Universal Orlando Resort is blazing trails in the Orlando area. We recently stayed at the Cabana Bay Beach Resort and the budget-friendly retro-themed property is one worth writing home about.
In November 2025 we visited Orlando for a Universal Orlando Resort and Walt Disney World Resort vacation. We popped into the area, coming down from Jersey after driving all day the day before. After the long drive, and an overnighter, we shuffled into Orlando on November 2. Orlando is one of our favorite travel destinations.
Naturally, what road trip would not be complete without a pile of stops at some Buc-ee’s? So, maybe that slowed us down just a little.
About Cabana Bay
The Cabana Bay Resort is one of Universal Orlando Resort’s 11 hotels. Cabana Bay is a budget-friendly lodging option, but staying there comes with some perks like early park entry. Universal Orlando has three tiers of properties, with Cabana falling in the “Value Inn and Suites” category.
Everything on the property is purposefully dated and themed to emulate a classic Florida get away from the 50s and 60s. Built in 2014, the only real age that the decade-old property was showing was the age that’s part of the theming.
One trio of buildings are set up like a traditional old-school motel — similar to many Walt Disney World Resort value resorts — with room doors exposed to the exterior.
Another set of buildings connect to the main building with rooms accessed from the inside. These rooms are set up like a traditional hotel. Cabana Bay Resort also has two resort towers, with even more rooms.
The main entrance has a large contemporary-style portico with 15-minute check-in parking out front. Guest parking is located by individual rooms and they do charge for parking.
Like all of the Universal Resorts, Cabana Bay has a shuttle service. The shuttle takes about 15 minutes to get you to City Walk. There’s also transportation to Epic Universe.
Rather walk? Tack on an additional 20 or so minutes of walking to your day, just under a mile depending on the path you take.
Taking the shuttle or bus to the parks/City Walk makes sense. Even if you have a rental or brought your own vehicle, City Walk does charge for parking — something that Disney Springs does not do (wake up Universal).
What’s the property got?
Cabana Bay has a myriad of amenities and entertainment options.
- Eight eating/drinking establishments (with pizza for delivery)
- Two pools
- Lazy river
- Outdoor cabanas
- Bowling alley
- Gym
- Arcade
- Universal Studios Store
- Laundry on property
- Complimentary WiFi
- Package service, $5.00 per package — no groceries
The lobby
The lobby is incredibly spacious and acts as a central hub. In the lobby, there is a lobby bar, the Swizzle Lounge. The lobby also connects to the Universal Studios Store.
Universal Studios Store
The Universal Studios Store runs longways down the rounded corridor heading to other internal resort areas and inside rooms.
Need to pop in for a quick gift because you forgot to get one for a special person at home? No problem. The Universal Studios Store has a large selection of gear from your favorite IPs.
Starbucks
There’s a Starbucks on property and it was packed in the a.m. We skipped getting a Starbie and got our coffee and snacks down the way at the resort’s cafeteria-style restaurant, the Bayliner Diner.
“Universal’s Cabana Bay Beach Resort’s mid-century modern style spills over into this lobby-level Starbucks, giving it the air of a roomy, retro-chic cafe,” says their webpage. “Start your day with a cappuccino before you hit the theme parks, enjoy a latte in the afternoon, and choose from a variety of sandwiches and snacks.”
Galaxy Bowl
There’s a full bowling alley and restaurant at Cabana Bay, Galaxy Bowl. While we were staying there, we did not experience this, but — spoiler alert — it’s on our list to come back to in the future.
Game-O-Rama
The Game-O-Rama is an on-property arcade. It’s located on the second floor of the lobby building. Like the bowling alley, we did not get a chance to pop into the arcade.
Bayliner Diner
If you’re looking for something to eat, the Bayliner Diner offers cafeteria-style offerings. It’s perfect for a quick bite before heading out to the parks or for a meal if you’re just loafing around the resort property.
“Stop in this convenient food court for a quick and easy breakfast, lunch or dinner at Universal’s Cabana Bay Beach Resort,” the Bayliner webpage states. “With different Deli, Pizza, Burger, Salad, and Dessert Stations, you can create a seriously satisfying spread. A handy ‘Grab and Go’ area lets you snag snacks and drinks perfect for stocking your room or taking to the pool.”
There’s a number of different food offerings. We only tried some breakfast items – which, full disclosure, we only thought they were okay. But they did get the job done. We’re likely to try some of the other options during a future stay — or not, there’s a lot of good food in the Orlando area.
Just in the common area outside of the Bayliner Diner is a large eating area with plenty of tables.
Shakes Malt Shoppe
Past the Bayliner Diner is Shakes Malt Shoppe. It’s a neat spot to grab an ice cream-based treat — including “adult milkshakes.”
Pools
It was too cold during our stay to get into the pools — I’m not even sure if they were open when we were there. But, there are two pools and a lazy river.
The pool closest to where we were staying was also closest to the lobby. The Atomic Tonic restaurant and bar is located in that pool area. The Hideaway Bar and Grill is by the other pool, where the lazy river is located.
Transportation
Transportation to the parks was easy from Cabana Bay. The bus and shuttle stops are on the opposite end of the main portico in front of the building. Getting on and off was pain and hassle free. We wanted to get in for rope drop — a half hour earlier than normal park hours — and there really were not a lot of people waiting to jump on the shuttles.
Family suite
We stayed in a family suite and it was fantastic. The room had a sitting area — with pullout sofa bed — kitchenette, two queen beds, and a bathroom. It was very spacious and we did not trip over one another at all during our stay.
The bathroom was broken up into three segments to allow all the biological stuffs happen for multiple people at the same time in different areas.
The retro design resonated with me and what’s great about it is that it’ll never go out of date or style!
They paid attention to details when they put together these rooms. From the analog-style room clock to the retro Zest and VO5 self-care products.
To put it lightly, we were all really over the moon with the room. It was clean. Well maintained and chic. There were also plenty of places to power up your electronics and there’s two TVs, one in the bedroom and one in the sitting room.
The sitting area was a perfect spot to hang out if you brought some work with you on your vacation. I utilized that sitting area to get some work done and not annoy the roommates during a late-night writing session.
Overall experience
We really enjoyed our two-night stay at Cabana Bay Beach Resort. This resort is on our return list. While we love experiencing new places and things, this is a property that we can see ourselves returning to more than once in the future.
During our stay we did not get to utilize a fraction of what the property had to offer, but we were so wooed by the cleanliness, attention to detail, theming, and ease of travel to the parks via their shuttle system. We highly recommend checking this place out — and it was reasonably priced too!
Cabana Bay Beach Resort at Universal Orlando Resort is located at: 6550 Adventure Way, Orlando, FL, 32819
