Today I am very excited to share with you many more details about Universal’s newest on-site hotel, Cabana Bay Beach Resort.
For those who have yet to hear of this new property, it will be Universal’s fourth on-site hotel (after Portofino Bay Hotel, Hard Rock Hotel, and Royal Pacific Resort), and it will feature many firsts for the theme park resort including:
- Universal’s first family suites.
- Universal’s first lazy river.
- Universal’s first bowling alley.
It will also be missing a few things Universal’s on-site guests have come to expect. These include:
- No unlimited Express Pass access.
- No water taxi service.
- No pets allowed.
So let’s take a look at all the details, including the new information we’ve obtained…
Cabana Bay Beach Resort – general information
Splash back to the 1950’s and 60’s for endless family fun at Universal’s Cabana Bay Beach Resort, opening throughout 2014. From the moment you arrive, you will be taken back to the iconic beach resorts of the era. With a hip, vintage look, the resort will offer 1800 on-site rooms – including 900 family suites and 900 standard guest rooms – adding high-quality, high-value options for families wanting an affordable on-site experience.
- Located on the south end of Universal’s property near I-4 and between Turkey Lake Road, Hollywood Way, and Adventure Way.
- View the hotel construction site using the OI custom-made Google map
- Opening throughout 2014. First reservations available for travel March 31, 2014.
- Property consists of three separate areas: North Courtyard; Front Desk, lobby, food court and recreation building; and the South Courtyard.
- 1,800 rooms.
- 315 Courtyard family suites (North Courtyard)
- 285 Courtyard family suites poolside (North Courtyard)
- 176 Tower family suites (South Courtyard)
- 124 Tower family suites poolside (South Courtyard)
- 528 standard rooms (South Courtyard)
- 372 standard rooms poolside (South Courtyard)
- 50% of standard rooms are connecting
- Standard rooms are 300 sq ft; family suites are 430 sq ft.
- Standard rooms sleep up to four guests; family suites sleep six up to six guests; no rollaways are available.
- Prices: Standard rooms range between $119 and $149 per night; family suites range between $174 and $209 per night.
- Guest rooms feature bold design, period colors and a neon and retro feel.
- No club level or private club lounge.
- Recreation:
- Galaxy Bowl, 10-lane bowling alley: Offering everything needed for a boisterous bowling experience for children and adults. Features include food and beverage options (soda, beer, wine, hot dogs, churros), pool tables, and music and video screens. Lanes can be rented for $45 per hour or per game at $7.50 per person. Shoe rental is available for $4.00 per pair.
- Universal Orlando Resort Store: Offering sundries, guest necessities, newspapers, magazines, etc., as well as Universal and Cabana Bay Beach Resort logo merchandise.
- Game-O-Rama game room.
- Fitness center.
Cabana Bay Beach Resort: Dining & lounges
Bayliner Diner
Food court offering quick-service, casual dining consisting of different meal food stations, all serving quality, efficient and familiar, family-friendly food selections. An additional center piece station will offer salads, yogurt and candy by weight. Splits of wine and individual servings of beer will be available in the grab and go; limited selection available at the bar.
- Station 1: grill (burgers, shakes, chicken sandwiches).
- Station 2: international (seasonal selections).
- Station 3: pizza/pasta.
- Station 4: bakery.
- Center Station (salad, candy, frozen yogurt).
- Seating capacity – 600 interior/50-100 exterior.
- Open daily 6:00 am* – 11:00 pm*.
Swizzle Lounge
Tropical bar and grill located by the south courtyard pool (lazy river), featuring a simple grill menu with 5 – 6 options and a full bar serving signature frozen and non-frozen drinks, smoothies, wine by the glass, bottle & draft beer ; walk-up service. Entertainment includes music and recreation staff that will host activities such as hula hoop contests and bingo throughout the day.
- Seating capacity – 40 covered/56 exterior.
- Operating hours to be announced.
Coffee Shoppe
Located in the lobby, offering quick service items such as Panini’s, sandwiches and yogurt parfaits. Social Media and internet connectivity incorporated into design.
- Seating capacity – 50 – 60 interior.
- Operating hours to be announced.
Atomic Tonic – North Courtyard
Poolside resort casual bar located by the North Courtyard pool (dive tower) featuring a full bar serving signature frozen and non-frozen drinks, smoothies, wine by the glass, bottle & draft beer and limited prepackaged snacks; walk-up service. Entertainment includes music and recreation staff that will host activities such as hula hoop contests.
- Seating capacity – 40 covered/56 exterior.
- Operating hours to be announced.
Hideaway Bar & Grill – South Courtyard
Tropical bar and grill located by the South Courtyard pool (lazy river), featuring a simple grill menu and a full bar serving signature frozen and non-frozen drinks, smoothies, wine by the glass, bottle & draft beer ; walk-up service. Entertainment includes music and recreation staff that will host activities such as hula hoop contests and bingo throughout the day.
- Seating capacity – 40 covered/56 exterior.
- Operating hours to be announced.
Cabana Bay Beach Resort: Pool areas
North Courtyard Pool
Located at the north courtyard (exterior family suites), this pool will feature an iconic dive tower feature with waterslide and 17 Cabanas available for rental. Stop by the ‘Atomic Tonic’ for a quick snack or signature frozen drink.
- 10,000 sq ft pool featuring zero-entry, a sand beach, 4,000 sq ft iconic dive tower water feature, and 100 ft waterslide.
South Courtyard Pool
Located at the south courtyard (interior tower), this pool will feature a lazy river surrounded by botanical gardens. Stop by the ‘Hideaway Bar & Grill’ for a burger and draft beer.
- 6,000 sq ft pool featuring zero-entry, a sand beach, and Universal’s first lazy river.
Poolside recreation
- Staff will offer a variety of activities geared to attract and involve youth. Activities include:
- Hula Hoop Contest
- Bingo
- Poolside Movies
- Ping Pong
- Recreation Activities will be available from 10:00 AM* – 10:00 PM*, *hours will adjust seasonally.
Is Cabana Bay Beach Resort a Loews Hotel?
I’ve heard this question a lot and here is the answer to the best of my knowledge: Yes, Cabana Bay is a Loews Hotel in that it is operated by Loews Hotels and staffed by Loews Hotels employees. However, the answer is also no, because Cabana Bay is not being branded as a Loews Hotel. I assume this is so because it does not follow in the brand’s foot steps: it is not a luxury property, like Portofino Bay Hotel, nor does it include Loews programs such as Loews Loves Pets.
Learn even more about Cabana Bay Beach Resort
This blog post includes the newest details we’ve gathered about Universal’s fourth on-site hotel. However, we have even more information about the property, including a huge construction photo gallery. To view everything we’ve published, follow any of these links to the OI Universal Center:
Universal’s Cabana Bay vs. Disney’s Pop Century
I found this analysis written by MarkTwain on WDWMagic.com and wanted to share it with our readers…
The thing that simultaneously impresses/saddens me the most about Universal’s new hotel is how classy and well-themed it manages to be, while still being the “value” option. At Disney’s value resorts, you detect a very dramatic difference in the quality of “theming” (if you can call it that) and immersiveness between the value and moderate options. You can quite visibly sense the monetary difference in what you saved by opting for the cheaper option, and frustratingly, can also sense that Disney is talking down to its more budget-eering guests with a louder, dare I say tackier theme.
Meanwhile, Universal provides several excellent amenities that would make them desirable hotels regardless of price point, and all wrapped up in a true and genuine theme that is all at once stylish, fun, and even lightly lightly sophisticated. There is nothing at all tacky about Universal’s value hotel; I would go as far to say it reinforces Universal’s presence as a leader in thematic design. I wish Disney’s value resorts were equally capable of both maintaining a sense of classiness and fun, while being (necessarily) more gently themed than their more deluxe counterparts.
