We weren’t going to do another trip to Universal this time when we came down to Florida, but we said “why not?”. With some great booking opportunities, I secured a one bedroom suite for my family at the newest hotel, Endless Summer – Dockside Resort. This hotel, which opened just before the COVID shutdown in 2020, is themed around a coastal vibe and dockside sunset views.
The hotel is situated about 1.5 miles away from Universal and Islands of Adventure and, while considered a less expensive option, provides many of the same amenities as the higher end Universal properties. For example, free transportation too and from the parks, early access hours to the parks, and ship-to-hotel options for any items purchased in the parks are all benefits you receive staying at the hotel.
Front Lobby and Check-In
When you arrive at the hotel, you walk into a massive lobby, with warm and rich colors, surfboards, and a large seating area in front of the check-in desk. The small store, Starbucks, bar, and quick grab marketplace were all visible as soon as you walk in. The front desk staff were super nice and I was able to pick up my tickets at the ticket and reservation desk.
My biggest complaint about the area was it felt very compact. There was a lot of stuff put into the area, meaning lots of people and not as much space for maneuvering, etc.
Cafeteria
Pier 8 Market is the cafeteria for Endless Summer – Dockside Resort. This grab and go style restaurant offered a variety of options for each meal that made it easy to choose, but hard to decide. Hamburgers, pizza, sandwiches, and chicken were immediately available, as well as a variety of drinks, including soda, water, juice, milk, and alcoholic beverages. There was also desserts, gluten free options, and soft serve ice cream. Our food was decent (pizza and burger), the service was good. It’s definitely a great option when you are short on time, or aren’t looking for something that takes too long.
Room
Our room was great! For a family of four, with two growing children, the opportunity to give them each their own bed and still have a bed for mom & dad is fantastic! The room has three queen beds. One is in its own bedroom (closet, TV, nightstands). The other two are in the main area (imagine regular hotel room). The room also has a small seating area, refrigerator, microwave, and food preparation area. The single bathroom has the standard layout, and the sink/mirror are outside of the tub/toilet area, meaning we can brush teeth and finish getting ready while someone is showering.
The room is brightly decorated, well lit, and definitely very comfortable. It also has a great feature that requires you to leave a key card in a spot to use lights, mainly to save energy, since you can’t forget the room key to get in early for extra hours!
Pool
The pool is nice. Each tower has their own pool. Like Cabana Bay, the pool at Endless Summer – Dockside has a beach area with sand and beach chairs that you can sit in, at the walk-in sloped area of the pool (very beach feel). The rest of the pool has seating and umbrellas. There is a full bar, and plenty of lifeguards to watch the pool. The pool itself was very large and offered space for lots of swimming fun for all ages and swimming abilities.
Overall thoughts
The hotel is exactly what we need as a family. It is a great place to rest our heads, keep our clothes, and provides benefits. Unfortunately we didn’t get an opportunity to enjoy the pool (lightning storm). The game room was super small, but again, not here for that.
For the hotel, I do wish we’d stayed at Cabana Bay or another option. The Endless Summer Resorts are not as conveniently located for walking to the parks from the hotel, which we enjoyed doing from Cabana Bay. It’s not that you can’t do, just that at a mile and a half away, it didn’t make a lot of sense to add to the 20,000 steps we’d already taken. I like having multiple options for travel just in case the bus line is long or delayed.
This hotel is definitely still on our list of options, but we’d be willing to give up the third bed to stay at a closer hotel, to maintain a similar price.
Interested in a free, no obligation quote? Contact me at travelkaren@comcast.net for more information and to book today!
Travel with Karen 