Info, tips, ??s on Universal's Cabana Bay Beach Resort

[mousefan73]

Hi!
we have 2 nights booked at Cabana Bay..Our arrival night ( getting in around 8pm from a long flight) and then the whole next day and half on check-out..

My mom really wants to stay here due to the theming.. She saw some youtube videos and like what she saw. The whole 50s thing.

We do not have any universal tickets.
Is the resort big enough, offers enough to spend the WHOLE day there? or should we plan some outing.

Also do you suggest eating there or off property. We have a car.

My son will like the resort bowling. we might do that..

Also one concern. I read on tripadvisor there is now construction..I cannot find any infos online..
Can anyone comment.

Can we walk anywhere to check things out diretly from the resort? Is there like a mine DTD at universal.. Basically stuff we can see withoiut going in. At this moment we really have no desire going in.. My kids are scared or bigger rides and do not like Harry Potter.. So we are safe looking from the outside ( they wont scream we want in)..



Thanks!

 

[powellrj]

My DD has stayed there twice and both times she has had great things to say about it. She is working now, but I will ask her later your questions. They have city walk that is free during the day, but you pay at night for it. There are lots of restaurants and a movie theater. You are not far from International Drive which is full of restaurants and lots and lots of tourist type things. The trolley is also fun to ride and is really cheap.

 

[nacho113]

The themeing is definitely very retro (we thought sort of a 50's - 60's kind of mix) lots of bright blues and oranges.
Even the little shampoo bottles were retro VO5 shampoo (apparently specially produced for the resort, as was the soap)
Restaurants/food courts serve reasonable fare at a moderate resort price.

There is a nice lazy river but you have to purchase your own tube to ride at a price of $12 each in 2015 (or bring your own from home or pick one up for less from a local Walmart or Target)

We enjoyed sitting around the fire pits in the evenings enjoying a cocktail from the pool bar.

The "Glow Bowling" was cool but again, "resort pricing".
Wife and I rolled 2 lines each and a couple of beers (not each) and the tab was over $100 for less than an hour's entertainment

There are retro shuttle buses that leave regularly (about every 5-10 minutes) to the Universal main entrance (it's only a couple of minute ride, you can actually walk it in about 5-6 minutes if your up for a stroll).

Here you can visit City Walk (Universals answer to Disney Springs but much smaller).
Several night clubs, several sit down and fast food restaurants, a themed mini-golf, gift shops and a movie plex are in the City Walk area and entrance to the area is free during the day (night clubs have cover charges in the evening).
From this area, you can see and walk to both park entrances (on either side of the lake)

If you want to go offsite to eat or shop, International Drive is literally just on the other side of the Interstate (less than a 5 minute drive from the Resort)
There's a ton of restaurants, shops, local attractions, dinner theaters, etc. along and near I-Drive (very touristy area)

 

[Beignetsandboudin]

We stayed there last summer and loved it!
The lazy river and water slide (two different, huge pool areas) were so much fun that we ended up taking two pool days. We brought our own tubes, they blew them up for us (I did tip the guy). The Hideaway Lounge on the lazy river side has tasty adult beverages and there is a snack stand next to it.
I really liked the theming, I'm a mid-century modern fan. There were posters of vintage ads and 50s/60s tv/commercials/cartoons playing in the main dining area. The food was decent and somewhat reasonable.
We liked having Starbucks downstairs, they opened early.
We bowled but probably won't do it again (it was a good rainy day activity). We also visited the arcade for a little while, that was fun (and pricey, as usual).
The shuttles were quick and reliable.
At City Walk we chose Bubba Gump's for lunch, the food was good and it had a fun atmosphere. We aren't big shoppers, but the shopping area there was lively and there were many restaurants to choose from.
Overall, we enjoyed our stay at Cabana Bay and hope to visit again.
The construction is possibly Sapphire Falls, the new moderate hotel they are building at Universal. It is supposed to open Summer 2016, but I'm not sure exactly when. We were told they were building a new water park too, so that could be under construction as well.

 

[dsdeleon]

I am here now and have a lot of complaints. I usually stay at Royal Pacific but wanted to save a little and heard such good things but wow, they must have let the place go. Garbage surrounding the lazy river today just sitting there all day. Housekeeping doesn't even come until you literally beg for it at 3PM and they don't even wipe anything down! The room location is horrible, you only see and hear construction and cannot park anywhere near where you are. It is honestly ridiculous they wouldn't just close down the rooms they put me in. The lazy river gets so packed running into people constantly is anything but relaxing. Sorry but I just feel the need to be honest with all these positive reviews from when it first opened. This place is turning into the Nick Hotel.

 

[dsdeleon]

The construction is from he new water park opening over a year from now so it won't let up soon.