Hello Cabana Bay!

Your home away from home while visiting Universal Orlando.

Planning that dream family vacation to Universal Studios Orlando? The planning that goes into a large family trip can be hella stressful. If you’re anything like me you go over every detail trying to make it perfect. It doesn’t work for us to just wing it, and it’s definitely not a possibility when visiting Universal. Luckily for you, I have already done all the planning work, and I am happy to share!

One of the first boxes to check for a Universal trip is where you will be staying. There are so many on site options, and even more when you expand out into the Orlando area. However, if you’re there for the parks than on site is 100% the way to go.

Universal offers four different categories for their resorts; value, prime, preferred, and premier. All offer shuttle services and an extra hour in the park before it opens to the public. The preferred and premier also include daily fast passes for registered guests. We found that for our family, and budget, the best option was an onsite prime hotel; Cabana Bay Beach Resort.

Here’s why this continues to be our go to when visiting Universal:

Size and layout of the family suites:

Cabana Bay has the largest family suites on site, and the layout really is designed to help families feel more comfortable. There are two queen beds and a full-size pull-out sofa in the living room so all five of us slept comfortably. The bathroom is split up into three sections which is amazing when everyone is getting ready in the morning. There is even a kitchenette with ample storage space, so we saved hundreds on food by eating breakfast, lunch, and snacks from the room.

Access to on-site transportation

There is a shuttle that runs all day to and from Cabana Bay to the park gates. Our favorite way to get to and from though was the water taxi. Though it doesn’t leave from Cabana Bay there is one available at the Sapphire Falls resort right across the road. It took us less than 10 minutes to walk across, and the water taxi was lovely. Another huge plus is that you go through security there instead of at the park, and it drops you off closer to the actual gates.

Amenities with Family in Mind

There are two pools, a lazy river, bowling alley, fire pits, and even a fun free outdoor game area with ping pong. We all know you can only handle so much walking at the parks before you need some downtime at the resort, and this fits the bill for us. The kids had a blast playing ping pong in the evening while my husband and I enjoyed a cocktail from the poolside bar. It was a perfect way to unwind at the end of a long day.

Dining Options:

If your family is anything like mine nobody can ever agree on a restaurant for dinner which drives me absolutely nuts. Cabana Bay has a solution for that; the onsite Bayliner Diner. This restaurant is set up almost like a small food court. While one of my kids was enjoying a cheeseburger the other scarfed down a giant salad customized at the salad bar. Available for breakfast, lunch and dinner we ended up eating here almost every night. Prices are high, which they always are at onsite restaurants, but the food portions were actually pretty big.

Overall, I rate Cabana Bay as a solid four and a half out of five stars.

We have stayed at a ton of hotels on our trips and this place is by far our favorite spot to relax during our Universal vacays. Between the large family suits, on site amenities, and ease of getting to and from the parks it really is the perfect spot for a Universal Orlando Vacation!

Find out more here