Are Universal Endless Summer Resorts Worth It?

Universal studios orlando hotels - are the Endless Summer Dockside and Surfside worth it? We cover everything you need to know about Universal's Endless Summer Resort Dockside and Surfside to help make your decision if you should stay at the cheapest Universal Studios Hotels. i have stayed at ALL 8 hotels Universal Studios so now I am sharing with YOU which is the best for your Universal Studios Orlando vacation.

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T I M E C O D E S
00:31 - Value & Price
02:33 - Bus Transportation
02:55 - FREE Transportaion
03:37 - Suites
04:25 Crowds
05:45 - I Drive
06:33 - Thin Walls
07:03 - Food Options
07:32 - No Restaurants
07:45 - Starbucks
08:13 - Perks
08:47 - Parking
09:14 - Pools

A B O U T
On The Krystal Palace, we have fun no matter where we are. Your adventure is just a click away. Whether it’s reliving memories at theme parks around the US, visiting a city you are thinking of visiting, cheering in the stands at a sporting event, delivering a hotel or food review, The Krystal Palace brings that experience to you! It is all created with a smile and a passion to bring the excitement of adventure to you.
We love to visit the Walt Disney World Resort including Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, Epcot, Animal Kingdom, and Disney Springs. We also love Universal Studios Orlando and visiting Islands of Adventure, Universal Studios, and are very excited for the upcoming Universal Epic Universe!

#universalorlando #universal #universalstudios

[TheKrystalPalace]

Which Universal Orlando Hotel do you want to stay at??

[jerrilynnroth]

I stay at one of the Endless Summer hotels everytime I go to Universal. I've noticed that the rooms are layed out the same as at the other on property hotels just decorated differently. I appreciate that both, Dockside and Surfside, do not have carpet. I like the parking on site and not having to get back in the car again until it's time to go home. Both have a pasta station in the food court where the food is cooked in front of you. As you said, the food options are really good. Everything you pointed out is why I stay at Endless Summer hotels. Thank you for the video it was spot on.

[flawedgenius]

It's walking distance to the parks still, not much more walking than from Cabana Bay... but it also has direct access to I-Drive. It's definitely the one to stay at! It also has the benefit of proper family rooms over many of the other offerings on I-Drive. Rather than stay at the other Universal hotels, Double Tree at the Entrance is the one imo

[EliteJCTV]

I can not wait for my stay in September, I booked Surfside Inn back in October for this summer. If you don’t mind me asking how does the merch deliver work? I know any merch you purchase in park can be sent back to your hotel. But how? This video got me hyped for my trip. I also noticed this, is there no jacuzzi by the pool?

[ohanatraveladventures]

I loved both. Surfside is a little smaller but it’s my favorite.

[marimurillo]

I wanna visit Universal Orlando Resort for the first time next year (once Epic Universe opens), and this hotel is my choice because of its value.

[MannyEmm]

I love their transportation system with the busses. Too many resort choices, but I like the endless summer. It’s cool how there are so many things within walking distance. Thank you …great vid, K ? Hey check out your arm muscles from holding the gimbal! You are the best.

[AdventurersClubAyleen]

Loved my stay here ❤❤ you showed off the hotel so well!

[penelopepitstop]

You covered it all! Great job KP 💯 Definitely putting this one on my list. Perfect place to stay!

[fourlittlebirds]

Family of six here. We’ve always stayed at Dockside. We really enjoy the family suite room. For the prices it doesn’t feel like a “value resort”. Everything about it is highly immersive and themed. From the colors, music playing, tiles on the floor, wood paneling etc. it all makes you feel as if you’re sitting “under the dock” on the sandy beach. -see the cafe area for “under the dock” feel with the beams overhead. They use net looking light fixtures in the lobby, driftwood… it goes on. They did a very good job with the over all feel and design of this hotel. It feels like a happy place to be. It’s very family oriented. The cafe has a wide variety of fresh, reasonably priced foods, there’s also a gift shop and Starbucks in the lobby. All the resorts have a “resort cup” that you can opt to purchase while staying there or not, and they work with all the Coke freestyle machines. (They won’t work for cokes in the parks, but if you just want water and ice-it will still work.) We’ve stayed at this hotel at least four times, and once at Cabana Bay. If you happen to sleep in a bit in the morning, the cleaning people come around 10:30-11:00am depending on the floor you’re on. They will knock. If you’re still there just say “No thank you” through the door, and they will leave you alone. If you do not respond, they will think that no one is in the room, and try to open the door with the master key to come and clean. You can respond politely, and they will leave. No need to even get out of bed. Remember to be polite to the staff, and greet them with a “Good morning!” Or “Good evening!” When passing them in the halls. There are also bathroom attendants in all universal bathrooms in the lobby and parks. If you let them know you appreciate them, your kindness goes a long way in how the rest of your stay will go. We’ve never had a problem with lifeguards, transport to parks, drivers, etc. There is a separate bus for Volcano Bay water park.
There are shops on both sides of the street. So so if you want an item in a different size that dockside does not have, Surf Side may have them, and they can talk back and forth and send the item across the street for you to pick up later.
Downsides to staying at the “value resort hotel”;
*The pools, though family friendly, do not have Jacuzzis or a depth of more than 3 1/2 ft. (At least on dockside)
*You won’t get a universal express pass tacked onto your admission staying here.
*It’s a LARGE hotel. Situated with towers on both sides of the road. It’s also the least expensive on property hotel. So that means TONS of people. So getting back on the bus to come back to your hotel room once the parks close, is kinda miserable. Everyone boards the lines and the buses at once. Even though the drive is about five minutes back, the drivers have been instructed to PACK the buses. All the way in to standing room only. Seriously. It’s no joke how badly they pack these buses. It can be stressful. If you’ve got small children, you might have to wait a long time to board the next bus if you don’t wish to stand while on board. Don’t let the drivers pressure you! You’ve paid a whack of money to be at the resort. You have the right to NOT have to stand while on the bus. Just politely inform them that you would prefer to wait for the next bus where you can get a seat. You may need to allow a bunch of people behind you in line to go ahead.
* Crowding-The same can be said for the over packed elevators at the hotel.
*For a family suite-kitchen and roominess aside, there’s still only one bathroom. And you may have five to six people all sharing.
*Because it’s families with small children, there is no “fine dining”, and it’s loud. Especially in the big open cafe, pools, and lobby areas.
*Some of the staff in the cafe have limited English. -be patient and respectful. It’s people from all over the world that have come to work and live in Orlando. This makes it diverse and wonderful! But in a crowded cafe, you will need to stay calm, and repeat yourself (perhaps).
Over all, it’s a pleasant and fun place to stay. Never had an issue with resort staff or another guest being rude or unfriendly, even in the middle of the summer.

[thecoolestdad]

My daughter and I have stayed at both Dockside and Surfside. Both are fine. I sorta prefer Dockside over Surfside. Why, I don't know. At Dockside I specifically asked for the top floor away from the elevators and they gave me what I wanted. I was one room away from the stairs. Long walk down the hallway from the elevators but that wasn't a problem. It was quiet there as well. At Surfside I also requested a top floor room and didn't get it. We were on the 5th floor and almost midway down the hallway. Wasn't happy. Heard a little noise but not terrible. We stayed in a suite both times and I had the smaller private bedroom. I am like you, stay at the value places and save money. Sleep and shower is all that is needed. Would I stay there again? Yeah I would, but I want a top floor though.

[Dori]

You did a fantastic job of providing great information about the resort’s. Every year I go I stay one year at Dockside and the other at Surfside. Normally I stay 3 weeks and the perks for staying on property is a bus to City Walk anytime I want getting to the parks early also the food is good and reasonable priced. I’m not thrilled at the cost of have to pay for a car but I know it’s secure and safe. Thanks again for the great video.

[funfettigirl]

Im so glad you posted this and love the endless summer i am staying here in October

[louisarosina]

Great video. If we didn’t already love Surfside you would have sold it to us! We’ve stayed at Surfside, Pop Century and Cabana Bay. Cabana Bay and Pop Century were much busier and noisier and I only walked to the parks from CB once! We’ll be staying at Surfside again this year. We love the family suites, they’re such good value for money and we like being on I Drive so we can pop over to Walgreens. The only negative I can think of is not being allowed to pool hop (though I noticed last year the gates around the CB pool were not all locked), but the Surfside pool was much less busier than the ones at CB and PC and we go to Volcano Bay so it’s not really a deal breaker.

[JustOutnAbout]

Love the value at these resorts!!! Can't complain about them at all and the bus service is always quick. We consider staying here any trip except our HHN trip lol!!! Unless we just decide to extend our trip and move over to Endless Summer then!

[kimgrod]

I know you're not supposed to pool hop if staying @ an Endless Summer resort; however, in my experience, as someone who has pool hopped and only stayed at Premier hotels:
No one checks your hotel key. Seems anyone from any location could pool hop.
Many of the pool gates won't scan. You can reach over the gate and easily gain entry.or someone nearby will open the gate giving access.
On another note, it's.rumoured that you can walk a bit to use the water taxi. Again, no one checks rooms keys for the taxis. Is this rumour realistic?

[kaylaandmarkalan]

For the price, I think these resorts are a great option! You made some great points, especially all of the restaurants and stores around there!

[Rcap]

On average a family of four, no pass, is going to book there which puts it over 200 easily. But, it is better than the avg rate at any of the other hotels, and you don't get whacked with a "resort fee". I stayed at the Aventura pre covid shutdown but was extremely happy and surprised with what we got for what was "change" at the time in terms of price per night. The pool was great, and they had a rooftop bar if I remember correctly that was great, but really windy when we were there lol.

[sariegoodman]

I love this review. We are staying here next month. We’re so excited 🤩🤩

[johnnyargo]

We stayed at surfside for either 5 or 6 nights can’t remember. It was nice. Food court area was nice and we always got full. It’s a very short bus ride to the park. We’ll be back for epic.