cabana at the water parks, worth it?

[hilaryjudsong]

We are going to WDW June 29-July 6. I was thinking of renting a cabana at Typhoon Lagoon on July 4th. Is it worth the money?

 

[Vylette Rose]

We have done it, and really enjoyed it. It is expensive, but it was so wonderful to never have to worry about sitting and relaxing, having a place to eat in peace, and just knowing that our stuff would be there.

 

[Hopefully]

We are going to WDW June 29-July 6. I was thinking of renting a cabana at Typhoon Lagoon on July 4th. Is it worth the money?

How do you define "Worth". That is a totally personal thing.
Is it by Cost? Convenience? Location? Shade? Space?
How many in your party?

 

[cwis]

My wife and I absolutely loved the convenience during our last visit. We even tried to book cabanas on every remaining dates of our stay (unfortunately we were able to grab only one date, the cabanas were sold out all the other dates, and this was late August, I can't imagine on a higher season).

We already plan on renting several cabanas for our next stay. We preferred the Beachcomber Shacks at the Typhoon Lagoon because they have a huge feature: these are shelter in case of lightning. It's always nice to be able to stay safe and enjoy the view, a drink or a sand pail until the suns comes back.

Granted, there is a cost for the cabanas (~300$) but we find the convenience offsets it: towels are included and unlimited, we asked for the 6 mugs and used some to store beer, and the others to have a choice of drinks.

One last perk, if you are paying your texts and have an iPhone: so does the attendant, you can send iMessages and it's free.

 

[River Country]

We did it at Typhoon Lagoon and it was worth it for us my parents were with us and had a shady place to hang and we were right at the end of one of the landing zones of a slide, I don't remember which one. It was great the attendant was awesome and got us food we didn't have to wait in line and she wouldn't take a tip at the end of the day either she told me she wasn't allowed to, we felt bad but she was adamant about it and walked away from us.

As far as the worth it question you can ask yourself that question about most premium experiences in WDW but as a PP mentioned only you can answer that if its right for you and your party.

 

[hilaryjudsong]

How do you define "Worth". That is a totally personal thing.
Is it by Cost? Convenience? Location? Shade? Space?
How many in your party?

There are 4 of us- DD 18, DD 13, and my boyfriend. He has had one in the past, loved the convenience. I want to do something special for my girls and this seemed like a great idea in July.

 

[Klayfish]

It's really your choice. Just my own personal opinion, but I think they're a total waste of money. Both water parks have several places that are in full shade either all day or most of the day, for free. TL has several huts (or whatever you call them...thatch roof structures with open sides) that provide lots of shade. Yes, you'll have to share space with other guests. Again, just my feelings, but unless for some reason you have to have the privacy a cabana will offer you, save your money for other things and use the free shade that the water parks offer.

 

[River Country]

It's really your choice. Just my own personal opinion, but I think they're a total waste of money. Both water parks have several places that are in full shade either all day or most of the day, for free. TL has several huts (or whatever you call them...thatch roof structures with open sides) that provide lots of shade. Yes, you'll have to share space with other guests. Again, just my feelings, but unless for some reason you have to have the privacy a cabana will offer you, save your money for other things and use the free shade that the water parks offer.

Just to clarify there is more than just shade that you are paying for. You are paying for a service, waitress, stocked fridge, etc... Not just shade

 

[floridadream]

We rented one at Typhoon Lagoon last summer for a special treat and we loved it. The shade, convenience and the attendant are were awesome. In fact, I think our attendant was one of the best cast members we ever encountered. That being said, you should think about if your family would get use out of it. We planned an entire day at TL, and we made it a point to relax there. We were also with my in-laws who weren't big fans of the heat so it was a lifesaver. However, if you're the type who's going to drop your stuff and be in the pools all day, it might not be worth it. You could easily get there early to get a spot or rent a couple of umbrellas for much less. Have fun whatever you decide!

 

[Pakey]

I have rented these cabanas and I've also done the 2 chairs/1 umbrella rental. I've also rented cabanas at other places. These cabanas are not like renting cabanas at other places--you certainly don't get the same level of service. Also, the chairs are not the most comfortable and they do not include lounge chairs for sunning (which is something I have loved about every other cabana I have rented). Maybe they have changed it but for my 3 rentals there the "stocked fridge" was a cooler with bottled water--there were no sodas or fruit trays or the other amenities I've always had at other cabana rentals. I think these cabanas are a good idea if you are looking for a central location for your kids to be able to come and go. When I have taken my young grandchildren, or when my daughter in law was pregnant and couldn't do anything but sit and read, they are great. But otherwise, I prefer the 2 chairs/1 umbrella rental (towels included). Chairs are more comfortable and for the difference in price, I can get my own food (which in the cabana, is pretty slow coming anyway). Would I rent these cabanas again? Yes, under the right circumstances. But for adults only--no I would not. So I think the value is dependent on your expectations and what it is you are wanting from the experience.

 

[tookydo]

We gave it a try once and we were hooked. Prior to renting a cabana, yes, we would find shade but every time we returned to our chairs/loungers, our things were moved and the number of chairs we had for the day kept shrinking. We love not having to worry about our belongings; we love the fresh towels and the cooler with drinks. Getting the refillable mug was also a bonus. It was also an excellent place to ride out a storm. Like others have said, it was a great central location for meeting up with the kids. When we rent, there are 6 of us, 2 adults and 4 teenage boys. Well worth it on many fronts for us.

 

[Klayfish]

Just to clarify there is more than just shade that you are paying for. You are paying for a service, waitress, stocked fridge, etc... Not just shade

Fair enough. If you get value out of those services, then it's worth the money. Those things would be totally lost on us. We're there for the slides, lazy river, etc... We do sit and chill in the chairs some, but we're plenty comfy in our shady spot. We pack our own food and cold drinks, so waitress wouldn't do us much good.

Knock on wood...in our dozens and dozens of trips to the water parks, we've never had our things touched/moved. Always right where we leave them. Have had people "crowd" us to try to grab some shade, but they're always polite about it.

 

[disneyvoice]

Although we haven't done one yet I'm going to say yes - totally worth it.

The last time we went to the water parks I had recently had a very bad reaction when I was on a photosensitive medication and I needed to stay out of the sun as much as possible but still wanted to go the water parks. I am an oncology nurse and get freaked out by baking in the sun anyway. We rented the two seat umbrella spot and it was so nice and relaxing. The only downside was that as the sun moved we had to keep adjusting our chairs so I was covered by the shade. Depending on the location people had, some people were always in the sun. We watched the people in the cabanas and decided that next time we are getting one of them!! Much easier to navigate the sun when the whole darn thing is covered. We scoped out the locations we thought were best so we could request a specific one. Although the cannot guarantee a specific spot (when you rent them you are only guaranteed to get one, not guaranteed a specific one), they will make a note on your reservation. We requested a specific location in Getaway Glen and when we got there in the morning to check in they had already noted the one we wanted. We were there before the park opened however so I'm sure if someone else had requested that one before we check in they would have given it to them.

 

[Bullseye]

Fair enough. If you get value out of those services, then it's worth the money. Those things would be totally lost on us. We're there for the slides, lazy river, etc... We do sit and chill in the chairs some, but we're plenty comfy in our shady spot. We pack our own food and cold drinks, so waitress wouldn't do us much good.

Knock on wood...in our dozens and dozens of trips to the water parks, we've never had our things touched/moved. Always right where we leave them. Have had people "crowd" us to try to grab some shade, but they're always polite about it.

Yes this is us also. We usually can find a somewhat shady spot by getting there fairly early. Also, we spend very little time at the actual chairs anyway to make it worthwhile. Plus when do waterparks it's never for more than five hours or so before we've had enough. We also bring our own soft-sided cooler with drinks and snacks. Plus we've never had an issue with someone messing with our stuff which is just our towels, t-shirts, and flip flops anyway. It would never be worth it for us.

 

[Indecisive]

Just a few days ago, after much hemming and hawing and researching, I called and reserved a Beachcomber Shack for our waterpark day in May. I am very excited about it because:

-I don't want to be worried all day about whether anyone has touched/moved our stuff
-I don't know if I could successfully pick a spot that will be shaded throughout the day and not just in the morning when I grab it
-I love the idea of having a locker for our phones/wallet/keys right with the rest of our stuff
-If it does rain, I will be glad to have a roof overhead and our own place to wait it out
-We will enjoy having the waiter service, even if it is a bit slow; we will plan to be at the park all day and will want to have some relaxing downtime in the cabana anyway
-We are staying offsite, so although the cabana is expensive, we are "saving" in other areas and have room to treat ourselves to a little luxury
-My date is in the "off-season," so our rate is relatively lower (albeit, of course, still expensive)
-the cooler and towel service will be handy (although, of course, not essential)
-Since we will be there all day, it will be nice to have a dedicated place to hang out in the shaded

All of that said, I can COMPLETELY understand why others would not think the cabanas are worth it. My guess is that for anyone who thinks this is a waste of money, I could probably look at that person's plans and find something they are doing that I would never spend my money on. Different strokes for different folks! It is great to have so many options! There are millions of different ways to enjoy a vacation!

 

[PrincessBelle39]

Just a question. With the Lodge Picnic Umbrella's - are they in a roped off area or just scattered about. I was wondering if there was a chance of people moving your things if you don't show up for a couple of hours, or settling in with your chairs and umbrella before you do.

 

[iona]

Just a question. With the Lodge Picnic Umbrella's - are they in a roped off area or just scattered about. I was wondering if there was a chance of people moving your things if you don't show up for a couple of hours, or settling in with your chairs and umbrella before you do.

The umbrellas/chairs that you hire are in roped off areas (or at least ours was so I assume that's the case for all of them!)

 

[Anal Annie]

I simply can't imagine getting $300 worth of value out of them at a water park. We're there for 6 or so hours and pay to be there to play not sit all day. The only time we ever rented a cabana was at a hotel on Maui on our check-out day when we had a late evening flight home. That was worth it to us to have a "home" for the day with a beautiful view and attendant. AND it was only $75 for the entire day which I consider a very reasonable price...$300...not so much....

 

[revdon64]

We rented one at TL in August of 2013 and it was great. We were right next to the shallow end of the wave pool, so my daughter could go in the shallows and we could see her from the cabana. No, the chairs aren't terribly comfortable but that didn't keep me from an afternoon nap in one of them! If you like, I'll post a couple pictures.

 

[ConnecticutNonna]

in our dozens and dozens of trips to the water parks, we've never had our things touched/moved

Our very first trip to TL our refillable mugs were stolen...
We didn't know at the time about the Cabana rentals (this was 2009), or would have happily paid for one!