Last month, I drove down and got a text that my room was ready. I was aiming for 1 PM, but got the notification about 11:30 AM. So I stopped at the WAWA on JYP/Destination Dr. near Consulate Dr. knowing I could put my drinks/snacks into the mini-fridge immediately. I really like driving in from this direction as opposed to I-4/Kirkman/Sand Lake.
Parked my car at the entrance, went to the luggage service desk and saw the sign for mobile check-in. The TM asked if I got the text about my room being ready and steps in the back and comes out with my card. I was on the 7th floor with a theme park view (albeit I was looking at the backside of Mine Cart).
The resort is similar to Aventura, but larger. The cosmic theming is well done and once again, the flow of the walls and windows are just gorgeous. The room I had was almost identical to Aventura in terms of layout, but the furnishings had more character. The window is definitely unique as it sort of reminded me of what a space ship would have.
The pool is heated and is huge. I counted 4 lifeguards actively walking or in their stands. There were so many loungers with umbrellas and plenty of palm trees, etc. The bar is very large and nicely themed. The part I like is they have a pick-up window attached to their eatery/grill. You can mobile order and go pick-up your food/drinks. The hot tub was wonderful. I would say it could accommodate about 20 guests. They played nice music throughout the day and show a movie at night on an inflatable screen (it’s not the brightest, but works). The fire pit wasn’t working, but is a nice touch too.
I got a turkey BLT with sweet potato fries at the grill (inside). They were both very fresh and quite good at a reasonable price. Of note is that the charge to the resort card wasn't working so I had to go up to my room and retrieve an alternate method of payment.
I was impressed with the resort and proximity to
Epic Universe. I am not impressed with the $30/night parking fee. I did time the bus trip from Stella Nova to
Epic Universe; 2:59 to the guest drop-off and 3:12 back to the resort (we had hit red light). Some guests walked over which I heard is about 10-15 minutes. The resort had 2 bus spots (one for Epic and the other to CityWalk).
I would absolutely stay here again if Epic is the destination. With my Florida resident discount, the room was about $100/night (without parking fees). That’s a pretty good deal if you have four or less members in your family. There are connecting rooms available.
To me, I’d still take Aventura as my preferred value resort. The location and boat ride to CityWalk can’t be beat. The food offerings at Aventura are far superior. But, Stella Nova certainly is a worthy contender to challenge it. I feel Aventura is more capable of doing a resort only stay whereas Stella Nova is situated for exactly what it was designed for…..an easy, more affordable resort with direct transport to Epic Universe.
