Universal’s Cabana Bay Beach Resort, Orlando | Review

If you’re planning of Universal Orlando family vacation soon and thinking of staying in an onsite property, you should definitely check out Cabana Bay Beach Resort. This property is co-owned by Loews Hotels & Resorts in a joint venture with NBC Universal. It is a blast from the past as Cabana Bay aims to transport its guests to the late 1950s and early 1960s of America. From its neon signs to the classic vintage cars parked at the lobby courtyard to its vibrant and funky retro decor, Cabana Bay is a beautiful throwback to the old America.

As per Universal’s exclusive theme park resorts benefits, Cabana Bay resides under Prime value and offers very limited perks. That means you won’t get Universal’s Express Unlimited Pass for rides at Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. However, you do get early admission to The Diagon Alley of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter as well as Volcano Bay – Universal’s newest waterpark with a valid theme parks admission tickets). 

If you’ve been following me on an Instagram, you would have seen that my husband and I stayed in a Cabana Bay Beach Resort for a week earlier this month as a part of our mini-Orlando vacation. 

Let me give you a virtual tour of my entire experience while staying at this retro gem!

About the Property

As soon as you’ll enter inside the premises of Cabana Bay, you’ll feel like good times are waiting ahead. Imagine the vibrant and funky retro theme of the 50s and 60s surrounded by tall palm-lined trees with a splendid backdrop of Florida’s sunny sky, Cabana Bay literally sets you on a vacation mode. 

There’re a few vintage classic cars permanently parked outside the lobby courtyard in Cabana Bay Beach Resort to welcome its guests. These cars are used in some movies like It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World and more. It includes classic 1961 Chevrolet Impala, Ford Country Squire and Chrysler Imperial. Don’t forget to take some pictures with these vintage beauties!

The Lobby

The two-story lobby of Cabana Bay is filled with natural light, colorful furniture, splendid beach mural behind the front desk as well as a terrarium of Palm trees in the center. The ambiance is very inviting with music playing from the 50s and 60s screaming your vintage vacation has started!

The Check-in

Finding free parking in front of Cabana Bay’s lobby courtyard is quite challenging as they have very limited parking space. It took us 20 minutes to find a spot near the lobby where you can park only for 30 minutes. Even there was no doorman standing outside the lobby to give assistance. After parking our car, it took us almost 25 minutes to wait in queue for check-in. As soon as our number came, we were greeted by the receptionist and after all the formalities done, she gave us the map of the property and a brief overview of everything. Please note that Cabana Bay is massive with 8 different towers consisting of around 1800 rooms, so finding your room itself is quite challenging. Ensure to get all your queries satisfied if you don’t want to stand in a never-ending queue again. The staff is also not allowed to carry your luggage. Be prepared to carry everything on your own.

The Family Suite

The names of the 8 towers at Cabana Bay Beach Resort reminds you of hotel’s names from those eras — Castaway, Thunderbird, Starlight, Continental, Americana and Bayside. Our family suite was on the fourth floor in the Continental tower with a view of the fire pit and pool. 

Our suite had a living area, a pull-out sofa, two queen size beds in the bedroom, a full-size closet, two-flat screens TV, a sliding partition for privacy as well as a kitchenette area with all the regular modern amenities. The white wall immersed in retro decor with a pop-up of vibrant colors gives you a vibe of vintage vacation.

Our family suite was quite spacious and has the capacity to accommodate 5 people. However, it has no views of the Volcano Bay which is considered as one of the most Instagrammable views of the Cabana Bay Beach Resort.

The Bathroom

Cabana Bay has taken care of every minute details to make your Universal family vacation outstanding. For instance, they have made a separate shower area as well as a toilet with doors and vanity, so that the entire family can get ready on time for Universal’s theme park adventure. 

You’ll be amazed when you see these retro toiletries — Alberto V05 shampoo and Zest soap. What a wonderful throwback from the past!

The family suite has all the regular amenities to accommodate the needs of the entire family. However, there’s no work desk in the family suite which I totally understand as who works on a family vacation.  

However, there are plenty of spots throughout the property where you can work with a view in case if you have to!

Food & Drinks

There’re several options available to satisfy the palate of everyone in your family.

The Bayliner Diner at Cabana Bay is a huge food-court cafeteria with 5 stations as well as several grabs and go options. So, it can cater to almost everyone in your family. We had salad and pasta one evening and it tastes fine. 

The Hideaway Bar & Grill located in Lazy River Courtyard and The Atomic Tonic located in Cabana Courtyard give you the option of light bites and drinks while lounging around the pool. We tried both of them and both had some great options.

My favorite was this falafel wrap that was incredibly delicious!

The Galaxy Bowl is another fast food option that serves usual burgers, fries, chicken fingers and pizzas to eat in the bowling alley. 

Delizioso Pizza is Cabana Bay’s only limited room service option. 

There’s a Swiggle Lounge in the lobby where you can sip the drinks and soak in the view around.

Cabana Bay has also taken care of all the coffee lovers with Starbucks onsite. Being a caffeine addict, it gets a bonus point from me!

The Pool Area

There are two large zero infinity pools in Cabana Bay with their own bar and grills, plenty of splash zones and beach chairs. 

The pool located in the Cabana Courtyard has a water slide, kids splash pad, hot tub, lawn, picnic table and stylish cabanas that you can rent for the day. 

The pool located in Lazy River Courtyard has Lazy River of course apart from the pool. You have to purchase a new tube onsite for a few dollars. However, the staff gives you new tubes in packaging after your float to take home as a souvenir. You can also bring your own tube for free inflation. In addition, there’s a Kids Splash Pad, Fire Pit and Sand Pit. 

We also had a movie night at Lazy River Courtyard in one of the evenings and we watched Jumanji.

I also saw a few of the families roasting s’mores at the built-in firepits. You can buy s’mores kit from the Bayliner. It would be a perfect activity for the entire family to end the night.

Other amenities

The onsite entertainment at Cabana Bay makes this property really stand out. From its 10-lane bowling alley to a standard arcade game room decorated in a vintage modern style to its fully-equipped Jack LaLanne fitness center, it has everything to occupy the interest of everyone in your family. There’s also a stocked gift shop in the lobby that sells all the Universal’s merchandise.  

What perks you don’t get as compared to other Universal’s Premier and Preferred resorts while staying in Cabana Bay?

Unlike Universal’s Premier and Preferred resorts, Cabana Bay Beach Resort has no water-taxi access to the CityWalk. Secondly, there’s no free Unlimited Fast Express Pass for rides in theme parks included in your stay. However, the trade-off is Cabana Bay Beach Resort is the only onsite resort that has direct access to Volcano Bay. There are shuttle services available every 10 minutes to CityWalk as well as you get an early park admission to the Diagon Alley. You also get free delivery of any onsite purchases straight to your room.

One thing I also loved about Cabana Bay is that you can enjoy using the facilities all day even after check out at 11:00 AM. This is really helpful when you have to catch an evening flight. You can store your luggage at the bell hop area and spend your time lounging around the pool area or bowling alley. You can even rent a cabana that has mini-fridge, TV, safe, table and chairs, loungers, towel service and even food and drinks delivered. 

The Verdict

If you’re looking for a fun-filled budget family vacation, Cabana Bay Beach Resort has plenty to offer. We enjoyed our stay and our experience was amazing. However, if you’re planning to spend the majority of your time at Universal’s theme parks, you won’t get enough time to enjoy all the amenities that Cabana Bay has to offer. Therefore, assign one day as part of your itinerary to relax at Cabana Bay and enjoy all its amenities to the fullest for your perfect vintage vacation!

Do share your experience if you’ve stayed in Cabana Bay Beach Resort in the comments below? If not, what do you think about this property?

Also, if you’re planning your Universal Orlando vacation soon, you can always reach out to me if you’ve any questions related to Cabana Bay or Universal Orlando Resort and I’d be happy to answer!

Till then, Happy Wandering!
Ana

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