Universal Cabana Bay Beach Resort

Well, we made it to the airport just about on time having travelled from Wrexham to Manchester in the middle of storm Darragh, encountering fallen trees, calling an ambulance and braving the high winds and rain.

We checked in at Terminal 2, grabbed the customary Costa breakfast on the way in, perused the Duty Free and boarded a very quiet – and only slightly delayed – Virgin Atlantic flight to Orlando. After 9.5 hours, a few Brewdog beers, 3 films, and some fairly decent plane food, we arrived, zipped through US Customs, grabbed our suitcases and jumped in our Lyft ride share. We arrived at our home for the next 7 nights: Universals Cabana Bay Beach Resort.

This wasn’t our first stay at Cabana Bay, we’d previously stayed back in 2015 when Evan was 2, Elliott was -9 and the hotel itself was half the size. We loved it then though, so we were happy to be back, as it’s a great hotel to relax in and enjoy, and that was what this trip was supposed to be for us. We were only doing the Universal parks this time: No Disney, No Seaworld or Busch Gardens, just a chilled week exploring Universal Studios.

Cabana Bay is an awesome 50s/60s themed Universal hotel, situated right next to the Volcano Bay waterpark and a 5-minute bus ride from CityWalk and the parks.

Originally opened back in 2014, and with 2 additional towers added in 2017 (to coincide with the opening of Volcano Bay), the hotel is a brightly coloured and fun spot for an on-resort Universal break. Its also one of the cheaper hotels in the Universal portfolio, classed as a ‘value’ range hotel along with the Endless Summer Resorts. But the hotel feels like its overall benefits are better than the other hotel in the cheap/value bracket. It has better pools and a lazy river, more fun theming and decor, a bowling alley, its closer to the parks, quick access to Volcano Bay…

We went fancy this time and booked ourselves a Volcano View Room, and we were glad that we did. We arrived late on the Saturday, and it was already dark out. We opened our door – room 8708 in the Beachside Tower – and were greeted with an amazing view of the Volcano, all lit up in reds and purples, dead centre of the window. Curtains left open enough to frame such a brilliant sight. Fantastic.

Our room was equipped with 2 queen-size beds (which were pretty comfortable), Flatscreen TV, coffee maker with filter coffee sachets and condiments, mini fridge, plenty of storage drawers, and a cupboard with hanging rail and a safe. Rooms were adjoining – I HATE adjoining room doors, but it was quiet and uneventful.

The bathroom area had a sink, mirror and hairdryer, plus a separate door into the shower room/toilet. Bathrooms also feature retro looking bottles of VO5 shampoos and shower gels, and Zest soap bars.

For comparison, when we stayed in 2015, we were in a Family Suite in the main building. That room had 2 Queen beds in a separate sleeping area with a flatscreen TV, a vanity room with sink and mirror, plus separate shower/bathroom and a separate toilet room. There was also a small living space, partitioned off from the bedrooms area, with seats (which could convert to another bed), another flatscreen TV, and kitchen area with coffee maker, microwave and sink.

Cabana Bay has a large food court area served by the Bayliner Diner & Milkshake Bar. It’s a large seating area, with an area for self-serve drinks and Coke Freestyle machines (if you’ve purchased refillable cups). The room has a retro diner theme and large screen playing 50s/60s adverts on a loop.

The Bayliner Diner is the central food hub at the hotel. It has 4 main hot food service areas: Pizza and Pasta, Burger and Grill, International (serving stir fry dishes, tuna bowls, churrasco, etc) and the Deli (sandwiches and wraps). Plus, breakfast options in the morning.
Its also the main store at Cabana Bay, so you can pick up your essentials: Milk, bottled drinks, wines and beers, snacks, sweets and crisps, fruit, cakes, pastries, cereals, hot drinks and more.

We only ate at the diner a few times: Pizza and garlic bread fingers – Pizza was a bit pricey for the size but tasted fine, garlic bread fingers were more like hot dog buns rolled in some garlic butter, we weren’t a fan of these. For kids, they also had children’s meals available with a main, side, drink and fruit. Evan had the mac and cheese, with a garlic bread finger, chocolate milk and a bag of apple slices, Elliott had the hot dog & fries, also with chocolate milk and apple slices, which were good portions and pretty reasonable at $9 each.

We didn’t even know there was a milkshake bar at Cabana Bay until our 4th or 5th day. It’s right at the bottom of the dining hall, tucked away in the corner. Staying in the Beachside Tower, we hadn’t needed to venture down to this corner until one day we came from the bus and into the door next to it. Shakes Malt Shoppe sells milkshakes, smoothies, floats, ice cream sundaes, plus other drinks and sweet treats. Plus, it’s got some ‘grown up’ shakes if you’re into that kind of thing.

The Starbucks counter was the saviour of our first trip in 2015. A nice coffee to start the day. Pros and cons though, if you want to be out for the first bus of the day, Starbucks gets busy. We only went once this time when we were back earlier on a cooler day. Nice coffees, hot chocolates and iced drinks, plus the breakfast food options looked good too!

At the back of the reception area, you’ll find Swizzle Lounge, serving beers, wines, spirits, cocktails & more. The Cigar City Jai Alai IPA was my tipple of choice!

2 pools, a lazy river, pool bars and dining spots, a gym, an arcade, a bowling alley, evening firepits and movies – Cabana Bay has a lot going for it. If you wanted a holiday in Orlando without visiting the parks, the hotel has a lot to keep you entertained.

Not something we’re interested in, as there aren’t enough hours available on a holiday for me to want to spend time in a gym (or at home to be honest), but the hotel offers the Jack LaLanne fitness studio, a fully equipped gym with treadmills, steppers, weights and more.

Kids love arcades and you can find a large number of classic and modern arcade games, 2p machines, air hockey and more at the Game-O-Rama Arcade.

Cabana Bay Beach Resort has a ten-lane bowling alley with table service food and a bar.

In the Universal Gift Shop, you can find a selection of souvenirs, clothing and merchandise you can get in the parks. From Harry Potter, Transformers, Minions, The Grinch and more, plus some Cabana Bay exclusive items. Handy if you want to pick up a last-minute souvenir. I do remember trying to squeeze a large Captain America pillow into my carry on bag, back while waiting for the taxi to the airport in 2015.

Cabana Bay has 2 different pool areas set either side of the main lobby building. To the left, and the nearest to us in the Beachside tower is home to a good sized pool with plenty of sun loungers, sand play areas with ping pong tables (the sand area looked like it needed some TLC though) , a fire pit (active in the evenings and you can buy a Smores kit from Bayliner Diner to use), and our favourite, the Lazy River.

There are no floats in the river to use. So, if you want to use one either bring one with you or purchase one from the stall nearby. They’re not cheap though, and I imagine you could pick one up from Amazon cheaper. There are life jackets available for the kids though, and let’s not forget free towels to use.

You can also find the Hideaway Bar and Grill here for poolside food and drinks including beers, wines cocktails, burgers, snacks and more.

Over to the right of the lobby, you’ll find another large pool with more sun loungers. This one has a small waterslide, and an infant’s splash play area. Here you’ll also find plenty of rentable Cabanas, with TV’s, loungers and chairs, and a mini fridge. For dining and drinking, you’ve got the Atomic Tonic bar, serving pizzas, sandwiches and more.

Another great advantage from staying at Cabana Bay is the walkway to Volcano Bay. Usually, you’d have to get a bus from your hotel to the main entrance of the waterpark, but Cabana Bay guests benefit from a walkway straight to the gate in under 5 minutes. We were in Beachside with the Volcano View room, so we were closer. Maybe call it 10 mins if you’re at the far side of the hotel. Hotel guests also get Early Park Access, so you can enter Volcano Bay 30 minutes earlier. And you can always take your hotel towels over if needed!

Definitely a major perk of staying on resort at a Universal hotel is Early Park Access or EPA for short. EPA for Volcano Bay as I’ve mentioned is 30 mins earlier than the main gate – so we were in for 9:30am, and you can get a head start on some of the busier slides. We went straight for the Krakatau Aqua coaster for the first boat of the day! FYI, it was freezing at 9:30am in December!!! The main pool was warm though.

EPA for the main parks is usually offered at Islands of Adventure but can be at Studios occasionally. At the parks, guests can enter one hour before the main park opens, and you get access to specific areas. Just show your hotel key as you enter, and you can either head over to Hogsmeade or hop on Velocicoaster. At 8am, it gets very busy waiting for EPA, so make sure you’re here early and getting the first bus of the day from Cabana Bay at 7am, (or use the walking path which takes around 15 minutes) and power walk to the gate.

One morning, we arrived at 7:15am and we were near the gate. The next day, we arrived at 7:30am and were queued back over the bridge, so the earlier the better!

It is worth it though. Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure is the main one at EPA and always gets a monster queue leading out of the Hogsmeade area and into the Lost Kingdom. We managed to get there early enough one morning that we were able to get on and off in under 20 minutes.

Velocicoaster is the EPA winner though. While everyone is heading for Hagrid’s, Velocicoaster is really quiet. We hit it first thing on four occasions and did a total of 15 rides across those four days, all before 9am. On 2 occasions, we got 5 rides in before 9 as it was so quiet. On one of the days me and Evan were front row on the first train of the day, and we had it all to ourselves. We felt like VIPs. And Velocicoaster is soooo quiet without all the screaming. We could even hear the Raptors!

As with all the Universal hotels, they offer complimentary bus transport to and from CityWalk. From Cabana Bay, they start running at 7am, and I think go around every 15 minutes to the bus station outside CityWalk. Same on return, buses are regular, and I don’t remember having to wait more than 5 minutes for a bus.

You can also walk to CityWalk from Cabana Bay. There is a path that leads around the back and enters CityWalk next to Margaritaville, skipping the main hub/security centre where it gets busy. The walking path takes around 15 minutes from Cabana Bay.

Last year, we stayed at the Hard Rock Hotel at Universal, which gives you access to the water taxi service from the hotel to CityWalk and back. It’s only a 5 min walk from the Hard Rock anyway, but it’s a nice boat trip. Unfortunately, you can’t access the water taxi service from Cabana Bay, but they’re worth taking a scenic trip on if you have time in the evening to see CityWalk all lit up.

Don’t get excited. Unlike the premium hotels Universal has to offer, Cabana Bay doesn’t give you Unlimited Express Passes with your stay. The Hard Rock, Loews Portofino Bay and Loews Royal Pacific all offer this perk, and whilst they’re much dearer hotels, it is worth the extra money for the express pass alone. I have said I wouldn’t want to visit again without an Express Pass, and I stand by it. This Cabana Bay trip was an unexpected bonus trip, as we’d only been the year before, so I was happy to take it easy on the rides and queues. With an Express Pass, you can just get on everything (aside from Hagrid’s) really quickly.

Express Pass is great, and I did miss this hotel benefit from our stay at the Hard Rock. And whilst a stay at the Hard Rock Hotel set us back around £1000 more than Cabana Bay for a family of four for a week, an Unlimited Express Pass for 8 days would be nearer £1000 per day! Do some research before you decide. If Express is what you need for a small trip, then maybe book one night in the Hard Rock, as you’ll get Unlimited Express for 2 days.

Cabana Bay Beach Resort is a great hotel. Clean, quiet, friendly staff and some great benefits. Plus, its just a fun-looking hotel and makes it feel like a happier environment. A far cry from the cheap hotel we stayed at on International Drive on our first Florida trip in 2012. For a ‘Value’ hotel in the Universal chain, its fantastic, and we’ve enjoyed it on both this and our previous stay, and we’d definitely consider it for our next Orlando trip.

We also filmed some of our hotel walkabouts including the room, lobby, shops, pool area and more, so view below and visit our ThemeParkRoadtrip YouTube channel for more from our trip in the coming weeks.

Visit the Universal website for the full scoop on Cabana Bay & Universal’s other hotels.