Disclosure Statement - Fifty States or Bust is a blog written solely by myself, Danielle Epstein. All photographs used in my designs were taken from www.pixabay.com and are released under Creative Commons CC0, or by myself unless otherwise stated below picture. I was not compensated in any way for this post. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Step into the lobby of Universal’s Cabana Bay Beach Resort and be instantly transported back in time to the 1950's. A giant palm tree stands before you while bright shades of orange, blue, and avocado engulf your soul. There are always helpful, cheery employees ready to assist. The lobby offers a front desk, concierge, car rental, and the Swizzle Lounge to relax and have a drink or two. Just outside the lobby is the North or Cabana Courtyard. Here you will find the Starlight, Thunderbird, and Castaway buildings housing guestrooms, with outside corridors, surrounding a pool complete with waterslide. you will also find Atomic Tonic, picnic tables, fire pits, a hot tub, and other activities all within this courtyard. Down the hall from the lobby you will find a Starbucks. Grab your favorite drink and then head into the Universal Gift Shop for your Harry Potter gear, souvenirs, and sundries. Travel just a few steps further and you will come across the cafeteria style Bayliner Diner, with kid friendly meals to international cuisines. There is also a "Grab n Go" section of pre-made items and snacks, along with necessities such as fresh bread slices and half gallons of milk. The diner's seating is plentiful and brightly colored with 50's music playing overhead. Be entertained while you eat by four big screen televisions playing "old school" commercials. They even offer refillable souvenir cups, which are small so you need to refill often, but well worth the money in my opinion. Directly across from the Bayliner Diner are two, seven story wings of the resort containing guestrooms with interior room entrances. The Americana and the Continental wings surround the South or Lazy River Courtyard. The South or Lazy River Courtyard was our favorite. It contained all the same components as the Cabana Courtyard with the addition of the lazy river, of course. It also contains the Hideaway Bar and Grill. More on pool areas below. Our room... Tower Suite As a family of three (11 y/o son, my husband, and myself), we chose to stay in a Tower Suite for a little extra room and privacy. Although suites were designed to sleep six, I couldn't imagine staying there for a week with three additional people. That being said, if you are traveling in large groups or for an extended period of time the suites do come with connecting doors to the next suite. See pictures of our Tower Suite below. What I loved about our suite:
What I feel the suite was lacking:
Overall I would give our room an”A”. It was clean, quiet, and close to everything. The Pool Areas... Oh how we loved the pools at Cabana Bay. I don’t think there is anything bad to say about them. Each courtyard has zero entry pools with their deepest part being five feet. They are large with plenty of space even on the hottest day in July. The pool areas also come complete with plenty of lounge chairs, towels, sandy beach areas with all sorts of games, a splash pad for the little tikes, hot tub, and many helpful, friendly life guards. Let’s not forget the Lazy River! Our favorite. How many budget friendly hotels have lazy rivers? the river itself is three feet in height all around with lifeguards all along the river. You can bring your own tube or purchase on from their Tube Shack that range in price from $6 - $15. There is also the option of using a life vest which they offer in many sizes to use in the pools. Wait, there’s more! There is a DJ by the pool five days a week to keep the kids busy. At night you can choose from two different movies to watch right from the pool or on the lawn! One in either courtyard. Not a movie fan? Then grab a s'mores kit from the Bayliner Diner and gather around one of several fire pits. The one thing I wish the pool areas had more of....no, not restrooms. There are plenty of those throughout the resort. I wish there were more soda filling stations in the pool area for the refillable cups. More activities..... On the second floor just above the lobby you will find Galaxy Bowl. Galaxy Bowl offered great midday specials during our stay and also offered a small list of menu items to replenish those calories you've burned while bowling. Attached to the bowling alley is an arcade...and what do they have centered right in between? Well a bar of course. Good thinking on their part. Another way to stay fit and burn some extra calories is by sneaking in a workout or two at the Jack LaLanne Fitness Center. Pools, several food options, a bowling alley with arcade, bars, more outdoor activities, a clean hotel, and a friendly staff. What more could you ask for? How about free transportation to the park? Yes, there are shuttle buses running to and from the park everyday from 6am - 2am. You will not wait more than 5 -10 minutes. No joke! Need a lift somewhere else? Well the hotel has a Hertz rental desk right inside the lobby, or grab a taxi right out front. Don’t forget babysitting..... While there is no babysitting on site, you can take advantage of sitter services at the other Lowe’s hotels within the Universal Park. The Cabana Bay Beach Resort has done a swell job of thinking of everything. Sure there are always things anyone/anyplace can do to improve, but overall... Excellent job, Cabana Bay! https://www.universalorlando.com/Hotels/Cabana-Bay-Beach-Resort.aspx My family would highly recommend. Enjoy photos below. Follow your dreams and travel on, Danielle #50StatesorBust
11 Comments
8/29/2016 02:12:01 pm
The Cabana Bay Beach Resort looks like a fun place to stay. I was just in Orlando this weekend. I'm with you, love having a lazy river and the pool is where I spend most of my time. Cool that they have a DJ, the place I stayed did, too. Definitely kept the pool scene entertained.
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AuthorHi! Danielle here. New England girl following her dream to travel all fifty states before I "Bust"(pass on). CategoriesArchives |