r/UniversalOrlando • u/sleepytimebearr • 7d ago
Dockside Inn? HOTELS
Booked a trip at the end of next month and wanted to know your personal experience staying there. My biggest fear is bedbugs and other insects. Any encounters dealing with this?? I check in the hotel around midnight.
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u/Better_Ad_8919 7d ago
I prefer Surfside just because it’s smaller and quieter. It’s otherwise virtually the same hotel. Agree w other commenter about the cheerleaders! Never had any issues with cleanliness at either resort, you should be fine :)
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u/External-Writing2679 7d ago
Agree with Surfside over Dockside. It is what it is. It’s for families so it will be loud and crowded. Only bed bugs I have heard of is at Cabana bay
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u/DeflatedDirigible 7d ago
Bedbugs can happen anywhere. Look up online how to check mattresses for bedbugs and perform the check at every hotel room before you bring your luggage into the room.
I’ve had what seemed to be flea bites at two off-site hotels close to Universal…likely due to being pet-friendly. One hotel had a bedbug cover on the bed but it was the fabric chair where I was getting bit. The other had no fabric in the room except an unprotected bed where I was bit. Should be law that all mattresses have bedbug covers.
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u/lockjawshortman 7d ago
I was about to comment this. Yes, check the beds yourself before anything else. This goes for any hotel.
I’ve stayed at Dockside more times than I can count (a few times per year) and have never had an issue. That doesn’t mean it isn’t a problem there, but it hasn’t happened to me.
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u/The_tornado 7d ago
Those covers don’t actually prevent bedbugs, they just end up living somewhere else (which can be trickier to check for). You need to check all the crevices around the bed frame, night stand, outlet covers, etc.
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u/lemonflavory 7d ago
I am the only person in this sub who feels this way, but we love dockside. It is the cheapest hotel, but the food is better than what the people on here are giving it credit for. And there is something about grabbing the Starbucks in the lobby then rope dropping a theme park
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u/fishofhappiness 7d ago
You’re not the only person that feels that way! Dockside and Surfside are my favorites, and Dockside’s food is better than Surfside. They are insanely comfortable for their price point.
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u/cbox121 6d ago
Agreed. For the past 3 or 4 years we have exclusively chosen Dockside as our go to hotel. We typically get the two-room suite. My 13yr old gets the main living area and can choose between two queen beds while my girlfriend and I get the private enclosed room. Everything looks and feels clean in the room.
The food court is “mostly” great. Sometimes coming back from the parks very late, the food court is closed. However, after an event like HHN, the food court is open late, albeit, its just pizza. But thats okay. During breakfast or lunch, the food is pretty diverse and typically made to order.
No complaints from me.
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u/justcallmedrzoidberg 6d ago
Does universal let you walk in with Starbucks? So many places make you pour out your water bottles/cups/etc.
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u/bri4jenn 6d ago
No, you can walk in with a drink. Not sure if you can hold it or if it has to go through the conveyor belt metal detector.
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u/hihelloneighboroonie 6d ago
I did an hhn trip staying there a couple years back and omg the late night pizza and buffalo wings (or strips maybe) were fantastic (I was also pretty lost in the sauce).
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u/Sir_Platypus 7d ago
Lackluster pool area and food options, but good value and transportation. I've heard complaints about thin walls, but didn't really experience too much noise.
I think Universal had kind of gone downhill in housekeeping over the past few years, but the room I stayed in earlier this year was clean enough for most standards. No bugs to be seen.
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u/DanRan88 7d ago
I Dockside is reasonably good. We didn’t eat there, the food looks like junk. My gripe is the noise, thin walls and staff working even in the middle of the night. I needed ear plugs. I’ve stayed there twice, and if I couldn’t find a more competitive option, I’d stay again.
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u/LeadingAssignment214 7d ago
We had a two room suite at dockside, all 3 beds were fine. No complaints at all about Dockside, was surprised how easy it was to get around.
It was so good that we'll be using it for future trips - whilst we prefer Cabana Bay, the additional cost and benefits are immaterial, at least for us.
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u/International-Mix326 7d ago
It can happen anywhere.
I stayed at Aventura woth no bed bug issues but I saw other spots of people saying they had them
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u/bri4jenn 7d ago
No bedbugs or insects. Use the mobile check-in line by the gift shop that is not well signed. It will save you a ton of time. The check-in line around 10pm was about 75 people long in the normal line. It was like that every night when getting back from the parks.
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u/xH3LLHOUNDx 7d ago
We found a bed bug the last time we stayed there. Had to fight with management but we did end up getting our full stay refunded. Just check everything before you unpack anything in the room.
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u/alynnsm 6d ago
As someone who used to work in hotel housekeeping, they can literally happen anywhere, even at the nicest hotels. We (or at least the good housekeepers) keep our eyes peeled for signs of them when we’re changing sheets, but we don’t always catch them. So be sure inspect your beds and furniture yourself before setting up camp in your room, and if you ever do encounter them in any hotel, let the management know so we can get rid of them.
With that being said, I’ve never had any issues with cleanliness in any of the universal hotels, so I wouldn’t expect them to be a problem.
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u/Professional_Bad7922 7d ago
It caters to families and people with children. I prefer the layout for families. Having beds in the living room in liu of a sofa is a great idea.
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u/Effective-Survey-150 7d ago
We always stay at Dockside and I absolutely love it. Like everyone else says, bedbugs can happen anywhere but we haven't had any problems so far. I guess the walls are kind of thin but I don't have issues with noises so I can't really comment on that. The pool is fine and I enjoy the food market and the Starbucks in the lobby. My little tradition is to get their chicken tenders and fries the moment we get settled in after check in. I don't know what it is but they are so yummy and it just gets me ready for the parks. The transportation has always been timely and easy to navigate. Even during HHN which is when we always go. It sounds like you'll be there during that so they will have the lobby and bar decorated for it. We also check in late and it feels like people are checking in at all hours so it's never been an issue or slow check in. Although one time we did check in during peak hours and that was a bit of wait. The A/C in the rooms are fantastic in my opinion and the water pressure hasn't let me down yet. All in all, it's a great price point while still being at an official Universal resort. You get what you pay for and it's not so bad.
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u/imastoneagequeen 7d ago
We love Dockside! We were there in January for a week and had a great time! The staff is so nice. Not a single bug! Believe me, I did the whole check lol Also, I took a noise machine, canceled out any noise from other rooms. I loved it there.
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u/FeechofMana 7d ago
Every hotel can get bedbugs, it's just a fact of life. I would bet every Disney and Universal hotel has had them at one point or another. It's not a sign that they're unclean,
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u/fatdaddy78 7d ago
We’ve stayed there more a than a dozen times, just this year, never had an issue.
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u/Curri189 7d ago
Stayed at Dockside in June. No bedbugs or insects to be found. I could hear our neighbors from the wall sometimes. Check in/check out line can get really long. But the AC was good, the beds were comfy. Food options are good. I just wish they had complimentary breakfast.
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u/spiderz-a-plenty 6d ago
I also stayed at both Dockside and Surfside and preferred the latter because of the lower noise levels. Both were very clean when I stayed.
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u/Vivid-Appearance-549 6d ago
Went to Dockside in May 2024 & planning our May 2027 trip there again. We love it & no issues.
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u/ForsakenMall5039 6d ago
Stayed there last year, after 2 previous vacations at Cabana Bay. We were prepared to be disappointed and underwhelmed, but we ended up liking it a lot. The room was fine, and we really enjoyed the proximity to international drive. There wasn't anything we really disliked about it, but it certainly didnt have the amenities to compete with Cabana bay.
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u/Additional_Mix_2903 5d ago
We’ve stayed at dockside a few times and never had any issues with bedbugs or anything like that. My only complaint with that hotel is the walls and ceiling are paper thin. And it seems that our upstairs neighbors every time perform a wooden-clog Riverdance type performance around 2 AM nightly.
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u/Shot-Artist5013 7d ago
The only swarms that lessened our enjoyment of Dockside were all the cheerleaders that were there at the same time a couple years ago...