The Cabana Bay Beach Resort at Universal Studios is packed with amenities for the whole family to enjoy! From theme park shuttles to on-site dining and more! Check out some of our favorite perks to staying at Universal Studios resort while we were in Orlando, FL!
We were thankful to partner with Universal Orlando Resort’s for our stay, so that we could get some insider info to share with you! We were provided with complimentary accommodations and theme park tickets in exchange for coverage of our stay.
Yesterday, I shared a peek inside the rooms at Cabana Bay Beach Resort. More specifically, lots of room views of their family suites and what our experience was after staying there for four days (with 2 teenagers I might add). Check out the room pictures and what our favorite features were HERE!
I gave you a sneak peek of the grounds in that post, but today I want to take you around and really show them off! Here’s a quick overview of what I’ll cover in this post and then you can continue reading for more detailed information.
Universal’s Cabana Bay Beach Resort Amenities:
- What are the pools like at Cabana Bay Beach Resort?
- Cabana Bay Restaurants and dining options
- Theme Park complimentary shuttles from Universal Resort Hotels
- How far is Cabana Bay Beach Resort from Universal Studios?
- Rainy day activities at Universal’s resorts
- Does Cabana Bay have free WiFi?
- Do Florida residents get a special discount at Cabana Bay?
- Does Cabana Bay have a gym and/or other activities?
- What does the family suite room look like at Cabana Bay Beach Resort (you can actually see that answer and lots of interior pictures HERE)
- and lots and lots of pictures of the Cabana Bay Beach Resort!!
Cabana Bay Beach Pools
Pretty positive you can’t talk about the property amenities at Cabana Bay without going straight to the pools!
The Cabana Courtyard pool is directly out the back doors of the lobby and is really hard to miss with the old fashioned dive tower! While it isn’t used as an operating diver tower any more, there is a pretty cool slide that empties out the bottom of it.
The Cabana Courtyard pool has plenty of towel stations, lounge chairs and umbrellas…
It also has private cabanas with TVs, a safe, fans, a fridge, WiFi, bottled water, waiter service and more. The cabanas do cost an extra fee, but if you plan to spend the whole day enjoying the pool, they are well worth it!
There are plenty of bathrooms and locker rooms, so you don’t have to trek the whole way back to your room or through the lobby. There’s also a hot tub that felt SO good at the end of a long day walking around the theme parks.
And if you get hungry? No problem! The Atomic Tonic is located poolside for an adult beverage or even a full meal!
And since the pool is open until 10 p.m., definitely take advantage of a nighttime swim! It was so beautiful under the lights and the water stayed plenty warm… even in February!
On the other side of the resort, is the Lazy River Courtyard pool which boasts a sand beach and lazy river!
We took a couple laps in the lazy river and really enjoyed it (waterfalls and water cannons included!), but be aware that you do have to purchase your inner tubes for it.
The Lazy River Courtyard also has their own bathrooms/locker rooms, hot tub and The Hideaway Bar & Grill.
They’ve got the branding down pat from the style of furniture to the colors to that accent wall in the background! It’s all just so fun and retro!
On-Site Activities at Cabana Bay Beach Resort
If you want to take a break from swimming, no worries! There are plenty of other on-site activities at the resort to keep you and your kids busy!
There’s an entire sand beach area with nothing but games including a ping pong table, ball games, sand toys and more! It’s so much fun in the evening too when the lights come on.
On the far side of the Cabana Courtyard pool, is a turf area filled with other lawn games and balls!
In the evenings, you can relax with a poolside movie at either of the pools or s’mores by the firepit at the Cabana Courtyard pool.
If it’s raining or too cold outside, they also play movies indoors right off the back of the Bayliner Diner! We saw lots of families grabbing dinner and then heading back to watch Harry Potter while we were there!
Another indoor activity option is to head to the 2nd floor of the main lobby building and swing by Game-O-Rama! While lots of resorts have arcades, this one features some of your favorite retro games so it has the extra cool factor!
And right next door is where we hung out on our first night as guests… Galaxy Bowl!! From the main lobby, just head down the hallway that goes past the gift shop. You’ll see a funky staircase with Starbucks on the 1st floor and those glowing retro lights on the 2nd floor!
Not only does Galaxy Bowl have a restaurant with delicious options (more on that soon!), but they also have a 10 lane bowling alley with big screen TVs. The perfect place to spend a rainy evening or any evening really!
Dining Options at Cabana Bay Beach Resort
I’ve already touched on a number of them as I “walked” you around the property, but here’s a run-down of the food choices located at Cabana Bay.
- Galaxy Bowl (located on the 2nd floor of the lobby building)
- Atomic Tonic (outside bar and grill located at Cabana Courtyard pool)
- The Hideaway Bar & Grill (located outside at Lazy River Courtyard)
- Starbucks (located in the lobby building just past the gift shop)
- Bayliner Diner (food court at the far end of the lobby building)
- Swizzle Lounge (bar located in the main lobby)
- Delizioso Pizza (delivery option to your room or p private cabana)
And if those aren’t enough options for you, Universal Resorts Hotels also offers a dining shuttle each evening from 6pm until 10 pm. You can hop on the shuttle and visit any of the restaurants at any of the other 5 Universal properties!
It’s also a short shuttle ride to Universal’s CityWalk where you’ll never run out of food options!
Beyond the Standard Amenities
- Speaking of shuttles, the amenity that we probably used the most often was the complimentary shuttle that ran between the resorts and the theme parks! Cabana Bay and Universal’s Aventura Hotel (directly across the street) share a shuttle, although there were times the shuttle was full and we went straight to the theme parks. I’m going to guess it was about a 10 minute ride at most from the time we got on until we unloaded at Universal’s CityWalk.
It picked up right outside the Bayliner Diner and a new one arrives every 10 minutes. We literally never had to wait even once during our 4 day stay! It was so convenient and dropped us right off at the Universal CityWalk so we could get our day started!
The shuttles start running one hour before Early Park Admission and continue running until 2 a.m.! Plus, they’re a pretty sweet ride with these guys accompanying you!
- Another perk that we took full advantage of, was Early Park Admission! As a guest of Cabana Bay Beach Resort, you can enter the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and Universal’s Volcano Bay one hour before the park opens to the general public!
- And while we’re on the subject of Volcano Bay, Cabana Bay is also the only Universal resort that has it’s own walking path directly to Volcano Bay! It’s a short 5 minute or so walk to the water park!
- And while most resorts and hotels have a fitness center, Cabana Bay offers an official Jack LaLanne Fitness Studio! How retro is that?? They even play videos of his workout tapes on some of the TVs!
- Free WiFi! Ask me how much I took advantage of that!!
- The main lobby has a separate desk where you can purchase tickets for Universal theme parks as well!
- If you head down to the main lobby on Fridays from 4-7 pm, I’ve heard you might bump into some characters dressed up from 50’s and 60’s TV shows! We weren’t there on a Friday, but I’ve seen some pictures of characters walking around the lobby that makes me wish we were!
- One of the bonus perks we loved is how many cool and colorful photo spots there were on the property! The vintage cars out front were a popular spot!
How to Book Your Stay at Cabana Bay Beach Resort
You can check availability and make your reservations directly through the Universal Orlando Resort’s website. If you live in Florida, you’ll want to check out Florida Resident Rates for special offers to stay at Cabana Bay Beach resort!
Be sure to follow along with them on social as well, so you can plan your visit!
Universal Orlando Resorts website
Universal Orlando Hotels on Instagram
Cabana Bay Beach Resort on Facebook
