Stephen Rutherford
Amazingly convenient to City Walk, Universal Studios, and Islands of Adventure. The bus ride only takes a few minutes as the hotel is right across the interstate from them! In "slower" times, the Dockside & Surfside resorts share a bus, so sometimes the waits can get a little longer. In busier times, each hotel has a dedicated bus.
I've stayed in both a Queen Room and a Two-Bedroom Suite at Dockside and both rooms have been very nice, clean, and everything has been well maintained. We love the views of the surrounding area from the upper floors!
Parking was a breeze and the towers have convenient access - no need to go through the lobby every time.
Front desk staff is wonderful and take time with each Guest, never making you feel rushed or hurried. They are great at conveying the information you need and answering questions. I have not yet tried mobile check-in, but I plan to do so next time, as that line was much shorter than the "standard" check-in line.
The food court has a ton of options. Yes, you will pay theme-park-hotel prices for it, but the convenience is worth it.
I've stayed at both Dockside and Surfside, and Dockside wins out in my opinion. The size and layout of the hotel seems better to me - if you're looking for a slightly smaller hotel without as much commotion (in the restaurant/lobby/parking), perhaps Surfside would be for you. The rooms and halls were quiet. I rarely heard any noise from outside of the room!
Mark Tate
PRO:
- The rooms are clean, well organized, and comfortable.
- The quoted * price for the room is very reasonable.
- The property is visually impressive.
- The pools are large, inviting, with plenty of towels, staff is great.
- Busses run on a regular schedule and get you to/from the parks quickly.
CON:
- Plan 1 hour for check in. IF you book through Universal, you cannot early check-in. Very long cattle lines for check-in. Staff is rude.
- * Parking on site is $26.00 per night
- Onsite Universal desk at hotel is equally rude and have few answers. Best to go to guest services at the park. Desk are only there to sell.
- Food is very expensive, and lacks taste.
- Refillable drinks from park do not work at hotel and vice versa.
- Unless in suite, no microwave.
Suggestions:
1. Book directly from Lowes NOT Universal so you can do early check-in and avoid the cattle lines and rude employees.
2. Do not waste time at Universal desk unless you want to buy something. They will send you to guest services in the park.
3. Bring what you want to eat for breakfast with you. NO MICROWAVE. Food plaza is expensive and food is of low quality. Bring your own water/drinks
4. Park off property and be dropped off at property and avoid the 26.00 a night parking fee.
5. Plan to take your luggage and gear to the room without any carts. None can be found.
Kate Huey
10/10 This place was great from start to finish. The service was incredible! Especially Jade at the front desk who was so super extra sweet to me.
Everything was also within walking distance of not avaliable to the busses. We unexpectedly ate at NBC sports grill & brew. Ask for JP. Most amazing service and drinks!!!!!!
I see complaints about the walls be thin but that wasn't our experience. I generally have terrible time sleeping but I slept like a rock all 3 nights zero compliant!
AmandaJed
Stayed at this hotel for 5 nights the first week of December and overall loved our experience there. Check in was slow and not very orderly, but could have been worse from reading other reviews. Staff were very friendly no matter where they worked. I would say the kitchen staff and dining room cleaners were some of the nicest employees we came in contact with. Cleaning staff in the halls always said hello and were friendly. Gift shop employees were friendly and had conversations with my son each time we were there. The pool area was very nice and clean and always had multiple lifeguards on duty. Water was too cold to enjoy. Our room was clean! It was spacious and perfect for our family of 4. Unfortunately there were two outlets that did not work in our room, but I always travel with a power strip, so it worked out. Loved the room included a clothesline! We were able to dry off our ponchos overnight so they were ready for the next day’s adventure! The room unfortunately does not have a microwave, BUT there is one in the dining hall. You do get a fridge in your room and it is slow to cool off. I would recommend keeping the cabinet door open that the fridge is hidden away in, because it gets hot in the cabinet. There are no blankets/comforters on the beds, just a sheet. Parking was a pain as the automated parking assistant did not work the entire time we were there. At times it wouldn’t let us leave and other times it wouldn’t let us in. I guess that’s a plus, because we were never charged to park so that saved us money. We did like the parking was secure. Lines at the food stations were long and very slow, but employees were friendly. Starbucks always had a line at peak times and very slow service. Shuttle transportation was great, always on time, but they do overpack the buses, but we survived! We would definitely stay here again.
kayla jenkins
Loved the property, staff was amazing, food downstairs was super convenient, loved that the pool was open all day through late at night, there was also a bar stocked with tons of alcohol and it was super easy to get to the parks. We also enjoyed early entry and even though we had express passes to ride each ride once, we enjoyed the early entry so we could ride some rides multiple times and get photos we wanted with less people in the parks. Overall a GREAT experience/vacation. The only thing that I would change is that when housekeeping comes in the rooms they should change the linens on the bed after a couple nights at the very least. Our linens weren’t changed once in 4 nights and 5 days and it stated they would only be changed upon request.
My Booking
