Cabana Bay or RPR at Christmas

[Princess Merida]

We will be at Universal the week before Christmas and I'm having a hard time deciding which resort to stay at. It will be me DH, DD8 and DD13. We have never stayed onsite at Universal. We will have 4 park days before heading over to Disney. Do I need express pass at that time of year with 4 park days? Also, we love Christmas decorations. Which resort is better for that? We will have a car as we are planning on driving. Thanks for any information!!

 

[DisneyLifePapioNe]

We will be at Universal the week before Christmas and I'm having a hard time deciding which resort to stay at. It will be me DH, DD8 and DD13. We have never stayed onsite at Universal. We will have 4 park days before heading over to Disney. Do I need express pass at that time of year with 4 park days? Also, we love Christmas decorations. Which resort is better for that? We will have a car as we are planning on driving. Thanks for any information!!

Both have beautiful decorations at this time of year!

Hard saying what crowds would be like this year but typically this is when it starts to pickup, have EP makes it so much easier to navigate the rides typically, but having 4 park days does give plenty and of time to get the rides in plus some.

Transportation to and from is by boat/walking at RP and bus/walking at CB. Not sure on the bikes these days.

I personally would lean more towards RP, even though I feel CB has more decor around simply because of the resort size.

 

[Princess Merida]

You can walk to the parks from Cabana Bay? I was under the impression you could only walk to VB.

 

[DisneyLifePapioNe]

You can walk to the parks from Cabana Bay? I was under the impression you could only walk to VB.

Yes, there is a walkway.

 

[Princess Merida]

Thanks for your input!!

 

[DoryGirl1963]

Don't know if affects your decision but wanted to throw in that the bus service to/from the parks is AWESOME at CBBR/Universal. They're constantly rolling one bus right behind the other - great transportation service !

 

[schumigirl]

Don't know if affects your decision but wanted to throw in that the bus service to/from the parks is AWESOME at CBBR/Universal. They're constantly rolling one bus right behind the other - great transportation service !

it`s so good to hear that, everyone says the same thing about the bus service from there......

 

[glocon]

We’ve stayed at both and prefer RPR. It’s a closer walk, you get the unlimited EP and is just so pretty. I would still want the EP now, especially the week leading up to Christmas as crowds may increase then. Sure, you have 4 days, but do you really want to spend that time in lines if you don’t have to?

 

[cfoxga]

Agreed with glocon. While the kids did like the lazy river and larger room at CB, RPR won us over with EPs, ferry access (or half the walking distance of CB), and a nicer hotel...

 

[Grumpy92]

Both are really nice for Xmas. CBBR seams to have more entertainment and activities though.

 

[nouvellefleur]

If the price isn't a dealbreaker, I'd stay at RPR for the EP . It sounds like crowd levels are increasing, and I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of spring/summer trips were rescheduled for November or December.

ETA: Just noticed the original post was older than I realized! My opinion is probably very outdated for you at this point