# Cabana Bay vs. Endless Summer with kids: which Universal value hotel

Written 2026-10-10 by Play Day. Cabana Bay and Endless Summer are Universal Orlando's two cheapest family hotels, and both sleep six. Cabana Bay has the lazy river, the bowling alley and the walking path to the parks, and Endless Summer has two-bedroom suites at the lowest price.

Cabana Bay has a bowling alley and a lazy river, and Endless Summer has a food court that feeds a whole family. Both are retro Universal resorts, one in a road-trip beach style and the other a surf shack.

From Cabana Bay the walking path to the parks takes about fifteen minutes, which makes a nap back at the hotel a real option, and the pools are there for the afternoons.

On a tighter budget, Endless Summer's two-bedroom suites are the cheapest way to sleep six on Universal property.

## Cabana Bay for the walk and the afternoons

### [Universal's Cabana Bay Beach Resort](https://ourplayday.com/places/universal-s-cabana-bay-beach-resort-orlando)

Hotel: Walking path and bus

The 1960s motel look runs through a very large resort. The family suites sleep six, with a bedroom, a living area with a pull-out and a kitchenette with a microwave and a fridge, and cribs are on request. The lazy river and the bowling alley fill the evenings after the parks, and the Cabana Courtyard pool, one of two, has a slide. There's a Jack LaLanne-themed gym too.

The walking path runs to CityWalk and the two main parks, past Volcano Bay, which has its own entrance from the hotel's side. The bus is there too.

- Cribs: Yes
- Suites: Yes
- Fridge: Yes
- Kitchenette: Yes
- Pool: Yes
- Lazy river: Yes
- Waterslide: Yes

## Endless Summer for the price

### [Universal's Endless Summer Resort, Dockside Inn and Suites](https://ourplayday.com/places/universal-s-endless-summer-resort-dockside-inn-and-suites-orlando)

Hotel: Bus only

The suites sleep six, with two real bedrooms and a living area with a kitchenette, and there are two pools and a big food court downstairs.

It's across the road from the main resort, with a bus to the parks, and it suits a family that's in the parks from opening to close.

- Cribs: Yes
- Suites: Yes
- Fridge: Yes
- Kitchenette: Yes
- Pool: Yes

## Early admission and Express Pass

Both hotels come with early park admission. For a short trip in a busy week, a premier hotel room that includes Universal Express for everyone can cost less than buying the passes separately, and the walking paths from those hotels are shorter. The Universal Orlando hotel guide lays the tiers out.

Page: https://ourplayday.com/guides/united-states/florida/orlando/cabana-bay-vs-endless-summer-with-kids