Universal’s Endless Summer Resort - Dockside Inn and Suites

Eric Meals

I usually stay at a Disney Hotel a couple times a year but I thought I would give your resort a chance this time. That was a mistake. From start to finish the stay was awful. It started when they gave us a regular room that I had to switch to the suite I had paid for. Then my room key would not open the parking gate the entire time I was there and I had to pay out of my own pocket multiple times a day to even park. The housekeeping was not any better, I asked for my room to be cleaned and trash emptied and new towels but they never did it and I had to empty my own trash and go get my own towels. The elevators were not working very well either and we ended up having to use the stairs most of the time. I reported all this to the manager and their response was quite impersonal and all they offered was to give me a half price for one of the nights I stayed. They did say they would give me three free drink coupons but never delivered them or told me how to get them. You would think having the Universal Resort name would mean a better run more responsive hotel but that was not the case at all. Even regular hotel chains respond better to issues than this resort. This was genuinely the worst resort I have experienced, not only in Florida but all over the world.

Jim Reilly

An amazing place to stay. The staff was very friendly and helpful. The location is perfect to go to all the attractions. The room was very clean and spacious and the transportation to the park was very convenient. The food at the hotel was very good and reasonably priced for a resort. We would stay here again and highly recommend it.

Hazel Lloyd

*UPDATED* Very friendly and helpful hotel staff with a good choice of food in the cafeteria. Check-in queues could get quite long but very seamless check-in and check-out process. Some parts of the communal areas looked a little tired eg. Lobby furniture and corridors, but the Christmas trees were beautiful. The poolside restaurants were disappointing, lacking in character and choice of drinks and no food options. But overall these didn't impact us too much. The use of poolside towels was unexpected and definitely a bonus. The external walkway between the main building and accommodation block is next to where guests would smoke, I'm not sure if this is a designated smoking area but it wasn't very pleasant walking past this area. The suite was exceptionally clean on arrival, really impressed with this. Daily housekeeping was good, beds made and fresh towels. A sheet change/full service can be requested for longer stays but can take up to 24 hours. The shuttle service was generally fantastic with hardly any wait times either at the hotel or at the park and very friendly drivers. We did wait an hour and a half for a shuttle to Volcano Bay which we gather was due to heavy traffic but there was no communication regarding this until the bus arrived. Overall I wouldn't hesitate to book again. Special mention to Carlos on the front desk who was very friendly and helpful during check-in. ** Update: The hotel have directly acknowledged my comments with regards to the smoking area and long check-in queues and are looking to address these - please don't let either of these things dissuade you from booking this hotel - we have very high standards and I would definitely return to Dockside. Thank you for a great holiday! **

Karina Rodriguez

great experience and would definitely recommend. hotel was better than expected given it was the cheapest one. great location and easy transportation using the shuttle for both theme park and airport pick up/drop off. very close to Universal theme park and very prompt. loved that there was a desk to help with universal tickets and before going to the park and that i was able to get my passes at the hotel. food offered was good as well and everyone was friendly. walls were a little thin in room but it wasn't that noisy and everything was clean with beautiful views

Kerry Burd

Dockside is a solid 4-star hotel. This was our home base for 4 nights while visiting the Universal Parks. The shuttle service was impeccable as I don't think anyone in our group ever had to wait more than 10 minutes for a shuttle to get moving to, or from, the park. The front desk personnel were also exceptional and made the 16 year old birthday girl feel very welcomed. I was also extremely surprised at the selection and quality of food in the main food court (called The Market). Much better than just about anything I tried in the park. The $14 pizzas are an incredible deal and 2 people could easily split 1 for a quick lunch. I think the whole $20 drink cup thing is a racket but that appears to be a way of life for resorts and parks. We got a little pool time in but it was fairly cold and windy and for a heated pool, it felt barely heated (though you can occasionally find an underwater jet bringing the warm water in which makes for a cozy place to hang out). The one thing I have to agree with other reviewers is that these walls are paper thin, just not on the sides but also the ceiling. If sleep is critical for you, I think that may be your only hesitation (but I imagine they may set you up with an end room to limit wall exposure if you ask). Oh, one odd thing. Our first day getting back to the hotel, we walk in. Only 1 of the 3 beds were made up and we were scratching our heads why only 1 kid made their bed then we realized it was made up professionally. I'm not sure why housekeeping only did one bed but, not a big deal. (I am thinking there may be a policy that if a guest has any personal belongings on the bed, they can not make the bed up?) Anyway, Dockside for the win on your next Universal vacation!!!!!!!!!