Universal's Cabana Bay Beach Resort Overview & Review 

I want Universal Orlando Resort for my future

I can’t wait to go back 😁

My only gripe about Cabana Bay is its sheer size. If I want a great view, it usually helps to book a room on the top two floors of the Americana wing. But this comes with a big caveat: it's a loooong walk to the elevators. I stayed there for four days in 2020 during the off-season. I immediately noticed how long the walk to my room was. Every morning, I had to whip out my phone and go through the checklist so I don't waste almost 4 minutes walking back and forth. Example of how long my checklist was: bag to carry everything sunglasses wallet and all cards (one thing to note: a guy held up the line at the gate because Universal demanded to see his driver's license with his ticket. He had to fumble through his backpack for it and it took quite a while.) room key roll-up jacket (I went during off season and South Florida can get pretty cold, always check the weather on the big info screens in the lobby) car keys backup battery with USB cable Universal park ticket refill mug (and for muggle parents, you better add for the kids: water bottles, wizarding robes and wands and cell phones if they carry them for emergencies!) Yes, that's how long the checklist was. Fortunately I only made one return trip back to the room during my 4-day stay.

PS: forgot to add: you probably don't need water bottles if your kids are patient. You can go ask for free ice water at any quick service kiosk in Universal's parks so maybe that item will be optional.

Is May a good time to visit ,end of May / June ??

@@pamelathomas847 it’s a very good time as long as you come before school lets out for the summer. And all school scheds are different. But after all of that? Yes, it’s a very nice time to visit

Natural selection.

I went to universal, AND IT WAS THE BEST! Definitely recommend to stay at this hotel/motel.

Thank you Matt 😁 I get most of my music from Epidemic Sound

Thank you Allan! Much appreciated as always 👍👍😁

Thank you Jenina that’s really nice to hear. Hope you have the best vacation 😁👍

Yikes, you're brave. I sincerely hope you have a great time there. The Disney tourists are abandoning their theme park because they're fed up with the Mouse's HORRIBLE management and soaring prices. Best thing I can offer is: listen to the locals and season pass holders. They can give some advice on what days to go. And one thing to note: Disney's Avengers campus is getting poor reviews. Universal has some weird ex-post facto clause in their contract with Marvel so Disney can't force them to tear down their Marvel attractions such as Doctor Doom's Fear Fall.

Thank you Jennifer, yeah definitely not short on things to do, can’t wait to go back 😁

Thank you for that, me too! Just waiting for some good deals to come in before I book again.

Very welcome Tori, thank you for watching. Hope you have the best trip 😁👍

Thank you for that! There’s some great locals on here so I’ll take that as high praise 👍😁

@@TheFrugalBrit I appreciate the local channels that I follow, and I understand they each have their own focus. But I find that with many, you have to sort through hundreds of videos in order to just find the basic practical information needed to actually plan a trip there if it's not local. I love that I can come to your channel and just find exactly what I need, right down to the information about the type of plates they may have in the rooms! Very, very helpful for those who can't get there as often as we'd like. Thank you again! 👍

@@Seoulsearch616 I know what you mean. Vlogs provide something different. Really appreciate comments like this, thank you! 👍😁

Fantastic, hope you have a great trip 🌴 🏊‍♀️ 🍹

Love this place, I’m back there in 8 weeks. Funny confession, until an age I’m not willing to admit, I thought Lanzarote was in Wales. I though it was spelt ‘Llanzarote’😂

@@TheFrugalBrit Enjoy - food is good in the main cafereria and at the various bars around the property. You will like it, be sure to try their pizza. It was unbelievable. By far the best we had in the USA.

Thank you 😁👍

Very welcome 👍😁

Very welcome! Hope you enjoy your trips 😁👍

Glad it was helpful!😁

Much appreciated 😁

Very welcome, thank you for watching 😁

Thank you! Yeah the trip went incredibly well, kids loved it. I stayed behind for an extra week on my own for extra filming. Back in September for horror nights 😁

I really dislike CB. It's dirty and after only 5 years of operation becoming so worn down. I stayed there most recently in Sept. 2022. I won't go back. I'd rather upgrade to another hotel or stay at the value resorts. (That are much nicer - IMHO). I guess I'm your first CB isn't "great" comment.

Thank you! 👍😁

You’re every welcome Amal. That’s a great compliment, much appreciated!

Hope you have the best trip 😁

You are in for a treat 😁

If you haven't gone, it's best to call the hotel and ask about it. And beware, for some reason, early entry rotates between the two lands! One day, Universal has early entry. The next day, it jumps to Islands of Adventure!

Best call the Cabana Bay Resorts Orlando helpline the kind staff behind the desk in Orlando will fix your problem.

Thank you Robert, glad it was useful 👍😁

Hi Joseph. So yeah only one park at a time will be early park admission at a time. On my last trip, it was available for IOA for every trip, so that meant it was never available for USF. If you go on the website, you’ll be able to see the schedule for it, but apparently it can change with fairly short notice. Hope that makes sense!

@@TheFrugalBrit That's strange. When I went, they did it on a rotating schedule. One day, IOA had early admission. The next day, it was in Universal. Then on day three, it switched back to IOA.

Very welcome Martin, glad it was useful. Hope you have the best trip in November 👍😁

@@TheFrugalBrit Thank you

Thank you! I think it depends on your budget and how long you’ll be staying at the resort. If it’s more than a few days, then I find it hard to justify the deluxe/preferred hotels at Disney and Universal.

Great choice! Hope you have the best time 👍😁

Me too! 😁

Universal needs to hire better photographers, LOL. The room I booked was MUCH larger than the pictures suggested. I thought it would feel very tight but I had room to easily drop my rolling luggage and backpack in front of the dining table and still sit on the bed to watch TV. And the bathrooms are big enough that someone can shower while the parents are brushing their teeth at the sink together. It offers plenty of room. And yes, that really is Alberto VO5 shampoo. I bet guests snitch those bottles like crazy to show to their parents and grandparents...

😁 thank you!!

Glad it was helpful! 😁

Completely agree 😁

That view is unreal tbf, really angry that I forgot to get some footage at night.

@@TheFrugalBrit I bet it’s special at night. Stayed in Enclave suites back in 2019 and had a room that could see the top of it all lit up so excited for that

Technically no, but if you wanted you can sneak over to Volcano Bay bus depot which will take you to every universal resort 👍

They can’t use the pool areas, but they can do all the other stuff I think 👍

That’s interesting. Yeah I might’ve exaggerated this a bit, I’m sure they changed the beds etc more times than I realised.

@@TheFrugalBrit I will say that in other aspects, the staffing did seem low

Thank you rich! Unfortunately you have to buy separate ones for the parks :(

All quite true and I fully agree. I picked Cabana Bay because of the pool areas, the diner and the cool decor. Yes, Frugal Brit moaned a few times about the food but I found it affordable and decent. Plus it was a trip down memory lane dining cafeteria style. Yes, this place does it the old way: after eating, you have to clear your table and leave the dishes, cups and trays in the dirty dishes stations in the center of the dining area. Some tourists were actually quite confused and I suspect its because they were born after cafeterias started going out of business nationwide or they came from a country that never had this. I was born in the very late 1970s and as a kid, my parents dined out at Furrs, which was a nationwide cafeteria chain. The food was good and cheap for the whole family. That's why I understood the dining concept while others totally misunderstood and left their trays and dishes at the tables.

@@largol33t1 People aren't confused, just lazy. The idea of taking your tray, trash & such to the trash can happens at fast food places all over the world to this day. Every hotel on property that offers quick serve is the same too. Guests leave their trash all over restaurant tables in all the parks and CityWalk.. It's not due to theme

@@largol33t1 while i was born in '83, i sill picked up my dishes and put them away! 😁 the food there was super good!

No you’re not crazy. I always say that if you can, it makes sense to pick either Disney or Universal, as you save a fortune. Universal is absolutely perfect for that age group 😁

@@TheFrugalBrit thank you. That’s what my instincts told me so it helps to hear from an expert! X

Hi Daniel, I would just go with TUI if they are cheaper tbh. They have a much bigger reputation to uphold. What price are you looking at and for how many nights?

@@TheFrugalBrit thanks so much! We’re looking at 14 nights during the last 2 weeks August in 2023 in a cabana bay suite with 2 week tickets for both Disney and Universal. It’s worked out at just under 8k flying from Manchester in total. I’ve watched so many of your videos it’ll feel like I’ve already been soon!

That’s awesome! It’s hard to judge value when it’s packaged with tickets and everything, but as I said, I would pick TUI over Ocean personally. Hope you have a great time 👍😁

@@TheFrugalBrit thanks so much! It’s been a dream since I was 10 and saw an advert for Blizzard Beach - cannot wait. I studied video editing as part of my degree and you are way better than me btw.

@@danthomasburton Odd, doesn't Virgin Holidays have agents planning trips to Universal? Or were they much more expensive than TUI?

There’s a chance I might be staying there in September 👍

Portofino Bay is nice but be prepared for a lot of walking, it's a big resort so if you get a room far from the lobby area it's a journey, the pool areas were small and mostly for stylish decor in my view( like a boutique hotel). The restaurants there were nice ( ate at mama's Italian and was serenaded with an individual performance but not to my liking when it comes to food taste, its the NY in me 😪😂.) They had other restaurants too, I didnt try them; a small Starbucks store as well. The sang opera or other Italian theme songs at certain times at night and the boat area scenery is beautiful and felt like I was away in Europe but the walk from portofino to city walk compared to the hard rock is far 😮‍💨 so we took the boats alot. Overall a nice luxury hotel in esthetic style but too much walking for my taste especially when you're tired from a day in the parks. Ooh! we also did the spa there, it was super nice (pre-book in advance though).

@@Kristalizednails The only walking I had the nerve to do was cross a bridge to Aventura to try out their dining area. Everything else is going to require a lot of walking and remember, you're doing this in the hot Florida sun too so that takes some of your energy away...

Hi Kay, thank you for those kind words! Sort of depends whether it’s a ‘once in a lifetime’ trip or not. I actually think picking one or the other (universal or Disney) is the smartest way to do it, but is often difficult deciding between the two. For his age, there’s a high chance he will prefer Universal to Disney. Disney World is incredible of course, but is horrendously expensive these days.

I appreciate your reply and value your opinion thank you so much. I think we will stick to Universal as yes a big factor is the money and my OH is not so keen on rides so I think to be fair on him just Universal will be plenty 😁 look forward to watching more of your videos! Sending best wishes to you and your family 🙏

@@TTYT945 hope you have a great time!! 😁

The lazy river isn’t long as compared to the ones in Volcano Bay. However, it’s still cool the river lights up at night and they play a different universal movie each night while you swim in the pools. In the lobby they have a guide to the weeks movies (Ex: E.T, the mummy, dolphin tale, etc.)

I stayed there four days in 2020. Size isn't a huge factor for me. There was enough room to do some swimming. You do NOT have to use a raft to get into the lazy river.

I’ve not seen them turn people away. I may be out of the loop, but I’d be surprised if they decided to make it exclusive to just sapphire falls.

@@TheFrugalBrit it was exclusive to Saffire and premium hotels, they could have changes it, I'll double check cuz that was a big pull for me to stay at Safire and not Cabanna Bay.

@@TheFrugalBrit also thank you for your reply.

Yeah that’s true, sometimes it’s just nice to not have to ask anyone though, I always feel cheap lol.

Pretty good if I recall 👍

That’s a good point!

Kim, one problem: I TRIED this. I stayed at Cabana Bay and they didn't let me pool hop at Aventura or other hotel pools. If your room key won't open the gate, you can't get in.

I’ve always been sensitive to parking charges 😤

I think at this point, ANY hotel on Harry Potter's doorstep is cheaper than Mickey's. Right now, I've heard a lot of people dumping a Disney hotel and picking something off Disney property because the prices and amenities can't compete with others like Hampton Inn or Loews hotels. PS: Loews provides the staffing and management for all Universal hotels. If you read the brochures, look on the back. The fine print on the very bottom says something like "Division of Loews Hotel Group."

Hi Kevin, how many people did you get flights for?

@@TheFrugalBrit two of us that price was for both of us not each

Yeah that’s for early park admission days. I sleep between 5 and 7 hours per day, which I wouldn’t recommend lol

@@TheFrugalBrit nice one, thank you 😊

Bless you, thank you so much for that 😁

Agreed 😁

They do indeed, I always forget to film them 🙈

@@TheFrugalBrit the reason i ask is my grandson likes to roast hot dogs there and of corse smores,

@@dennisgillespie4961 The fire pits are built into the ground. They sell the smores and rods in the cafeteria near the drinks fridges. However, I do not know how to turn the pits on. I guess you have to make reservations to use them. Better call the front desk for more information.

Yeah this is a major downside to the towers.

Sorry to hear that. If you stay in the hotel wings, you won't hear the loud music. Example: the end rooms in the Americana section on the top floor have great views of Volcano Bay but I didn't hear any loud music when I slept at night.

Lot of kids to be honest, but only when the kids are off school. Aventura might be a better choice.

Pop century is best value at Disney IMO

I’m booked in for September, but I think a ‘should you book’ video might not be out for a whole tbh.

😮