CC Cabanas - The Appeal

[saltlifesav]

We also never considered a cabana because I thought it was expensive for just 2 adults and 1 child. However while we were onboard the Dream last month, the afternoon before CC our concierge said one was available. My husband made a spur of the moment decision and booked it. Second best decision he has made in his life lol. It rained on and off for a good part of the day, though never heavy. And we noticed just how crowded the main beach was. It would've been a nightmare to keep up with a rambunctious 3yo. We were in cabana #16 and #17 was vacant! It really felt like we were on our own private island. We occasionally heard the family in #15 and saw them in the water some but they left early afternoon. They had to drag me back to the boat. We were totally unplugged from the world and completely focused on each other. All 3 of us relished every single second we were at CC and I can say without hesitation it was one the best days of my life. I have a few pics I took to give you an idea of how beautiful it was. I will share them from my laptop tomorrow. I say get the cabana!

 

[Pegasus928]

All the positive responses of those that have used the cabanas have swayed me into going for it. It will be our 25th wedding anniversary so we really want to make it special - and as DW is giving me free reign on the cruise aspect of our trip it will be a nice surprise. I would love to see some pics from those that have them, if you can find time to post them.
Thanks again for taking the time to reply

 

[Runnergal]

For us, they set up a pack and play for our daughter. She got to take a nap, in the shade, under a fan. I got to lay out on the cushioned lounger with my cold wet washcloth while she was sleeping. It was amazingly relaxing. Definitely a splurge for our family. But one that benefited each of us in different ways.

Really?? That is awesome to hear! I booked my 7mo into the nursery for a few hours on CC day so that I can enjoy the activities with my other 3 dc, but it would be great if the 2yo could have a real nap in the cabana- then mom might actually get to relax for a minute too!!

 

[saltlifesav]

 

[saltlifesav]

Hope these links work. Flickr is not very cooperative with my phone.

http://flic.kr/p/gr5XPF

http://flic.kr/p/gr5Di

http://flic.kr/p/gr4Vms

 

[saltlifesav]

http://flic.kr/p/gr5Dif

 

[antmaril]

My SIL rented one for our cruise in March. They were Concierge passengers, so she had good luck in reserving one (#11). The real reason she wanted it was for us to be able to get out of the sun. There were six of us including her mother (70) and me (62). It was great to be able to get some relief from the hot sun and it was quiet. If the cost is doable, I would highly recommend. It made for a wonderful day.

 

[lucyem]

I think a lot depends on your idea of what is worth it and the make up of your traveling party. We loved it for all the reasons people posted above. It was great to get out of the sun, have sodas right there, a quiet place to relax and take a nap etc. But we felt like by the time we rode bikes, explored CC, snorkeled and ate lunch a good part of the day was gone. We skipped any excursions because we had the cabana. Next trip we want to do a couple of excursions and have more time on the bikes etc. But it is me, DH and two active boys.

 

[PATTERSON PARTY OF 3]

We love it for the privacy and comfort. If I was to go to Castaway Cay with out one It would only be half a day for me but with the Cabana I can nap and stay out of the sun. ( I am very very fair skin. Think Albino) Here are shots of Cabana #21 on Serenity Bay on our Sept 19 Dream sailing. I personally think this is the best Cabana on Serenity Bay.

 

[JoiseyMom]

I think a lot depends on your idea of what is worth it and the make up of your traveling party. We loved it for all the reasons people posted above. It was great to get out of the sun, have sodas right there, a quiet place to relax and take a nap etc. But we felt like by the time we rode bikes, explored CC, snorkeled and ate lunch a good part of the day was gone. We skipped any excursions because we had the cabana. Next trip we want to do a couple of excursions and have more time on the bikes etc. But it is me, DH and two active boys.

See, it depends on what type of person you are. If you want to do excursions then it won't be worth it. If you just want to ride bikes and relax in the water and veg...totally worth it

 

[cheesemouse]

You are likely to get a huge range of answers. We have done it once and will try to get a cabana each and every time. For us the benefits were the following: having a guaranteed shaded place to go, having a guaranteed comfortable chair to relax on, having a guaranteed umbrella and chair close to the beach to watch the kids while they play in the water.

The other single best feature was that we were able to get a pack-n-play delivered to the cabana so that my 1 year old could take his normal 2 naps a day. That was AWESOME. We would never have been able to spend a whole day at the beach without him having somewhere to take naps. Plus there was a big changing curtain/room in the cabana that we were able to put the pack-n-play in so he had his own little area to sleep. And it was super quiet there. Awesome.

As for the time and cost. We used our cabana the entire day. We got there around 9am and left at 4pm. There were 5 people. So $500 for 7 hours for 5 people is less than $15 per hour per person. There are many other excursions that are shorter in duration and would cost the same if not more. We did not do any other excursions on that cruise (because of the 1 year old) so for us it was doable. Also, sand toys, floats, snorkel gear, and tubes were all included. So if you subtract the cost of the 3 snorkel rentals, 3 floats, and 2 tubes we used, the price is less.

It's definitely not something that would make everyone happy. But for us, it was something that allowed our ENTIRE family to stay at the beach the whole day, and I was so glad we did it.