Universal Cabana Bay Beach Resort

Here for about a week and there’s a couple things to complain about. 1. The room thermostat doesn’t work very well, the room has been so freezing at night and it feels like you’re suffering because it can’t be changed. The room temperature being so low got me a severe cold and gave my family some bad coughs. 2. It’s hard to sleep at night or sleep in because of people, but mainly kids, running and yelling up and down the halls around 8 in the morning or midnight, so it’s extremely difficult to sleep. 3. The lazy river water is disgusting… you can see from a higher floor that it’s literally green compared to the pool next to it and there’s stuff floating around it. 4. Room service has been lacking on their scheduled timing, but they get the job done and they’re kind. Took forever for our room to be ready when we arrived. 5. Food is quite pricey at the food court, $12+ for a Belgian waffle??? Bed sheets and pillow cases had a few stains in them… 6. It is a VERY noisy hotel no matter what time it is or where you are in the hotel. 7. The gates to get into the parking lots are so old and awful… takes forever to get through it, you’re lucky if you get through within 30 seconds. The gates to get to the hotel elevators from outside require a room key to enter, but it’s broken to anyone could get in if they wanted to. This hotel was great in its first 5 years when I stayed a few times, but I think the years after that, it’s hardly cared for anymore and I do NOT want to return. Definitely needs a remodel and all the bedroom’s bed essentials need replaced. Read less

This was a 1st for us. I will never return. This hotel is pricey, dirty, and rundown. The kids didnt notice but I did when I walked in the dirty elevator, broken, and peeling on the inside. Then we got to the room, it freaked so bad, like cologne, not clean or disinfectant. There was pee in toilet, on the bottom, blood on the floor, and wall, furniture was peeling, old. I wanted to leave immediately l, but the kids wanted to stay, so we did. I tried to change rooms but the staff was so rude I hung up. They sent a cleaning lady, but I had already cleaned the toilet with hand sanitizer. Its just gross. Not worth it at all!! Read less

This is our family's 4th stay at Cabana Bay, and 5th trip to Universal since 2023. Cabana Bay holds a very special place in our hearts, but sadly our girl is getting run down, needs TLC, and has taken a backseat to the new Epic properties...and it's really starting to show. When staying at Cabana Bay, our family of 4 (two adults and two children under 8) always opts for an interior family suite styled room. We appreciate the kitchenette with sink, microwave and large refrigerator, extra living space, and proximity to resort amenities like the food court, fitness center, and lazy river pool. The family suite also comes in clutch if a grandparent joins us on one of our Universal Studios adventures since the couch in the living area folds out into a surprisingly comfortable bed. One of our other FAVORITE features of the family suite at Cabana is the compartmentalized bathroom. I cannot believe more people are not talking about this! Having two separated sinks in the bathroom area, separated toilet and separated shower, essentially has at least three people "operating" at one time which is priceless when a family like ours likes to make the most out of every second of their vacation. This, and Cabana's proximity to Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios, is why we have always picked Cabana over the newer and more modern Endless Summer family suites (which do not have compartmentalized washrooms). We also recently stayed at Sapphire Falls in June of 2025, and while it is, in my opinion, a top tier property, our standard room there left much to be desired in terms of space and functionality as a family, especially when it came time for us to maneuver around the bathroom. I feel that a standard room at Sapphire is best suited for a couple or family with older children. We realized then that a family like ours with young children and lots of travel gear (stroller, cooler, park bags, etc), needed the space that Cabana Bay offered over the luxury of Sapphire Falls (which comes at a VERY noticeable price increase). I am giving Cabana Bay three starts only because I have noticed a swift decline during our July 2025 visit from our first stay in 2023, which I am hoping both Universal and Lowe's Hotels will address once the hype of Epic Universe has been managed. First and foremost, Cabana needs a serious facelift. She needs to be painted...everywhere. There is not a section of our hotel room, a single hallway, eating or playing space, or even the outdoor areas that is free from chips, scuffs, missing tiles, etc. And while I know Cabana is NOW considered a value property (it was a prime value in 2023), she should still reflect the hard earned dollars people are saving and spending to visit. Her furnishings also need a serious overhaul. The drawers in our room [#4500] (4 of the 5 we counted) we broken, off the track, or missing knobs and handles. Curtains were stained and torn, and headboards, chairs, and the sofa were not without tears and stains. The refrigerator had some difficulty staying shut, but the location of our room outweighed some of our concerns, so my husband was able to rectify this with a strategically placed trashcan. The resort amenities seemed warn and weathered during this visit at well. Food court chairs and tables were often cracked or stained, pool tiles were missing, and the waterfalls in the lazy river were not functioning as the had been during prior visits. Her exterior needs to be cleaned and painted as well, as the wear and tear from the Floridian elements are extremely noticeable. We also recognized the shift from individually placed travel-sized toiletries and glassware in the washroom to wall-mounted shampoo and conditioner and plastic drinking cups, similar to what you may find sold in a long sleeve at a Walmart. The shampoo/conditioner change is not something we are particularly fond of, however we do recognize the new direction as newly branded "value" property. The plastic cups, however, are extremely tacky, and should be, at a BARE minimum, Lowe's hotels branded plastic/paper cups. The perks of Cabana, however, always reign supreme when it comes to bang for your buck! The staff, in all areas of the resort, are always happy, helpful, and sincerely seem to love their jobs! The proximity to the park, water taxi, and walking path to Islands and Studios are very well-loved and appreciated by out family. The room, while worn, it spacious and functional, and utilized fully by our family. The food court offers delicious options for the value, and the portions are always surprisingly large and appreciated. My husband and I find that we can often order a children's portion of an entree and feel fully satisfied. The entertainment options are abundant, and we find that there is ALWAYS something available to do to entertain our kids (and ourselves)! The resort gift shop is large and always surprises me with how much is offered just steps from the lobby. We have never had a BAD stay at Cabana Bay :) Overall, if Cabana was in better physical and operating shape, she would have easily received a 4.5/5 star rating, however, after this trip, 3 stars seems more than generous. We would definitely consider visiting and staying again, however, without the updates she so desperately needs, we would seriously consider making the change and sacrifice the space the offers for the freshness of some newer or neighboring properties. Read less

A really great well-priced option for a Universal vacation We stayed here as a family of 5 for 10 nights in June. We had a 1-bedroom family suite at the pool with the slide, overall we loved the hotel way more than the Endless Summer Surfside where we stayed last time and would 100% stay here again. ROOM - there were 5 of us sharing 3 adults, 2 teens and space was tight. Not a huge amount of storage space either for clothes etc however for 10 nights we managed. Next time would book 2 rooms instead for more space. - we were located at the pool with the slide meaning we were right at the walkway to the parks which was perfect for us. - we did have to visit reception to ask for our room to be cleaned and new towels provided as our room was missed two days in a row. POOL - we loved the pool with the lazy river and spent most time here. - the pool bar was great and the food and drink options here superb, the refillable cocktail cups were out of stock so they offered the refill price instead. - You can bring your own floats for the pool/lazy river (we did) or buy there, they’ll give you new deflated ones to take home too - Loungers were in abundance and no need to fight to get seated, towels available too FOOD - The canteen was great, loads of options and the kids meal sizes were more than enough for adults! - The refillable cup is a must and you can fill with flavoured slushes too! - There is also an ice cream shop which was great. LOCATION - The walkable path to the parks was perfect for us and we found it was faster than walking to the city walk bus stop and getting the bus back. The path brings you out at Margaritaville - The hotel is also walkable to volcano bay and only takes a couple of minutes too! CONS - Our only complaint is in June there seemed to be a big group of teens staying maybe part of a sports team or school who were quite rowdy and hung about in groups across the pool areas (particularly at night) but didn’t cause us too many issues. - The hotel is hugeeee, so would have a look at the map and see whereabouts you’d prefer to stay block wise, for example the volcano bay view rooms are super far from the lobby Read less

Our summer vacation in Orlando!! We stayed here for 4 nights, arriving on a Wednesday morning. We purchased shuttle service to the resort from the airport. Thankfully, upon arriving, we were able to check in immediately. We had a pool view room in the Americana building. We could also see Volcano Bay from our room as well. Rooms were nice. They have two pool areas, bowling, stores, and dining hall with several options. We were thankful for the dining hall in the morning, plenty of selections before we went to the parks. We saw the Gru character one night in the lobby. Busses were also available to go between the parks and resort. We never really waited more than 10 min on a bus. I really only have one complaint. The first day we arrived, we went to the pool and needed more towels for the next morning. I called that evening, and they were supposed to send towels, but none came. We called again early the next morning, and there are still no towels. After we got back from the park that day, I called again and told them no towels had arrived, and this was my 3rd try. The person I spoke to put me on hold. Apparently, there was some technical issue, and they'd send them right away, and they did come about 10 min later. She apologized for the error...all is well. *After that, I just grabbed some from the cart if I saw it in the hall! Lol. Overall, it was a great stay. I'd stay at Cabana Bay again as it was a cool hotel. It seemed very popular as our bus was always full, more than I saw other resort busses. Read less