Cabana Bay Beach Resort at Universal Orlando Resort transports you back in time to the wonderful world of the 1950s and '60s. The rooms are decorated in a mid-century modern aesthetic and you feel like you have stepped back in time.
Cabana Bay Beach Resort
From the VO5 and Zest Soap in the shower to the plastic chairs and vibrant colors this value-priced hotel is a great treat! We spent a few days exploring and enjoying the Cabana Bay Resort and really enjoyed it. The hotel has a great fun vibe and the room had everything we needed.
The best part was how easy it is to get to Universal Orlando and Islands of Adventure! A free shuttle bus takes you to City Walk and onto the parks almost any time of the day.
One thing to know is this resort is so much bigger than I thought it was. Be prepared to walk a bit to reach your room. The great thing is the walk is along with the pools or inside cool looking buildings. I was amazed at how big the resort is. I really had no clue from the photos I had seen how big and cool the resort truly is.
How easy is it to get to the parks from Cabana Bay?
There is a bus stop located just down from the main lobby area near the Bayside Diner. Complimentary shuttle buses run throughout the day and night frequently. We never had to wait for more than a few minutes for a shuttle bus from Cabana Bay.
Volcano Bay is right next to the hotel and within walking distance. There is a walking path that runs along the Americana and Bayside Buildings to lead you to Universal Volcano Bay.
You can also walk across the street and check out the Loews Sapphire Falls Resort and then take a shuttle boat straight to City Walk and the parks. The brand new Aventura hotel is located right next to Sapphire Falls Resort.
One thing to know is the bus picks up at the end of the walkway past the bus stop sign. On our 1st night, we thought we had missed the bus because it pulled away right when we got to the bus stop sign. We sat down to wait for the next bus.
We then saw people running past us and down the sidewalk to the waiting bus. The bus drops people off at the bus stop sign and picks them up farther down the sidewalk. We couldn't see this from where we were sitting.
Benefits for staying at Cabana Bay Beach Resort
Early Park Admission to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter and Universal’s Volcano Bay one hour before the theme park opens (valid theme park admission required)!
Resort wide charging ability to your room card
Complimentary Delivery Of Merchandise Purchased Throughout The Resort To Your Hotel
Enjoy complimentary club-to-club access to select Universal CityWalk venues for the length of stay. All you have to do is show your room key.
Every Friday some of Universal's favorite characters come to the hotel for a meet and great!
Cabana Bay Beach Resort Guest Rooms
We stayed in a two queen room in the Bayside Tower of Cabana Bay. Our room was located on the fifth floor and overlooked Volcano Bay. And by saying overlooked what I really mean is we could see people eating meals and swimming in the wave pool it is that close.
The room was pretty comfortable. The beds are semi-soft with two nice size pillows once you remove the decorative pillows. There is a small table in the corner with two plastic chairs. This was a great spot to check emails and get a bit of work done at night.
There is a flat-screen television on the dresser along with a small refrigerator. This is a great place to store water and snacks. Even in October, it was 90+ degrees in Orlando. We were really thankful for the cold water when we got back to the room each night.
The bathroom has a separate sink area from the toilet and shower which worked out great. Our shower was a walk-in with no tub but I have seen photos of rooms with bathtubs.
Our one issue with our room was how noisy it was. Starting early in the morning we could hear the chimes, gongs, and pounding of the South Pacific theme music from Volcano Bay. Being from the West Coast it was quite jarring to have the gongs go off when it was 5 am at home and 8 am in Orlando. There was definitely no sleeping in past early morning in our room.
At night we could hear the cleaning and moving around of employees at Volcano Bay late into the evening. I am not really a light sleeper but the noises did wake me up and keep me up our first night in the hotel.
If you are a light sleeper, coming from the west coast, or have kids that need to sleep past early morning you may want to ask for a room that is a higher floor or farther away from the noises of Volcano Bay.
The Bayside Tower is a bit of a walk from the main lobby. You can walk through the hallways of the different buildings or walk along the outside of the buildings. It took us 5 to 10 minutes to walk to the lobby area. Make sure you give yourself time to reach the bus stop and lobby area if you are planning to meet friends or family.
Amenities included with the room
- Complimentary* wireless internet access in each guest room and most common areas of the hotel
- Cuisinart single coffee pod brewer
- Iron, ironing board, hairdryer, and in-room safe
- Mini refrigerator
- One flat panel television with HD channels
- Two queen-size beds
- Upgrade to Premium Plus^ wireless internet access for optimal entertainment and business needs
Cabana Bay Beach Resort Restaurants
Bayliner Diner
The Bayliner Diner offers breakfast, lunch, and dinner in a large cafeteria setting. There is ample seating in the dining area. You pick out your food in the cafeteria lines and then find a seat in the dining area. There are great 1950's and 60's commercials playing on the big screens.
You can pick up a refillable plastic mug that gives you unlimited refills during your stay. You can choose to have it for a single day or the length of your stay. There is Coke products, hot chocolate, coffee, and iced tea available at a self serve beverage bar.
The Hideaway Bar and Grill
The Hideaway Bar and Grill is located next to the smaller pool near the Bayside Towers. There is a bar and counter restaurant. They have a variety of menu items ranging from nachos, sandwiches, hot dogs, and cheeseburgers.
All cocktails are served in a plastic Cabana Bay cup. They cost $3 the first time you order a drink and then can be used for future cocktails.
Atomic Tonic
Cocktails at the Atomic Tonic are also served in 16 oz. Cabana Bay Pool Cups! These plastic cups cost $3 for the first cocktail and then can be re-used for additional cocktails.
Food options include grilled doner kabobs, roasted beef sandwiches, falafel wraps, chicken and avocado wraps, fresh salads, cheese fries and more.
Galaxy Bowl Restaurant
Enjoy lunch or dinner while playing a great game of bowling at Galaxy Bowl. The menu includes all of your favorite appetizers including mozzarella sticks, chicken wings, pretzel bites, loaded fries and chicken flatbread.
Don't worry they also offer salads, sandwiches, and burgers, along with a variety of desserts.
Swizzle Lounge
The Swizzle Lounge is located in the main lobby of the Cabana Bay Beach Resort. The lounge offers some small bites of food and great cocktails. The Swizzle Bar opens in the late afternoon until evening.
Their bar menu includes themed drinks to the hotel. I can't wait to come back and check out the Swizzle bar. We got back to the hotel way to late from enjoying Halloween Horror Nights and missed enjoying a cocktail.
Starbucks
Starbucks is located just down from the main lobby area. This is a licensed store so you can pay with your Starbucks app but can not redeem points or mobile order your drinks. The store opens at 6 am and we were told by 7 am they can get pretty busy.
They have a wide selection of bakery items, breakfast, and lunch sandwiches along with Starbucks mugs and products.
Delizioso Pizza
You can have Delizioso Pizza delivered right to your room! This is amazing after walking 20,000 steps in the park all day and just wanting to take your shoes off and put your feet up. They offer a variety of pizzas and appetizers you can have brought straight to your room!
Hotel Dining Shuttle
Want to check out other hotel restaurants at the other resorts? A free shuttle departs from the hotel lobby approximately every 30 minutes from 6 pm–10 pm. Board the shuttle early to allow you to arrive at least 15 minutes before your dinner reservation. Call (407) 503-DINE (3463) or visit Luggage Services to make your reservation.
Cabana Bay Fire Pits
There are fantastic fire pits near the pool areas of Cabana Bay Resort. You can buy smores kits at the Bayliner Diner or you can bring them from home. The smores kits in the Bayliner Diner come out to around $2 a smore.....
This is a great way to enjoy an evening at the hotel and not have to stress about running around anywhere. Relax in the hopefully cooler weather
Every night we stayed at Cabana Bay Beach Resort a different movie was offered by the pool. This is the perfect way to relax after a fun day in the park! Sit back and watch a great movie while soaking in the warm Orlando nights.
Cabana Bay Resort Pools
There are two pool areas at Cabana Bay Resort. The large pool has a water slide that goes through an old school diving platform. There is ample pool seating surrounding the pool or you can rent a cabana for the day.
Cabanas include a refrigerator with 4 bottles of water, HDTV, a table with 4 cushioned chairs, a safe and fun. They are tucked away from the pool a bit so you can relax and not get splashed. Please note that the prices are as of October 2018 and may change from this picture.
The second pool area is a bit smaller but also has a lazy river you can float on. One thing to know about the Lazy River is you will need to bring a pool float with you or buy one at the tube shack.
Tube Prices depend on the size of the tube that you purchase. One great thing is the Tube Shack will blow up the tubes and deflate them for you.
You can also bring tubes from home! If you are driving in and don't have to worry about luggage size this is a great way to save a bit of money or bring ones you know you love.
Galaxy Bowl
Galaxy Bowl at Cabana Bay Beach Resort offers ten lanes of bowling. This is a great way to relax during your Orlando vacation. Galaxy Bowl costs $10.99 for kids and $16.99 for adults. You can enjoy a full menu and bar while having a great time.
Jack LaLanne Physical Fitness Studio
The Jack LaLanne Gym offers the opportunity to get a work out in while being surrounded by memorabilia from the Jack LaLanne show.
Universal Gift Shop
There is a Universal Gift Shop located near the lobby. The gift store has Universal gifts, toiletries and personal items in case you may have forgotten something.
Things to know when planning a stay at Universal Cabana Bay Resort
Check-in is at 4 pm
Check-out at 11 am.
Housekeeping runs from 8 am to 6 pm! If you do not plan to be out of your room before 8 am make sure you put the do not disturb sign on your door.
There are guest laundry facilities available on the first floor of the Castaway, Thunderbird, Starlight, Bayside, and Beachside buildings. There is laundry on the third and sixth floor of the Americana and Continental Buildings. There is a vending machine where you can buy laundry soap if you need it.
The entire hotel is NON-SMOKING!!! There is a minimum of a $250 charge for smoking in your room.
The fitness center is open from 5 am to Midnight and can be accessed with a room key.
Universal’s Cabana Bay Beach Resort address
6550 Adventure Way
Orlando, FL 32819
Room Reservations: (888) 273-1311
Parking at Universal's Cabana Bay Resort
Hotel guests - Self-parking, $14 plus tax per night, per vehicle.
Day guests - Self-parking, $45 plus tax per day, per vehicle. If you are visiting Cabana Bay Resort to go bowling or enjoy a meal make sure you get your parking ticket validated! This will help with the cost of parking.
Misc things to know to prepare for a stay at Universal's Cabana Bay Resort
Universal's Cabana Bay Beach Resort does not allow pets
Resort hotels are 100% smoke-free.
Cabana Bay Beach Resort Map
Additional Universal Orlando Resort Articles
Holiday Celebrations at Universal Orlando
Wizarding World of Harry Potter Tips and Tricks!
Check out all of our Universal Orlando Travel Guides
Leave a Reply