DISCLOSURE: I was an invited guest of the Universal Orlando Resort, and I was provided with admission, lodging, and promotional items for sharing my opinions, experiences, and thoughts. All opinions are my own.
Perks of Staying at Universal Orlando’s Cabana Bay Beach Resort
Cabana Bay Beach Resort is a budget-friendly option for staying on-site at the Universal Orlando Resort, but don’t think that they skimp on any of the details or perks!!!
We were able to stay at the Cabana Bay Beach Resort when it opened this Spring, you can check our Pick Six from our stay here, and since then the resort has opened their Towers and second pool area. It has been amazing to watch this resort really come into it’s own!
With so much to offer their guests, I thought a fun way to look at the resort would be by sharing some our favorite perks of staying at the Cabana Bay Beach Resort!
Pick Six: Perks of Staying at the Cabana Bay Beach Resort
1. Early Admission
With the Wizarding World of Harry Potter: Diagon Alley opening early Admission to those areas is an amazing perk of staying at Cabana Bay Beach Resort!
Guests who have valid theme park admission, are able to experience both The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Hogsmeade in Universal’s Islands of Adventure and The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Diagon Alley in Universal Studios Florida one hour prior to park opening. This does include the Hogwarts Express when you have a Park-to-Park admission ticket!
Resort shuttles are available each morning, but it is important to keep in mind that all guests (including the children in your party) must have a valid resort room key for early entry!
Times for early admission to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter area are posted in the Cabana Bay Beach Resort lobby.
2. No More Rainy Day Blues
Florida may be the ‘Sunshine State’, but that is only between rain storms! But the Cabana Bay Beach Resort has you covered with some really fun indoor options for rainy days.
- Galaxy Bowl – 10-lane full service bowling experience themed from the 1950’s, offering today’s entertainment technology and a full service restaurant. There is an extra fee to bowl, however they do have some great daily deals on food and alcohol.
- Jack LaLanne Physical Fitness Studio – Complimentary for hotel guests, featuring cardiovascular equipment, mats, Medicine Balls, Bosu Balls, rubber dumbbells, and locker rooms in a fun and extremely retro area. It is one of my favorite places at the resort.
- Game-O-Rama – Enjoy old school classics and the latest high-tech arcade games such as classic Skee-ball.
- Resort Recreation – When the rain hits, the fun moves indoors with various activities to keep little ones moving
- Universal Orlando® Resort Store – What else would you do on a rainy day, but go shopping! The store offers sundries, guest necessities, newspapers, magazines, and Universal’s Cabana Bay Beach Resort logo merchandise.
- Starbucks – Now the reason I mention Starbucks are my addiction to their black tea & cake pops, and that they have their own wifi so you can free up devices on your room’s wifi.
- Characters – All Universal Orlando On-Site Resorts have Characters, but I like these the best because they seem more laid back and free to roam. You can find them all over the place, but the lobby is where we have had the most luck!
3. Transportation
Cabana Bay Beach Resort really makes transportation a breeze with shuttles and even an on-site rental car desk!
- On-Site Transportation – Complimentary resort wide transportation includes shuttle buses. While Cabana Bay Beach Resort is also within walking distance to Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure, & Universal CityWalk® it will soon get easier when their walkway is connected.
- SeaWorld Orlando®, Aquatica™, & Wet ‘n Wild® Transportation –There are complimentary scheduled buses available to transport guests to SeaWorld Orlando®, Aquatica™ and Wet ‘n Wild®. Reservations are required for this service. Upon arrival, contact the concierge desk at the individual hotel to confirm transportation.
- Airport Transportation – An airport shuttle service is available for hotel guests arriving into Orlando International Airport through Mears Transportation. Visit the concierge desk for details. (fees apply)
- Hertz Rental Car Services – Hertz car rental available on-site which is located in the resort lobby just to the left of the doors before you exit.
- Transportation to Walt Disney World® can be arranged through the Universal Ticket Desk –fees apply.
4. Convenience
Now I’m not saying I am lazy, but when I am not running around the parks I want to enjoy my down time and the Cabana Bay Beach Resort has some really options to help you enjoy your time more and stress less.
- Pizza Delivery – During select hours you can get the Delicioso Pizza from the Bayliner Diner delivered to your room, and let me tell you this is no ready-made blah pizza!!! The pizza’s are loaded with great toppings (the veggie is AMAZING) and have a crunch crust you’ll crave.
- Refillable Mugs – Now while this isn’t unique to resort hotels, the fact that you can fill them almost everywhere is! You can find refillable stations at each pool area, in the Bayliner Diner, and in the bowling area (which is connected to the game room). Plus they are super swanky and fun to use at home!
- Merchandise Delivery – I am a theme park shopper, but I hate lugging my purchases all day! The Cabana Bay Beach Resort offers complimentary delivery of merchandise purchased throughout the resort to your hotel room.
- Mini-Fridge and Kitchenette (Family Suites) – Sometimes you don’t realize how great a mini-fridge or kitchenette (in the Family Suites) is until you don’t have them! We used our fridge as a way to store leftover pizza, drinks for later, and even chocolate (a easy treat for hot days). The kitchenettes feature a microwave and extra counter space that saved us, too! I found myself working at the bar while everyone watched television in the room.
5. Pool for everyone
With so many different pool and water play areas at the Cabana Bay Beach Resort, there really is a place for everyone! From quiet spots to places to let loose, you will find it here!
Family-Friendly
- Cabana Courtyard – features a zero-entry pool with iconic dive tower waterslide, interactive kids play area, cabanas for rent , sandy seating areas for play, nightly movies, recreation areas, and the Atomic Tonic pool bar all add up to make this our favorite place to spend our day together!
Adults
- Lazy River Courtyard – features a zero-entry pool with sand beach and quiet cove, a lazy river, and The Hideaway Bar & Grill make for a quieter and more relaxed atmosphere.
Lazy River
- The lazy river full of chilly waterfalls and cannons for interactive fun, and I wanted to mention this separately for planning purposes because floats are not necessary or provided. They are extremely reasonable to purchase, but if you want you can even BYOF (Bring Your Own Float).
6. Large Family? No Problem!
We find the rooms at the Cabana Bay Beach Resort to be super roomy and full of storage, and with the Family Suites sleeping up to six you really can’t beat the rates!!!!
We love staying at the Cabana Bay Beach Resort for all these reasons and more! It is definitely a great place to check out!!!
You can find out even more about their services here.
Cabana Bay Beach Resort has a really interactive and fun Facebook page and Instagram account, so make sure you give them a follow and make sure to tag your photos #UniversalMoments!!!
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