Universal’s Cabana Bay Beach Resort is such a fun resort and a great budget-friendly option for families and guests looking to visit Universal. I had the opportunity to stay here back in February 2021 and was so thankful to be able to experience this Universal resort.

Universal’s Cabana Bay Beach Resort is one of two prime value hotels located at Universal Orlando Resort. Cabana Bay opened in 2014 and has a fun 1950/1960’s beach theme. You’ll be able to enjoy the classic cars parked in front of the resort to introduce you to the fun theme as well as the black and white television commercials playing in Bayliner Diner. This retro feel is so fun for guests to experience!

Cabana Bay Beach Resort offers Standard Rooms, Poolside Rooms or Volcano View Rooms, along with Family Suites to fit the entire family, making it a great affordable option. You will have tons of options to choose from when booking a stay here! This resort is great because it is so close to Volcano Bay Water Park. Some rooms even have a Volcano Bay view room, which gives you the most awesome views of the theme park. This resort has its own private entrance to Volcano Bay, making it super easy to walk between the resort and the water park.

This resort also offers other fun options for families such as a 10-lane bowling alley, a lazy river, fire pits, and two large pools with cabanas available to rent.

When staying at Cabana Bay Beach Resort, you will have exclusive hotel benefits including:

Early Park Admission to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter and Universal’s Volcano Bay one hour before the theme parks open (valid theme park admission required) 

Resort-wide charging privileges with room key 

Complimentary CityWalk Party Pass which provides access to select live entertainment venues at Universal CityWalk for the length of stay 

Complimentary merchandise delivery purchased throughout the resort to your hotel

Kids age 17 and under stay Free! 

Accommodations available for up to six people

Room Categories Include:

Standard Rooms: Standard views of the parking lot with 2 queen beds

Poolside Standard Rooms: Poolside View with 2 queen beds

Volcano Bay View Standard Room: Views of Volcano Bay Water Park (Which is EPIC) and 2 queen beds

Family Suites Interior Entry: Located in the Americana and Continental Buildings with access to your room from an interior hallway. These suites feature 2 queen beds, a full-size pull-out sofa, a sliding partition for privacy, 2 TVs, and a kitchenette. The bathrooms are divided into compartments with a shower/tub combination, vanity and sink area, and toilets separated into three areas.

Family Suite Poolside Interior Entry: These Family Suites are just like the Interior Entry Family Suites, but with an upgraded Pool view!

Family Suites Exterior Entry:  Located in the Castaway, Thunderbird, and Starlight buildings, these family suites have outdoor access with an exterior entry. These suites also feature two queen beds, a full-size pull-out sofa, a sliding partition for privacy, two televisions, a kitchenette, and a three-compartment bathroom/vanity area.

Family Suites Exterior Entry Poolside View: These Family Suites are just like the Exterior Entry Family Suites, but with an upgraded Pool view!

Volcano Bay View 2 Bedroom Suites: Enjoy Volcano Bay Water Park views in 2-bedroom suites that will fit families or groups of up to 8 guests. These suites feature one queen bed in the first bedroom, two full-size beds in the second bedroom, a full-size pull-out sofa in the living room, three televisions, a kitchenette, and two full bathrooms. This is the only room category at Cabana Bay without a connecting room option.

Guest Amenities Include:

Safety Deposit Box

Cribs Upon Request

Universal Orlando Vacation Planning Center

Laundromats

Package Shipping/Delivery

Temporary Luggage Storage

Dining at Cabana Bay Beach Resort:

Bayliner Diner:

This food court allows guests to dine in or grab food to go. The food court has multiple stations to choose from including Grill (burgers, shakes, chicken sandwiches), International (seasonal selections), Pizza, Bakery, and a Center Station (salad bar, candy, and frozen yogurt). You can also pick up snacks, sandwiches, pre-made salads, alcoholic, and non-alcoholic beverages.

Galaxy Bowl
Galaxy Bowl has a full-service dining option located inside the bowling alley that serves appetizers, burgers, chicken wings, pizza, and more.

Atomic Tonic
Full-service bar serving alcoholic and nonalcoholic drinks along with food to enjoy by the pool.

 Hideaway Bar and Grill
Bar and grill serving grill menu items.

Swizzle Lounge
This retro-themed bar serves classic cocktails with views of the pool areas. Live music is also available on Friday and Saturday nights.

Starbucks 

Visit this full-service location before heading to the theme parks located near the hotel lobby.

Delizioso Pizza

Pizza room delivery service available.

Sonic Fill Souvenir Cup 

Guests can purchase refillable souvenir cups for up to 100 drink choices at Cabana Bay Beach Resort for a specific number of days during their visit.  The Sonic Fill mug has a microchip that stores the days purchased and can be used at the Sonic Fill soda machines at The Bayliner Diner, Galaxy Bowl, or the pool areas. Theme park soda stations are not included with this program.

Recreation at Cabana Bay

Pool and Poolside Activities

Cabana Bay Beach Resort offers 2 heated pools and a lazy river. The North Courtyard (Cabana Courtyard) contains a zero-entry with a beach and waterslide.

The South Courtyard (Lazy River Courtyard) also contains a zero-entry pool and a lazy river. Guests can experience the lazy river without a tube, or they can bring their own. Tubes can be purchased for a small cost. Cabana Bay does not provide tubes for the lazy river, so bring your own purchase at the resort!

Cabana Rentals

At the North Courtyard (Cabana Courtyard), guests can rent a poolside cabana that includes a fan, fridge with bottled waters, television, and personal safe.

Game-O-Rama

Guests can enjoy a variety of arcade games.

Galaxy Bowl  

Galaxy Bowl is a 10-lane bowling alley with a full-service restaurant. This is fun for families and does not require an advance reservation.

Jack LaLanne Physical Fitness Studio  

The gym is complimentary for Cabana Bay guests to use.  Locker rooms with showers are also provided.

Golf Universal Orlando Program 

Golf Universal Orlando is a program that allows resort guests to play golf during their vacation. This program offers resort guests information on area golf courses and reservations for tee times. The Universal Orlando Vacation Planning Center at Cabana Bay will assist with all golf requests.

Shopping

Universal Orlando Resort Store

The official resort store offers all Universal and Cabana Bay Beach Resort merchandise.  Anything you need for your vacation can be purchased at this store.

Parking and Transportation

On-Site Transportation

There are two transportation options to CityWalk and the theme parks from this resort. Guests can use the complimentary shuttles. Shuttles arrive every 15 minutes and are available for guests right outside the front of Bayliner’s Diner. Guests can also take the Garden Walkway. This walking patch is about a 15-20 minute walk. Guests will enter CityWalk near Margaritaville (located right near the Islands of Adventure entrance). I personally prefer the shuttle because there is already so much walking involved when visiting Universal. :)

To get to Volcano Bay Water Park, guests can use the specially designated entrance for Cabana Bay guests or the complimentary shuttle.

Resort Parking
A nightly parking fee of $18 per car plus tax will be charged at check out if parking a car on the property. RV Parking is also available in designated areas. Cabana Bay does not offer valet parking.

Rental Car Services

An Avis Car Rental desk is located inside the hotel lobby and is open seven days a week from 8 AM to 5 PM.

Additional Hotel Information

Cabana Bay Beach Resort is a non-smoking resort except in designated smoking areas designated outdoors.

Guests staying at Cabana Bay Beach Resort do not receive the free Unlimited Express Pass benefit. This is an exclusive benefit for guests staying at a premier resort. (Royal Pacific, Portofino Bay, and Hard Rock Hotel). This is the only reason why I do not prefer to stay here. Express Passes are such a major benefit to staying on-site at a premier resort and it’s definitely worth the cost so you don’t have to stand in long lines waiting for rides!

Guests staying at Cabana Bay Beach Resort do not receive the benefit of priority seating at specific restaurants on CityWalk. This is another benefit for guests staying at a premier resort.

Looking to plan a vacation to Universal Orlando and are interested in this resort? Contact me for more information! I’d love to help you plan your next trip!

Love and Pixie Dust,

Molly