Private Cabanas at Magic Kingdom: Last Day to Rent One - February 17, 2017

[beesly]

Hmmm, I was there and rented one on the first day they were available to the public (11/27 I think). Like I said in my review, it was very obvious this was a test and Disney didn't really try to hide it.

Ironically enough, I'll be at WDW the last day these are available (2/17). Doesn't make sense for me to get one given the logistics of this trip. But, if anyone wants to split one and have a "one last blast" cabana party...... Anyone? Lol.....

If it was during my trip I'd be all over the One Last Blast Cabana Party!

Bye Cabanas, we hardly knew ya!

Same here @TheFloatingBear! I'm headed home 2/4, though.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

If it was during my trip I'd be all over the One Last Blast Cabana Party!

My mind is racing about how much fun (trouble) us DIS'ers could get into with this.......

 

[TheFloatingBear]

Okay, I'm pathetic too...I don't see the post numbers and nothing happens when I flip my phone.

Golly, I wish there was a big white cabana someplace where I could rest and reflect upon my general patheticness...

 

[TheFloatingBear]

Same here @TheFloatingBear! I'm headed home 2/4, though.

My mind is racing about how much fun (trouble) us DIS'ers could get into with this.......

That's a bummer, @beesly ! So close! That would be a perfect spot for loungers see to gather, fur sure!

 

[hiroMYhero]

Okay, I'm pathetic too...I don't see the post numbers and nothing happens when I flip my phone.

Nothing shows up at the bottom of each post when you turn your phone sideways? You should see Signatures/Edit/Report/Post# etc.

 

[TheFloatingBear]

Nothing shows up at the bottom of each post when you turn your phone sideways? You should see Signatures/Edit/Report/Post# etc.

No, it doesn't even flip so that I see in landscape. I haven't had the phone that long so maybe it's me?

 

[hiroMYhero]

No, it doesn't even flip so that I see in landscape. I haven't had the phone that long so maybe it's me?

You may have it locked in Portrait mode. My iPad has that lock feature but I don't think it's on my phone.

 

[TheFloatingBear]

You may have it locked in Portrait mode. My iPad has that lock feature but I don't think it's on my phone.

Wow - I was going to say that you're my hero, but you're @hiroMYhero! You are exactly correct - thanks!

Fun with Landscape!

 

[Nancyg56]

Agree. Disney said it was a test, Disney said it would go into February, Disney is removing them as said. WE have no idea if they consider them a success or not. We will only know in the long term if they become a distant memory or we start to see some construction.

Everyone said DAH was a HUGE bust and was gone forever .............. it's back ......... with adjusted price. Testing helps determine what they need to know if they choose to go forward.

"A Disney spokeswoman said the cabanas had been planned as a test running through mid-February." ALL Disney has said. The rest of the story just assumptions.

Yes, and it is always interesting to me to follow what either comes back with a little tweaking and what goes away completely. I think that we will see something more permanent in the future.

M-I-C . . . see ya real soon . . .
K-E-Y . . . why? because they sold well . . .

I think that they actually did sell well considering they were not promoted by Disney. WHether or not they proved viable is another story, but if we see some little Snow WHite Houses appear in a little village on the outskirts of MK, we will know.

 

[HopperFan]

Yes, and it is always interesting to me to follow what either comes back with a little tweaking and what goes away completely. I think that we will see something more permanent in the future.

I think that they actually did sell well considering they were not promoted by Disney. WHether or not they proved viable is another story, but if we see some little Snow WHite Houses appear in a little village on the outskirts of MK, we will know.

THIS. Something can totally sell out but in the end it will depend on what profit they made compared to all the work/effort put in to it. And could they make more money by moving resources elsewhere or offering something more profitable on that real estate.

 

[mikedoyleblogger]

M-I-C . . . see ya real soon . . .
K-E-Y . . . why? because they sold well . . .

Though, since this was one of those "no skin off anyone else's nose" upcharge things, why not it should come back? Do I find it tasteless in a way? Yes. I know some of us do. But it seems to me they've been careful at WDW not to take away from regular guests in the making of the upcharge products. (The Halloween and Christmas parties having been around so long, I don't really consider to be doing that anymore.) EMM and DAH aren't really impacting regular operating hours, for example. You don't have to rent the expensive in-park or (where available) poolside cabanas. No one is forcing anyone to purchase an expensive, multi-hour tour, or a pass for the "express" (even though it only runs every half hour) transportation. It could be worse. I said it before in another thread, but it is creeping into worse at DLR, where they finally introduced electronic Fastpass reservations (after three years of them of WDW), but will charge guests $10 per person per day to make them. It hasn't gotten there yet at WDW, and since the president of WDW, George Kalogridis, has a much greater guest- and operations-oriented background than DLR's Michael Colglazier (who previously was happy to preside over an AK with a broken Yeti and now won't go to back for the guest experience at DLR), I don't think it will come to that in Orlando.

 

[rteetz]

I see a lot of posts guessing that this is going away because it failed, but saw this on Facebook (take it for what you will):

"When I called Disney about reserving one for our trip, they said they were booked solid till the end of the test period. Sounds like it went very well to me. They did say the tents would be removed in February, but only to make way for permanent structures."

Interesting. I only saw one in use during my trip last week.

 

[mom2rtk]

Interesting. I only saw one in use during my trip last week.

And don't forget they marked them down recently.

 

[HopperFan]

And don't forget they marked them down recently.

Agreed. But was that part of trying to find the proper valuation? I don't know. Last year DAH clearly came out at a high price point. They then offered discounts and by the end everyone got it for about half the price.

Many declared DAH a HUGE FAILURE, good riddance. Now it's back at a price somewhere in the middle.

No idea what the plan is, just that we can make no assumptions just because the test is ending ... when they said it would.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Interesting. I only saw one in use during my trip last week.

I don't mean anything snide by this question so please don't read it that way, I'm honestly curious. Are you going by what you saw - meaning, people in the cabana, personal belongings, etc? Or did you talk to a CM? I only ask because we weren't physically in the cabana that often when we did it. We'd come/go but pure time in the cabana was a small percentage of a 15 hour park day. When we weren't physically there, I'm not sure anyone could really tell if it was rented or not from peering over the shrubs, outside of the small plaque in front of each saying "Reserved for XXXX Family."

Again, not meaning to second-guess your observation, I'm just curious. The success/failure of this cabana concept in a theme park fascinates me.

 

[HopperFan]

I see a lot of posts guessing that this is going away because it failed, but saw this on Facebook (take it for what you will):

"When I called Disney about reserving one for our trip, they said they were booked solid till the end of the test period. Sounds like it went very well to me. They did say the tents would be removed in February, but only to make way for permanent structures."

So they wanted to book and couldn't because there was no availability. Get most would not be interested but I do think there is market for these, especially if they come with reserved viewing locations. From this post, it sounds like they wanted one and couldn't get one - no motive for saying otherwise.

I don't mean anything snide by this question so please don't read it that way, I'm honestly curious. Are you going by what you saw - meaning, people in the cabana, personal belongings, etc? Or did you talk to a CM? I only ask because we weren't physically in the cabana that often when we did it. We'd come/go but pure time in the cabana was a small percentage of a 15 hour park day. When we weren't physically there, I'm not sure anyone could really tell if it was rented or not from peering over the shrubs, outside of the small plaque in front of each saying "Reserved for XXXX Family."

Again, not meaning to second-guess your observation, I'm just curious. The success/failure of this cabana concept in a theme park fascinates me.

Most folks have reported the difficulty in seeing inside, agreeing at least with the private aspect. I was pleasantly surprised from photos and video tours just how private they were and even that one tent view couldn't even see in the other tents. I don't think any "commoners" would be able to tell if they were fully booked or not since if nothing else I imagine most guests like you were coming and going ... and when going locking their things up.

I just don't get why it's so hard for folks to understand that these might actually succeed? People pay big bucks for cabanas at water parks, hotels, beaches .... I think it's interesting as well and personally a mini city on top of the old Sky Bucket building with a balcony to watch fireworks, kinda creative experience within an experience. And the other parks ... they could be over the top creative.

If I were going when you go, I would totally share with you ......
.... but Mardi Gras Partying calls.

 

[rteetz]

I don't mean anything snide by this question so please don't read it that way, I'm honestly curious. Are you going by what you saw - meaning, people in the cabana, personal belongings, etc? Or did you talk to a CM? I only ask because we weren't physically in the cabana that often when we did it. We'd come/go but pure time in the cabana was a small percentage of a 15 hour park day. When we weren't physically there, I'm not sure anyone could really tell if it was rented or not from peering over the shrubs, outside of the small plaque in front of each saying "Reserved for XXXX Family."

Again, not meaning to second-guess your observation, I'm just curious. The success/failure of this cabana concept in a theme park fascinates me.

I understand but I only saw one cabana occupied during my trip. Sure they could've been booked. I did not ask a CM if they were. The insides of the ones I could see did now show any activity except for the one that I saw occupied.

 

[anomamatt]

Interesting. I only saw one in use during my trip last week.

For what it's worth, as a single data point I tried to get one on 12/22 and they were sold out.

And worth even less: on that same day I asked our VIP guide about them and he said they were quite popular. I asked about the unadvertised perks (fireworks seating, etc) and he said that they were not guaranteed but they tried to accommodate people.

My guess is that we will see permenant structures in place of the tents. And I hope to rent one when they do.