First time at Universal Orlando and Cabana Bay

[Eve & Wall-e]

DH and I will be staying three nights at Cabana Bay on Nov 26-28. It’s our first time at Cabana Bay and Universal Orlando. We have 2-day Park-to-Park express tickets and are planning to go to Early Admission for Harry Potter both mornings. We have been to Universal California so we know about Hogsmeade. We are really excited to explore Diagon Alley, as well as both Universal parks.

My questions:
- What time do the buses start running in the morning at Cabana Bay prior to early entry?
- If Early Entry is 8 am, what time do we need to be at Universal Studios Park?
- Any tips on exploring Diagon Alley?
- We are not roller coaster fans and I am prone to motion sickness. Any tips for general touring of both parks in two days?

Thank you so much!

 

[damo]

I would plan on being at the park gate 30 minutes before opening since they usually open about 15 minutes in advance. I am sure buses will be running well before then.

 

[TommyJK]

Cabana Bay Buses typically start running an hour before Early Entry time. So they should start at 7:00am. And they usually have one there every 5-10 minutes (or sometimes faster like having several busses lined up waiting)

 

[Eve & Wall-e]

I would plan on being at the park gate 30 minutes before opening since they usually open about 15 minutes in advance. I am sure buses will be running well before then.

Thank you!

 

[Eve & Wall-e]

Cabana Bay Buses typically start running an hour before Early Entry time. So they should start at 7:00am. And they usually have one there every 5-10 minutes (or sometimes faster like having several busses lined up waiting)

Thank you for your reply!

 

[TommyJK]

Also, honestly (and I'm likely in the minority), CB is my favorite on-site resort. I just love the theme and pools above all of the others, as well as the other stuff like the bowling alley, gigantic gym etc.

In my ideal world if CB had the express pass included, I'd choose it every time.

 

[Eve & Wall-e]

Also, honestly (and I'm likely in the minority), CB is my favorite on-site resort.

I love the retro theming. That's why we picked Cabana Bay.

 

[bobbie68]

I love the retro theming. That's why we picked Cabana Bay.

Hi another here for Cabana Bay... We have stayed there three times now and enjoy it so much. The bus service is great. In the morning the buses start about 7 am and there are usually one or two at the same time. I don't think we waited more than 5 minutes for a bus. The lazy river is awesome so I hope it will be warm enough to swim.

We love both HP worlds but DA is our favorite and the HE is so much fun. You really feel like you are in it.

Enjoy!

 

[Eve & Wall-e]

Hi another here for Cabana Bay

Thanks! I'm so excited to stay at Cabana Bay.

 

[bchbetha]

Another fan!
Tip- if you have a tower room, take the nearest stairs/ elevator down to ground level and walk along the pool vs the boring, endless hallways. Aside from the longish walk and the kind of so-so bedding, Cabana Bay is awesome!

 

[Eve & Wall-e]

Tip- if you have a tower room, take the nearest stairs/ elevator down to ground level and walk along the pool...

Thanks for the tip!

 

[McFlea]

I'm so glad to hear the positive impressions of Cabana Bay! My mom and I will be there Nov 5-8 for the first time. I chose it because the theming looks so cool - I'm hoping it makes my 70-something mom feel young again! Also, she's a big Harry Potter fan so I'm excited for her to see everything in both parks.

 

[Eve & Wall-e]

I chose it because the theming looks so cool

Me too!

 

[kim31kim]

OP, how was your trip? We are going in February and staying at Cabana Bay for the first time. I'm curious how the bus system works... did you have much wait time? Did you ever try walking to Sapphire Falls and then taking the boat over to the park?

 

[Eve & Wall-e]

Thanks for asking. DH and I loved Cabana Bay! We really liked the theming there. We were in a poolside room, up on the fifth floor. We had no wait for the buses. At Cabana Bay there are buses about every 5-10 minutes. Every time we wanted a bus there was already one there, waiting (both directions). Sometimes the bus was shared with another resort, I don't remember which one, but the bus would stop at Cabana Bay first. The buses started running an hour prior to early entry. We never walked, just relied on the buses.

It was our first time at Universal Orlando, however we've been to Universal in California. We spent a lot of our time in the two Harry Potter areas, Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade. We both even got interactive wands. We're just big kids! I felt a little silly at first trying out spells, but there are a lot of adults doing the same thing.

Have a great trip! (I like your avatar)

 

[kim31kim]

Thanks for asking. DH and I loved Cabana Bay! We really liked the theming there. We were in a poolside room, up on the fifth floor. We had no wait for the buses. At Cabana Bay there are buses about every 5-10 minutes. Every time we wanted a bus there was already one there, waiting (both directions). Sometimes the bus was shared with another resort, I don't remember which one, but the bus would stop at Cabana Bay first. The buses started running an hour prior to early entry. We never walked, just relied on the buses.

It was our first time at Universal Orlando, however we've been to Universal in California. We spent a lot of our time in the two Harry Potter areas, Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade. We both even got interactive wands. We're just big kids! I felt a little silly at first trying out spells, but there are a lot of adults doing the same thing.

Have a great trip! (I like your avatar)

My husband and I went to Universal in February 2017, just the two of us and we loved it so much! I am a huge HP fanatic and I got one of the wands too... I felt silly at first too but then I got over that quickly. We're taking our daughter this time and I can't wait to experience the HP stuff with her... she's reading the 4th book now.

 

[ellynsoh]

We just returned, so we were there at a very busy time. The bus transportation is fantastic! We never waited for a bus in either direction AT ALL. The bus, or multiple buses, we're always there waiting. I have never experienced this level of service at Disney, but I know the distance to/ number of parks is not comparable.

 

[bobbie68]

Hi glad to hear everyone posting here had a great time at Cabana Bay. It is one of our favorites and can't wait to get back next year!