly lovely resort & would be a more seamless transition from Yacht Club.

How many times are you planning on going to VB? If daily, then CBBR has easier access but I want to say there's a garden path walkway to get there from SF & for some reason I'm thinking SF has a direct shuttle? Not sure as we're not water park people - hopefully someone else with experience can chime in on that.

You said the food court was a big draw at CB but if you're planning on being in the parks most of the time, might want to ponder how much you'd really use it. Also, there are tons of quick service options in Citywalk & with the water taxi, that could mitigate losing the food court access.

Aaahhh, the water taxis ❤ - Love them! They're a whole 'nuther ride for us & they drop you directly into Citywalk . They're the thing we miss the most when staying at CB although the busses at Universal kick butt - head & shoulders superior experience to Disney.

Totally different vibes - CBBR is more energetic & lively & SF is more upscale & serene & tranquil atmosphere. The theming at CBBR can be...polarizing. Hubby & I think it cute & fun & it's kind of a nostalgia thing for us given our ages, but others can find it dated & off-putting or simply don't enjoy it which is completely understandable - the theming at SF is more broadly appealing for sure.

I actually prefer the pool at SF a bit over CB - it's huge & beautifully landscaped & not quite so loud & hectic though very lively, of course.

Way easier to pop over to RPR to pick up your room keys - you don't even have to go outside - you can walk from SF to RPR inside. Also gives you easy access to the dining options over there.

Sheesh, after all that rambling I'm not sure I was very helpful, LOL! I will say if you change to SF & it's doable, get a Lagoon View room - that's what we had & it was wonderful!

One other thing -
We'd either book a pool view or lagoon view room - it is $14/night over a standard view. Is there a certain tower you'd recommend? It looks like there are three towers and lagoon views in two of them. I read somewhere that one of the towers has a direct elevator to the water taxi, but I don't remember which one. Also, if we request a higher floor do we have any chance of getting a glimpse of the theme parks?

 

[wdwrule]

I love both places but for what you’re describing I think you might benefit a bit more from SF. It does have more of a relaxing feel for sure.

Yes, when we stay at SF we usually head to Aventura for Starbucks in the morning. For example, I love brewed chai tea with a bit of almond milk and hubby is a fan of Starbucks americanos. The coffee place at SF is very limited. Aventura’s food selection has much more of a variety too for quick service if interested. I agree with @DoryGirl1963 … we typically eat at the parks or Citywalk and sometimes at sit downs/bars in certain hotels.

Either way you’ll have a blast and I’m so excited for you!

 

[Skywalker3]

I can totally empathize with choosing a resort, trying to pick the perfect one for that first trip. I think SF will be much more like Yacht Club . (we stay at BWV a lot on the DVC side, and stayed at Beach club once) I only have stayed one night each at CB and SF. Really different vibes. CB is fun, but bustling, busy, kinda noisy, and while you can walk, it's a bit farther out. SF is more walkable and we LOVE the water taxis. They are more frequent than the boats from yacht club, and the walk is similar to walking from YC to Hollywood studios. We've never done Volcano bay, so no idea how easy/hard to get there from SF vs easy access from CB. I loved my very brief night at SF.(it was one night after HHN, so not a lot of time in the room.) Usually there's too much of a price difference for us to stay there vs another moderate/value, but if the price was closer, I'd do SF again for sure. And very wasy for the teens to go back to the room. I know it's just a throwaway room, but we've enjoyed RP a lot, and it's my husband's favorite.
We don't eat a lot at the resorts, but did grab food a few times at the quick service in Aventura when we stayed there. It was good enough. It gets very busy at all the food places on Citywalk in the evenings.
Both have pros and cons, but SF is very nice, and closer to the parks, which we value.

 

[wdwrule]

I believe tower/guest house 3 is closest to the water taxi and also to the walkthrough to RPR but someone might know better. Just fyi, tower 2 is “pet friendly” I believe.

 

[DoryGirl1963]

The resort isn't that large so no tower is really far from anything.

We were in Tower 2 top floor & it was only maybe 5 minutes total from leaving the room to getting to the boat dock at the base of Tower 3.

Oh! Another SF bonus is that you go thru security at the boat dock instead of at Citywalk

 

[DizneyFamof4]

Have you looked into any of the premier resorts, to get the free EPs? We do not think buses are a Con, because US buses are sooooo much better than WDW.

 

[disny_luvr]

Have you looked into any of the premier resorts, to get the free EPs? We do not think buses are a Con, because US buses are sooooo much better than WDW.

We have a throw away room booked at Royal Pacific for one night so we can get Expresses Passes for two days of our visit. We did look into staying there for our whole trip, but it is more than we want to spend.

 

[Lynne G]

I’ve had both at SF, standard and pool view. If you are not going to spend a lot of time in your room, I’d go with the cheapest room.

I tend to book standard most of the time, as greens and no real view of something more interesting doesn’t bother me. But I rarely spend much time in my room, other than sleeping and getting ready. I just say I need a quiet area.

 

[disny_luvr]

I love both places but for what you’re describing I think you might benefit a bit more from SF. It does have more of a relaxing feel for sure.

Yes, when we stay at SF we usually head to Aventura for Starbucks in the morning. For example, I love brewed chai tea with a bit of almond milk and hubby is a fan of Starbucks americanos. The coffee place at SF is very limited. Aventura’s food selection has much more of a variety too for quick service if interested. I agree with @DoryGirl1963 … we typically eat at the parks or Citywalk and sometimes at sit downs/bars in certain hotels.

Either way you’ll have a blast and I’m so excited for you!

Awe, thank you! We are really excited, too. I do appreciate everyone's help on this forum. Everyone has been so helpful and it is much appreciated.

 

[DizKids2]

I have not stayed at SF, but I would still advise to make the switch.
We moved to CB after staying at RPR and were disappointed.

1. It was August, so even though the walk isn’t that mush further, it felt like it in the heat.
2. It felt crowded, but we had never felt like that at RPR
3. The shower wasn’t great- not a deal breaker but these things were all enough that my family has asked me to not book us at the resort again- I have 3 teens. I think we all like the tranquil pace a bit more, though we have stayed at values at Disney and never had a problem.

 

[piccolopat]

If you're paying for the RP room anyway, why not stay there that one night and leave your other room vacant?

 

[disny_luvr]

I have not stayed at SF, but I would still advise to make the switch.
We moved to CB after staying at RPR and were disappointed.

1. It was August, so even though the walk isn’t that mush further, it felt like it in the heat.
2. It felt crowded, but we had never felt like that at RPR
3. The shower wasn’t great- not a deal breaker but these things were all enough that my family has asked me to not book us at the resort again- I have 3 teens. I think we all like the tranquil pace a bit more, though we have stayed at values at Disney and never had a problem.

Thank you! This is helpful. We'll have teens with us, too, and it will be June.

 

[disny_luvr]

If you're paying for the RP room anyway, why not stay there that one night and leave your other room vacant?

I guess we could do that, but I'd have to pack a small bag and I'm just not sure if it is worth it. We'll see...