Offsite or Cabana Bay?

[sherig]

I've been there before and stayed at Hard Rock, haven't been since Harry potter, but not sure how much the kids, 8 and 10, will be into that, since they're not into harry potter, but do love the minons. Is there an offsite hotel you like/recommend compared to cabana bay? We're getting in at midnight so I'm not sure if i'd be at the park an hour early to enjoy that perk anyway.

Thanks!

 

[SAV]

Are you only staying/doing Universal for one day/night in the hotel?

I can speak to what we experienced last month staying at Cabana Bay. I am not a Potter guy. Never have seen a movie or read a book. It was still AMAZING back there.

That extra hour in the morning was a life saver. We didn't invest in Express Pass, so we were able to get both HP lands done right away which freed us up to do other things during the day while others were in HP. Then we could go back to HP if we wanted and utilize the single rider lines since we already experienced the queue earlier that day.

Also, if you are interested in the Minions, when we were there they opened up the Minion ride earlier than the official park opening, so the one day we jumped on that before we went back to HP and it was basically walk-on. So right after the ride was done we went back to HP and only had a 10 minute wait for Gringot's and the area was still not very crowded. Any other time we looked at Minions, it was over an hour, up to 2 hour wait.

 

[BrianV]

I'm not totally convinced that the early opening is all that valuable. With the ages of your kids you could easily do the single rider lines anyway.

For me, unless we get the universal express pass, the value of staying onsite would be limited in my mind. The added bonus of staying onsite is walking distance to the parks, but CBR is a little bit of a hike at that.

Just my opinions. We toured CBR and it looked lovely. If it is competitive with off site hotels, then great. Otherwise, not sure it has that much of an advantag

 

[danpam1024]

I have stayed at CBBR twice (review http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/cabana-bay-one-night-stay-reviewed.886111/)- not a fan. We would either cut a day from vacation or hold off and save before ever returning. There are MANY STUNNING hotels in the Orlando area for the same amount. The proximity to the parks just cannot be beat- nothing like it, not even at Disney.

EDIT- BTW- go to the 2nd page of my review- after the second stay- NEVER AGAIN!!!!

 

[GLaDOS]

Cabana Bay is the best theme park resort in Orlando, all things considered, IMO.

Can't beat the rooms, amenities, bars, food, and service at its price point. Early admission is just a bonus.

 

[JoeCamel]

If you are getting in at midnight and planning on maybe doing EPA I would rethink your touring plan. Stay another day, rest up in the pool and lazy river at CBBR then hit the park late and do Minions and what ever else you can fit in THEN do EPA the next day. Being a theme park warrior diminishes the experience. If you can't spare the time then it is really not worth it to try to "fit it in".

 

[lebeau]

We really enjoyed Cabana Bay. (My review) You couldn't ask for a more convenient location. It's a bit far to walk with kids, but literally every time we passed the shuttle area there were buses - multiple buses - waiting for guests. See if that ever happens at Disney! Lots to see, do and enjoy at the resort itself. The early admission was also helpful. When we went, Minion Mayhem opened early which could be a lifesaver if you don't have ExpressPass.

I agree with JoeCamel that Ideally, you will want to stay a day and enjoy the resort a bit instead of arriving at midnight and touring the parks the next day. That just sounds like a nightmare.