Which resort for 2 week trip - your opinons

[wendlle]

I've got a 4 week trip to Orlando and 2 weeks will be spent at Universal.
I'm going to split my stay either between 2 or 3 resorts. One will be a premier resort for the EP's but this will only be for 2-3 nights. The rest of the time will be at the cheaper resorts.

We have two adults and 2 kids (9 and 6yo) we will be doing the parks a fair bit at Universal as well as Seaworld and hopefully a trip to lego land during this 2 weeks, but also want quite a few days of shopping, swimming and just relaxing, eating etc

If it was you what resorts would you choose? I already know which premium resort I want so more interested in the lower priced ones.
We have stayed at Cabana Bay before in a family suite and really loved it there, but not sure if other options are better??
We would need a suite.
We don't mind taking busses over walking.
Looking forward to your opinions.

Also to note, I do have an AP so hoping for some AP discounts, our trip will be the first two weeks in May 2025

 

[nherbert]

Fellow Aussie here, so I relate to the two week stay. I am not sure I have an answer for you, but will relate our experience. We first tried Portofino, was not our style at all too formal, was comfortable and had great pool, but we found the food options limiting for our budget. We did walk to Cabana and thought next time we will stay there. So we did. While this casual style was much more us, and we had a family suite, we found the beds very uncomfortably hard and it was so incredibly noisy (near cleaner store room and had very noisy neighbour), we asked to be moved but it didn’t get much better as the walls are paper thin. The weather was terrible when we went so didn’t use the pool but it looked good. Food and facilities were great. But 3 nights was enough for us. Next time (this December) we are trying hard rock and dockside 2bdr. We like split stays so that a bad hotel doesn’t wreck are whole stay, and we like to explore. We have looked at the Lego hotel a few times, but not yet stayed there - it looks good.

 

[CAPSLOCK]

If you're looking for suite on a budget, it's Cabana Bay or one of the Endless Summers. Cabana Bay will allow for pool hopping & easy access to Volcano Bay. If you're planning a few pool days, that is probably the better option. You do have to pay for parking at any of the resorts, I believe it is marginally more expensive at CB than at Endless Summer.

 

[nouvellefleur]

Cabana Bay is the best of the value resorts, imo. If there's any chance at all that you may want to pool hop, CBBR will allow you to do so while Endless Summer will not. If you have concerns about noise, the exterior entry suites have better soundproofing than the interior entry suites.

 

[wendlle]

Thanks, we were in an exterior suite last time and it was very noisy, but we were right near a gate that people kept slamming shut.

 

[nouvellefleur]

Thanks, we were in an exterior suite last time and it was very noisy, but we were right near a gate that people kept slamming shut.

Oh man

 

[tony67]

Endless Summer Resorts are a great value. With an AP its often around $130-150 a night for the suite.
The buses from there are excellent, and you are sort of off property so a little more flexibility to walk to a Walgreens for example.

I have not stayed at Surfside, but Dockside and it can be a very busy hotel lots of people and crowded elevators and a long walk back to the room depending on where you are in the hotel. Dockside has the bar so that is a plus.

I found the hotel to be much better than I expected and a bargain for the price.
I often rent the suite even though I am there on a solo trip. Having the bedroom really help reduce the noise from the hallways and its nice to have the kitchenette and dining area..

 

[PollyannaMom]

We've stayed at:
Royal Pacific
Hard Rock
Cabana Bay
Surfside

We loved them all, so I'd say follow the best deals you find. If nothing stands out, I think I'd pick Royal Pacific and Cabana Bay.

 

[StarCruzer]

We loved Portofino. It was definitely showing it's age a bit, but by far one of the most comfortable hotel beds I've ever slept in. We also got upgraded to the first floor water view which was good for the view but people kept sitting on our patio furniture because the 1st floor patios aren't separated from the main walkways for ambiance reasons. So just watch out for that!

Depending on when you're going, the Island Dining room in Royal Pacific may not be up and running. I believe fall/winter it will down for refurb.

 

[wendlle]

We loved Portofino. It was definitely showing it's age a bit, but by far one of the most comfortable hotel beds I've ever slept in. We also got upgraded to the first floor water view which was good for the view but people kept sitting on our patio furniture because the 1st floor patios aren't separated from the main walkways for ambiance reasons. So just watch out for that!

Depending on when you're going, the Island Dining room in Royal Pacific may not be up and running. I believe fall/winter it will down for refurb.

We rarely eat in the on site restaurants
Were more of a grab and go or counter service family anyway
I’ve been to RP a few times and never stepped foot into the restaurant
We will be there in May

 

[Dakota731]

We chose Hard Rock because our nine year old loves music. We stayed there years ago and it seemed so dark inside - hopefully it’s been renovated since?? We did Portofino last time and really enjoyed the atmosphere there.

 

[Sue M]

We have a 2 week stay and booked Sapphire 1 week then Portofino 1week.