Castaway Cay Cabana Info

[sillecruisers]

I'll tell you what, I was firmly in the "have to have it" camp, as far as cabanas, until I sailed last week and had a cabana. Don't get me wrong, we enjoyed it, but did not spend much time in it. We got off the ship around 9, went to the cabana, then went snorkeling. We snorkeled for 2-3 hours (loved it!) then came back. One big thing I noticed is the family beach seems to have far fewer shells than the family cabana beach. We were in cabana 9 and it was torture to walk out into the water! Anyway, after snorkeling, we went to get lunch, brought it back to the cabana. Then we tried to have some beach time but the amount of shells just made it unpleasant. Then a storm rolled in and we decided to get back on the ship. We did use the shower and the changing area, and the safe, and it was nice to not worry about our stuff while snorkeling, but for the price, and the amount of time we spent in it, I wouldn't do it again. I would say to those who are worried they won't get one: don't worry! You will still have a fabulous time without it. I also went through a little bit of "we want to explore the island but gosh, we have so much money tied up in this cabana, and have hardly been in it, we should just stay here and enjoy it". If your plans for cc day include literally just relaxing and doing not much of anything else, a cabana may be for you. If you want to snorkel and go do stuff, maybe not so much. We can afford it, but will not get one again.

Just my two cents. I needed to hear something like this when my trigger finger was over the button waiting for 12:01 to book mine (well, not quite because shoreside concierge booked it, but I did sweat over whether we would get one or not).

 

[poohs4me]

Totally true. I have tried before and have never gotten one. I am hoping to get one to surprise my sister for her birthday but if I don't know worries

 

[bumbershoot]

You will still have a fabulous time without it. I also went through a little bit of "we want to explore the island but gosh, we have so much money tied up in this cabana, and have hardly been in it, we should just stay here and enjoy it".

Totally there with you.

DH and DS went off and snorkeled, but I stayed put. Why? Because I'd paid for it and I was going to be there, darnit.

But what I like about CC is that I can walk around, I could snorkel, I could bike (haven't yet, but I could), I don't have to be confined anywhere. But with the cabana and my attitude about my money's value, I WAS confined there. For me, it made Castaway *less* fun than it normally is.

 

[lilysgigi]

cheek your cruise group and maybe someone there will want to make a switch.

curious to see when you cruise? I just booked a family cabana but would prefer a serenity bay one. Our cruise is this next Sat. Sept. 26th

 

[tinkerone]

curious to see when you cruise? I just booked a family cabana but would prefer a serenity bay one. Our cruise is this next Sat. Sept. 26th

i don't have a cabana booked.

 

[Shelebeen]

We have had one in the past and have one booked for our upcoming Christmas cruise.. we like it with the big ships - since it does get crowded on beach. We have used the bikes when we were in the cabanas before and rented them as well. We have not rented floaties before, but enjoyed them with the cabana. We usually bring our own snorkels and masks, but the free (included) fins are nice - although the snorkelling at CC is less than good .

I like the quiet spot to hang out on the beach and also guaranteed shade and a hammock and shower right there.

 

[buzzrelly]

I'll tell you what, I was firmly in the "have to have it" camp, as far as cabanas, until I sailed last week and had a cabana. Don't get me wrong, we enjoyed it, but did not spend much time in it. We got off the ship around 9, went to the cabana, then went snorkeling. We snorkeled for 2-3 hours (loved it!) then came back. One big thing I noticed is the family beach seems to have far fewer shells than the family cabana beach. We were in cabana 9 and it was torture to walk out into the water! Anyway, after snorkeling, we went to get lunch, brought it back to the cabana. Then we tried to have some beach time but the amount of shells just made it unpleasant. Then a storm rolled in and we decided to get back on the ship. We did use the shower and the changing area, and the safe, and it was nice to not worry about our stuff while snorkeling, but for the price, and the amount of time we spent in it, I wouldn't do it again. I would say to those who are worried they won't get one: don't worry! You will still have a fabulous time without it. I also went through a little bit of "we want to explore the island but gosh, we have so much money tied up in this cabana, and have hardly been in it, we should just stay here and enjoy it". If your plans for cc day include literally just relaxing and doing not much of anything else, a cabana may be for you. If you want to snorkel and go do stuff, maybe not so much. We can afford it, but will not get one again.

Just my two cents. I needed to hear something like this when my trigger finger was over the button waiting for 12:01 to book mine (well, not quite because shoreside concierge booked it, but I did sweat over whether we would get one or not).

That's an interesting perspective, and one I can totally see myself having. I don't mind spending money on things, but I better get some good use out of them. It's my practical sense, I guess.

I was wondering if I should try getting one for our cruise next April, if it was even possible since we are silver. But based on your review, I feel better about not trying to get one. When we went last time in 2012, we didn't have one. We spent a lot of time on and near that family beach because all the kids wanted to do was that Pelican Plunge. The cabanas are pretty far from there, no? And I wouldn't want to tell them they can't do that, or snorkeling, or whatever. Maybe I'll just try for a nice beach umbrella

 

[Henlady]

My perspective on cabanas.....we enjoy them and prefer to have one vs not having one. I enjoy being on a beach but have to be out of the sun and beach umbrellas just don't do the trick. Last Nov we were on a double dip, had a SB cabana on first day at Castaway, absoluty loved the comfort of the cabana. Next day we were at the family beach in the regular lounges and chairs. I couldn't wait to get off that beach. I was not comfortable at all. I wanted the thick cushioned lounges and seating, I wanted my stocked fridge. So for us a cabana is worth every penny we pay.

 

[timrousbeastie]

I'll tell you what, I was firmly in the "have to have it" camp, as far as cabanas, until I sailed last week and had a cabana. Don't get me wrong, we enjoyed it, but did not spend much time in it. We got off the ship around 9, went to the cabana, then went snorkeling. We snorkeled for 2-3 hours (loved it!) then came back. One big thing I noticed is the family beach seems to have far fewer shells than the family cabana beach. We were in cabana 9 and it was torture to walk out into the water! Anyway, after snorkeling, we went to get lunch, brought it back to the cabana. Then we tried to have some beach time but the amount of shells just made it unpleasant. Then a storm rolled in and we decided to get back on the ship. We did use the shower and the changing area, and the safe, and it was nice to not worry about our stuff while snorkeling, but for the price, and the amount of time we spent in it, I wouldn't do it again. I would say to those who are worried they won't get one: don't worry! You will still have a fabulous time without it. I also went through a little bit of "we want to explore the island but gosh, we have so much money tied up in this cabana, and have hardly been in it, we should just stay here and enjoy it". If your plans for cc day include literally just relaxing and doing not much of anything else, a cabana may be for you. If you want to snorkel and go do stuff, maybe not so much. We can afford it, but will not get one again.

Just my two cents. I needed to hear something like this when my trigger finger was over the button waiting for 12:01 to book mine (well, not quite because shoreside concierge booked it, but I did sweat over whether we would get one or not).

Thanks for sharing your honest opinion. We are renting a cabana (#5) for the first time, but I have a feeling that my family might end up wanting to go back to the ship early. It is also the first time that we have a nice suite, so it is hard to gauge all the unknowns. After reading your post, however, I've decided that, if the family wants to leave early, just to call it a day and go back on an upbeat note: either way will be just fine. Ironically, due to the size of our party, the cabana rental will be one of the cheapest port days, we ever had.

We also had a brief storm on our first visit to Castaway Cay. It was just enough rain for just long enough to clear family beach. The rain didn't scare us off, though, perhaps because we're from Denmark(?). When the sun appeared again, it was a funny moment since we almost had the previously so crowded beach to ourselves.

 

[Trera]

The main things we enjoy about the cabana are:
1. safe for valuables/passports
2. endless cold drinks
3. rinse off shower at your cabana
4. private place to eat.
5. pack n play for our DD to take a nap
6. less crowded beach for our DD to run around on and play.

There are numerous other things that add to the experience as well but these are the key ones for us. We arrive around 9:30 and stay until 4 or so on Castaway and feel the value is there for us. When our DD is older and is interested in snorkeling, biking, water slides, etc............why might not rent the cabana as often.

That being said, i see thousands of others on the regular beach enjoying their days without a cabana.

 

[sue]

We just got off the dream on the 18th. We had cabana 18 GREAT CABANA!! Note to all: there were a LOT and I mean a LOT of jelly fish in this lagoon. They lay on the bottom but the minute someone swims by they float to the surface. They range in size of golf ball size to larger than softball size. BEWARE!

 

[Trera]

We just got off the dream on the 18th. We had cabana 18 GREAT CABANA!! Note to all: there were a LOT and I mean a LOT of jelly fish in this lagoon. They lay on the bottom but the minute someone swims by they float to the surface. They range in size of golf ball size to larger than softball size. BEWARE!

yes, that was our only complaint about the cabanas down on that end.

But as someone else stated, the beach in front of the lower number cabanas have accumulated a large number of shells and coral rocks that make walking close to shore much more difficult that we remembered from previous cruises.

 

[bumbershoot]

1. safe for valuables/passports
2. endless cold drinks
3. rinse off shower at your cabana
4. private place to eat.

And then another perspective on those things....

1. our safe didn't work. Ashley got a maintenance guy, they said they fixed it, but it wasn't fixed. It did NOT work. And when I told them so, they didn't come back. We had NO safe place to store our stuff. Thankfully my sense of value meant I wasn't going anywhere very far.

2. endless only if you call them and if they come when you call them. we only drink water, of the things in the fridge, and there were a whole 2 waters for each of us, if I recall correctly. that's not enough for a beach day. It was really annoying. I should have thought to ask them ahead of time to replace the sodas with more water.

3. COLD COLD WATER dumping on your head! Brr! (and this was October...the air was warmer which made the water feel colder...if it were Feb it might have felt lukewarm)

4. we were at cabana 9, I believe, so not a long trip to the food at all, but we had absolutely no interest in bringing loaded plates back to the cabana (or asking someone to help us). we ate at the food area.

 

[BuzzLightyearInTampa]

So our experience with this is that there is a big open bin in front of the cabanas (shared) that have the floats and tubes. You just grab as you need. They don't give them to you, but you also don't have to go to the rental spot to get them.

Snorkel equipment, you have to go get from the rental area. Which makes sense since the snorkel area isn't right in front of the cabanas anyway.

Thanks. This is exactly the information I have been looking for. We were able to snag Cabana #5 on the Family Beach for our Apr. 30th Fantasy cruise. (We're Gold level and there were 2 left when the booking window opened, #5 and #7.) I wasn't sure about it at first, but I figure why not try it once? After all, if you look at it like an excursion for the family (we are two adults and an 11 yr old DS) that lasts all day, the price isn't really that bad. I've seen many excursions in Alaska that don't last all day, but were way more than $600 for a family.

 

[phinz]

I am firmly in the "have to have it" camp. Unless I have a cabana at SB, I couldn't care less about CC. If we don't have a cabana we go ashore to hit the shops, have a bite to eat and get a drink or three, then we head back to the ship and enjoy how empty it is. If we have a cabana my wife goes for a swim (fully covered up, since she burns just looking at pictures of the sun) while I lie on a recliner with a book, my iPod and a bucket of beer.

At SB the floats are not in a big bin. They are at your location, or at least have the three times we've had a cabana. The host might as well not exist, as I've caught a ride *once* on a cart and they've never answered the buzzer, but that doesn't matter to me. It's all about shade on a beach in the Bahamas with comfortable seating and a ceiling fan when I get hot.

 

[over50visits]

Things you get with the Cabana:

Bowl of potato chips, energy bars, fresh fruit
Stocked fridge with cold drinks and water
Electric wall plugs (for example, plug in to recharge your electronics)
Suntan lotion
Private hammock
Personal float tubes
Snorkeling equipment rental
Bike rental included
Nearby shower
Magazines
Facial tissue
Trashcan
Hanging closet
Cocktail table, sofa, two chairs inside
Call button for attendant
Overhead fan
Privacy curtains over windows
Plates
Private beach in family cabanas
There is a safe in them, just as in your onboard cabin.
You can eat lunch there (table and chairs). Your host might give you a ride to/from the buffet.
There is a changing curtain for get into/out of swimwear
A drink host will come and take your order for alcoholic drinks and bring them to you.
They provide a plate of cold, wet towels. Great for cleaning/cooling off.
Lot of chairs inside and out (on the porch) for relaxing
Once at the end of the day, our host took us from our cabana to the ship's reboarding point in his golfcart. Wow!

 

[over50visits]

Cabana hosts aren't extra except you should tip them. They should come by to take drinks orders etc as they take the place of the drink servers on the public beach on CC.

Agreed. And...they have no way to charge a tip to your onboard account. So, we always take cash with us to the Cabanas, and tip according to the service we receive.

 

[pillow]

We just got off the dream on the 18th. We had cabana 18 GREAT CABANA!! Note to all: there were a LOT and I mean a LOT of jelly fish in this lagoon. They lay on the bottom but the minute someone swims by they float to the surface. They range in size of golf ball size to larger than softball size. BEWARE!

Wondering if this is still an issue??? We are in cabana 18 at the end of March. I DO NOT want to deal with tons of jellyfish!! Can anyone comment who has stayed recently? I wonder if the jellyfish problem is seasonal?

 

[jerseygirlmk]

How are the cabanas on the adults only beach?

 

[rwthompson82]

Wondering if this is still an issue??? We are in cabana 18 at the end of March. I DO NOT want to deal with tons of jellyfish!! Can anyone comment who has stayed recently? I wonder if the jellyfish problem is seasonal?

I was in Cabana 18 on February 3rd, and couldn't see any jellyfish. As mentioned above though, there are lots of shells, so watch you feet (or wear water shoes).