Cabana Bay Beach Resort

[Miketheboss]

It doesn't. 15 above average, 9 average.

Thin sheets can be fixed in a day. The value thing is a meaningless comment in context. The fan thing is a mistake, but far from a deal breaker for most (also, I find it funny almost everyone rated the rooms 3+ stars).

The real problem seems to be the service, which will of course improve as time goes on.

15 people rated it Excellent or very good. 9 people rated it from average to terrible. Half of 24 is 12. So nearly half think its average-terrible. I dont think average is good. (The letter grade of a C might be passing but to me its still failing)

I agree, service will get better with time.

 

[Disneyhead]

They cant fix the "thin walls"
Its too late to add fans to all the bathrooms
The sheets are thin
And its not a true "value" (sure compared to the other onsite hotels it is)

A most said they looked passed the flaws and gave it better than average reviews was because it was brand new, in 6 months these problems will still be there but the newness will be gone.

And I'm sorry but for a new resort to have half of its ratings average, below average isn't good news.

Compared to Disney's Value Resorts is is very much a "value". And here are the toiletries at Disney.

I have always found Shampoo/Conditioner combos to be bad at both shampooing and conditioning.

 

[natespf]

^ Yes, most of the reviews are good. Reading through the comments there is a lot of funny nonsense. Like the guy saying he spent money as if he was at a themepark, and that somehow takes away from the value he got on the room. Don't get me wrong there is also good criticism, but look at them for what they are.

15 people rated it Excellent or very good. 9 people rated it from average to terrible. Half of 24 is 12. So nearly half think its average-terrible. I dont think average is good. (The letter grade of a C might be passing but to me its still failing)

I agree, service will get better with time.

Excellent 8
Very good 7
Average 5
Poor 3
Terrible 1

 

[Miketheboss]

And parking. This applies to all the resorts.

Having to pay for parking while staying onsite sucks. You stay for 4 days and that's $40 just in parking. I think its ridiculous.

 

[Miketheboss]

Excellent 8
Very good 7
Average 5
Poor 3
Terrible 1

Excellent 8
Very good 7..............= 15
-----------------------------------------------------
Average 5
Poor 3
Terrible 1................= 9
.............................24 total

24/2 =12

So just 3 people less than 12 (half) think is between average and terrible. You dont want to be average. Average isn't good.(thats what she said)

Thats enough with this, you guys get my point. In 2 months, we'll come back to this when the reviews are in the hundreds,

 

[natespf]

Excellent 8
Very good 7..............= 15
----------------------------
Average 5
Poor 3
Terrible 1...............= 9
............................24 total

24/2 =12
So just 3 people less than half think is between average and terrible.

So 4 people thought it was Poor, or Terrible. Most (15) thought it was Excellent or Very Good. Half of 24 is 12, so more than half thought it was above average. Average is the middle ground, IDK how your grouping it with unfavorable.

 

[Miketheboss]

So 4 people thought it was Poor, or Terrible. Most (15) thought it was Excellent or Good. Half of 24 is 12, so more than half thought it was above average. Average is the middle ground, IDK how your grouping it with unfavorable.

An average rating isn't a positive rating. Since when is average good, especially for a brand new hotel. No one wants to stay at an average hotel. A teacher saids your son has average grades. Would you be proud of that?

> A rating of average means keep on looking for another hotel.
> Average means that there are better hotels out there for the same or lower price.
> Average means it wasn't worth all your money.

 

[Disneyhead]

I'll just go with 8 thought it was excellent, 1 thought it was terrible.

 

[natespf]

Average isn't good. Since when is average good, especially for a brand new hotel. A rating of average means keep on looking for another hotel. Average means that there are better hotels out there for the same or lower price. Average means it wasn't worth all your money.

Average isn't bad, it is the middle ground. In fact it means it is exactly worth the money, it met their expectations. Excellent or Very Good means it exceeded their expectations, Poor and Terrible mean it was a let down. Most thought it was ABOVE average.

 

[Miketheboss]

Average isn't bad, it is the middle ground. In fact it means it is exactly worth the money, it met their expectations. Excellent or Very Good means it exceeded their expectations, Poor and Terrible mean it was a let down. Most thought it was ABOVE average.

So a company not exceeding your expectations is okay?

ALL the average review titles from tripadvisor, (according to your interpretation, met their expectations)

“I Wanted to Love This Place”

“Bad experience and no organization by staff.”

“Thin walls and theft from room”

“Retro theme excellent-everything else mediocre”

“Just "another" Orlando hotel !”

Average isn't meeting expectations. According to the dictionary, yes. If it met your expectations it would most likely be rated very good.

 

[rhino4evr]

I recently stayed at the Art of Animation, and even though it was a budget hotel, with small rooms with thin walls. The overall experience, theming, and service knocked it from from being 3 stars to 4. My only real complaint was the awful food court, which was extrememly over crowded due to the lack of options elsewhere. The pools were excellent, and the themeing top notch. Service? forget about it, you may be staying at a budget hotel, but they treat you like you're staying at the Ritz.

I've never stayed ay any of the Universal resorts, but I am sure they have a lot to prove when you have hundredes of hotels looking for your business. The key to a good value resort is to make the customer feel like they aren't in a value resort. Not when you can find a real value down the street for 50% less.

 

[natespf]

So a company not exceeding your expectations is okay?

Average review titles from tripadvisor, (according to you it met there expectations)

Average isn't meting expectations.

24 is not enough data to draw conclusions on, but I do not agree with how your rearranging the stats.

Excellent 8
Very good 7
Average 5
Poor 3
Terrible 1

But you want to take 5 options and assign them unevenly to 2 things. The bottom 3 go to unfavorable and only the top 2 are favorable. Which still shows that more are favorable of the hotel.

Above Average 15
Average and below 9

If you want to regroup 'em, maybe like this:

Above Average 15
Average 5
Below Average 4

 

[IzzyB]

I am so confused by the math here. more than 50% rated it above average. So it is not Average.

Anyone knows I am not a Uni fanboy (or should I say fangirl) and I visit all the parks. So coming from that angle, it is WAY too soon to tell if this hotel is a success. Give it time. You need to wait a couple months for the service issues to be worked out and have a hundred reviews. I stay at some pretty nice Marriott resorts and I frequent Tripadvisor a lot. You would be amazed at what people complain about in a resort that is the best in the area on that site. So lets wait until we can really see some trends and really see what people are saying. Also, more people do reviews because they had a bad experience than a good experience. A bad experience means you go right onto the site and put in your feelings a good experience it may take you a couple weeks to find the time to write a review.

So bottom line, come back to this topic in 3 months

 

[Skubersky]

TripAdvisor is well known in the industry to be easily gamed by people with an axe to grind, and the number of reviews so far is way too low a sample size for any statistical validity, so arguing over what they prove is a waste of time. Besides, every single complaint listed above (except the too-thin bedspread, which would have been solved if the poster had used the extra blanket provided in the closet) can and has been levied against every Disney hotel (including their deluxe rooms).

As far as value, I paid $101 a night (tax included) for a room that sleeps six. Find me that at Disney for under $200 and I'll eat my glow in the show hat.

Finally, EVERY hotel charges for parking. It's just mandatory and hidden in the room fee at Disney, but transparent and avoidable at Universal.

 

[natespf]

^ I agree with IzzyB. (As well as Skubersky who snuck in there)

There are legitimate issues brought up, but some of the reviews so far I find just hilarious.

 

[TylerDurden]

About the defenses of Cabana Bay...

I agree, the sample size is too small to draw any conclusions from. Also, the motivations of people who write on TripAdvisor can be questionable. That said, those who come to the defense of some of CBBR's apparent issues by comparing it to a Disney hotel--that's a bit weak. If Universal wants to be a serious alternative to their neighbors, they have to be their own resort, not justify everything by drawing comparisons to Disney. Disney didnt get to be where they are right now by comparing themselves to another theme park resort; they set their own standard.

Its a social phenomenon that people tend to hate something that has drawn a lot of success...if this blind praise of Universal in comparison to Disney is some peoples way of buying into this phenomenon (hating Disney because of its popularity that we dont see as warranted), that doesnt help any arguments for Universal. I saw this happen on the thread with pictures of dirty things at Universal, responses like "I could show you 100 examples worse at Disney", etc. The point is, who cares what they do? If Universal is going to take a step toward being the best destination in Orlando, they have to start comparing themselves to nothing but their own standards.

Cabana Bay may or may not have issues, I dont know because I havent stayed there yet. But when I do, and find any shortcomings or positives, the last thing I will do is compare it to Disney because I dont feel the need to join into this recent groupthink that Universal can do no wrong and Disney comes up short. The best way to evaluate something is to just judge it on its own merits. I wonder if similar issues at a Disney hotel would have had similar reactions on this board (justification), or intense criticism...

 

[DufflesMcGee]

About the defenses of Cabana Bay...

I agree, the sample size is too small to draw any conclusions from. Also, the motivations of people who write on TripAdvisor can be questionable. That said, those who come to the defense of some of CBBR's apparent issues by comparing it to a Disney hotel--that's a bit weak. If Universal wants to be a serious alternative to their neighbors, they have to be their own resort, not justify everything by drawing comparisons to Disney. Disney didnt get to be where they are right now by comparing themselves to another theme park resort; they set their own standard.

Its a social phenomenon that people tend to hate something that has drawn a lot of success...if this blind praise of Universal in comparison to Disney is some peoples way of buying into this phenomenon (hating Disney because of its popularity that we dont see as warranted), that doesnt help any arguments for Universal. I saw this happen on the thread with pictures of dirty things at Universal, responses like "I could show you 100 examples worse at Disney", etc. The point is, who cares what they do? If Universal is going to take a step toward being the best destination in Orlando, they have to start comparing themselves to nothing but their own standards.

Cabana Bay may or may not have issues, I dont know because I havent stayed there yet. But when I do, and find any shortcomings or positives, the last thing I will do is compare it to Disney because I dont feel the need to join into this recent groupthink that Universal can do no wrong and Disney comes up short. The best way to evaluate something is to just judge it on its own merits. I wonder if similar issues at a Disney hotel would have had similar reactions on this board (justification), or intense criticism...

Best thing ive heard form you in a while. I tip my hat to you, sir

 

[Disneyhead]

You don't think it's fair to compare a product to it's direct competitor? Particularly one that is in the same market? It is less expensive, better amenities (lazy river, fitness center, bowling alley, lobby bar and 2 pool bars), and an actual theme compared to the 800lb gorilla down the road. Is it perfect? No, it's a "value" resort. Will it succeed? Yep.

 

[Brian G.]

About the defenses of Cabana Bay...

I agree, the sample size is too small to draw any conclusions from. Also, the motivations of people who write on TripAdvisor can be questionable. That said, those who come to the defense of some of CBBR's apparent issues by comparing it to a Disney hotel--that's a bit weak. If Universal wants to be a serious alternative to their neighbors, they have to be their own resort, not justify everything by drawing comparisons to Disney. Disney didnt get to be where they are right now by comparing themselves to another theme park resort; they set their own standard.

Its a social phenomenon that people tend to hate something that has drawn a lot of success...if this blind praise of Universal in comparison to Disney is some peoples way of buying into this phenomenon (hating Disney because of its popularity that we dont see as warranted), that doesnt help any arguments for Universal. I saw this happen on the thread with pictures of dirty things at Universal, responses like "I could show you 100 examples worse at Disney", etc. The point is, who cares what they do? If Universal is going to take a step toward being the best destination in Orlando, they have to start comparing themselves to nothing but their own standards.

Cabana Bay may or may not have issues, I dont know because I havent stayed there yet. But when I do, and find any shortcomings or positives, the last thing I will do is compare it to Disney because I dont feel the need to join into this recent groupthink that Universal can do no wrong and Disney comes up short. The best way to evaluate something is to just judge it on its own merits. I wonder if similar issues at a Disney hotel would have had similar reactions on this board (justification), or intense criticism...

Excellent response. My only take is that whereas you are pointing out the "I can show you worse at Disney" is that sometimes when someone is criticizing Universal, it's because their endgame is "you'll never see that at Disney" or similar thoughts.

 

[Felipe]

Average isn't bad, it is the middle ground. In fact it means it is exactly worth the money, it met their expectations. Excellent or Very Good means it exceeded their expectations, Poor and Terrible mean it was a let down. Most thought it was ABOVE average.

Ditto. Obviously everyone wants to strive to be better and exceed people's expectations, but being average or meeting expectations is certainly NOT being bad.

As it's been pointed out by everyone here, it's way too early to tell. Not only has the resort just opened, but it's not even fully open yet, so there are certain amenities (like the lazy river - a big one) that are not yet available, and which should be considered when reviewing CBBR.

I certainly hope all those with complaints do take them up with the front desk so it can be worked on, but I'm taking all reviews, even the good, with a grain of salt at least until the resort has been fully open for a couple of months.