Cabana Bay Beach Resort

[JungleSkip]

It is a great theme if done right. As in more authentic and less cartoony. From the concept art I think they are on the right track.

Agreed. It's a nice, laid-back, nostalgic beach theme. As long as the grounds are done right, it will be a great looking hotel.

 

[ReelJustice]

This fills a need. Bravo Uni!

 

[JungleSkip]

Some more pics

Lobby

Pool

Looks pretty nice actually...not quite what I was expecting with the Beach Hotel rumor...I will definitely be staying there though

Beautiful!

 

[DragonSlayer]

Those two pics look very swish. I like it! :thumbs:

 

[Disneyhead]

Not really all that many "cabanas" for a resort called Cabana Bay. Haha.

Seriously though I likike the look of pretty much all of it. But I am an older fellow who is nostalgic for the Summer Vacations of that time period.

 

[grizzlybarely]

Nice!! They put out a hotel survey a few months ago; guess we know why now. I love it. Unlimited Express should probably stay a "Deluxe" privilege anyway or Express would lose its efficiency. Early park admission should satisfy most; that's all Disney does anyway with EMH.

Love it! Feels good to be a Uni fan!

 

[Thor]

I wouldn't say this was out of the blue. Rumors of a 4th onsite hotel sprung up a while ago. Scuttle on WDWMagic said he saw the plans a few months ago. As for the theme, I like it. This is what Universal Orlando needed. Let the expansion begin.

 

[Captain Tragedy]

Bold move, very curious to see how that pans out with the average, non-researching guest.

My guess is that they'll have something plastered all over their reservation system. "Seriously people, you DO NOT get Express Passes if you stay at this resort! I am super super serial guys!" The average guest will probably miss it anyway, though.

 

[Voidfish]

The lobby exterior put me off, but all other concept art actually looks pretty nice! I mean, there's no nostalgia factor there for me because I'm a kid and my parents didn't grow up in the states (actually, my dad came here in the '60s, if I'm not mistaken, but he never really got to enjoy the beach resort type thing), but it's still impressive and I'd definitely consider staying there.

Kind of disappointed they're not offering express passes, but solo missions are more my thing so single rider lines and early entry would fill that gap for me.

 

[violarum]

This is honestly just very very cute in terms of the design. I was a bit disconcerted when I read the name in awe this morning, but then the lobby and pool spaces just rescued the theming aspect. It's bold, classy, wonderfully modernist, and yet highly reminiscent.

Now, does anyone know how this might tie in to a potential water park, or will this hotel occupy the entire plot of land beneath IOA?

 

[hildyp0824]

This is unexpected but awesome! Great job by Universal! I had not been to the Universal parks since February and when I visited over the weekend, it's obvious that they are investing in the parks/resort. That's great to see

 

[JungleSkip]

Okay...now comes the fun part. SPECULATION HO!

So...it's going on the plot off of Turkey Lake and Hollywood way. Which ISN'T the plot right next to Royal Pacific as I would have thought. Meaning there's going to be a random, barren plot of land between RP and Cabana Beach in the near future. But why? What's the thinking of setting the resort up like that? Well, this is what I think is coming:

Yup. Water park in between Royal Pacific and Cabana Beach. It gives easy access to it from both of the Beach/Tropical themed resorts, and fills in the final plot. What do you guys think?

 

[ParkRumors]

I think this is going on the land adjacent to the Royal Pacific like you first thought... it's where we've seen the most ground work so far, plus, the press release says it's going on an existing 37-acre plot of land, and Hotel Site D just so happens to be roughly 37 acres:

Guess we'll know for sure pretty soon, once actual construction starts.

 

[JungleSkip]

I think this is going on the land adjacent to the Royal Pacific like you first thought... it's where we've seen the most ground work so far, plus, the press release says it's going on an existing 37-acre plot of land, and Hotel Site D just so happens to be roughly 37 acres:

Guess we'll know for sure pretty soon, once actual construction starts.

Yea, we could. The press release just reads like it's the bigger plot since Turkey Lake Road is mentioned.

Plus, the other plot of land looks big enough for two resorts, or leaves the possibility open for an expansion for this one. It'll be interesting to see their plan.

 

[hildyp0824]

Can they then use the other plot of land for the waterpark?

 

[JungleSkip]

Can they then use the other plot of land for the waterpark?

Sure. Even if the bigger plot to the east is used for the hotel, the smaller plot between it and Royal Pacific is plenty of room for a water park.

Another question is whether the water way will be extended for the water taxis. And if not, what will the transportation be from CBBR to CityWalk/the parks.

 

[Ultimate17]

This will be awesome for UOR. With this opening late 2014, this should all but confirm a 2015 WWHP 2.0 opening. They will want as many resort rooms as possible for the insane crowds again. I think this will be a draw for lots of Disney vacationers. I know the high prices of the current resorts scare away lots of people from splitting their stay. With an "on property" option that competes with Disney prices, I can imagine Disney execs are going to not be happy about the loss of room nights.

Is it feasible to expand the waterway all the way to the plot by Turkey Lake? I know buses run at all the resorts, would they just emphasize this more at this new resort? If it was the plot closest to Royal pacific they could just utilize the boats there and maybe increase the number of boats to satisfy the increased number using them.

 

[JungleSkip]

Is it feasible to expand the waterway all the way to the plot by Turkey Lake?

Yes, and I believe that was the original plan for the resort.

 

[ParkRumors]

It was always part of the plan to have all five proposed resorts connected by waterway, so it's possible to run it all the way to that plot of land... the 2007 Master Plan Amendment even showed all the hotels connected:

 

[UNIrd]

Surprised by the retro modern look they decided to go with. Definitely reminds me of Art of Animation/Pop Century but it's something that Universal needed.