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Hotel overview
Enjoy vibrant, retro-style with rooms and suites brilliantly designed for family-sized fun. Relax and play, surrounded by amazing iconic architecture inspired by classic Florida beach resorts of the 1950s and 60s. Savor your choice of scrumptious selections in the incredible food court. Every day comes with fun for all ages with two massive pools, a winding lazy river, a bowling alley and more. Plus guests enjoy exclusive theme park benefits.
EXCLUSIVE THEME PARK BENEFITS:
- EARLY PARK ADMISSION* to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter™ or Universal’s Volcano Bay™ (valid theme
park admission required).
- FREE SHUTTLES so it’s always a quick hop between your hotel and the parks.
OTHER EXCITING BENEFITS:
- RESORT-WIDE CHARGING PRIVILEGES with your room key.
- COMPLIMENTARY MERCHANDISE DELIVERY to your hotel from shops across Universal.
- COMPLIMENTARY CITYWALK™ ACCESS^ to select venues for the length of your stay.
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter™ Legal: HARRY POTTER characters, names and related indicia are © & ™ Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. Harry Potter Publishing Rights © JKR. (s18)
Early Park Admission Legal: *Early Park Admission begins one (1) hour prior to regularly scheduled park opening to either Universal Studios Florida™ or Universal’s Islands of Adventure™ as determined by Universal Orlando and Universal’s Volcano Bay™. Valid at selectattractions at each park. Additional restrictions may apply.
Universal CityWalk™ Complimentary Access Legal: ˆValid for registered on-site hotel guests for the length of stay. Not valid for separately ticketed concerts and special events. Some venues require ages 21 or older and a cover charge for admission. Valid Photo ID required. Does not include admission to AMC® Universal Cineplex 20 with IMAX®, the Blue Man Group show or Hollywood Drive-in Golf™. Subject to availability. Restrictions apply and benefits are subject to change without notice.
Hotel & Universal Orlando Resort™ Legal: Cabana Bay Beach Resort TM & © 2018 UCF Hotel Venture II. All rights reserved. Universal elements and all related indicia TM & © 2018 Universal Studios. All rights reserved.
Location
Universal Orlando Resort On-SiteProperty information
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Hotel details
Hotel advisories
General policies & fine print
Check-in Policy - Hotel requires a credit/debit card authorization or cash deposit upon check-in for incidentals; this will place a hold on your funds.
Convention Policy - Individuals attending a convention cannot book this property for their stay. If found attending a convention, guests may be subject to higher room rates upon arrival.
General Information - Room taxes are included in vacation price. Minimum night stay restrictions may apply. Reservation changes may not be permitted unless authorized by the hotel.
- No Show Penalty: 1 Night Applies: Sunday - Saturday 20Feb15 - 31Dec50
Ratings & reviews
TripAdvisor traveler rating
24753 reviews
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Feb 17, 2025Our Stay at Cabana Bay Resort – A Wild Ride of Luxury and Lows
👉 Our Stay at Cabana Bay Resort – A Wild Ride of Luxury and Lows We just wrapped up a 6-night, 7-day stay at Cabana Bay Resort, and let me tell you, it was an experience. Not an entirely bad one, but one that left us with some memorable highs and a few head-scratching lows. Buckle up, because here comes the deep dive. 👉 The “Upgrade” That Wasn’t We got “upgraded” to a poolside view room, which in reality was more of a parking lot experience. First-floor, outside entrance—so basically, a glorified motel. No sprawling vistas of tropical landscapes, just a walkway where we became part of someone else's vacation photo every time we stepped outside. If you enjoy the ambiance of people strolling past your window all day, congrats, this is the upgrade for you! 👉 The Bathroom: A Humid Wonderland Our room featured a roll-in shower for accessibility, which was great in theory, but in practice, it transformed the entire bathroom into a small-scale waterpark. One shower and suddenly, half the floor was drenched. The humidity was so intense afterward that the mirror might as well have been a fog machine at a rock concert. Bonus feature? No bathroom fan. So, all that moisture? It’s yours to keep! Speaking of privacy—or lack thereof—the walls were paper thin. If you have a family of five like we do, just know that whatever noises are made in the bathroom will be shared with the whole room. We bonded over that, but maybe that’s not the vacation intimacy everyone is looking for. 👉 Clean? Sure. Clean-clean? Bring Wipes. At first glance, our room looked clean. But we’re not amateurs—we brought sanitizing wipes, and after a couple of swipes over light switches, remotes, and drawer handles, those wipes looked like they had been used to clean a mechanic’s garage. So, bring some wipes. You’ll thank me later. 👉 The Food Situation: Prepare Thy Wallet There’s a fridge in the room. It contains exactly zero snacks. There’s a microwave, too, but we never used it. Why? Because we strategically brought our own food to combat the theme park pricing insanity. Think $1 for a single slice of bread, cereal packs that cost $1 at a grocery store magically turning into $2.50 here, and a constant sense of financial anxiety. It’s fine. Everything’s fine. We saw someone using a luggage cart to wheel a food order to their room, and honestly? Genius move. I debated getting groceries delivered but decided against it. Instead, we checked a bag full of non-perishable snacks for $35, which was a way better deal than paying for an Uber to get groceries once we arrived. Lesson: Plan ahead, or prepare to hemorrhage money. 👉 Pool Lifeguards: 10/10, Would Trust With My Life The lifeguards at Cabana Bay are no joke. These folks were laser-focused, constantly pacing, scanning, and not once checking their phones (a refreshing change from our local HOA pool). At one point, we saw them stage a fake drowning just to test the response time, and they were ON IT. They weren’t overbearing, either—no reckless kid-throwing allowed, but they weren’t stopping normal fun. Now, let’s talk about the water slide. Or should I say, the lazy ramp. It is hands-down the slowest water slide I have ever been on. I practically had to scoot myself down. They might as well hand out paddles so you can row to the bottom. If they’re looking for an upgrade, this would be a good place to start. Also, the walkway leading to the slide? Pure agony. Feels like walking barefoot across a cheese grater. Resurfacing would be much appreciated. 👉 Bowling: Fun, If You Have a Spare Kidney to Sell Bowling is not included in your stay. And the pricing? Wildly variable depending on demand. When we checked, it was $21 per person for an hour. For a family of five? That’s a hard pass. If you’re staying here, budget accordingly, or maybe just go to a regular bowling alley back home for a fraction of the price. 👉 Food: A Gamble Every Time The Bayliner Diner serves up a decent $9 mac and cheese—big portion, not bad. But the Atomic Grill by the pool? Different story. Same mac and cheese, but half the size and somehow a dollar more. Consistency is not their strong suit. And speaking of inconsistency—ordering the same item on different days felt like playing food roulette. Sometimes it was great, sometimes it was not. So, if you find something you love, maybe just… don’t expect it to taste the same tomorrow. 👉 Beds: Queen-Size? Questionable. Comfortable? Nope. The beds claim to be queen-size, but compared to our queen at home, they felt suspiciously full-sized. My wife and I aren’t giants, but we were definitely closer than usual. Also, the pull-out sofa bed? Let’s just say, if you have any spinal integrity left after walking around Universal all day, this thing will take care of that. 👉 Towels: Unlimited, Like a Luxury Resort This one was a pleasant surprise. Towels everywhere. At the pool? Take as many as you like. In our room? Housekeeping kept bringing more, even when we weren’t running low. Honestly, respect. 👉 Toiletries: Budget-Friendly Nostalgia If you’ve ever wanted to relive your childhood through shampoo, Cabana Bay’s got you covered. VO5 shampoo and conditioner. Effective? Sure. Luxurious? Not even close. And body wash? Nonexistent. They give you Zest bar soap. Using it transported me straight back to childhood, staring at my reflection in the bathroom mirror wondering how we got here. For comparison, I stayed at Sapphire Falls a few weeks earlier for work, and they had actual nice shampoo and conditioner, plus body wash. So if you care about toiletries, maybe bring your own. 👉 Final Thoughts: Would We Stay Again? Cabana Bay is fun, but it’s also a mixed bag. If you’re looking for an affordable(ish) on-site resort with great pools, solid lifeguards, and an undeniable retro vibe, it’s a great pick. But if you’re expecting top-tier luxury, perfect food consistency, or soundproof walls, adjust those expectations now. Would we stay again? Maybe, but we’d go in with our eyes wide open, fully stocked with snacks, wipes, and our own shampoo. If you made it this far, congratulations! You’re now fully prepared for your own Cabana Bay adventure. May your water slide rides be faster than ours, and may your towels always be plentiful. Safe travels!
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Feb 08, 2025
Pretty good stay
Wasn’t as bad as I thought after reading reviews. Definitely a value resort but my kids loved it and were so happy. The shuttle wasn’t so on time but we did make it to early admission which was worth every second and penny by staying in a universal hotel. We have food allergies so didn’t eat any of the food but it looked good! Check in was fairly quick and everyone was nice. The rooms do need some work. One night we were in a standard room which was ok. Very small. But it was clean. We then switched to a family suite. It was ok. Carpet was dirty near the beds. The pull out couch was falling apart but my son made it work. Can definitely use some minor renovations but in general it was clean and easy and I would stay here again.
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Feb 07, 2025Not impressed.
We stayed here in 2022 and loved it so decided to come back, however, our experience this time was not the same unfortunately and we have been left disappointed. The room was just not ok or up to standard. We were given a room in the bayside tower which is miles from reception and the food courts. The room was an adjoining room so we heard everything from our neighbours. The shower had two options, freezing or scalding, no middle ground. Most days we were woken by what sounded like 3 loud bangs and then a marble being dropped repetitively. This went on for hours, everyday. Really unimpressed. This building clearly needs a lot of work. It would also be better if you could put freestyle machines in every building, we had to walk miles to get a drink when there could have been a machine downstairs to prevent this.
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Jan 29, 2025
Not as bad as I feared, but not great
Pros- -the room was much cleaner and nicer than I expected based on the reviews. Several of the reviews made me worried that this place would be pretty ghetto. It wasn't ghetto at all so I was relieved. That may be in a big part to the fact that we upgraded right away from a standard room that overlooked the parking ramp to a room that overlooked the pool. -The Bayliner Diner was pretty decent actually -On-site Starbucks Cons- -ONE giant hot tub. And it was closed for maintenance on the ONE night I wanted to use it. Do maintenence during the day when everyone is at the parks! With? After a long day of walking at the parks I just wanted to relax in the hottub for a few minutes. To walk down and find it closed sucks. -People smoke all around the pool area and I smells terrible because of it. Maybe get rid of the smoking areas? It's 2025. Make this place smoke free. All the cigarette smoke makes it feel trashy. -Bayliner diner should open at 6 the same as Starbucks. For people who are up early the only option is the limited and massively overpriced food items from Starbucks Overall, not as bad as I expected based on reviews, but would definitely choose a nicer hotel if I ever come back to Universal
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Jan 28, 2025Great place!!
Awesome place to stay!!! Love the Bayliner restaurant. Tasty foods including the ahi tuna bowl. The Lazy River and hot tub was enjoyable by all. Love how close to Volcano Bay it is and bus stops outside close. All in all we just love staying here If you have Comcast it can save you more. Starbucks in hotel was awesome!!