Cabana Bay resort review at Universal Orlando

Read on for my Cabana Bay resort review:

I visit Disney around 3 times a year, and I love it. But did you know I’ve visited Universal Orlando at least once a year for the past few years? Honestly, it keeps improving and they are adding so many new things – so there are many reasons to keep going back.

For a while, if I wanted to go to Universal I would take a day trip from Disney. But now I typically want to spend longer than 8-10 hours there! Between Harry Potter attractions in both of their main theme parks, some great entertainment offerings, special events throughout the year, and the best water park I’ve been to, I need 2-3 days at Universal.

They also offer some great perks to stay at their resorts. So the past 3-4 visits I’ve taken to Universal, I’ve stayed at one of their hotels. Sometimes this was part of a split stay, where I did Disney for a few days and then Universal for a few days. I also chose to do Universal after a Disney Cruise two years ago, and I’ve done just a Universal trip – traveling to Orlando and NOT going to Disney felt weird at first, but we had a blast!

For the most recent Universal trip I took, I stayed at Cabana Bay Beach resort for a few days. This is what Universal calls one of their “prime value” hotels (so think of the Disney value resorts). The pricing is very reasonable and it’s a fun resort! Definitely a great family friendly option.

Let’s take a look at all of the details as we go through my Cabana Bay Resort review!

Location & Transportation

Cabana Bay Beach Resort is located on Universal Orlando property, which means you have easy access to Universal Studios Florida, Universal’s Islands of Adventure, and Universal’s Volcano Bay water theme park.

It is a little further away from the parks than some of the other resorts. The “premier” resorts are the closest, though Cabana Bay isn’t a bad walk. It’s less than a mile from Cabana Bay to CityWalk, so if you are okay with that it’s a pretty, pleasant walk.

There are also free shuttle buses that run regularly from the resort to the theme parks. If you want to break up the walking you could do what we did one time as well, and walk to Sapphire Falls resort and take the boat from there.

If you’re heading to Volcano Bay, the water park, you’re in luck – you can see it from Cabana Bay because it’s right next door! You can easily walk there.

Themeing

Cabana Bay Beach Resort stands out with its 1950s and 60s-inspired design, offering guests a nostalgic trip back in time. From the moment you arrive they really lean into the themeing, with a sign out front advertising “Color TV” and “Cold Air.” (I prefer the term ‘Healthfully air conditioned” myself, but that’s a somewhat obscure reference unless you are from the same area as me 😉 )

You’ll see this sort of fun, retro themeing in lots of the details around the resort – including the fact that they have a bowling alley here!

The outside buildings are simple but colorful, and inside the rooms you’ll find vintage-style furniture and memorabilia adorning the common areas. Sometimes it’s really about the little touches, and I loved that they even had Zest soap in the rooms!

Food & Drink

There are a few different places to get a meal, snack, or drink at Cabana Bay Beach resort.

You’ll find:

• Bayliner Diner – quick service/food court
• Galaxy Bowl Restaurant – full service bar/restaurant and bowling alley
• Hideaway Bar and Grill – casual poolside eatery and bar
• Swizzle Lounge – lobby bar
• Shakes Malt Shoppe – smoothies, sundaes, and more
• Atomic Tonic – pool bar and quick service
• Starbucks – coffee
• Delizioso Pizza – pizza delivery

The only ones I personally experienced during my stay were the Bayliner Diner and the Swizzle Lounge. Sadly, the Shakes Malt Shoppe was not open during my visit or else I think I would have ended up there! I think the Galaxy Bowl Resturant would be cool too, but we had so many other things we wanted to do while we were at Universal.

We had dinner one evening at the Bayliner Diner, as well as breakfast (and a few snacks!). I was really impressed with the variety of choices here for dinner. This is what the value resorts really lack at Disney World (Art of Animation used to come close with Landscape of Flavors, but they don’t offer what they used to).

There are a few different areas to order from – the deli, pizza/pasta, international section, and burger & grill. You’ll also find a number of pre-packaged meals, snacks, and even a frozen yogurt bar!

We both really enjoyed the dinner entrees we had there. I ordered from the deli counter, which has a number of sandwiches and salads. There are a few sandwiches always on the menu, as well as a “daily special” that changes. The night we visited the daily special was a french dip sandwich, so that’s what I ordered. This was pretty basic but that’s what I was in the mood for that evening. The chips were really nice too, being really thick chips with some seasonings added.

Kristin got an Ahi Tuna bowl from the international section, which really looked good. I was impressed to see them offering something like that (and doing it well, too!). I was less impressed with the chocolate cake I got (just mediocre). We grabbed breakfast there once too. The breakfast sandwich on a croissant was just okay, but the breakfast potatoes that came with it were excellent.

We did also grab drinks one night in the Swizzle Lounge. They have a fun menu of classics with a twist, as well as the ability to make any typical bar drink. We enjoyed the Paloma and the Go Lightly (gin, lime juice, cucumber syrup, strawberry puree, and sprite).

The rooms

Although it was just Kristin and I on this trip, we opted to book a family suite for a little more space (I also remained hopeful that I could attempt to convince Jenn to stay with us, but alas! Not this time). They can sleep up to 6 people, with 2 queen beds in the bedroom and a separate living space that has a pull-out sofa.

You have a split bathroom here, with the toilet in one room, the tower/tub in another room, and the sink in between the two. This is a great set-up for multiple people getting ready in the morning. There is a sliding door between the living room/kitchen and the bedroom if you want some more privacy as well.

Aside from the couch and TV you’ll find in the living room (there’s one in the bedroom as well), right next to it is a kitchenette. It has a microwave, mini-fridge, and sink here, as well as some counter space with stools.

The fun themeing continues inside these rooms, with lots of bright colors and vintage style!

The pools

Although I didn’t actually make use of them on this trip, Cabana Bay has two large pools that look like a a lot of fun. One of the pools was right outside of our building in the Cabana Courtyard, which had a waterslide and splash area for kids. The other pool area even has its own lazy river!

There are hot tubs at Cabana Bay as well (another advantage they have over the value resorts at Disney World!). It’s really a nice pool area, and I know that’s important to many families on vacation. If you don’t have Volcano Bay included with your ticket, this is a fun option for an afternoon.

Things to do at Cabana Bay resort

I’ve mentioned a few of the activities you can do already in this Cabana Bay resort review, but let’s go over them (and more) again!

• Go bowling at Galaxy Bowl
• Spend time at the pool, including a lazy river, water slide, splash area, and hot tubs
• Poolside activities such as hula hoop contest
• Rent a private cabana in the pool area
• Physical fitness studio
• Play at Game-o-Rama, the arcade
• Pick up some souvenirs at the Universal Studios store

Advantages to staying at Cabana Bay

You get some perks and advantages when you stay at any of the official Universal resorts, though they vary depending on the resort.

All Universal hotel guests receive early park admission to get into the parks early (usually this is admission to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Islands of Adventure and Volcano Bay). You also get free transportation from the hotel to the parks.

Whether you take the walking path or the shuttle bus, it’s a pretty quick and convenient trip to get to the parks. That means it’s also easy to take a midday break if you’d like to do that, or go back to CityWalk for dinner.

Would I stay again?

I’ll start by saying that if I’m going to Universal, I will probably choose to stay at one of their hotels for the convenience and the early access. I would choose Cabana Bay again if I wanted a space that slept 5-6, or just a little more space for 3-4 adults.

I liked the vibe of Sapphire Falls more myself, but Cabana Bay was a lot of fun. While I’d love to stay premier every time I visit they are definitely pricier, so it’s nice to see many different options at Universal now!

What do you think of my Cabana Bay resort review? Have you stayed there?