Universal's Cabana Bay Beach Resort in Orlando, FL

Stayed in building 8, the Beachside, and it is very far from the main entrance. I thought it would be worth it for the Volcano Bay view but sadly most of my view was of some sort of mechanical shed. The room smelled musty and it hits you every time you enter but eventually you get use of it. The Bayliner Diner was ok but the seating area had a lot of dirty tables.

Big Resort is in a quiet area at universal, easy check in, friendly staff,comfy bed in a smaller room overlooking the pool area, but still quiet. Lots to do here but you must walk alot to get about the resort...can be tough on seniors. Food is quite good, but long lines certain times of day getting food can mean cold food when you finally get to your seat to eat. The Starbucks on site is excellent. Pool area is large and clean with several bars and places for snacks and food. Lazy river is long but they charge alot for tubes.

👉 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!

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.

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.