The location first and foremost is first class. This is the second time we have stayed at Dockside and we have never had to wait for longer than 3 minutes for a shuttle, which take around 7 minutes to get to Citywalk/the Parks. Location is also great for a couple of convenience stores (walgreens & 7/11) just outside the hotel grounds. There is also a KFC in the area but the hotel itself does quality southern fried chicken. Both Pool areas are really nice, rooms are great, really can’t say enough good things about this hotel, other than we have stayed here, we have stayed at Cabana Bay and we have stayed at the Hard Rock, and this is the one we keep coming back to. Food at this hotel is also a stand out worth noting, as are the poolside drinks (named after Wet N Wild slides) Another thing which is great that I don’t often see mentioned in reviews is the on demand movies on the tv’s in the rooms are free, whereas this isn’t the case at the other universal hotels we’ve stayed at.

There isn’t anything about the property we don’t like, the only improvement I can think of is a gate closer to the 7/11 as that would make a long walk a whole lot shorter, however I do understand why they don’t have one.

Good location and convenient for Universal visit

Pricy but reasonable, a lot of visitors so the staffs are always busy. We called the front desk a couple of time for service but never got answered.

The stay was excellent, and the room structure is very good. The hotel is well-organized, clean, easy to navigate, and the location is great. The Universal shuttle service to the parks works very well, being punctual and well-coordinated. The hotel is indeed large, and during holidays, it can get quite crowded, but it still offers great value. The Pier 8 restaurant also stands out, providing excellent service and options for celiacs or those with gluten sensitivity.

It could offer microwaves in the smaller rooms, not just the larger ones. Also, the air conditioning in the hotel hallways doesn’t need to be so cold—sometimes it felt even colder than outside at 16ºC. This is just a suggestion to enhance and improve the service, as the hotel is excellent.

We liked the access to Universal, the room was clean and comfortable; the pool was beautiful. A variety of food is available on the property in a huge but efficient cafeteria.

Check in involved a very long line. We got around it by checking our bags at luggage and checking in later in the day. The lack of help getting a luggage trolly… when my 79 year old physically disabled husband requested one, he was told to go look on the other floors for one. When my granddaughters went to the arcade, they invested $8 on a playing card and then found out they needed to put in $12 more to even start using the card. No refund and, when I told the “text concierge,” I was not offered a refund. $8 is not a lot for the hotel to lose but it is for children who used their own money.

Dockside is safe and clean and usually well staffed, including the housekeeping staff. There are ample lifeguards who watch carefully and do not allow themselves to be distracted. The food court has a wonderful, friendly, competent staff and a varied menu with many sides. I love the fact that unlike Disney, they always offer soup. And, the bus service is excellent and particularly helpful for help with scooters.

We paid as much for a single room this year as we did for a suite last year. That is not accounted for by inflation. For the price, I really think a microwave should be included, and I would have felt more comfortable had there been a grab bar in or near the tub. Also, the rooms are set up with 2 queen beds, but only one uncomfortable chair. Another chair would be nice, even if it's smaller. Also, the moving sidewalks at City Walk never seem to all be working at the same time, making it difficult for most people. The latter criticism is not Lowes' fault, but it's someone's fault.

Modern large rooms, kids loved having a double bed each. The pool area was clean and a nice big pool with lots of sunbeds.Good supply of pool towels and pool bar. Food hall has good value for money and not bad quality. Hotel is in a central area to Universal, and shuttles run regularly.

Check-in was long. Only 2 staff members working and large dance competition crew were staying at the hotel. The room needed some plates and bowls for breakfast and snacks. The paper bowls were not great, and again, the use of plastic cutlery and lack of recycling was shocking. Other than that, a great place to stay and would return.

I love that there’s a food court with options for everyone to eat. I also feel it’s a great benefit that there is shuttle service to lol the parks which makes it easy to go between parks and you don’t have to pay for Parking.

The food area needs to be a bit more efficient with how people place their orders and how it’s delivered. My son ordered a burger with fries and they forgot about him so we waited an additional 20 minutes for his food. It’s a bit chaotic with no way to define where lines start or where you pick up from. The space is small for the amount of people staying there.

Clean and handy. Rooms were great, room was cleaned every day, the food was great, lots of choice, the buses came regularly and extremely reliable! 100% recommend. I even purchased some express pass on site for epic.

Check in/check in area always had a queue throughout the stay. The day we arrived something went wrong on the system so everyone in the hotel couldn’t access there room so needed to queue up to sort their room key, this meant 1.5 hour wait for us to check in, this after a 10 hour flight is not ideal.

- Lovely big room (we were upgraded to a suite at check in) - Nice vanity area with two sinks in the suite - Comfy Beds - Films relevant to the parks are available on the TV such as jurassic world / park films - Staff were lovely and very helpful throughout the resort.

- After putting my clothes in the drawer, when I got my socks out the next morning a tiny beetle crawled out of them, it didn't look like a bed bug but still is a bit concerning. After that I saw no pests at all and was not bitten. - The shower and bathroom, in general is a little weak and dated. There were some mould stains at the bottom of the shower curtain, but the shower was hot and got the job done fine. - The first night was ok for sound, but then after that I could hear every word the person in the room above was saying, footsteps were loud too. All quiet on the sides.

Great place to stay on a budget. We asked for a room in a quieter side, she said no promises but the room we had was nice and quiet. The room had a coffee maker with disposable cups and coffee bags, a mini fridge, safe, a little closet with an iron and board. Laundry on the 3rd, 6th etc floors of each building. 4 dollars for a huge tub of washing and 4 for 1hr drying. Card/App or cash [coin machine available]. Laundry detergent sold on site too. Very handy. Ice machines on every level. The beds were comfy and lots of channels on tv for after park hours. We loved the microwaves, free coffee and hot water readily available in the dining area for self-catering. Free water and ice at the soda machines which is the same as the parks.There was a little food court and Starbucks but you can hop over to Walgreens at the intersection or 7-11 nearby. A few shops for meals nearby KFC, IHOP etc. The shuttles were regular and efficient, we didn't have to wait long both ways. Early admission is a bonus. Staff were friendly and helpful. Daily housekeeping, remember to put the I'm still Dreaming card on the handle if you are sleeping in. Overall, we had an amazing stay!

Autofan can be loud at times esp in the middle of the night.