Orlando’s Best Value Theme Park Hotel - Review

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Nice to see a bit of light towards Universal

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.

To be fair, those smoking areas are pretty 1950s as well considering people weren't really concerned about health problems that come with smoking.

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.

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

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.

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.

They did a spot on job of getting the 50's-60's theme without going overboard. It looks very nice. For that price point it's hard to beat. Disney on the other hand - ugh....

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

I stayed at the Cabana Bay's sister hotel, the Aventura, last year. The lobby was fantastic, but the room was really small and its iPad-centric controls were cumbersome and annoying. After watching this video, I thought since both hotels were around the same price-point, I thought I would be getting a similar experience, or at least a similar-sized room. Guess I should have went there instead!

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.