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Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort Review

May 15, 2024 By Lindsay Leave a Comment

Today, I’m finally highlighting the remaining moderate resort at Walt Disney World, Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort!

Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort

Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort is a sprawling tropical paradise. Its size and moderate category designation makes it similar to Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort and Disney Port Orleans Riverside Resort. However, one big difference here is the addition of the Skyliner! In fact, this resort is the Skyliner hub where everyone has to get off and switch lines. So, it makes it really convenient to head to Hollywood Studios and Epcot!

This resort has a very laid back vibe. There are several sandy beach areas and vibrant hues around every corner. It’s perfect for the beach fan who is visiting a theme park.

Standard Room

I’ve had the pleasure of staying at this resort several times. My mom loves the beach, so she really enjoys the theme and landscaping here. I like the access to the Skyliner. However, we dislike how spread out the resort is. There’s an internal shuttle as well as multiple bus stops. If it wasn’t for that, we’d probably pick this resort more often.

The rooms here are pleasant enough. It’s a pretty typical moderate resort room to be honest. Nothing particularly exciting in terms of room decor. They used to have Pirates themed rooms and I was supposed to stay in one back in 2022. However, a hurricane forced me to cancel those plans. Now, they have some Little Mermaid themed rooms in that area of the resort. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, you can’t specifically book one of those rooms. I’ve heard that you can increase your chances of receiving one by booking a 5th sleeper room (standard or pool/water view) and then requesting to be near the Skyliner. I’m sure it’s a very popular request though.

Here are a few pictures of a standard room from my last stay at this resort in 2018.

Pros

Skyliner – I love taking the Skyliner for park transportation. It’s much quicker and easier than taking a bus.
Beautiful theme – who doesn’t a enjoy a Caribbean theme?
Sebastian’s Bistro – I haven’t eaten at this restaurant since the pandemic, however I enjoyed a lovely solo meal here in 2019. I’d love to go back and it seems to be a good value as far as Disney dining goes (for paying out of pocket).

Relaxing – It’s quieter than a value resort and doesn’t host as many groups as Coronado does.
On-site perks – I love being able to just hop on a bus (or the Skyliner) and arrive at the parks! Also, being able to book dining 60 days out is helpful!

Cons

Spread out resort – It’s another sprawling resort. In fact, you may end up closer to Riviera Resort than to the lobby of this resort.
Multiple bus stops – If you are headed to Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, or Disney Springs, then you will have to ride a bus. That means multiple bus stops here. So, allow extra time to reach your destination.
Theme may bore some – The standard rooms are pretty low-key in my experience. If you have kids, consider booking the 5th sleeper and requesting the Little Mermaid rooms. Otherwise, your Disney character loving folks might not appreciate the simplicity of this Caribbean escape.

Is Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort worth it?

As I’ve said in most of my hotel reviews, I think “value” is highly subjective. However, this is a great choice for people who want to use the Skyliner for transportation. It’s also good for beach loving folks who can’t afford Beach/Yacht Club.

Have you ever stayed here? What did you think?

Via Napoli Ristorante e Pizzeria at Epcot Review

May 2, 2024 By Lindsay Leave a Comment

On my most recent visit (February 2024) to Walt Disney World, my mom and I ate at Via Napoli Ristorante e Pizzeria at Epcot one night. So, here’s my review of that experience.

Via Napoli Ristorante

Pizza is a very common meal that most people enjoy. As such, I’ve seen lots of lists featuring the best pizza at Walt Disney World. Nearly every single one lists Via Napoli Ristorante at or near the top of the list. I’ve been meaning to try it for several years. In fact, I had a history of booking this restaurant 60 days out and then cancelling it for various reasons. However, this time I finally ate here to see if it’s the best pizza!

Technically, Via Napoli is an Italian restaurant with lots of food choices. However, everyone goes here for the pizza. At the front of the restaurant are wood-burning ovens that cook the pizzas. So, it gives the pizza a crispy crust that you don’t get at many other places. The ovens are the centerpiece of the restaurant and it’s fun to watch the pizzas being made.

Dining Plan

If you want Disney Dining Plan tips, you can check out my post on it. That being said, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this restaurant when on the dining plan as it wasn’t the best use of credit. However, it’s a place we’ve been wanting to try for a long time and we made better use of our other credits. For one table service credit, we were able to select an individual pizza, a drink, and a dessert.

The Pizza

I went with the Margherita Pizza as I wanted to try the traditional pizza here. It’s in the image above. It had a really crispy bottom, a tasty tomato sauce, perfect mozzarella, and a little bit of basil on top. It was a pretty good pizza. Personally, I don’t care for smokey or burnt things. So, the crust was a bit of a miss for me personally. The rest of it was good. I’m very fortunate to have a couple of independent Italians restaurants where I live. As such, this pizza wasn’t as good as the pizza I can get locally. If you only have chain pizza locations, then you are in for a treat!

My mom went with the Meat Lover Pizza. It featured a generous amount of pepperoni, ham, and sausage! Her pizza is the first image in my Instagram post below. My mom seemed to like her pizza. The crust was a little too hard for her and she didn’t eat the end pieces. However, she demolished the toppings.

Drinks and Desserts

Since we were on the dining plan, we also got drinks and desserts. We aren’t big alcohol drinkers, so we were tired of the alcohol by this point in the trip. I got a Shirley Temple, which was sweet and delicious! My mom got a Strawberry Acqua Fresca. It was a light yet sweet drink.

For dessert, I again went with a classic. I chose the tiramisu. It was a very light dessert with lots of mascarpone cream. The lady fingers were pretty dry though. Also, there was way too much cocoa powder on top for me. I actually blew some of it off. After that, it was a nice dessert.

My mom went with the gelato. She couldn’t decide on which flavor, so the amazing cast member was nice enough to bring her a small scoop of all three options: vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry! That was a nice touch. She enjoyed it a lot.

Is Via Napoli Ristorante worth it?

I found Via Napoli Ristorante to be a unique place where most people can find something to eat. I think the quality of the ingredients used makes its pizza some of the best on property. However, to me it’s still expensive pizza. It’s not a great use of dining credit though. Your best bang for your buck here is to order one of the bigger pizzas to split and pay cash. I think this may be a one and done experience for me, but I don’t regret it. It was a good meal that I enjoyed with my mom.

Have you ever eaten here? Is this your go-to restaurant at Epcot?

Universal Orlando Resort Hotels Guide

April 30, 2024 By Lindsay Leave a Comment

Having stayed in all of the currently open Universal Orlando Resort hotels, I thought I would post a little guide to help people decide where to stay.

Universal Orlando Resort Hotels

As of 2024, UO has 8 on-site hotels. There will be two new hotels opening in January/February 2025 and a third one later in 2025. This post will focus on the first 8 until I update it after future trips in 2025 and beyond.

There are now three tiers of hotels at Universal. First up, there’s the Signature Collection: Portofino Bay, Hard Rock Hotel, Royal Pacific, Sapphire Falls, and Helios Grand Hotel (opening in 2025). They are the most expensive resorts. Select resorts (Portofino, Hard Rock, and Royal Pacific) come with skip the line privileges called Express Pass. Four of them come with boat transportation to Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure: Portofino Bay, Hard Rock, Royal Pacific, and Sapphire Falls. Helios Grand will have its own dedicated park entrance to the new theme park, Epic Universe while providing bus transportation to the other parks.

Next is the Prime Values: Aventura, Stella Nova (opening January 21, 2025), and Terra Luna (opening February 25, 2025). They are considerably cheaper than the Signature Collection while being more upscale than the Values. They are more akin to moderate resorts or more middle of the road in terms of pricing and amenities.

Last but not least are the Values (a.k.a. cheapest) consisting of Cabana Bay Beach Resort, and Endless Summer – Dockside and Surfside Inns. Those three hotels are going to offer the cheapest rooms on property.

Portofino Bay

This is currently the top tier hotel at Universal. It’s themed to the lovely Italian village, complete with several restaurants and a bay. In my Portofino Bay Hotel review, I gushed over it as it’s truly a lovely place. It’s very luxurious and relaxing. It is currently the most expensive place to stay on property. However, it also comes with Universal Express Unlimited, which helps explain some of the hefty price tag. This is the ideal resort for a couple’s trip or an adults only vacation due to its relaxing vibes.

Hard Rock Hotel

Typically, the Hard Rock Hotel is the second most expensive hotel on property. It’s filled with lots of neat music memorabilia and is perfect for any music fan (I mean who doesn’t like music?). It’s the most lively of the Signature Collection hotels and is a good choice for folks with kids who want the Universal Express Unlimited. However, I prefer the Royal Pacific for the price.

Royal Pacific

Typically Universal’s Loews Royal Pacific Resort is the cheapest (not cheap though) of the three resorts that offer Universal Express Pass. Royal Pacific is my second favorite resort on-property with its nice tropical paradise. It’s a good option for folks who want that Universal Express without paying as much. The theme also makes it a great option for someone who is pining for a beach/tropical getaway.

Sapphire Falls

Sapphire Falls used to be considered a moderate, but is now part of the Signature Collection. I think it’s a good compromise for accommodations and price, depending on the season. It’s a step up from the Prime Values in terms of theme and restaurant options (it has a sit-down restaurant) but isn’t as nice as the other Signature Collection hotels. It’s in between in practically every way. Sapphire Falls is the hotel where I took the picture used for this blog post seen above. It doesn’t provide Express Pass, but it does have boat transportation to USF and IoA.

Aventura

Aventura is the Prime Value tower hotel beside Sapphire Falls. It’s a tech-centric tower with smooth lines in the design. It’s definitely meant for younger adults on a budget. Technically, you can walk over to Sapphire Falls to enjoy their restaurants and boat transportation to the parks too. I like it, but it was louder than the Signature Collection hotels.

Cabana Bay

Cabana Bay Beach Resort was previously a Prime Value, but is now considered a Value. It’s across the street from Aventura and Sapphire Falls. It’s also much bigger and spread out. There are lots of different room configuration options here making it ideal for larger families or groups. It’s also a good bit cheaper than the hotels listed above. However, it is limited in food options and has only bus transportation. Although, it is right next to Volcano Bay if you plan on visiting it.

Endless Summer – Dockside and Surfside Inn and Suites

Last but not least we have Endless Summer – Dockside Inn and Suites and Surfside Inn and Suites. Endless Summer is technically two sister resorts across the street from each other. Surfside is a good bit smaller and has fewer people. I prefer it to Dockside just because it’s less crowded and chaotic. However, they both have thin walls and attract tour groups/sports teams due to the prices. They feature a bedroom suite for larger families as well. These hotels are ideal for people on tight budgets and larger groups. They are both considered Value Resorts, along with Cabana Bay Beach Resort.

Universal Orlando Resort Hotels

Well, that’s the 8 current on-site options at Universal Orlando Resort. I think there’s probably a good fit for every situation and budget. It all really depends on what you value in a resort and what your budget is. My personal ranking is:

Portofino Bay
Royal Pacific
Sapphire Falls
Hard Rock Hotel
Aventura
Cabana Bay
Surfside Inn
Dockside Inn

So, do you agree with my rankings or not? What is your favorite hotel at Universal Orlando?

Orlando Theme Parks Guide

April 24, 2024 By Lindsay Leave a Comment

I know that it can be difficult to narrow down where to go on vacation. So, I thought I would make an Orlando Theme Parks Guide to help people figure out which park is right for their trip.

Orlando Theme Parks Guide

When planning a family vacation to Florida, it can be difficult to know which destinations are worth your hard earned money and limited time. Having visited most of the area’s parks, I thought I would do a quick overview of each park and who it’s ideal for.

Magic Kingdom

First up, I’ll start with the busiest one – Magic Kingdom. It’s the OG, the first theme park in Orlando. It’s the one with the big castle. Ha! It’s located at the Walt Disney World resort and typically costs the most to visit on a single day. I think it has a reputation for being for children (given it has Fantasyland) but I think it’s great for everyone. It seemingly has the most to do for laid back types. The food in the park is a little lacking, but I can recommend Crystal Palace Character Breakfast. This park is great for those who are young at heart.

Epcot

Epcot, also at WDW, is seen as an adults park. It’s a food mecca with a plethora of options! There’s also lots of drinks to be had, if you are of age and into that. I love visiting when there’s a festival going on for even more food and drink options! This park also has some cool stuff for kids including the Frozen and Remy rides. It is great for history buffs to learn about different countries. Kids would probably enjoy Akershus Princess Breakfast or Garden Grill Character Dinner. Adults can just pick any restaurant in the World Showcase!

Hollywood Studios

This was originally similar to visiting the big studios in Hollywood. When it opened in 1989, it was supposed to give you a behind the scenes look at movies. It doesn’t do that anymore, but it’s still fun. It’s obviously great for Star Wars and Toy Story fans. Plus, the Fantasmic Dining Package is lots of fun for all ages. It has similar vibes to Disney’s California Adventure Park, if you are familiar with it.

Animal Kingdom

Opened in the 90’s, it’s WDW newest theme park. As its name implies, it’s perfect for animal lovers! You have to ride the Kilimanjaro Safari ride! The Caring for Giants Tour is also great for elephant fans. This park has several good food options: Yak and Yeti for adults or Tusker House Character Meal are just two good places.

Universal Studios Florida

Moving over to Universal Orlando Resort, there’s Universal Studios Florida. Opened in 1990, it’s an edgier park. I love the seasonal events held at this park. I highly recommend visiting during Mardi Gras. If you are into horror/Halloween, then Halloween Horror Nights is amazing as well! The rides here are more intense than the ones at Disney. However, they just added Minion Land in 2023 and DreamWorks Land is coming in 2024! My preferred meals here are at Minions Cafe and Today Cafe (unless the seasonal booths are an option).

Islands of Adventure

Almost a decade after opening USF, Universal opened Islands of Adventure. Personally, I spend way more time at USF than IoA. However, I make time to check out Grinchmas here during the Holidays. Lots of people like Jurassic Park here as well. I don’t have a go to food place here. I guess this one is best if you like the specific IPs represented here.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Epic Universe opening at Universal Orlando Resort in 2025. It looks to have a land for everyone! I’m very much looking forward to experiencing it next year!

SeaWorld Orlando

If you have a big marine animal lover or a roller coaster enthusiast, then SeaWorld Orlando may be worth a day or two. My mom and I have done several animal add-on experiences here and loved each one! The Sharks Underwater Grill makes for a fun meal. They have lots of fun shows to watch and have been adding a new coaster about once a year for the past several years. In a few years, they will even have their own resort! So, this one is growing and will have even more to enjoy in a few years time.

Legoland Florida

Technically, Legoland Florida is in Cypress Gardens. However, it looks neat for the Lego fans in your life. I wish they were closer to an airport or provided a shuttle. You would probably need to rent a car to visit this one, but it looks fun. I’ve never visited, but I’m open to it.

Busch Gardens Tampa Bay

This is also technically not in Orlando. However, I know some people will rent a car to drive over to Tampa or ride a shuttle over. Busch Gardens Tampa is owned by the same company that owns SeaWorld. It is also great for animal lovers and coaster enthusiasts. My mom and I enjoyed our short visit here last year. You can read my Busch Gardens Tampa Animal Tours review for insight into some of their add-on experiences.

Orlando Theme Parks Guide

I attempted to cover the main “big” Orlando theme parks in this post, along with a few bonus parks. Which ones have you visited? Which one is your favorite?

Loews Portofino Bay Hotel at Universal Orlando Review

April 18, 2024 By Lindsay Leave a Comment

On my most recent visit to Universal Orlando Resort, I finally checked off staying at Loews Portofino Bay Hotel! So, it’s time for a review!

Loews Portofino Bay Hotel

Loews Portofino Bay Hotel is a Signature Collection resort at Universal Orlando. It’s themed after the Italian village complete with its own harbor! It is typically the most expensive resort on property (with Helios Grand Hotel expected to be more expensive when it opens in 2025) but is also considered the most luxurious.

It’s one of three resorts on property to come with free Universal Express passes. It also has boat transportation to Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure. It will provide bus transportation to Epic Universe.

Standard Room

My mom and I stayed in a standard two queen room. There was construction going on across the hall, but we didn’t hear too much noise. It was a pretty quiet stay, especially when compared to the rooms at Endless Summer. The beds were very comfortable with luxe bedding. Again, the difference between the comforter here and the thin cover at Endless Summer was noticeable. The details were classy and simple.

The bathroom was huge, particularly when compared to the other hotels. Although, I was a touch disappointed with the toilet paper quality here. I expected better toilet paper for the price, but it appeared to be the same cheap stuff you get at the other hotels. It also carried the same toiletries found at Royal Pacific.

Pros

Gorgeous resort – I loved just walking around this resort and feeling fancy. It truly feels like Italy to me (although, I’ve never actually been to Italy).
Boat transportation – It was amazing to walk down to the harbor and catch a boat over to the parks. Although, it did storm once and we had to take a bus back to the resort. That was less tranquil, but free park transportation is still a great perk.
Free Universal Express Unlimited – Your room key is your way to skip the lines in the parks. That sometimes makes the select Signature Collection hotels offering this benefit worth the higher price.
Relaxing vibes – I just felt so relaxed and peaceful here. I don’t get those vibes at places like the Hard Rock Hotel or Cabana Bay.
Several restaurants – We enjoyed Mama Della’s Ristorante as well as the Gelateria. Next time, I’d like to try Bice and Sal’s Market Deli.
On-site spa – I didn’t have a chance to experience it, but there is a spa on site here. It sounds lovely.
Three pools – This hotel is large and has three pools to spend time in.

Cons

Expensive – This is typically the most expensive resort on property. I used an AP discount and it was still around $300/night! If it wasn’t for the price, I would be staying here every trip!
Big resort – Thankfully, our room wasn’t much of a hike. However, the resort is sprawling and I can see getting lost here.
Theme not for everyone – This is the perfect resort for an adults only stay. However, I think children may find it to be a boring resort.
Limited AP discounts – This resort is technically owned/operated by Loews. As such, you can’t use your AP discount in the gift shop upstairs and at some other locations at the resort.

Is Loews Portofino Bay Hotel worth it?

Given the big price tag, I can’t recommend this hotel to everyone. However, if it’s in your budget, I say go for it. It’s now my favorite UO resort. However, the price is cost-prohibitive for many return stays. Also, I think people with children might prefer Cabana Bay or the suites at Endless Summer given the theme and pricing.

Have you ever stayed at Portofino Bay?