Cabana Bay Vs Endless Summer: Which One To Choose?

You can reserve family suites at Endless Summer Dockside Inn and Suites as well as Cabana Bay Beach Resort. These all have room for up to six people to sleep comfortably. Which, though, is the best for you? We’re going to compare Universal Cabana Bay vs Endless Summer hotels to help you with your decision, please keep reading.

Rooms

Cabana Bay Beach Resort

The family suite at Cabana Bay includes a pull-out sofa bed in addition to two queen size beds. The sofa bed isn’t the most comfortable, though. Even so, you can get a restful night’s sleep to rejuvenate you for yet another enjoyable day at the parks. It’s very cozy in the queen beds.

Six people can easily sleep in these rooms. A full day at the theme parks, an afternoon by the pool, or getting ready for bed will not be a problem for you and your family because there is plenty of space. Additionally, there is plenty of room for all of your clothing.

Endless Summer Dockside

There are two separate sleeping areas in the Endless Summer Dockside family suite. One has two queen beds and is on your right as you enter. The other is a separate bedroom with a door and a second queen bed.

While being on the firmer side of things, all of the beds were very comfortable. Additionally, there were numerous outlets all around the beds for charging devices. A TV was also present in each space.

Dockside is superior to Cabana Bay in terms of sleeping quarters. In the case of a family with three or four kids and two adults, having a separate, private space away from the children is simply unbeatable.

Location

One of the biggest distinctions between the two resorts, and to be completely honest, one of the biggest drawbacks of both Endless Summer Resorts, is where they are located.

Endless Summer Dockside

This is the only Universal Resort that is off campus, situated across I-4, about a mile from the parks, even though there is complimentary transportation from every Universal Orlando hotel.

All of the other Universal Orlando hotels are directly connected to CityWalk, either by the Garden Walkway or a similar walking path from the hotel itself.

Cabana Bay Beach Resort

For that reason, when it comes to Cabana Bay vs Endless Summer, Cabana Bay surpasses Endless Summer as a destination for location. There is a special entrance just for Cabana Bay guests that is only a 5-minute walk away and is especially useful if you plan to visit Volcano Bay Water Park.

In terms of location, Cabana Bay Beach Resort outperforms Endless Summer, whether it be for the theme parks or for Volcano Bay.

Price

When it comes to price and deciding between Endless Summer vs Cabana Bay, both are in value tiers and are mostly affordable when compared to the other Universal hotels. If you’re looking for family suites at Universal Orlando, note that there are none at Endless Summer Resorts.

The Cabana Bay family suite is comparable in size to the Endless Summer two-bedroom suites, which are covered in more detail under “Rooms” above.

Universal room and ticket prices are date-based and change with the season, so it’s worth checking current rates directly on Universal’s site before booking rather than relying on any figure quoted here.

Cabana Bay Beach Resort Room Pricing

Standard rooms, the Cabana Bay Family Suite, and the Volcano Bay 2-Bedroom Suite are the main room types to compare, each priced at a different tier, with the family suite and Volcano Bay suite costing more than a standard room.

Endless Summer Resort Room Pricing

Both Dockside and Surfside offer a Standard room and a 2-Bedroom Suite, with the two-bedroom option costing more than the standard room at either property.

Generally, Endless Summer runs cheaper than Cabana Bay across comparable room types. If you’re looking for the most affordable option for your Universal Orlando vacation, Endless Summer is the better bet. That said, Cabana Bay Beach Resort’s pricing isn’t significantly higher, so we don’t view it as a deal-breaker.

Resorts

Cabana Bay Beach Resort

All things considered, Cabana Bay Beach Resort is a fantastic hotel. In comparison to the other pools at the Universal Orlando Resort, theirs is among the best. There aren’t many resorts in this price range that have a lazy river, are there? Few, and certainly not at Walt Disney World.

There are two pool areas at Cabana Bay to choose from. One has a lazy river, while the other has a spectacular slide. The pool with the slide is closed if you are staying in the family suite.

One of your resort days could be spent taking advantage of everything Cabana Bay has to offer. You’ll have no shortage of outdoor activities. Inside, there are also some incredible offerings.

Endless Summer Dockside

Dockside is one of the more recently opened Universal Orlando Resort hotels. The surroundings are spotless. There are two pools to enjoy. They lack any special qualities, though. They are pretty huge.

There is a lot of seating by the pool. There are also the Oasis Beach Bar and Wave Maker’s Pool Bar. These are fantastic locations to get a drink.

Theming

Cabana Bay Hotel Theming

With its vivid, striking retro-neon theming, Cabana Bay Beach Resort feels like a piece of the past. At Cabana Bay, which features a stylish and retro design all throughout, you can travel back in time to the 1950s.

You’ll adore Cabana Bay if you enjoy vivid blues, greens, and yellows and want to feel as though you’re visiting a Florida beach resort.

The bold vintage feel permeates every aspect of Cabana Bay, right down to the food court, which has a strikingly original and vibrant design.

Endless Summer Hotel Theming

Even though the theming in Endless Summer is a little more subdued, especially in the rooms, the resorts still have some really cool touches. The first thing to note is that both resorts have an “ocean” and “beachy” vibe, but Surfside Inn & Suites has a more overt theme.

With its stunning open color scheme and wooden waves carved out over the concierge desks, Surfside Inn & Suites is filled with everything related to the sun, surf, and sand. The lobby’s chandeliers are designed to resemble ocean bubbles, which goes perfectly with the resort’s name sign and other stray surfboard decorations.

Benefits

Both hotels provide the following amenities, according to the website for Universal Orlando Resort:

• Early Park Admission: Up to an hour prior to park opening, visitors can visit Volcano Bay at Universal and The Wizarding World of Harry Potter (a valid theme park admission is required, and it applies to select attractions).
• Complimentary shuttle bus transportation or walking paths to the theme parks and Universal CityWalk
• Resort-wide charging privileges with your room key
• Complimentary delivery of merchandise purchased throughout the Resort to your hotel

Pools

Cabana Bay Beach Resort Pools

First of all, Cabana Bay Beach Resort not only has some pretty incredible poolside offerings, but it is also just a 5-minute walk from Volcano Bay. At Cabana Bay, there are two distinct pool areas: the Atomic Courtyard and the Lazy River Courtyard.

Zero-entry pools, a sandy beach, a dive tower water slide, a poolside bar, and poolside activities (hula hoop competitions, ping pong, poolside movies) are all available at the Atomic Courtyard. The zero-entry pool and sand beach are still present in the Lazy River Courtyard, but it also has a lazy river.

Endless Summer Resort Pools

There won’t be anything particularly unique about the hotel pools at Endless Summer Resorts. No cabanas, hot tubs, fire pits, or even really overt theming are present.

The swimming pool at the Surfside Inn & Suites is designed like a surfboard, and there is even a section of the pool with fewer jets and a little more depth for children to enjoy.

The Sand Bar, a poolside bar at the Surfside Inn & Suites, offers all the upscale beach-themed drinks you could desire. The pool at Surfside is delightful and big enough to hold lots of visitors.

Dining

Universal Cabana Bay Dining

• Bayliner Diner – Affordable grab-and-go options, like pizza, pasta, burgers, and more
• With a menu that features appetizers, burgers, deli sandwiches, pizza, and hot dogs, Galaxy Bowl offers a dining-in bowling experience.
• Atomic Tonic – Bar food (wings, pizza, sandwiches, cocktails)
• Hideaway Bar and Grill – Quick, simple eats (nachos, salads, burgers, hot dogs, wraps)
• Swizzle Lounge – (beer, wine, cocktails)
• Starbucks

Universal Endless Summer Dining

• Waffles, fried chicken, hamburgers, pizza, salads, and desserts are just a few of the grab-and-go options available at Pier 8 Market (Dockside), a breakfast, lunch, and dinner food court.
• Burritos, roasted chicken, burgers, salads, and more are available at Beach Break Cafe (Surfside), a laid-back food court.
• Sunset Lounge (Dockside) – Cocktails, beer, wine
• Oasis Beach Bar (Dockside) – Specialty cocktails, non-alcoholic smoothies
• Sand Bar (Surfside) – Specialty cocktails, non-alcoholic smoothies
• Starbucks

Conclusions

When deciding which resort is superior, you need to work out a few things.

Although it appears from our reviews that Cabana Bay Beach Resort is the clear winner, that doesn’t necessarily mean that it is the best option for you. Endless Summer is ideal if you want to get to Universal quickly and have a great time while still saving money. While not exceptional, the rooms are more spacious and spotless, with better amenities than most standard hotels.

Cabana Bay offers family suites, which is great for those traveling with kids, but that can also mean more children around Cabana Bay compared to Endless Summer. Depending on who you ask, that might be a deal-breaker. Schools frequently reserve rooms at Cabana Bay, which can result in considerable commotion and noise.