Live From Cabana Bay

[MNNHFLTX]

Sitting by the pool on a gorgeous morning so I thought I would give a quick review of Cabana Bay, so far. First all here's my view, looking toward the Starlight building where we're staying:

Cabana Bay Courtyard pool

All the CB personnel we've encountered have been exceptionally friendly and helpful. They all seem proud of the new resort. And they should be--the theming is bright, colorful and fun and maintained right down to the era-appropriate music. Aside from the front entrance to the resort, where there is still a lot of visible construction going on, you would never know that this resort is still not quite finished. Our room (a courtyard suite is small, suite-wise, but well supplied, with two chairs, two small tables, a full-sized pull-out sofa with a temperpedic mattress, a bedroom area with two full beds, tv's in both living and bedroom, separate shower and toilet rooms and two sinks. The small kitchenette has a surprisingly large half-fridge, microwave and counter with two pull-up stools.

So far we've dined in the food court, the Bayliner (somewhat pricy but tasty) and used the fitness center, which has lots of state of the art equipment and is filled with Jack Lalane memorabilia. The courtyard pool area is huge, but to my surprise only has one small hot tub. The tower pool area will have another hot tub and lazy river when it opens in June.

The shuttle service to City Walk runs frequently and is a very short trip (you can also walk, but is a longer hike than the other UO hotels).

There are a few negatives so far. Housekeeping did not impress us yesterday; they left the us emptied garbage cans sitting inside the door like they meant to empty them but forgot. And they did not replace the towels we used, so we had to call to get both situations rectified. And the bottom sheets on the beds are too small and do not fully tuck in, which is strange to me--it's like they bought these comfortable pillow top mattresses but then didn't measure them for the sheets?

All in all, we are really loving our stay here and I would certainly recommend it as a family and wallet-friendly resort to stay at, as long as you don't need the unlimited Express Option offered at the other UO resorts.

[VWL Mom]

Thanks for the update Beth, hope you are enjoying yourself!

[MNNHFLTX]

I have no idea why that photo is posted upside-down. Lol! Sorry!

[Mickey'sGirl]

Great update, Beth! Thanks for the photo! I hope you have a great time.

[MNNHFLTX]

It was a great time! Hot and humid, with lots of school groups Thursday and Friday, but still a good time. Loved the Mardi Gras parade on Saturday and enjoyed getting a glimpse of the new Harry Potter stuff (especially from the top of Rip Ride Rockit). Park workers were all helpful and friendly and the restaurants we frequented (Bubba Gump's, Mythos, Bob Marley's and Finnegan's) were all quite good.

Just wanted to add an amendment to my previous review of Cabana Bay. Their housekeeping department seriously has to work the bugs out of their process, it was very shoddy. They didn't show up at all one day and the next day all they did was replace our towels. And during the four nights that we were there I thought they might change the sheets once but they did not. I shared my frustrations with their "Star Service" representative; who knows if it will make any difference.

[PirateLover]

That's a real pain about housekeeping. I just saw the newly released information on the Gringott's ride and Diagon Alley, and am already bugging my DH about when we can book a stay at Cabana Bay to check out the Harry Potter expansion!

[MNNHFLTX]

That's a real pain about housekeeping. I just saw the newly released information on the Gringott's ride and Diagon Alley, and am already bugging my DH about when we can book a stay at Cabana Bay to check out the Harry Potter expansion!

You will love it, Maryanne! It may be considered a budget resort but the theming is all out vintage 50's and 60's. And my son and I really enjoyed the bowling alley, what a cool thing to have at a resort! The only drawback is that you don't get the unlimited Express Pass with that resort, but you do get the early entry. If you are planning to go after the new Harry Potter stuff opens it may be worth purchasing the Express Pass, if only for one day, as I am sure it will be crazy busy. I bought Power Passes for us just in case we can make it back within a year, but I suspect we would stay a night or two at one of the other hotels again just so we could get the Express Pass. Very glad we stayed at Cabana Beach this time though.

[Crow]

thanks
wonder how it compares to POP at WDW. almost considering staying at Universal for the first time, but the cheapest including Express pass is royal pacific. Ill have to see how Cabana is once everything is worked out

[hauntedmansiongirl]

I'm so glad that they finally have a cheaper hotel at UO. We've always stayed at WDW except for a night once at the UO main gate holiday inn. Couldn't afford the prices at the. Loews hotels on site! But this hotel looks really cool! Disney is going to have to up their game

[MNNHFLTX]

thanks
wonder how it compares to POP at WDW. almost considering staying at Universal for the first time, but the cheapest including Express pass is royal pacific. Ill have to see how Cabana is once everything is worked out

If I had to compare it to the WDW resorts I would say it is actually more on level with a moderate like Coronado Springs. The amenities (huge food court, bowling alley, nice fitness center and two large pool complexes with slides and hot tubs and a lazy river) are definitely a big step above a value resort, even Pop. What they should do is offer the Express Pass at a special rate to the Cabana Bay guests. I can understand not offering it for free when the room are inexpensive compared to the other Loew's hotels onsite. But there's no reason why guests should have to pay the same price (which is rather outrageous, IMO) as off-site guests.

[Crow]

love Coronado. I was wondering if Cabana looked tacky at all. it is a little less than Royal Pacific but wo the expresspass idk. I might just do nearby for a night then Royal Pacific a night

[MNNHFLTX]

love Coronado. I was wondering if Cabana looked tacky at all. it is a little less than Royal Pacific but wo the expresspass idk. I might just do nearby for a night then Royal Pacific a night

Oh no, I did not think Cabana Bay was tacky at all. The public areas actually look quite expansive and almost elegant. I'm kind of picky about hotels and was very favorably impressed by CB.

[MNNHFLTX]

Here are a few more pictures of the resort:

Lobby Panorama
Skylight
Bayliner Diner
Front of Hotel

[MNNHFLTX]

Sorry, I posted the wrong panoramic photo! Here is the one I meant to post:

Lobby

[PirateLover]

It will still be well over a year before we can swing it I must say, I think if you are smart about planning your day, the Express Pass is not really necessary. When DH and I had our honeymoon in mid June 2010, it ended up coinciding with the opening of Wizarding World. Other than Forbidden Journey (which I don't think even offers EP?) most of the rides were manageable. I know attendance has only increased since then, but I don't mind waiting 30 minutes for something. Having the EP wouldn't make or break my decision, unless I was planning to go at a ridiculously crowded time.

[Crow]

nice pics. I just checked annual pass rates, and Royal Pacific rate that way is about the same as CB...so I might go that way....still debating

[Disney OB RN]

I stayed at the Cabana Bay Resort last Thursday-Saturday. It was nice to read the reviews prior to going, and I must add my own comments to the forum: The theme is wonderful, and carries throughout the resort. My room was clean, and towels were replenished daily without incident. The only problem we had was that the air conditioning was not working in our room, as well as in others a few doors down, and maintenance came promptly. The unit never cooled adequately, so we contacted the front desk the next morning, and they were prompt to come back, and the a/c was then properly functioning. We were offered a new room for relocation as well, which was declined as I was a chaperone for one of those "band groups" throughout the parks last Friday & Saturday? (Had to keep close by!)
The food from the food court was fine: the pool was very nice, and they showed a poolside movie as well. The bowling alley looked great, and the "rec room" with old board games and bean bags looked cool, but no one was using it. I did not see the lazy river! Did I miss it?
With regard to the Express Pass, it was not an issue, since we used early entry to go directly to the Forbidden Journey- may be an issue in peak season & when the expansion opens, however. I have stayed at Hard Rock and Royal Pacific, and must say that I did really enjoy this resort. Shuttle service was efficient; a little slow if you leave at park closure, but that is to be expected. I would recommend this resort.