If you’re looking for the best bang for your buck for an Orlando theme park hotel, look no further than larger side of Universal’s Dockside Inn & Suites.

The larger of the two parts of the Endless Summer Resort opened in late 2020 with 2,050 rooms, more than half of which are family bedroom suites advertised as being able to sleep up to six people.  The hotel is physically separated from the bulk of the Universal Orlando Resort, being located on the other side of I-4, though now it has the advantage of being a bit closer to the new Epic Universe theme park than the older Universal hotels.

The Dockside lobby (Theme Park Tribune)

After two separate stays at Dockside, I honestly can’t imagine settling for a non-Universal I-Drive hotel ever again. They can’t match the more reliable transportation, better pool areas, and an overall higher quality experience. 

If you’re weighing Dockside against the comparable Disney value resorts like Pop Century or All-Star Sports, there’s no question you’re getting a better….well, value. Dockside feels more like a Disney World moderate, but at a much lower price. It’s not uncommon to find nightly rates for $100 for annual passholders and I paid just $138 for the family suite during my late 2024 stay.

Amenities

The biggest reason to stay at Dockside over neighboring I-Drive hotels — or the competition at Disney— are the pool areas. 

Nestled between its two U-shaped towers are two large pools. Tower 2’s pool is the slightly better choice, featuring a zero-entry pool and a sandy beach area, but you’ll find plenty of deck chairs and a pool bar at each. The Oasis Beach Bar menu tempted me with its Bubba Tub, which places any cocktail into a 32-ounce bucket for $24, but my reviews are better served (heh) when I actually remember my stays, so I went sober. 

The Tower 2 pool features a sandy beach area (Theme Park Tribune)

A view of the Tower 2 pool (Theme Park Tribune)

While the pools lack slides or hot tubs, the blessing of space makes up for it. I found myself far more relaxed than the tighter and more kid-centric centerpiece pools at Disney World value hotels, even without a bucket of liquor. 

Each of the towers connect to the centralized lobby. You’ll find a much larger Universal Studios Store here than the neighboring Surfside Inn & Suites, filled with generic beach wear as well as a selection of Universal parks merchandise. There is also some resort-specific merch branded to Endless Summer as a whole. 

Some resort-specific merch at the Universal Studios Store (Theme Park Tribune)

Before entering the food court, there’s another bar option, the Sunset Lounge. Sporting more signature cocktails and the usual selection of beer and wine, the mere presence of a lobby bar gives Dockside another edge over Disney’s value category. 

Dockside does have an arcade in Tower 2, but this is one area where Disney wins out. Newer hotels don’t dedicate much space to these arcades, especially compared to what they built back in the 90s at the Disney All-Stars. I counted about a dozen games, and if heavy rains sends guests out of the parks and pools, expect the space to get crowded fast. You’ll also find a complimentary fitness center in Tower 1.

The food

While the obligatory Starbucks in the lobby is appreciated — the lines here will be better than inside the parks or at CityWalk — the main food option at Dockside is the Pier 8 Market food court.

Pier 8 Market (Theme Park Tribune)

If you’ve read any of my other hotel reviews, my personal tastes in food are too simple and unadventurous for me to do any in-depth food criticism, but I’ve dined on enough theme park hotel food to comment on general quality and value. And on that basis, I think Pier 8 Market succeeds. 

Like other theme park hotel food courts, Pier 8 Market offers multiple stations serving everything from burgers to pizza to fried chicken and waffle combos. The best dish, by far, is the surprisingly tasty 10-inch pizzas, which have become a favorite choice of mine at all the Universal food courts (and I happen to be a Chicago-bred pizza snob). Don’t bother with the in-room delivery when you can pick up a fresh one for less money ($13 for cheese) and less of a wait. 

Pizzas at Pier 8 Market (Theme Park Tribune)

Beyond the pizza, however, you’re bound to be disappointed. The $13 two-piece fried chicken and Belgian waffle wasn’t a bad deal in terms of quantity, but you could tell it had been sitting under a heat lamp for quite a while. The burgers, which start at $14, may have been even more dry while providing a less filling meal.

One of the dessert stations (Theme Park Tribune)

The stations change at breakfast, with options ranging from breakfast pizza to hot sandwiches to pancakes to grab-and-go bakery items like donuts, which tasted less fresh than I recalled from my 2021 visit. None of it was good in terms of quality or value, like paying $12 for plain pancakes or $10 for a sandwich that looks like an Egg McMuffin but tastes worse. You’re better off getting a quick breakfast from Starbucks at those prices. 

The room

Like its neighbor, Dockside Inn & Suites’ standard room are 313 square feet. This puts them slightly larger than those at Cabana Bay, which is the higher (and confusingly named) “Prime Value” category,” about 50 square feet larger than Disney’s value resort and roughly the same as a Disney Moderate. 

A standard room at Dockside Inn & Suites (Theme Park Tribune)

The beach motif — no points for originality there, Universal — carries through to the room, but it’s also done lightly enough that you’ll barely notice. 

If you’re looking for more space while staying on a budget, the 440-square foot suites has three separate queen beds, two in one room (along with a kitchenette) and a closed-off bedroom with another queen mattress.

The two-bedroom suites at Dockside (Theme Park Tribune)

While squeezing in the maximum of six people in here would feel cramped, this was an amazing deal for what I paid in late 2024 – $138 per night with an annual passholder discount – for having a totally separate bedroom space. Check out my late 2024 room tour of the larger suites:

Minor shortcomings

Like its neighbor, Dockside Inn & Suites does suffer in some aspects based on its “value” brand, but even these are minor quibbles.

Both Dockside and Surfside guests are restricted to their own pools. Until Universal Orlando Resort extended into I-Drive, on-site guests were allowed to hop between resort pools, such as a Cabana Bay guest freely taking a dip at the more expensive Hard Rock. It’s one feature that sets Universal apart from Disney, where resort pool access is tightly controlled, and it’s unfortunate the value hotel guests are excluded. 

In a similar vein, Dockside’s bus shuttle service pales in comparison to resorts offering boat transportation. Busses do stop frequently at Dockside and the ride only takes about 7-8 minutes, but you’ll have to walk another 10 minutes from the guest drop-off area through CityWalk to get to the park entrances, and contend with crowds of off-site guests at the security checkpoint. In contrast, guests using the resort boats go through separate security checks before boarding, and then get dropped off deeper into CityWalk closer to the turnstiles. 

Pier 8 Market seating area (Theme Park Tribune)

Dockside’s size does present some headaches that can be avoided with some preparation. The design of the resort into large towers can result in rather long walks to your room. If you’re driving to the resort, I’d recommend leaving large luggage in your car when you check in, just in case you’re assigned a room far enough from the lobby that it makes more sense to move your car immediately. 

The other downside comes at 10 p.m., when both the food court and both pools close. This sends guests streaming to the elevators all at once, resulting in some long lines that aren’t being managed by any staff member. To avoid this rush, you can walk further away from the lobby to grab an elevator, since those more distant elevator banks may see shorter waits. 

A note for the very budget-conscious guest: despite I-Drive being just outside your window, getting to cheaper fast food options or just visiting Walgreens is a hassle, all thanks to Universal. A fence prevents any easy access for pedestrians, so walking off property will require a meandering route through the front gate. I’m sure Universal will argue this perimeter is necessary to keep out off-site guests, but it also serves to keep you — and your wallet — trapped at the resort.

The verdict

There are some trifling flaws, but Dockside Inn & Suites is as good as it gets for value accommodations at an on-site, theme park hotel in Orlando. At a price comparable to any number of generic chain hotels in the surrounding area, you get a resort nice enough to justify a hotel day lounging by the pool, especially if the parents want to unwind with $24 tub of booze. 

There’s really no comparison between this and Dockside’s I-Drive neighbors. In the four years since Dockside opened, the chain hotels have failed to up their game with new offerings to give the appearance of competition. And the level of amenities at this price point crushes Disney, where value hotels can often go for over $200 per night. 

Neither side of the Endless Summer Resort is perfect and Dockside does appear to have sunk a bit when it comes to food quality since my first visit in 2021 (and like everything else, prices on food have gone up). As long as you can get a room here for below $150 per night, it’s still well worth it. 

Grade: A-

DISCLOSURE: This review is based on my own opinion and perspective. I paid for my hotel room on both of my visits. Universal did not grant me any special access to the resort and I received no special treatment from hotel employees, who were not aware that I was conducting a review. 

Editor’s Note: This review was updated on April 14, 2025, to reflect our experience during a second stay at the hotel in late 2024.