Cabana vs Royal Pacific

[Scott W.]

It is a pain that Uni charge extra for parking (it annoys me no end) but when you think about it it's a fairer way of going about it.

Uni are upfront with their room rates and parking charges, if you have a car you pay parking if you don't have a car then you don't pay parking.

Disney are not so up front with these charges as they will without doubt have factored parking into their room rates, so you will inadvertently be paying for parking. Difference with this system is that you pay for parking whether you have a car or not.

I can kind of understand Univeral's point of view, they're land locked and every acre of room is a prisoner, but Disney have miles of land to use so they shouldn't be charging for parking.

I don't think any hotel should have a parking charge though, to me it's a just a sleazy money grabbing thing to do. It should be included in the price of the room. If you don't drive, you might have to pay more for a service you're not using but it's not like it's costing the hotel any money for you to park compared to you using their free shuttles to the parks.

Looking at hotels recently, I'm also starting to notice more hotels now having a resort fee that I've only ever seen in Vegas and Hawaii.

 

[UNIrd]

You can't compare CBBR with the Disney Value Resorts. MAYBE... maybe Art of Animation, especially with the Family Suites. But those family suites run what..$350 a night? Compared to Cabana's $150? You might not be paying for parking but trust me.. you're paying for it.

 

[Brervixen]

Lots of great opinions here guys, Obviously Disney have changed the rules regarding parking at the theme parks as when I last stayed on property (2013) parking at the theme parks was free!
I really, really do like the look of Cabana Bay, and it's actually cheaper than the Disney resorts.

We wouldn't do a split stay, we like to do uni/disney/uni/disney and get around a bit!

 

[Mad Dog]

I just checked the official Disneyworld web site. Parking at the theme parks is still free to those staying at on site Disney resort hotels. I didn't think that had changed.

 

[Brervixen]

I just checked the official Disneyworld web site. Parking at the theme parks is still free to those staying at on site Disney resort hotels. I didn't think that had changed.

Thanks Mad Dog. I knew it sounded wrong but... I was so shocked !

 

[Scott W.]

Lots of great opinions here guys, Obviously Disney have changed the rules regarding parking at the theme parks as when I last stayed on property (2013) parking at the theme parks was free!
I really, really do like the look of Cabana Bay, and it's actually cheaper than the Disney resorts.

We wouldn't do a split stay, we like to do uni/disney/uni/disney and get around a bit!

I'm the same. I'll try to cram as much as humanly possible in 2 weeks.

I think I'll probably book the Rosen Inn again. It's basic but clean and cheap and I don't see the hotel as anything more than a place to sleep at night.

 

[GAcoaster]

I just checked the official Disneyworld web site. Parking at the theme parks is still free to those staying at on site Disney resort hotels. I didn't think that had changed.

If it hasn't changed yet, it will soon. There is even talk of charging for hotel parking in the near future. Too many people scam the system and park free at the hotels. They actually did a test on charging for the Contemporary just before Christmas.

 

[Mad Dog]

If it hasn't changed yet, it will soon. There is even talk of charging for hotel parking in the near future. Too many people scam the system and park free at the hotels. They actually did a test on charging for the Contemporary just before Christmas.

Yes, I see how the off site people scam, park in a resort & take a bus. And, as I said previously, you could see on our trip in Oct. how they tightened the resort checks at the Caribbean, and made us show our MB every day of our two week stay. But, I thought they just included parking with some of their AP levels this past autumn. I just can't envision them changing their free parking for on site guests at the theme parks. Though it wouldn't surprise me if they started charging parking at the resorts themselves. They do it at Disneyland where they have the same space problem that Universal Orlando has........As an aside, I remember reading that one of the main reasons Universal charges for parking at their on site resorts is to keep people from scamming to avoid parking at the garages, park for free at a resort and go to the parks from the resorts. And that would also create a situation where there wasn't enough parking spaces for their hotel guests.

 

[Scott W.]

Yes, I see how the off site people scam, park in a resort & take a bus. And, as I said previously, you could see on our trip in Oct. how they tightened the resort checks at the Caribbean, and made us show our MB every day of our two week stay. But, I thought they just included parking with some of their AP levels this past autumn. I just can't envision them changing their free parking for on site guests at the theme parks. Though it wouldn't surprise me if they started charging parking at the resorts themselves. They do it at Disneyland where they have the same space problem that Universal Orlando has........As an aside, I remember reading that one of the main reasons Universal charges for parking at their on site resorts is to keep people from scamming to avoid parking at the garages, park for free at a resort and go to the parks from the resorts. And that would also create a situation where there wasn't enough parking spaces for their hotel guests.

Could they not make so you get a ticket that hangs from your rear view mirror? If you don't have a ticket, your car might get towed. The Rosen Inn has the same idea. They have a bright yellow one that looks almost identical to the one they give you at Busch for preferred parking. Every time I've stayed at the Rosen and travelled to Busch, I've always been waved through to park at the entrance. Always a nice bonus.

 

[Brervixen]

I'm the same. I'll try to cram as much as humanly possible in 2 weeks.

I think I'll probably book the Rosen Inn again. It's basic but clean and cheap and I don't see the hotel as anything more than a place to sleep at night.

We stayed at the Rosen Inn 2014... It was very nice, but I do like staying on site...

 

[Mad Dog]

We stayed at the Rosen Inn 2014... It was very nice, but I do like staying on site...[/QUOTE

We're the same. Last Oct. we stayed on site at WDW (since, for a change, it was primarily a WDW vacation) , but we still did a couple of day trips to Universal. While Universal was still pretty good, it wasn't as great as when we stay on site at Universal. It's just so much more relaxing when you know you don't have to get in your car to go some where. The ease of movement throughout the entire Universal resort is a huge plus. It's a really different feel than driving in for the day

 

[Scott W.]

Funny thing. Looks like I'll be staying 15 nights at Cabana Bay come September. I think I've managed to get a good deal using my Virgin air miles and since I can't use them for flights at that time of year, I may as well convert them to vouchers to use on Virgin Holidays. This forum should be on commission for swaying me to stay on site.

 

[Mad Dog]

Funny thing. Looks like I'll be staying 15 nights at Cabana Bay come September. I think I've managed to get a good deal using my Virgin air miles and since I can't use them for flights at that time of year, I may as well convert them to vouchers to use on Virgin Holidays. This forum should be on commission for swaying me to stay on site.

You will love the hotel, and even more important, the feeling of staying on site. The ability to enjoy a few drinks at CitiWalk or the parks and not have to drive anywhere to get home, makes the experience so much more enjoyable. Universal's on site transportation is quick & easy, but we actually walk most of the time because the walkway landscaping is beautiful & the walk relaxing. Having everything on campus, say to speak, helps make the entire vacation experience leisurely, the way a vacation should be...Enjoy.................When we started doing full vacations at Universal in 2011, we generally did 14 nights on site. I remember the first two times at Portofino that we would get lots of comments from employees about having such a long stay. They said that very rarely did they have anybody stay that long. Now, since 2013 we've run into a lot of people that stay long. It appears the perception of a Universal vacation has really changed.

 

[Mad Dog]

Scott: A couple of points to take advantage of; You can use any of the other on site hotel pools. Just take your room card with you to show the attendant. Some really great pools, especially at Portofino. And, while you're relaxing some day, take the water taxi over to Portofino and have lunch or dinner on the bay piazza and a glass of wine. Sal's Restaurant on the piazza has the best pizza (and reasonably priced) on Universal property. Or wait until dusk, and they'll have the Italian singers singing on the balcony above Sal's. And then there's the Thirsty Fish bar on the piazza with live music the second half of the week. It's ambiance that you can die for.

 

[Scott W.]

Scott: A couple of points to take advantage of; You can use any of the other on site hotel pools. Just take your room card with you to show the attendant. Some really great pools, especially at Portofino. And, while you're relaxing some day, take the water taxi over to Portofino and have lunch or dinner on the bay piazza and a glass of wine. Sal's Restaurant on the piazza has the best pizza (and reasonably priced) on Universal property. Or wait until dusk, and they'll have the Italian singers singing on the balcony above Sal's. And then there's the Thirsty Fish bar on the piazza with live music the second half of the week. It's ambiance that you can die for.

That's crazy, I didn't know you could visit other hotels. That actually adds quite a lot of value to the hotel.

How does the parking work? Do you pay a one off fee when you check in or do you pay every time you drive in?

 

[Mad Dog]

That's crazy, I didn't know you could visit other hotels. That actually adds quite a lot of value to the hotel.

How does the parking work? Do you pay a one off fee when you check in or do you pay every time you drive in?

It's (total for stay) is put on your ending bill. I think Cabana is a few dollars less than the other hotels. You can go in & out as many times as you want. Another point, you're only going to be a five minute or so walk away from the really good sit down restaurants at Royal Pacific and the new sit down restaurant at Sapphire Falls. Emeril's Tchoup Tchoup Restaurant's happy hour at Royal Pacific is one of the best kept secrets at universal. I think it's something like 5 to 8, though I'm not positive. Anyway, they have their superlative appetizers on special for $5 each. We usually get five different ones,, and it's a great meal for two. And they change their appetizer menu every few days. Some interesting exotic choices. And there's some really good restaurants at the Hard Rock Hotel & Portofino Bay resorts. You'll also be able to take that short walk down to Sapphire or RP and get a water taxi to CitiWalk & then get another to go to HardRock or Portofino if you like. If you don't want to walk, the CBBR buses are quick & efficient. no 20-30 minute waits like Disney. There was always one waiting to be boarded when we were there. Than only a few minutes to the parking garage. Lot's of options available. The Citi Walk restaurants that we like are Viva, Margueritaville, Bob Marley's for Jamaican, Antojito's, plus Emerils for an expensive type meal. And our favorite bars are Pat O'Briens piano bar room, and Bob Marley's for Jamaican music. But there's plenty of other good places for people with varying tastes.

 

[Scott W.]

I usually don't book a trip until a few months before I go but I'm really pumped to be going now and I've just realised I have about 7 months to wait. I think staying here will add a lot to the experience. I'm actually starting to question if I want to do Disney again and just have a few relaxing days at the pool instead.

My wife is more excited about the lazy river and refillable cups with coke freestyle machines than anything else. Can you use the refillable cups in the parks?

 

[Mad Dog]

I usually don't book a trip until a few months before I go but I'm really pumped to be going now and I've just realised I have about 7 months to wait. I think staying here will add a lot to the experience. I'm actually starting to question if I want to do Disney again and just have a few relaxing days at the pool instead.

My wife is more excited about the lazy river and refillable cups with coke freestyle machines than anything else. Can you use the refillable cups in the parks?

Never did the refills, so I don't know. When we're at Universal we spend a ton of time at the pools and relax. As I said before, that's the way to spend a vacation. When we're at Universal we never leave the parking lot. And we never do long theme park days. usually only 5, 6 or 7 hours at the parks. The Lazy River rarely gets crowded since you have to bring your own float (they sell them also, not expensive). So you don't get a horde of kids using free floats like most everywhere else. This was the only Lazy River I've ever been on that was truly "lazy" . You're going to really like the slower pace of Universal on site theme park life. ...We just did two weeks at WDW on site in October. We like WDW and it was nice. But we really missed the easy relaxing pace of Universal and all we talked about on that trip was how much we missed staying on site at Universal. We ended up taking two day trips to Universal since we missed it so much, but it's just not the same as staying there.

 

[*Q*]

Can you use the refillable cups in the parks?

No, you'd have to get a separate mug for the parks.

 

[traveller]

Once you stay on site, theres no going back. I have been going since 98,Days Inn maingate was our place to stay($150.00 for 5 nights). My 1st stay at RPR in 04 was the turning point in how to vacation(HHN) Been going ever since and staying on site. I have stayed at HRH,CB,RPR and only visit Portfino for pizza and swimming.We stayed at CB last year for HHN ,6 nights in a family suite, the hotel is amazing for the price. Its a vacation in its self. This year we will be at SF for 7 nights, great deal going on now $124.00@night plus a $150 food and beverage credit.(4 nights or more). Although they don't have express which is not really needed from my experince last year, I much rather have my rush of fear with express(this I need!). btw the rate I stated is the smsm rate for 7 nights.