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Are you looking to stay on-site during your Universal Orlando vacation? Universal Orlando has a lot of on-site hotels that my family really likes, but today we’re going to focus specifically on two Universal Orlando hotels: the Cabana Bay Beach Resort and the Terra Luna Resort. We’ve stayed at both hotels, and we want to tell you in what ways Cabana Bay Beach Resort is better – and what ways the Terra Luna Resort is better!
Before we begin, you can get background on both hotels by reading our reviews:
We also tell you how to save money on stays at Universal Orlando hotels in this money saving guide.
But back to comparing the two hotels. I will briefly outline the benefits of each hotel, and then I will go into more detail.
Advantages of Cabana Bay Beach Resort
- Has family suite options
- Can walk to Universal CityWalk
- Can walk to Volcano Bay
- More variety of dining options
- Better pool complex
- Has a bowling alley
Advantages of Terra Luna Resort
- Cheaper Nightly Rates
- Closer to Epic Universe
- More compact resort
- All guest rooms have interior-facing entrances
- Buses are closer to the front of the hotel
Why Cabana Bay Beach Resort is Better
Cabana Bay Has Suite Options
You can get standard guest rooms with a couple of queen beds at both hotels.
But if you are looking for more room, Cabana Bay has Terra Luna beat. Cabana Bay has family suites with two queen beds in one room and a living room area & kitchen in the other room.
Dining Options
Now, to begin, I do want to say I really like the main restaurant at Terra Luna, Omega Cafe & Market. You can see in my Omega Cafe review here.
But having said that, I think the food court at Cabana Bay Beach Resort, the Bayliner Diner, is far superior. First of all, the theming is even better than Terra Luna’s. It really captures the 1950s and 1960s theming of the hotel.
I love that the food court plays commercials from the 1950s & 1960s.
It really adds to the experience.
The food court also has far more tables and chairs.
But more importantly, the Bayliner Diner has a lot more food options. They even have their own salad bar, which I really like. You can go up, pick out what you want, and pay based on how much it weighs.
Bayliner Diner has the kind of food court where you could eat every meal there and not repeat your food option for multiple days. It would be harder to do that at Omega Cafe and Market.
So for those reasons, I think dining at Cabana Bay Beach Resort is better.
Can Walk to Universal CityWalk
Cabana Bay is so close to Universal CityWalk that you can actually walk there (there is a walking path).
This is great because first of all, Universal CityWalk has a lot of great restaurants and shops.
But more importantly, you can walk from CityWalk to:
- Universal Studios Florida
- Islands of Adventure
So staying at Cabana Bay means you can walk to these theme parks. And even if you don’t want to walk, the bus ride is pretty short (shorter than Terra Luna, which is not as close to CityWalk).
Can Walk to Volcano Bay
And that’s not all! You can also watch to Volcano Bay, Universal Orlando’s waterpark. Volcano Bay is so close to Cabana Bay you can actually see it from the hotel!
Walking to a water park is really nice because as you walk back, the sun will start drying you right off!
Cabana Bay Has a Better Pool Complex
Another feature the Cabana Bay Beach Resort has that beats Terra Luna is the pool complex.
While Terra Luna has a nice pool and hot tub, it is not really a pool complex. But the Cabana Bay Beach Resort has multiple pools, a water slide, and even a lazy river!
Cabana Bay Has a Bowling Alley
Cabana Bay Beach Resort has a bowling alley.
Terra Luna does not. Enough said.
Why the Terra Luna Resort Is Better
Cheaper Prices
Now, this is not a hard and fast rule. Depending on which rooms are available, there could be a time where Cabana Bay’s rooms are cheaper than Terra Luna’s.
But for the most part, you’ll find cheaper rates for Terra Luna than you will for Cabana Bay. And that, of course, is a reason why you might want to stay at Terra Luna rather than Cabana Bay.
Closer to Epic Universe
We are weeks away from the opening of Universal Orlando’s newest theme park, Epic Universe. A lot of us (myself included, of course!) are eagerly awaiting this new theme park. There are a lot of exciting parts of it, though the part of it I am most excited about would probably be Super Nintendo World and the Dark Universe section.
At any rate, the next time you visit Universal Orlando, Epic Universe may be the park you most want to visit. It could end up being the only park you visit!
And if this is the case, then Terra Luna is a better choice than Cabana Bay. While it does not have a walking path to Epic Universe the way Cabana Bay does to Universal CityWalk and Volcano Bay, Terra Luna is a short drive to Epic Universe. So you’ll save time by staying at Terra Luna versus Cabana Bay.
Terra Luna is Smaller
I talked about all the great features at Cabana Bay, like the bowling alley and the pool complex. But there are negatives to these features. And that is that the resort itself is quite sprawling. That means your room could be far away from the lobby.
But Terra Luna is just one building.
Your room is never that far from the elevator, and you are not that far from everything you want in the lobby or the pool.
If you’ve ever spent a day at a theme park like the theme parks at Universal, then I don’t think I need to tell you how much your feet can hurt after a day at the parks. Trust me, your feet will appreciate how you won’t have to walk around a lot at Terra Luna.
Interior Entrance Guest Rooms
This point is kind of an extension to the last point. All guest rooms at Terra Luna have interior entrance guest rooms, meaning that when you step out of your room, you are inside in a hallway.
By contrast, a lot of the guest rooms at Cabana Bay have exterior entrance guest rooms, meaning you walk out of your room, you are outside.
Why does this matter? Well, it may not matter to you. Most of the time, it does not matter to me.
But when does it matter to me? When it is raining. And then I really like interior entrance rooms. I like that if it was pouring outside, I could walk downstairs and get a meal at the restaurant without ever having to walk outside. I like that after coming home on the bus, I would have a short walk to the front of the hotel, and then I would be out of the rain.
While there are some guest rooms at Cabana Bay that have interior entrances, but some of the rooms are not. A lot of the building are motel-style.
Here is a tip, though: if you do stay at Cabana Bay and want a room with an interior entrance, you can ask for it when you check in. I did that once, and I got my request granted. It was a holiday season trip and it was cold, but I didn’t have to leave the building to have breakfast when the weather was the coldest.
But of course, this may not work if the hotel is crowded. If all those rooms are filled, then they can’t grant your request. So if this is something that matters to you, you are better off at Terra Luna.
The Buses Are Closer at Terra Luna
The buses for the theme park load up right outside Terra Luna. You barely have to walk to get to the bus stop.
And similar to my last point, the fact that the bus stop is so close to the hotel is great when it is raining! It also means less steps at the end of the day when your feet hurt the most.
Additional Ways to Save Money at Universal
So remember how I told you ways to save money at Universal Orlando hotels earlier? Well, I want to also tell you how to save money on Universal Orlando tickets! You can find discounted Universal Orlando tickets here.