Orlando’s Best Value Theme Park Hotel - Review

There are a lot of resorts to choose from in Orlando, Florida. I've stayed in many of them, from the beautiful, highly themed hotels which also come at a high cost, to the ultra budget properties, with little to offer. Today I am discovering a very captivating medium, a resort at Universal Studios Orlando that offers both a highly themed experience, but at a low cost. Join me as I find out if it's any good, if it's a better option than Disney's value properties and (of course), if it's worth your money. This is Universal's Cabana Bay Resort.

Main Channel - @BrightSunFilms

Emmi’s Channel - @emmi_lancaster

Chapters:
Opening - 0:00
History - 0:32
Room - 1:20
Design & Amenities - 3:13
Pricing - 6:01
Final Score - 7:22

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Bright Sun Travels 2023

Presented in 4k

[CoffinFullOfBees]

The proximity to cigarette smoke is part of the theme, it provides an authentic 50s-60s ambiance.

[juliadagnall]

Gotta say, I like the theming. It’s nice to see someone embrace bold colors and patterns instead of just painting everything white and battleship grey and calling it ‘elegant’. It’s a bit kitsch, but it’s a resort so it’s supposed to be fun and this is definitely fun. It also seems like they approached the complex as a whole and tied everything together instead of just slapping on a retro veneer.

[Ramonatho]

Man, that pricing is ideal for something so special. I hate how boring so many hotels have become for so much money. What a cool little spot. Would love to go bowling there.

[noUGames]

Shortly before my mom passed away with cancer. She took my young niece and nephew to Universal Studio. Knowing my mom's time was short, I tagged along. We stayed here. Nice hotel & cool theme, reminds me of Fallout. I mom loved it.

[Heifer]

Universal is just getting better across the board. They've easily surpassed Disney in the Hotel category. And are starting to gain ground everywhere else. Cabana Bay blew us away. The Disney resorts left us bitter and confused.

[michaelburgess]

Good review. I think the deduction in points for this clever resort having Zest and Alberto hair products in the shower is unwarranted. It's authentic and it's what we had and used. 10/10 for me.

[Kneena]

Universal has really great hotels, we always stayed there over Disney because it was cheaper and the resort experience is SO much better. We stayed at Portofino and it truly felt like a luxury experience—beautiful property, great food, boat to the parks, and express passes included with the room! Felt like you got the best of both worlds, you can fully enjoying the parks and then come back to this really high end resort vacation. It’s a shame that Disney does not offer something like that—I was shocked watching your Contemporary video and seeing what you got for that high of a price. Even these “value” rooms look leagues better than the Disney premium resorts. It’s Insane how much better the experience could be but they still charge that ridiculous price.

[isaacfortner]

We stayed at the Royal Pacific when we went to Universal and were shocked at how nice the resort was for the price we paid. It was quite a few years ago, but I want to say it was it was about $250/night but felt like a far more premium hotel.

The value Universal hotels offer was a big part of what flipped me from a Disney fan to all in on Universal.

[jacrispy]

Stayed there a month ago. I agree with this video. Themeing is great, rooms were nice, distance to park is close and buses ran timely. Best thing was that nothing can beat the vibe this place has at night. Looked forward to just chilling on the balcony and looking over the pool every day.

[CursedStudio]

Nice to see a bit of light towards Universal

[EndrWiin]

The soap felt cheap because it probably was. I actually loved the extra charm of using vintage era brands like Zest and VO5, but if I go, I'll probably remember to pack my own.

[scanmead]

I LOVE the decor in this hotel! The outside hallway motel look...perfect!

[aSuspiciousPete]

As a floridian, I just stayed there yesterday and the cheapest room they offered was only $104. I'm thoroughly impressed by this place.

[IVR]

I adore the faux-mid mod styling here. It's the sort of thing I'd love to see more of. I know mid mod furniture is making a comeback; I'd love to see the architectural stylings do the same.

[Svanir.]

Really really nice hotel, especially for the price asked.
I actually love the inclusion of Zest and VO5 shower toiletries, as they both harken back to their popularity in the era this resort's emulating. It's fantastic.

[SpookyJohnnyY]

Totally agree with your review. This is our place we stay when visiting Orlando. We've always have had a great time, the staff is very knowledgeable and nice and the rooms are very clean. We book a Volcano view room each time and have gotten lucky with the view! One small price to pay with the volcano view is that the start testing the wave pool alarm pretty early in the day. The walk to Islands of Adventure and USF is about 10-15 min, and is landscaped very well the whole way.

[ericadouge]

Living in the Orlando area, I'm always looking at cool places for short staycations. Thanks to your review, I'm adding this hotel to my list.

[Hyperyote]

Stayed at a lot of Disney hotels and 2 other deluxe universal hotels but got to say this has a place of my heart. It feels retro, it's the past that didn't exist. Great deal, clean, good transportation, and decent offers. It's a nice hotel option and I am choosing it over a deluxe universal hotels. it's just that nice of a hotel.

[MikoDraw]

Glad I’m a patreon of the main channel because you’ve just been putting out amazing and detailed content that I’ve been enjoying since day 1!

[DannyO]

Stayed here with my (now) wife back when I went on a florida trip + cruise for my grad school graduation. We were pleasantly surprised by everything there. From the retro fallout-esque aesthetic, room quality for price, amenities, and activities (the bowling space was great!), everything was surprisingly awesome for the price point.