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FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Hospitality Ventures Management Group (HVMG), an Atlanta-based, private hotel management and investment company, today assumed management of the 219-room Fort Lauderdale Marriott Pompano Beach Resort & Spa. The property was recently acquired by Key International, a leading international real estate development and …
Story Links By Harry Minium NORFOLK, Va. – While Old Dominion did not sell out a football game this season, the fans who came were loyal and loud and their cheers were heard and appreciated. “I don’t think the fans realize …
The area’s name says it all: Nature Coast. That includes lush forests, a variety of wildlife and the Gulf of Mexico.
Most people take it for granted the easy access they have to these amenities that grace the county. But it’s not so easy for mobility-limited people like Bruce Titus.
Titus, a 24-year-old who grew up in Citrus County, was paralyzed from the chest down in 2016 after a car struck him from behind as he rode his bicycle down Citrus Avenue in Crystal River. That left him wheelchair bound.
Although Titus is keenly adept at getting around in his wheelchair and doesn’t let the chair stop him from living his life to the fullest, the beach is still a challenge. And he loves the beach.
Titus is proactive and has a solution to the problem of rolling his chair through loose beach sand to get to the water. Beach-access mats allow a wheelchair to roll smoothly to the waterside without getting stuck in the sand. They are in use in a lot of other areas and beach resorts. And the cost of purchasing a mat is minimal — $1,500-$2,000 is what Titus estimates a Mobi-mat beach access mat would cost for use at Fort Island Gulf Beach.
The installation of an ADA-compliant beach access mat would enable people with mobility limitations to access the water and tables. Titus has a great idea and he took it to the county. Parks & Recreation said the idea wasn’t feasible at this time because of staffing and budgetary constraints. Commissioner Ruthie Schlabach likes the idea, calling it “brilliant,” and said she would like to pursue it and make it happen. The one caveat, she said, is even if a community group raises money to buy and install the mat, there is staff and storage issues. She said the mat can’t be kept out overnight because it would get stolen.
Those issues seem easy to remedy: There is already a bathhouse at the beach and staff has to maintain it and unlock the bathrooms every morning and lock them at night. Cost is comparatively minimal. Might there be storage space in the bathhouse? Might an affordable storage shed be purchased? All questions the county can consider when Titus presents his idea to commissioners.
Titus has sparked interest in one commissioner. Hopefully he can do the same with the others. His idea will benefit a lot of residents who have mobility problems and should be seriously considered by the county commission.
The chief of police of the coastal state of Quintana Roo said the attackers apparently pulled up to the beach on jet skis and opened fire. Gunfire was reported on a beach in Mexico’s Caribbean coast resort of Cancun Tuesday, sending tourists scrambling for cover, …
A new luxury high-rise called Rosewood Residences—slated for the the site of the historic Gulf Beach Resort Motel and Coquina on the Beach on Lido Key—can now include up to 70 condominium units and have a maximum height of 135 feet, thanks …
Based on current Orlando theme park environment, visitors are considering the Universal Orlando Resort hotels more often. The partnership of Universal Orlando and Loews hotels blossomed into a solid relationship. For example, Cabana Bay Beach Resort offers high quality amenities at a value plus price. Cabana Bay Beach Resort possesses many veteran theme park admirers for good reasons. Some of them can be found at this link.
Still, Cabana Bay retains several characteristic guests dislike. Now, some guests dislike everything. However, these reasons hold logical concerns for most vacationers.
The Bayliner Diner provides quality resort hotel food court options. Though some guests complain about the quality of dining here, the value of this food court exceeds expectations. However, the collection of about 2200 rooms often dominates this food court. When Cabana Bay room occupancy rises so do the waits for food here. On evenings after the parks close, Bayliner Diner guests can face 20 minute (or more) waits for food. Families not expected this after a long day at the parks groan in frustration.
Cabana Bay offers a wide variety and supply of rooms. As a result, the trip from lobby to your room can feel like a workout. For example, if you are staying in a tower with an awesome Volcano Bay view, your feet will dislike you. Based on room locations, guests express not wanting to leave their room once they get there due to need of walking a long distance. This potential distance from lobby/food court makes purchasing a refillable freestyle cup less appealing due to the walk. I have heard many guests express that being in a tower room near Volcano Bay made then feel isolated from rest of resort hotel.
This reason borders on complaining versus valid logic. Guests who may have visited Cabana Bay in 2018 or before will glow when chatting about shuttle bus service to the theme parks. With the expansion of hotel rooms and other on-site hotels, the bus service still provides great value. Even on its worst day, the bus service to/from the parks at Universal Orlando dominates in terms of guest satisfaction over Walt Disney World’s version.
However, the bus service has lowered in terms of efficiency since 2019. Most days, the bus service works great before park opening and after park close. Yet after 11am each day, the bus service reduces in terms of number shuttles running. In addition, the shuttle that picks up at Cabana Bay also picks up at Aventura slowing everything down. During my stay at Cabana Bay in September 2021, we tested time it takes to get to Islands of Adventure via shuttle bus or walking. From about 10:30am each day, I arrived at Islands of Adventure several times walking before an associate taking shuttle arrived. For me, the walk was about 17 minutes each day.
In my experience, the arrival process to Cabana Bay involves potential stress. If driving to Cabana Bay, the entrance area breeds congestion. Guests unfamiliar with Cabana Bay can drive literally in circles. Once you find a place to park to check in, the drama expands. Cabana Bay earns a notorious reputation for excessively slow check-in process. Even with the addition of a type of mobile check-in, queues move slowly. For an example of mobile check-in process, please examine this link of process at Surfside Inn and Suites.
Even with mobile check-in guests find themselves waiting 15 minutes or more. On a typical Friday night, guests might endure a 45-minute check-in process or more. Then when they discover their room is an 8-minute walk, guests get agitated.
The rooms at Cabana Bay feature reasonable insulation between your room and your next-door neighbor. Still, if your room has a connecting room door then noise level is higher but tolerable. The noise level between rooms works 10 times better than at the Endless Summer Resorts (Dockside and Surfside).
However, the noise problems start in the hallways. Rarely have I been at Cabana Bay without groups making excessive noise in the hallways at most hours of day and night. For guests having lunch in their room then either taking a nap or typing a blog, the sound of workers and even the theme park serves as distractions.
Still, Cabana Bay functions as a great place for families so expect more noise from active young people. Cabana Bay also functions during times of year as a host accommodation for cheer and youth sporting events. Large groups of cheer teams and/or youth football teams congregating in the hotel hallway can be disconcerting. Add in the fact that they may be practicing in the common areas of the hotel, loud noises become commonplace. If you ever choose to stay at Cabana Bay or one of the Endless Summer Resort hotels during the first full weeks of December, prepare for noise
Cabana Bay may be the best value in terms of theme park resort hotels anywhere. However, no hotel lacks flaws. Please consider the things we love and dislike when making your lodging choices.
Pirates & Princesses (PNP) is an independent, opinionated fan-powered news blog that covers Disney and Universal Theme Parks, Themed Entertainment and related Pop Culture from a consumer’s point of view. Opinions expressed by our contributors do not necessarily reflect the views of PNP, its editors, affiliates, sponsors or advertisers. PNP is an unofficial news source and has no connection to The Walt Disney Company, NBCUniversal or any other company that we may cover.