There is but it’s not part of universal it is a private house that is rented out. They even have a room the cupboard under the stairs. Look up Harry Potter house in Orlando. Vlogs are out there.
@@largol33t1 Universal has been trying to cut costs by building only lightly themed hotels recently. The Aventura has essentially no theming at all; it's just "modern." Both sides of the Endless Summer resort are attractively but only modestly themed. Even Sapphire Falls, which looks great, is just a hotel in the tropics that's themed to look like a hotel in a different part of the tropics. Universal needs to come up with a new, heavily themed resort hotel that transports guests to a truly different place and becomes a destination unto itself.
Probably in the new Epic world they are building. I saw blueprints that shows 3 more new Resorts to stay at. Hopefully one is Harry Potter themed. They are having a 3rd Harry Potter area in the new epic world so would make since
A few things you might want to add regarding Cabana Bay. First, there is a hidden entrance for quick access to Volcano Bay if you're there for the water parks. Think twice before booking in January however. I went in the first week of January and a lot of kids were very disappointed that VB was closed because of very cold weather. The pools are big and there is always room for everyone. You do NOT have to use or buy a tube to swim in the lazy river. I took a swim in it and the lifeguards said nothing. By the way, in winter months, the pool is heated so your kids won't shiver if they want to swim. You can not dive in because it's a massive kiddie pool. I think it was less than 5 feet at the deepest point. There is plenty for the kids to do such as big beachside games and they play movies on exterior big screen TVs some nights. There are barbecue grilles to actually roast marshmallows after dinner (you buy the marshmallows and rods in the cafeteria by the drinks fridges). And there is a massive spa for families but beware, a lot of regulars know about this so it gets taken VERY quickly. And of course, it wouldn't live up to its name if there weren't actual cabanas. They have them. You can book a cabana in advance and they have a small fridge and a phone for quick room service so they can bring you meals and drinks. I like that you get a choice: if you're nostalgic for the 1950s/60s days of South Florida's beach motels, you can book the east side of the hotel. These rooms reminded me of my childhood trips to Tampa because they were similar in layout with an exterior entrance and balcony. They have exterior vending machines as well and the gates are secure, you MUST take your room key to navigate through the gates anywhere in the property. Great for keeping out freeloaders and pickpockets BUT it can make it a hassle to maneuver if you want to access a pool if the lobby is between it and your room. I didn't use the bowling alley so I can't give a review on the service there. The fitness center is so well equipped it even has a full locker room with showers. Fun fact: Jack Lalanne (the fitness center is named after him) was the one who first got the nation started on the fitness craze. He was such a devoted fitness expert that he worked out every single day until he dropped dead from something associated with pneumonia. The rooms are a bit of a conundrum because of the layout. This is a huge hotel. If you want a great view of Volcano Bay day or night, it comes with a tradeoff: you are situated far from the elevators so it's going to be a bit of a jog if you forget something like your camera or cell phone when you get to the elevator, which I find hilariously ironic considering the well equipped fitness facilities. The food court is just like when you were in school if you were growing up in the 70s or 80s: remember to take your tray to the center and leave it on the counter for the staff to retrieve. Overall, I really liked this hotel and would recommend it to families.
I've never stayed at one of the Universal Hotels before but I'm planning to stay at the Hard Rock after the pandemic. Life's too short to not have great vacations!
I stayed at the hard rock hotel my first time over there in October of 2020, and they have amazing rooms and amazing service, they do however when I was there we requested a room with a view of the pool and it took them a few hours to get it ready so we had to wait in the longer area, the lounge area has snacks a couch a few seats and drinks that are free and you can also go there for breakfast and coffee, also if you do a Harry Potter related thing you should receive a box at the front desk with some goodies, I do love the hard rock hotel because my experience with it was fun but obviously everyone thinks differently, I hope my review helped ya out in some way, haha.
We have only stayed at Royal Pacific which we loved! Cabana Bay is on my list for next time! This was great...love seeing & hearing about all the hotels.
We stayed at Royal Pacific a few weeks ago for 4 nights. Loved it! Great staff, perfect location, nice room and facility, easy walk or boat ride to/from park, etc. The best perk for us though, since we were going to spend most of our time at the parks/have annual passes, was the free Express Pass. We didn’t spend more than 15 minutes in any lines throughout our stay, and some of the lines were showing well over an hour wait. Def a nice perk of staying at the 3 higher $ resorts....totally worth it.
I find the title of this video somewhat misleading. The real topic here is, "favorite Universal Orlando hotels for families with young children who want to spend all their time at the hotel." The Cabana Bay, ranked no. 1 here, does have some fun amenities, and lower prices, BUT it also has NO full-service restaurants, smallish rooms unless you get a suite, and no Express Pass benefit for the theme parks. There's no way you can say such an establishment is truly "better" than a resort like Portofino Bay or Royal Pacific that offers substantially higher-end services in many ways. It's just a different kind of hotel for people with different priorities.
We’ve only stayed at Cabana Bay but we loved it. It’s a little cheaper and the amenities are great. The bowling alley on site was cool and is a fun atmosphere to even just grab food. The best part was the lazy river. We enjoyed relaxing in it everyday. Would highly recommend it. I am debating trying Portifino when we go next year for our anniversary though. Glad to hear you say it might be the best for couples.
As a guitar player and bass guitar player who’s never been there before, you have now added something to my bucket list of places i would love to visit!!
I’d agree with the first few, but after that it’s pretty subjective. I’ve stayed at Cabana Bay more than any of the other resorts, mainly due to the price, but I’d probably place it #4 overall. No water taxi access to the theme parks, no express pass access for the theme park rides, cafeteria style dining options only, loud people in the hallways and neighboring rooms at late hours of the night.
You can "cheat" by walking across the street to Aventura and get in line for the water taxi. I never had any issue with excessive noise in the hallways when i stayed and I am a light sleeper.
We love Portofino Bay and if you look at pictures of the real Portofino Bay it looks just like it except there is a mountain in the back of the real spot. We are going to try Royal Pacific this year I hope we will be as happy.
I stayed there last year and honestly, even if it cost the same as Hard Rock, I would have preferred Cabana Bay by a small margin. I love the 1950s decor and the rooms have great views of Volcano Bay at night. There are two swimming pools and the food is okay but not awful.
Cabana Bay is best only if you go to Universal when it's not busy. When it's busy you're better of staying at a premium hotel so you get the Express pass included in your stay.
No mention of the Express Pass amenity? If you're visiting the parks, you'll need it! Peak season, Express Passes for 4, good for one day: $600. OR - Stay at a Universal hotel that offers them for free, and spend $300+/- for one night. So essentially, spend $300 (instead of $600) and get 4 Express Passes with a room for free!
If Universal classifies your resort as "value" level you don't get the Express Pass. Although she rated it #1, Cabana Bay is rated a value resort so no Express Pass. If you go in "off season" (after Xmas through middle of January) you probably won't need it. Crowds are very light in the morning. The only parts of the parks that got really crowded by 3pm were Diagon Alley and Hogsgmeade. Harry, Ron and Hermione are still partly responsible for most of the guests visiting the parks.
@@largol33t1 - I agree that off-season, an Express Pass won't be necessary. But also during off-season, the parks close early, the hotel bars and restaurants close early, some entertainment venues are closed completely and several attractions will be closed for off-season maintenance. We like to enjoy the parks after dark, which isn't possible off-season.
@@mattrost2574 There's always some kind of tradeoff, isn't there? But I'd rather have lighter crowds over extra wizarding hours any day! (Yes, pun intended. I don't know why Universal doesn't use and offer that as a way of digging back at the Mouse...)
I’m not lugging any kids with me lol so I like Portofino and Hardrock the best with Royal Pacific close behind . I never stay at the others since they don’t offer the free express pass .
Main reason why the premier hotels r the best, buying the express pass while staying at a different hotels actually brings the price higher than staying at a premier hotel
@@teamslaiyans3808 universal has 3 premier hotels hard rock hotel, Loews Portofino bay, and Loews royal pacific resort. if u stay at one of these 3 hotels u get the express pass for all of your stay and a 1 hour early access to all the parks
I've been to the Surfside and dockside. Honestly for the price it's amazing the rooms the lobbies the pool area its pretty up there for being a cheaper hotel. I prefer dockside just because the lobby and cafeteria area is way bigger but there both great. That is my go to location
I like the Drury inn universal resort hotel. It has a pool and hot tube ,exercise gym. I also have unlimited drinks,breakfast and dinner. I am also able to schedule a pick up for all three theme parks as well. I can also bring my dog. I love this hotel and would book here again for my next vacation for Orlando universal resort stay.
Beautiful video that really did touch upon the resorts stylishly! I love that every review was positive! I’m not a huge fan of Cabana Bay, but I do agree that it’s theming is brilliant! My personal favorite is Royal Pacific with second place being Aventura.❤️
@@blindpeopledostuff3587 That's why I changed my plans at the last minute and added a fourth day to my stay: 3 days in the parks and 1 day just lazing around the pool at Cabana Bay. It took a lot of the stress off of walking in the parks in the freezing wind all day while fighting huge crowds in the Harry Potter parks.
The Royal Pacific will always be my favorite! It's a lot cheaper than the other deluxe hotels while it still has all the benefits: perfect location, luxury, restaurant is amazing, fastpass included... And also, it's a lot cheaper than even most of the moderate hotels at Disney. Total win. Portofino Bay doesn't really tempt me since I'm from Europe, but if I had a bigger budget I'd definitely try out one of the awesome suites at Hard Rock.
That is a great point about Royal Pacific. It is the least expensive of the Deluxe Resorts especially if you want the Universal Express. You are so right about Disney, too. This is a lot less money with a lot more amenities!!!
Totally agree my favorite resort is definitely Cabana Bay! My home away from home! The staff are super helpful and friendly. Amazing place to stay. Can’t wait to go back next year again. Family have stayed there multiple times.
Cabana Bay was a lot of fun but the mattress was too hard for my wife. Hard Rock mattress was supposed to be awesome but it was not that great. Old and worn out more like it. But great to stay at Hard Rock for access to the Parks.
I was meant to be staying at cabana Bay September 2020 but we had to move it to September 2021, for obvious reasons. So we decided to upgrade and go for the portofino, as a couple we felt this hotel best suited our needs, and your video confirms this, especially where you said if its for couples this would be number 1. Thank you for the insight, I'm so excited for my return trip.
@@georgestokes5116 I don't know about spring break or summer pricing but if you go in off-season (Jan-Feb), it can be pretty good. My entire trip - plane tickets, food, hotels, theme park tickets, Universal bus service (costs extra) with tax and everything cost about $1,200-1,400 for one adult. Very good price I'd say considering what you get in return. Remember, Universal CityWalk is completely open to the public, they only charge for parking at certain times of the day. I stayed at Cabana Bay and would recommend it.
I love that Cabana Bay made the #1 spot. I'm going to Universal in March and went with Royal Pacific, but I was seriously considering Cabana Bay even though they are very different price points and experiences.
I'm trying to plan a surprise getaway with the Orlando Informer meetup and I happened to go with the #1 pick, it just sounded insane and incredible! Hopefully the trip goes through and hopefully I made the right choice!
I really enjoyed my stay last time I went to Cabana Bay, but I would have never guessed it would be number one. Now that I'm rebooking for September trying to decide whether I should do Sapphire Falls for the pool and boat transportation or stay at Cabana Bay for the themeing and HHN set up they'll have.
Some advise: You should come to the point faster. I don't want to listen so long to an intro. I'm sure the negative feedback is because of that. The rest is awesome!!! Finally someone cool, telling about universal. :d a second AJ.
Hard rock hotel is our home away from home. We have visited numerous times and just can’t bring ourselves to stay anywhere else. We have visited the other resorts but I always feel most comfortable at the hard rock. Portofino is absolutely stunning but it is just too quiet for our liking.
Hi is endless summer the only option for a 2 bedroom suite? We are looking for a semi self catering set up but definitely 2 bedrooms within the suite or adjoining rooms. Thanks in advance
I don't know about pricing but Cabana Bay and Aventura are about a 5-minute drive from the theme parks and they have free bus service for their guests. The Endless Summer resorts are the farthest from the parks so I'm guessing they take well over 6-10 minutes.
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@@largol33t1 yes we are Welsh, fingers crossed for later this year, rescheduled for September and we are super hopeful, it can be safe and we’re allowed to travel 🇺🇸🏴
I've stayed in 3 of the hotels mentioned. Cabana Bay would not suit you as its aimed at family's and kids really. Aventura I would say as it has a really cool rooftop bar and everything you would need from a hotel including a gym (which I don't think she mentioned). You also only have to cross over hotels (2 minutes walk) to get to the free boat over to the parks. It's also one of the cheaper options, so you can spend your money in the bar haha
I want to cabana bay used to be a good hotel, when our room was ready the room was still under construction, their weren’t even beds in the room honestly Aventura is the best hotel for me
Cabana bay had that great bowling alley, but my husband and I will be looking elsewhere on our next visit. It’s definitely great for families, but didn’t quite meet our needs as a single couple. It was beautiful regardless!
I went alone because I loved the 1950s/60s decor. The rooms were definitely on par with Disney. Service check in and check out was quick and friendly. Even the food in the cafeteria wasn't bad. This hotel is VERY popular with overseas tourists. In the middle of the month, the Brazilians poured in like a tidal wave! Lucky for me, that was on my last day of vacation...
Hi I'm planning to go to Universal next year and we're planning to stay in an Universal Hotel, can you please tell me, are they close to the parks? Or they provide the transportation? :) Thank you so much! Your video is very useful!
All of the Universal Orlando hotels offer transportation either by bus or boat. You can also walk from almost every hotel (except Endless Summer). The bus or boat is faster, but it is an option. The closest hotel by walk is Hard Rock Hotel.
If those are your only two choices, then I recommend cabana bay but that depends on what theming you prefer. Cabana-retro themed, a Ventura-modern simplistic themed
If you love the styles of the 1950s and early 60s, Cabana Bay is a nice place. They even show old TV commercials in the cafeteria. The food there is decent and won't blow a hole in your wallet but Universal does allow diner hopping. You can go to any other resort and eat. I once had sushi from Aventura and it was good.
You can reach out to Destinations in Florida at destinationsinflorida.com/. They are a U-Preferred Travel Agency which is a recognition from Universal Orlando. This travel agency is no cost to you. Reach out to them and they can help you plan your Universal Orlando vacation. 😀
I am about to purchase my hotel tickets and I'm wondering if I would still receive the unlimited express pass even though I will be booking through a third party site other than universal studios website as its a little cheaper and I plan to stay at the hard rock hotel. I would truly appreciate any advice you have to give. thanks in advance
Having vacation at the resort hotels multiple times over the last 10 yrs, I can honestly say Royal Pacific is the best (staff, rooms, and proximity to entrance), whereas Hard Rock is the worst (except for proximity).
