Castaway Cay Private Cabanas

[FJS961]

Nope, I said this a long ways back and got totally smacked down for it. In fact, I think I was asked why I was even on this thread, if I couldn't afford to book a cabana. Even though, in 15 cruises, I've been in concierge or Owner's Suites all but 2 times. Money's not the issue for me.
But everyone is allowed to spend their money how they see fit.....some would not agree, I'm sure, with the way I spend mine...so to each his own.

I agree 100% with ya here ....

You won't know unless you go and experience something for yourself - but it comes down to ones individual perception if they got something valuable or worthwhile out of the money spent. Whether one splurges on a suite, an expensive spa treatment, pricey excursions, extravagant dinner in Remy, an expensive piece of art .... to each their own. I'm still kind of new here. I like the advice and depth of knowledge / experience from veterans, I don't like the gripes and judgements some folks make....

I'm off today, snowed it and bored ... forgive my rambling

 

[Chief71]

We are going with another family, both of 4. 2 adults each and noth kave 2 kids 8 and 2 kids 5. Will we be able to share 1 cabana or will they not allow it? I would think most of the day the kids will be in the childrens program. Thanks in adcance for the insight.

 

[ibouncetoo]

We are going with another family, both of 4. 2 adults each and noth kave 2 kids 8 and 2 kids 5. Will we be able to share 1 cabana or will they not allow it? I would think most of the day the kids will be in the childrens program. Thanks in adcance for the insight.

Yes, you can have 8 in your cabana, it will cost $100 more (first 6 included, each additonal person up to 10 is $50)

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[Chief71]

Yes, you can have 8 in your cabana, it will cost $100 more (first 6 included, each additonal person up to 10 is $50)

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Great!! Thanks for the help

 

[Bullseyebaby]

Just chiming in to say a few more things.....

paying the $500 is entirely up to you & your family/guests.

You are paying for a "private space". Bottled water & sunscreen were the only things "free" that would otherwise have a charge on them. We were not offered any Rum punch.

In the small amount of time we were in the cabana, we pushed the button twice for service and never had anyone answer (we were told it pages them directly). It's all about expectations. If you want privacy with a little exclusivity... great. You will get that. If you want great customer service, where someone waits on you and your guests,....I think you'll be disappointed.

 

[Katems]

How many bikes and floats and such are included in the cabanas on the family beach?

Thanks!

 

[princssdisnygina]

Just chiming in to say a few more things.....

paying the $500 is entirely up to you & your family/guests.

You are paying for a "private space". Bottled water & sunscreen were the only things "free" that would otherwise have a charge on them. We were not offered any Rum punch.

In the small amount of time we were in the cabana, we pushed the button twice for service and never had anyone answer (we were told it pages them directly). It's all about expectations. If you want privacy with a little exclusivity... great. You will get that. If you want great customer service, where someone waits on you and your guests,....I think you'll be disappointed.

And see.. I think the opposite. It seems it depends on the cruise and the concierge on duty.
We had Rum punch... an endless supply actually and our concierge literally was there in about a minute after we pushed the button. We pushed it about 3-4 times and then he just showed up a few times to check on us, because he hadn't heard from us in a while.

I am sorry you didn't get the great service as promised. Some have and some haven't. I will definitely be doing it again... the private space is the main thing we appreciate and pay for so to us it is worth it.

 

[FJS961]

And see.. I think the opposite. It seems it depends on the cruise and the concierge on duty.
We had Rum punch... an endless supply actually and our concierge literally was there in about a minute after we pushed the button. We pushed it about 3-4 times and then he just showed up a few times to check on us, because he hadn't heard from us in a while.

I am sorry you didn't get the great service as promised. Some have and some haven't. I will definitely be doing it again... the private space is the main thing we appreciate and pay for so to us it is worth it.

sounds like I want YOUR HOST when I am have the cabana

 

[kbmo4444]

And see.. I think the opposite. It seems it depends on the cruise and the concierge on duty.
We had Rum punch... an endless supply actually and our concierge literally was there in about a minute after we pushed the button. We pushed it about 3-4 times and then he just showed up a few times to check on us, because he hadn't heard from us in a while.

I am sorry you didn't get the great service as promised. Some have and some haven't. I will definitely be doing it again... the private space is the main thing we appreciate and pay for so to us it is worth it.

We had the same experience on our Double Dip Nov 2010! We had rum punch and our host arrived soon after we hit the call button. It is unfortunate that those who have rented cabana's recently have not had the same service. Our main reason that we rented and are renting the cabana's on our B2B in Feb is the private space as well

 

[threewilmingtonwalls]

How many bikes and floats and such are included in the cabanas on the family beach?

Thanks!

As far as I know, bikes are not included in the cabana rental. You still have to pay for those, like an excursion. Floats and innertubes are unlimited. They just had a big "corral" (for lack of a better word) of them and you could just take what you wanted.

 

[KristiMc]

As far as I know, bikes are not included in the cabana rental. You still have to pay for those, like an excursion. Floats and innertubes are unlimited. They just had a big "corral" (for lack of a better word) of them and you could just take what you wanted.

I had read somewhere that the bike rentals were included that you showed your wristband at the rental hut.

 

[threewilmingtonwalls]

And see.. I think the opposite. It seems it depends on the cruise and the concierge on duty.
We had Rum punch... an endless supply actually and our concierge literally was there in about a minute after we pushed the button. We pushed it about 3-4 times and then he just showed up a few times to check on us, because he hadn't heard from us in a while.

I am sorry you didn't get the great service as promised. Some have and some haven't. I will definitely be doing it again... the private space is the main thing we appreciate and pay for so to us it is worth it.

I'm with you on this one. I think you and many others have been given the service one should expect at that price. I have a feeling that if DCL offered these with no reference to service or amenities, they wouldn't be nearly as popular. I don't need to pay for exclusivity...but I WILL pay for service. Sounds like you were treated like a movie star, which would have been a bargain at twice the price!

 

[FJS961]

I had read somewhere that the bike rentals were included that you showed your wristband at the rental hut.

I read that too. One bike rental for each cabana guest is supposed to be included.

 

[threewilmingtonwalls]

I had read somewhere that the bike rentals were included that you showed your wristband at the rental hut.

Possible. I might have just missed it. I should have asked my alleged Cabana Host. Oh, wait...

 

[FJS961]

I'm with you on this one. I think you and many others have been given the service one should expect at that price. I have a feeling that if DCL offered these with no reference to service or amenities, they wouldn't be nearly as popular. I don't need to pay for exclusivity...but I WILL pay for service. Sounds like you were treated like a movie star, which would have been a bargain at twice the price!

Perhaps the service aspect has been hit or miss so far...

 

[princssdisnygina]

I read that too. One bike rental for each cabana guest is supposed to be included.

It is included... my concierge told us about it but he said most don't use it. You just ask your concierge when you check in!

I'm with you on this one. I think you and many others have been given the service one should expect at that price. I have a feeling that if DCL offered these with no reference to service or amenities, they wouldn't be nearly as popular. I don't need to pay for exclusivity...but I WILL pay for service. Sounds like you were treated like a movie star, which would have been a bargain at twice the price!

We were treated VERY well and we LOVED our day. I even canceled my jet ski excursion to spend time in the cabana. I am very excited to get one in September... hoping there is one available!

However, if I don't receive the service I expect then I will complain to who I need to. I am not rude or pushy in any way. I guess I am a nice complainer. But I will give them a chance to fix it.

 

[kyla]

I just got back from the second voyage of the Disney Dream. As soon as I got on the ship, I went to Guest Services to book a cabana. I was told that they didn't know how many were available if any and told me to check back later in the day. I continued to check with Guest Services into the evening hours and still no answer but the next morning found out that they did indeed book me a cabana, not the one I was requesting. I was having other disappointing service with Guest Services and this continued with the cabana booking. I went to ask questions about the cabana that we were assigned. I wanted a view of the ship and chairs out front on the beach. The pictures I'd seen showed the chairs stopping halfway up the beach for some reason. Anyway, Guest services said they knew nothing about the cabanas, so I told them that I didn't want the booking esp since they couldn't tell me anything and I was getting really disappointed with the lack of service. I couldn't see paying $500 and possibly not get any service. I'm glad now that I cancelled. Castaway Cay was not nearly as crowded as when I have visited before via the Magic. Lots of empty chairs on the beach, didn't feel crowded or rushed. I also see that others on this thread were not happy with the service, which is what I was afraid of, so I'm really glad that I cancelled. I'm not sure why the beach was not crowded. It could have been the beach expansion? or maybe we didn't have alot of people on the ship? But it was nice and I was very happy to see all the empty chairs.

 

[cblack]

We just returned from the Magic and had cabana number 3 on Friday. For us, there were good parts and bad.

- We split the cabana with another family, so at $250, it was easier for me to justify spending the money.
- When we got to the island, we checked in and also got the "you can walk if you want to (wink, wink)" speech, so we walked around until we found our cabana.
- What I liked most about the cabana was the private beach, there were only a few families on the private beach, so it felt like we had our own island. Also, when the tide goes out, there is a sandbar that reaches out into the cove where you can walk and get great pictures of the Magic. Only cabana guests were allowed out there (more on that later)
- There was no rum punch and it took us an hour to get drinks. By the time they came, they were melted.
- The concierge (Lynda) did explain how everything worked, showed us around the cabana, told us how to get the golf cart and how to rent bicycles/snorkeling gear
- In the morning, there was a gentleman stationed at the rope on the beach to keep non-cabana guests off of the private beach and he did a very nice job of keeping order. Around lunch-time a woman was stationed there and she was very selective in who she stopped. We were in the water watching her and about 1 in 5 families were stopped. This just irritated everyone. Then the woman disappeared and about 50 people moved over to the private beach. A quick call to Lynda resolved the issue.

So overall, even though I didn't get great service, it was worth it to me to have the private area to enjoy time with my family for $250 (but probably wouldn't have been worth it if I had paid the full $500).

 

[FJS961]

We just returned from the Magic and had cabana number 3 on Friday. For us, there were good parts and bad.

- We split the cabana with another family, so at $250, it was easier for me to justify spending the money.
- When we got to the island, we checked in and also got the "you can walk if you want to (wink, wink)" speech, so we walked around until we found our cabana.
- What I liked most about the cabana was the private beach, there were only a few families on the private beach, so it felt like we had our own island. Also, when the tide goes out, there is a sandbar that reaches out into the cove where you can walk and get great pictures of the Magic. Only cabana guests were allowed out there (more on that later)
- There was no rum punch and it took us an hour to get drinks. By the time they came, they were melted.
- The concierge (Lynda) did explain how everything worked, showed us around the cabana, told us how to get the golf cart and how to rent bicycles/snorkeling gear
- In the morning, there was a gentleman stationed at the rope on the beach to keep non-cabana guests off of the private beach and he did a very nice job of keeping order. Around lunch-time a woman was stationed there and she was very selective in who she stopped. We were in the water watching her and about 1 in 5 families were stopped. This just irritated everyone. Then the woman disappeared and about 50 people moved over to the private beach. A quick call to Lynda resolved the issue.

So overall, even though I didn't get great service, it was worth it to me to have the private area to enjoy time with my family for $250 (but probably wouldn't have been worth it if I had paid the full $500).

Thanks for the heads up. How was Cabana #3 specifically. Thats the one we have booked in April. It would seem that milage varies on service based on who is working there that day / shift. They really should be attentive to you and keep that beach area private for what you pay for it. Seems like the idea is there but the execution is really hit or miss...

 

[cblack]

Thanks for the heads up. How was Cabana #3 specifically. Thats the one we have booked in April. It would seem that milage varies on service based on who is working there that day / shift. They really should be attentive to you and keep that beach area private for what you pay for it. Seems like the idea is there but the execution is really hit or miss...

Cabana #3 was a great location - it really was very close to cookies too (close enough that I would have felt a little silly asking someone else to walk there to get my food) and very close to the restroom. The cabana was clean, the beach in front was great. My opinion only, I don't think they have enough staff covering the cabanas. The day we were there, all 17 on the family beach were booked and I only saw Lynda, one server and one golf cart driver working all day. We knew Lynda because we had a suite on the ship, so I got the impression we saw her more than others did too.