Originally Posted By sjhym333 In my ongoing efforts to get people to think beyond the Disney borders I wanted to mention that both Jim Hill and Screamscape have posts up about the new Cabana Bay Beach Resort at Universal. I have gone on record several times about the fact that after being a huge Disney resort fan...I've stayed at most all the resorts except Key West...that I am now solidly a Universal resort hotel fan. Loews runs the Universal resort hotels and I have found the resorts and their staff are amazing. One of my favorite parts besides the beauty of the Royal Pacific was that throughout the day at the pool the staff brought around free things like fruit, smoothies, water among other things. A very nice touch. Screamscape is reporting: "The new resort will open in two phases, with the first phase featuring 600 suite rooms opening in early 2014, possibly in January. The building in this phase will feature outdoor corridor access to the rooms and open with the first of two massive pool areas at the resort. The first pool area will also feature a kids water play area and is themed with an iconic old fashioned diving platform by the pool. No actual diving through... the platform is non-functional. The rest of the resort, 300 more suite rooms and 900 standard / value level rooms will open in Summer 2014 with indoor corridor access. There will also be a second pool and a lush tropical themed lazy river, that will have “sections that are not lazy at all”. What exactly that means remains to be seen and will be the subject of a future announcement from Universal, though I suspect they will be able to add some fun high speed currents and water effects to part of the river to make it more exciting. The overall late 50's / early 60's theme of the Cabana Bay Beach Resort has tested very positive with guests of all ages. While the older generation sees it as a throwback to the days of their youth, but it also tested very positive with the younger 20's to 30's demographics who enjoy the retro style. Inspiration for the resort not only comes from classic seaside resorts along the coast, but also from the auto industry, as they are putting a modern spin on a classic design. As part of the retro / throwback feel of the resort, it will also feature a unique 10 lane bowling alley on site as well. The new resort fills a needed "value" level option at the Universal Orlando resort, something that Lowes’ resort guests have been requesting. Standard rooms will start at $119 a night while the suites that can comfortably sleep 6 will start at $174 a night." The one drawback on their value resort is no front of the line access to attractions like the other resorts but will include early access to the parks. I think this is going to be a great addition to Universal. I just checked out Disney's Art of Animation resort for October for a room that sleeps 6 people. The cost they are currently quoting (no discounts) is $300.00 a night.
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt Since the Screamscape report says "starting at" I wonder what the rates at the new hotel will be in October. Hotel room rates can fluctuate wildly depending on demand.
Originally Posted By sjhym333 I think it will be interesting to watch the prices. Though I will say we got a great price last year in April at Royal Pacific at $139 a night.
Originally Posted By xrayvision I really like both WDW and Universal Orlando resorts. Currently though, Universal Orlando is little easier to navigate than WDW, due to both the smaller resort size as well as the more user-friendly layout design at Universal Orlando. Once you arrive, no buses nor cars nor trams are needed to get around the resort, but the canal boats are nice when don't feel like using their nice walkway systems. Wow, $139 a night...that's an amazing rate syhymm333! I think that I paid about $320 a night for Royal Pacific, which was still cheaper than what I paid for a deluxe hotel with a smaller sized sleeping room at WDW. And, the Loews room rate included free Front-of-Line Fastpasses (or whatever its called) for the two parks and included early entry. I like that you can walk from each hotel to the parks/Citywalks. Even better, I enjoy taking the complimentary canal boats from the hotels to Citywalk and the parks. It's a nice feature and I hope the Cabana will be included on the canal circuit as well (I haven't read the hotel details yet to know if it is or not).
Originally Posted By xrayvision Oh, I just read your comment that no Front-of-the-Line passes will be offered at Cabana. Darn..lol! It helps to keep the price low and at least you have the option to buy the pass if needed.
Originally Posted By HokieSkipper <<Since the Screamscape report says "starting at" I wonder what the rates at the new hotel will be in October. Hotel room rates can fluctuate wildly depending on demand. >> I'm planning on going next year in October or September, and the rate for a normal room (don't need a suite) is 119 a night
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt OK. Still, the point that hotel rates can vary based on demand still stands. As Xrayvision pointed out he paid $320 a night at Royal Pacific on a recent trip.
Originally Posted By HokieSkipper <<OK. Still, the point that hotel rates can vary based on demand still stands. As Xrayvision pointed out he paid $320 a night at Royal Pacific on a recent trip.>> That's the normal summer rate for Royal Pacific.
Originally Posted By HokieSkipper ^^^Sorry, I'm wrong. It's less than that. I'd be interested in knowing when he went because I check prices for RP quite often and they're rarely above the posted prices.
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt A large tour group booking, conference or convention can cause dramatic spikes in room rates at a given property. This is why hotels and airlines always say "rates starting at xxx".
Originally Posted By sjhym333 I have found the Royal Pacific to be priced much lower then the price xrayvision paid. Though there are a lot of variables. We love the RP. One of our favorite resorts in all of Orlando. I have been checking prices at the WDW resort recently and I honestly don't know how people can afford them.
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt Guest demand must be high for Disney properties. The fact that they continue to add more rooms (how many thousands are there now?) and charge a premium is a good indicator that this is the case.
Originally Posted By sjhym333 This really isn't meant to be a slam at Disney but I look at resort prices and I really think that it is very expensive. I know people are paying it but I honestly can't imagine how they do it. Our family has talked about getting everyone together and do a weekend at one of the Tree House Villas. For a weekend in October they are offering over $1000 a night for six of us. The total was $2600. I also saw a price of $500 a night at the Polynesian Village. I was thinking of surprising my wife for our anniversary. It was where we honeymooned. We can't afford it.
Originally Posted By sjhym333 On the Universal side. I just looked at making reservations for next spring at Cabana Beach and got a rate of $220 for 6 people pool view.
