We stayed at Cabana Bay for one week and overall had a fantastic experience. The resort itself is absolutely gorgeous. Although it’s technically a hotel, it has a true resort-style vibe, with beautiful pool areas and well-designed grounds.
🏨 Resort Layout & Location
The resort is divided into four sections — Americana, Continental, Stardust, and Thunderbird — all of which are equally lovely.
If you want to be closest to shuttle access, I’d strongly recommend requesting Americana or Continental. These buildings are also on the same side as Starbucks and the milkshake bar.
Rooms in certain parts of Americana and Continental offer stunning views of Universal’s Volcano Bay, which we were lucky enough to have. This side of the resort also features a beautiful main pool area and a relaxing lazy river.
If you’re staying in Stardust or Thunderbird, those sections are just as attractive and include a water slide, making them great options as well.
🛏️ Room Quality
Our room was spacious, bright, clean, and very comfortable, and the Volcano Bay view was a real highlight.
🚍 Transportation & Access
Shuttle access was excellent — we never waited more than 10 minutes. The only time there was a slight delay was for Universal Epic Universe, which is understandable.
Cabana Bay is also directly beside Volcano Bay, making it incredibly convenient to walk over for a half-day visit. Additionally, the hotel is across the road from Universal’s Aventura Hotel and Loews Sapphire Falls Resort, where you can take the water taxi to and from Universal Orlando Resort — a really nice alternative to buses.
🍔 Food & Drink
We ate at the Galaxy Bar and really enjoyed our meals. Starbucks was also excellent and became part of our morning routine — no complaints there at all.
⚠️ Issue at Checkout (Only Negative Experience)
Unfortunately, the only downside of our stay was a billing issue that I found quite concerning.
At check-in, I was asked to place a $50 hold on my credit card, which I agreed to. We did not charge anything to the room or make purchases at other on-site resorts. However, I later noticed that $36 was charged to my card from Loews Portofino Bay Hotel, a resort we never visited.
This means someone else either signed our room number or name, and the charge was incorrectly applied to us. At checkout, I spoke with a supervisor named Rosa, who said she would need to verify this with accounting and told me she would email me and issue a refund. Unfortunately, I never received an email, follow-up, or refund, and I am still waiting for the $36 to be returned.
This was particularly upsetting as I was already hesitant about providing card details due to a similar past experience elsewhere.
✅ Overall Impression
Aside from that billing issue, we loved Cabana Bay. It’s comfortable, well-located, has excellent transport links, great food options, and incredible proximity to Volcano Bay.
Although it’s considered a budget hotel, it absolutely does not feel like one — it feels much more like a full resort-style property.
I would 100% stay here again and would choose Cabana Bay over any other budget hotel on the property.
