Universal Studios Cabana Bay Resort review

My Review of Cabana Bay (second time at this resort)
Cabana Bay Beach Resort is a Loews Resort which is considered a Universal property resort, allowing special perks at the park.
This resort is considered a value resort. Themed in chic 50's & 60's settings, I love it.

They also offer a family suite that can fit up to 6 guests.
Two queen beds and a sleeper sofa with a kitchenette.
They do charge for parking @ $12.00 per day if you have a car.

The resort was clean and comfortable. We had a large closet in our room to hold suitcases. 4 total drawers for holding clothes.

Staff was very friendly. We requested a higher floor level which was provided. Never had a noise issue.
They have many luggage carts around to use for carting your luggage to and from. They do also offer bell service but we were not planning on tipping so we didn't use it.

They have a nice vanity area, separate bathroom and separate shower. Shower was nice as well!

Did have to make our own bed by placing linen on thin mattress of sleeper sofa. It didn't bother me but I am sure some may not be too impressed with it.

Love all the detail they added to their rooms, right down to the zest soap and VO5 shampoo!

They do have two TVs for each section of the room which I know my oldest appreciated!

The pools are pretty nice offering two; one with slide and one with a lazy river. They don't offer floats but they sell them.. Don't leave it, it is yours to keep. You will see people constantly lugging them around. You don't have to have one in the lazy river but it does make it more relaxing. You can bring your own.

They also offer private Cabanas for rent as well. I didn't really see anyone taking advantage of this.
The pool stayed open till 11pm (which can vary pending the season) but the slide will close an hour prior.

They also have two fire pits which I was happy to see people enjoying them. One, they were just sitting around~maybe 8 people and the other I saw teens roasting marshmallows.

Definitely it is a different crowd than I see at Disney. Didn't see many young kids there. Universal to me offers more to older or more adventurous children and adults. They do have small children areas/attractions but just not that much.

They also have a food court with a variety. It was not quite as yummy as my last experience there. You can always find the old standby of hotdog and cheeseburger or a pizza.
They also sell a refillable resort mug which is not too bad of a deal since it includes Icees!!! Yes, we took advantage of this! We did the $11.99 for two days and shared between us all. We don't mind family germs! hahaha

The regular drinks sold can be refilled for two hours only. There is a chip on the bottom of the cups that become activated at time of purchase.
Two hours is pretty fair time for refills!

This Universal resort has a bus shuttle to take you between resort and parks/city walk. They come pretty often. We maybe waited 10 minutes to and no wait on return.

As soon as you enter shuttle 'station' (entrance to City Walk) you will go through a security bag check. Similar set up to Disney, where all belongings are fed through X-ray machine and they have a metal detector to walk through.

The perks this resort offers is early admission to the parks.
Some of the other Universal resorts offer perks such as unlimited express pass for your tickets. This can be a huge savings and nice perk to tour with. You may pay a little more for the resort, you will get deluxe accommodations and express pass entry. I loved Hard Rock Resort when I stayed there! They have finally added some Harry Potter attractions to this feature where as before it was excluded.

Cabana Bay also offers a bowling alley inside the resort. You do need reservations but usually can still get same day.
They also offer an arcade room which we took advantage of while it was raining.

I always preach taking vacations with your family for bonding and was happy to see how true those words are in my last experience. My kids played together which they wouldn't always do when at home. They tend to go off and do their own thing but instead they interacted! amazing!

Here is an example quote for a
family of 4(2 children and 2 adults)
Cabana Bay standard room (2 queen beds)
4 night stay with a 4 day park ticket for all 3 parks (meaning you can select preferred park each day visit-including Valcano bay ((the new Water park)), Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios). A park to park ticket is available at an upgrade. This allows entrance between parks during same day.
Total with tax: $1905.61
Not too shabby!
Tickets are always the biggest expense. This can also be played around with --less days or more days, different type room or resort.

Hope this helps, I am definitely available to assist with any adventure vacation package you would like to partake in!!

Email me anytime: dealingwithdisney@gmail.com