Cabanas... Whats the 411?

[abidale]

Hey y'all! Jumping on this thread with a couple related questions of my own.

How far in advance can I book a cabana for our May 2023 honeymoon? And would payment be due on booking or simply added to our trip total?

TIA!

 

[disco340]

FYI, just got back, and we had the Executive Lanai for our pool day. So worth the money! Great service by the attendant for lunch, included water and fruit plate, etc. Loved the location, as we were close to everything, but off of the beaten path so I did not feel like there were a lot of lookie-lou's peeking in all the time (like I did when walking by cabanas!). My wife wanted something with a view of the ocean, but girls wanted to be near pools, so it was a perfect compromise. I did not even miss not getting a fridge or TV, like in cabanas. Would definitely recommend to those who can fit it into their budget.

Did you book in advance or get the day of? I tried booking for several days on our upcoming trip but nothing was available.

 

[WAstateDVCDaddy]

Hey y'all! Jumping on this thread with a couple related questions of my own.

How far in advance can I book a cabana for our May 2023 honeymoon? And would payment be due on booking or simply added to our trip total?

TIA!

I believe you can reserve a cabana as soon as you have a room reservation to tie it to. We reserved one about 6 months before our trip.

Payment is Added to your trip I think. They do not charge in advance.

 

[Aulani2011]

Hey y'all.
We are a family of 5. Mom, Dad, 5 yr old, 11 yr old and grandma. Will be there in a few months. Having a cabana seems really nice but the prices are high. In our past trips, we never struggled to find chairs or get a place to put our stuff down. For those who have rented a cabana, what is the major benefit or appeal? TIA!

You dot really need to rent one, there’s plenty of chairs. Just get down there earlier.

 

[abidale]

I believe you can reserve a cabana as soon as you have a room reservation to tie it to. We reserved one about 6 months before our trip.

Payment is Added to your trip I think. They do not charge in advance.

Wonderful. Will probably jump on that today, then. Thank you!

 

[Stlhawkeye]

Wonderful. Will probably jump on that today, then. Thank you!

Yes you check in at Rainbow Reef in the morning, then they charge you. Either put it on the room or pay straight up. That’s it.

We had the executive lanai a couple weeks ago and it was quite relaxing.

 

[LilyJC]

Wonderful. Will probably jump on that today, then. Thank you!

Definitely jump on it ASAP. They book up fast, and cash guests/DVC owners who are booking May currently will be booking cabanas as well.

 

[abidale]

Definitely jump on it ASAP. They book up fast, and cash guests/DVC owners who are booking May currently will be booking cabanas as well.

Yes you check in at Rainbow Reef in the morning, then they charge you. Either put it on the room or pay straight up. That’s it.

We had the executive lanai a couple weeks ago and it was quite relaxing.

Thank y'all! Calling them as soon as I get off work today. Do you have any idea what the cancellation policy is? If something were to change, is there a period of time it'd still be refundable?

 

[LilyJC]

Thank y'all! Calling them as soon as I get off work today. Do you have any idea what the cancellation policy is? If something were to change, is there a period of time it'd still be refundable?

There’s no payment ahead of time to reserve, and I believe it’s a 24 hour cancellation policy. You will receive a call the day before to confirm.

 

[TitusPullo]

How is gratuity handled for the cabanas? I assume if we order food/drinks that it is included in the price, but just wondering if I should have some cash on hand to tip the attendant. Thanks.

 

[gatechfan99]

How is gratuity handled for the cabanas? I assume if we order food/drinks that it is included in the price, but just wondering if I should have some cash on hand to tip the attendant. Thanks.

When we've used cabanas, I have only tipped with the food/drink order which still adds up pretty high over the course of the day. I suppose if you only ordered a very minimum, you might give them a cash tip at the end of the day, but most of what they do is food related anyway.

I will also give my high praise for the cabanas. We wound up booking them for 2 days on our last trip. It's so nice for the kids to know where their "home base" is all day long as the come and go from the pools. The shade and fans make it so nice and easy to stay out there for 9-10 hours with no problem. On our day that we didn't rent one, we were ready to go back to the room after lunch with the crowds, heat, sun, etc. Plus the security of having the locked safe and not worry at all about leaving phones, Ipads, GoPros, etc when you go to the pool or bathrooms. If you're going to splurge on anything on an Aulani trip, I would make it that.

 

[TitusPullo]

So I just received a call today that the price of the cabanas are going up from $450 to $550 starting October 1st. As of right now they are not honoring the lower price for people who already had reservations. I spoke directly with the recreation department and he said that the capacity has been upped to 7, upgraded 43 inch televisions are already in, and they will be getting completely new furnishings.

I asked about the fruit platter and dessert plate and he said those are still included and also to expect a few "surprises" but didn't elaborate. I gave feedback that it would be nice if they honored the previous price from when the cabana was booked and he said that many guests expressed that as well and he would definitely pass it on. I also asked about if the DVC 10% discount still applies and he said yes. Currently I have a cabana booked for 3 days out of our 9 days and am hoping this price increase is worth it.