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

[Karin1984]

Can we stop with discussing what Walt would have done and wanted? In about 3 weeks he passed away 50 years ago. It's impossible to say what his vision would have been as times have changed and maybe Walt would have changed with the times.

I don't understand with things like early/late openings and other paid additions, how people say disney should invest in something all the guests can enjoy. How do you handle special seating at concerts or football games? Michelin star restaurants etc. The world is filled with things for the elite only. Why would Disney be any different? Club level or vip tours are also only for those who can afford it and not the entire audience. Why is Club Level with nice extra's okay, but is this or EMM money grabbing?

 

[Nancyg56]

Equality is a good thing. Kids need to feel EQUAL in a Disney park!

How awful for the families like us - who will never see the inside of those structures due to $$$!!!

I don't think Walt would be too happy either!

Do you really believe that when kids enter the parks all needs to be equal? Life is not that way. When my own kids were young I packed lunches when I took them to amusement parks and on day trips. We had a few treats, and maybe dinner on the way home if I could afford it, but that was it. We bought them seasons passes into Riverside Park. Every Saturday they went to the races for tha small admission fee, but they ate dinner first. A few rides after.

Their experience differed greatly from other kids whose parents bought them souveniers, dinner, treats galore.

I believe that you do children great disservice if you shield them from the realty that all is not equal. There will aways be people that they must interact with who have more. A better car, more expensive clothes, a higher prices education. They will also have more than others. Best to learn how to gracefully manage both situations.

I realize you are being sarcastic, but I just wanted to use this statement.

Disney is not taking anything away from the consumer by adding this "money grab" cabana option. In this instance, I am not being charged more for a product I already have use of. This is not a case where something was taken from me, yet I'm still being charged the same price. This is an add on that isn't affecting my trip if anyone else uses it.
.

I agree.

Imagine your kids saying to you "mummy can we go and ride Space Mountain?" And having to say "no sweetie... it's time to go and sit in the tent now". Imagine their little faces

Why would you need to say no?

[QUOTE="KateP85, post: 56778196, member:

I'm sure I'm going to get flamed up the wazoo for this, but I think the idea of napping in a tent in the middle of a theme park as an adult is bizarre. If I'm that tired in the middle of the day, I'd go back to the resort and sleep in my room.[/QUOTE]

Really? So if your time in the park was limited, you traveled in a group, and had the choice: lose several hours in travel and nap time, or all pony up to reserve private area thatvyoyvcould utilize for a rest, beverages and snacks, be assured that you not only had this rest area, but also did not need to spend precious park time staking out good spaces for entertainment, you would turn your nose up?

I'm not going to lie, I don't like rope drop to park close days, but if I did and if I had folks to split the bill with, I'd do this. I especially consider this if I had someone with mobility or stamina issues. How many of our loved ones choose to stay home do they are not a "burden"? If I could have paid for this tent when my mom was alive, giving her a place to rest and still get to enjoy portions of the day, I would in a heartbeat. Please do not forget that your stamina and circumstances may differ from those who are accustomed to paying extra for many things due to their health.

 

[yulilin3]

Sooo... has anyone booked one for Christmas day? Seriously considering it, there is 5 of us, so we'd need to find another family of 3 to split with. Honestly, for the ears, drinks, fruit, ice cream, charging, and reserved viewing, I don't think this is that crazy at all. I find it more appealing than a dessert party.

ETA: So, yeah.. I went ahead and booked for Christmas day!
You have up until 2 days before to cancel if you need to. Total is $691 with tax. They said it's available from 9am until park closing, which is Midnight on Christmas.

Here's the breakdown I'm figuring.

Mickey Ears - $14.50 + whatever personalization costs now
Soda + Water, if 1 of each - $6
Ice Cream Treat - $5
Fruit - $3
The CM said there would be assorted pre-packaged snacks, and they're thinking it's going to be traditional ones like chips, pretzels, popcorn. So I'll say another $5 maybe
So that's about $30-$35 per person in snacks/drinks/hat

Add on
Locker - $7-12
bug spray/sunblock.. Yes we usually bring, but sometimes forget, so that's handy
Charging stations.
PLUS the reserved viewing for parades and fireworks, and a respite from the crowds on Christmas day. I'm thinking WELL worth it.

Maybe I'm crazy, but this my family's dream vacation, we've never been to WDW, we've been DL Passholders though for years. We have ressies for Crystal Palace at 8am and LTT for Christmas Dinner at like 7pm. This gives us a chance to do the full day at MK and have the chance for a break without worrying about them closing to re-entry, etc..

I don't think you need to justify why you booked. If it makes sense for you and your family, go and enjoy. Make sure to come back to this thread and give us your view, I'm sure your MK Christmas experience will be enhanced because you booked this. Have fun

 

[yulilin3]

Can we stop with discussing what Walt would have done and wanted? In about 3 weeks he passed away 50 years ago. It's impossible to say what his vision would have been as times have changed and maybe Walt would have changed with the times.

I don't understand with things like early/late openings and other paid additions, how people say disney should invest in something all the guests can enjoy. How do you handle special seating at concerts or football games? Michelin star restaurants etc. The world is filled with things for the elite only. Why would Disney be any different? Club level or vip tours are also only for those who can afford it and not the entire audience. Why is Club Level with nice extra's okay, but is this or EMM money grabbing?

I agree with you about not knowing how Walt would respond to the management nowadays but I would like to add that this is not necessarily for the elite. You see some people here moving around special packages that they had booked to be able to afford this, also many save money for years and tears to come, and maybe they want to splurge on this, so not just for the elite

 

[GillianP1301]

Can we stop with discussing what Walt would have done and wanted? In about 3 weeks he passed away 50 years ago. It's impossible to say what his vision would have been as times have changed and maybe Walt would have changed with the times.

I don't understand with things like early/late openings and other paid additions, how people say disney should invest in something all the guests can enjoy. How do you handle special seating at concerts or football games? Michelin star restaurants etc. The world is filled with things for the elite only. Why would Disney be any different? Club level or vip tours are also only for those who can afford it and not the entire audience. Why is Club Level with nice extra's okay, but is this or EMM money grabbing?

ITA with this. As long as the extras/elite experiences aren't taking away from the existing experience for everyone else, then what's the big deal? For example EMM happens the hour or so before the park opens, that is a lot different then had they launched that but had it scheduled in the first hour of normal park operation and given the masses 1 hour less of park time.

I also agree with the not speculating about what Walt would think. I love Walt Disney and what he created, but rest assured, he did not build and come up with plans for WDW as a charity. Yes, he was a visionary, but he was also a business man and making money was definitely one of his priorities.

 

[OhioStateBuckeye]

Just because people are asking for clarification.... I'm upset at all these moves because Disney's efforts seem to be at adding additional cost experiences for a small number of guests. It might be a coincidence that these moves come at a time when many of the smaller, stand alone experiences are being scaled back and cut. By those I mean things like roaming entertainment in the parks, those little things that differentiated Disney from other parks.

So yes, it makes me upset to see more and more additional cost experiences added while park wide things are cut. I wish Disney would focus their energy and efforts on making guest experience additions for all.

For those who seem hesitant to post that they're excited to book these experiences, don't be scared of being flamed on my part, that won't happen.

I'm upset with the direction Disney is taking, not that people are taking advantage of a service that Disney has devised.

 

[grimley1968]

So will they be repurposing the tents from the old Toontown area? I'm trying to think of a way that putting a bunch of tents into a themed park won't look terrible.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

Just because people are asking for clarification.... I'm upset at all these moves because Disney's efforts seem to be at adding additional cost experiences for a small number of guests. It might be a coincidence that these moves come at a time when many of the smaller, stand alone experiences are being scaled back and cut. By those I mean things like roaming entertainment in the parks, those little things that differentiated Disney from other parks.

So yes, it makes me upset to see more and more additional cost experiences added while park wide things are cut. I wish Disney would focus their energy and efforts on making guest experience additions for all.

For those who seem hesitant to post that they're excited to book these experiences, don't be scared of being flamed on my part, that won't happen.

I'm upset with the direction Disney is taking, not that people are taking advantage of a service that Disney has devised.

So the addition of Jingle BAM, the tree trail and drone show at DS, plus the building of Avatarland, Star Wars Land and Toy Story Land (not to mention the new Soarin', FEA and nighttime experiences at AK) don't equate to Disney focusing their energy and efforts on making guest experiences for all?

We are talking multi, multi-million dollar expansions for all guests to enjoy over a few tents in MK.

 

[disneynutz]

My only concern during out stay next month is that the cabanas are new and Disney takes awhile to work the bugs out and get the CM's up to speed.

Bill

 

[Karin1984]

By those I mean things like roaming entertainment in the parks, those little things that differentiated Disney from other parks.

I think that's not possible in today’s society anymore due to social media and everyone can know everything and people demand to get the same experience as others.

If Disney had a special thing accesible for everyone, let's say Flynn roaming around for a short period. Then some people will be lucky, some won't. It is posted online and a demand will be created. But disney does not have enough friends of Flynn to create a daily/weekly schedule. Therefore to prevent guests from complaining, 'my friend met Flynn last week and I want it too,' it gets cancelled again or limited to parties or against payment in general. I'm sure roaming characters caused many complaints over the past few years.

The only way to solve it is to communicate about it and say 'this is a limited/exclusive offer at x price'. I think it causes less complaints.

 

[BigAl_PT]

Just because people are asking for clarification.... I'm upset at all these moves because Disney's efforts seem to be at adding additional cost experiences for a small number of guests. It might be a coincidence that these moves come at a time when many of the smaller, stand alone experiences are being scaled back and cut. By those I mean things like roaming entertainment in the parks, those little things that differentiated Disney from other parks.

So yes, it makes me upset to see more and more additional cost experiences added while park wide things are cut. I wish Disney would focus their energy and efforts on making guest experience additions for all.

For those who seem hesitant to post that they're excited to book these experiences, don't be scared of being flamed on my part, that won't happen.

I'm upset with the direction Disney is taking, not that people are taking advantage of a service that Disney has devised.

Adding additional cost experiences for a small number of guests doesn't really bother me...and I don't believe these things are at the expense of the other experiences you mentioned. I'm guessing those would have been scaled back regardless. Is it not possible that by adding in some of these extra cost experiences they may be able to bring back some of the things people lament losing like the roaming entertainment? I'm not saying it will happen, but if the cost/benefit of those things for the Company doesn't make sense now, it's possible that these extra cost experiences could help fund the return of some of the things we've lost....because we all know that Disney isn't charging cost for these new experiences.

 

[ellie05]

I have a question for all of the people that think this is a great place to nap. There is one couch so what are the other 7 people supposed to do while you nap ? They won't really have a place to seat since they only offer another chair.

Assuming that the couch is comfortable which is doesn't look like it. I don't think I could have a restful sleep between and uncomfortable couch and the noise.

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

I have a question for all of the people that think this is a great place to nap. There is one couch so what are the other 7 people supposed to do while you nap ? They won't really have a place to seat since they only offer another chair.

Assuming that the couch is comfortable which is doesn't look like it. I don't think I could have a restful sleep between and uncomfortable couch and the noise.

Assuming you have eight people and all eight people are there wanting to stay and sit, then it wouldn't be a good place to nap. But since there are only 3 in my family , that wouldn't be the case. To say nothing of the fact that I can easily nap sitting up.

Noise doesn't bother me. Like I said, I can nap at a train station.

The difference is, with the private tent, I can nap when I want, for as little or as long as I want. My nap isn't limited to the length of a show.

 

[brockash]

I realize you are being sarcastic, but I just wanted to use this statement.

Disney is not taking anything away from the consumer by adding this "money grab" cabana option. In this instance, I am not being charged more for a product I already have use of. This is not a case where something was taken from me, yet I'm still being charged the same price. This is an add on that isn't affecting my trip if anyone else uses it.

Now look at what United is doing. They are offering "economy pricing". Except what I used to pay for my flight (including one carry on and choosing my seat) is now considered the economy pricing for which there is no carry on allowed and you do not get to choose your seat. Same price, options/product removed. Now I would have to pay more for what I was getting before. I am now choosing not to fly United.

Ehhh...I think it gets pretty iffy here. Disney is def. taking away space, walking, sitting, standing etc. space, which seems like not a big deal, however I think it does say something to what Disney's willing to do to make more money and I do think it def. impacts guests on busier days. Also, providing reserved viewing is also in a way taking away the opportunity for a non-cabana buying guests to reserve that same viewing, whether it be via fast pass, purchasing dessert party etc. Yes, def. not a big taking away, but it's still not Disney taking nothing away from a regular guests either, and the potential for what else this could lead to is there.

To reference your United situation...the same applies, for example, I used to be able to sit in the garden of MK to watch Wishes for free with a fastpass, and now I can't without purchasing an "extra, or add-on" of the Wishes dessert party. So, yes something was taken away from the regular customer.

 

[grimley1968]

Ehhh...I think it gets pretty iffy here. Disney is def. taking away space, walking, sitting, standing etc. space, which seems like not a big deal, however I think it does say something to what Disney's willing to do to make more money and I do think it def. impacts guests on busier days. Also, providing reserved viewing is also in a way taking away the opportunity for a non-cabana buying guests to reserve that same viewing, whether it be via fast pass, purchasing desert party etc. Yes, def. not a big taking away, but it's still not Disney taking nothing away from a regular guests either, and the potential for what else this could lead to is there.

Agreed. Also, shoehorning a bunch of tents into a themed park might be considered detracting from those guests who might prefer the look of the themed land without a bunch of tents on the periphery.

 

[HopperFan]

Sooo... has anyone booked one for Christmas day? Seriously considering it, there is 5 of us, so we'd need to find another family of 3 to split with. Honestly, for the ears, drinks, fruit, ice cream, charging, and reserved viewing, I don't think this is that crazy at all. I find it more appealing than a dessert party.

ETA: So, yeah.. I went ahead and booked for Christmas day!
You have up until 2 days before to cancel if you need to. Total is $691 with tax. They said it's available from 9am until park closing, which is Midnight on Christmas.

Here's the breakdown I'm figuring.

Mickey Ears - $14.50 + whatever personalization costs now
Soda + Water, if 1 of each - $6
Ice Cream Treat - $5
Fruit - $3
The CM said there would be assorted pre-packaged snacks, and they're thinking it's going to be traditional ones like chips, pretzels, popcorn. So I'll say another $5 maybe
So that's about $30-$35 per person in snacks/drinks/hat

Add on
Locker - $7-12
bug spray/sunblock.. Yes we usually bring, but sometimes forget, so that's handy
Charging stations.
PLUS the reserved viewing for parades and fireworks, and a respite from the crowds on Christmas day. I'm thinking WELL worth it.

Maybe I'm crazy, but this my family's dream vacation, we've never been to WDW, we've been DL Passholders though for years. We have ressies for Crystal Palace at 8am and LTT for Christmas Dinner at like 7pm. This gives us a chance to do the full day at MK and have the chance for a break without worrying about them closing to re-entry, etc..

I think for Christmas Day, NYE, Easter, July 4th ... these would sell out very quickly once word is out. Having these would actually make those days something I would consider whereas now I wouldn't go close to MK. NOW we are hoping to do Epcot for NYE but I don't think they would be as big a perk there for us, all adults, but a family yes.

 

[KateP85]

[/QUOTE]
Really? So if your time in the park was limited, you traveled in a group, and had the choice: lose several hours in travel and nap time, or all pony up to reserve private area thatvyoyvcould utilize for a rest, beverages and snacks, be assured that you not only had this rest area, but also did not need to spend precious park time staking out good spaces for entertainment, you would turn your nose up?

I'm not going to lie, I don't like rope drop to park close days, but if I did and if I had folks to split the bill with, I'd do this. I especially consider this if I had someone with mobility or stamina issues. How many of our loved ones choose to stay home do they are not a "burden"? If I could have paid for this tent when my mom was alive, giving her a place to rest and still get to enjoy portions of the day, I would in a heartbeat. Please do not forget that your stamina and circumstances may differ from those who are accustomed to paying extra for many things due to their health.[/QUOTE]

Honestly? Yeah, I would. It's just not something I'd use. I'd book at the Contemporary - which is only a 30 minute walk away - and go back there. I wouldn't be able to rest in a tent in Tomorrowland, and I wouldn't really make much use of the drinks or snacks. I understand that other people have issues that mean they might want to take a break, they travel with elderly relatives, etc. I just wouldn't use it, nor would my family.

 

[js]

The point was he wanted an elite VIP experience for those sponsors and the general public was never meant to go. I see this as being no different, minus the corporations. It's an elite VIP experience and if you have the money it's yours for the taking.

I agree and if I could book one for NYE at Epcot I would. There is nothing anywhere that says life is fair or has to be fair and equal for all.
If you have the money, great, and if don't or don't want to spend it that way, who the heck cares. It's like booking different categories on a ship,
what hotels we book, etc.

I love the idea and hope they make them a little nicer, for instance, like the new beach cabanas on Harvest Cay in Belize for NCL. They are very nice, nicer than
CC.

I


I think for Christmas Day, NYE, Easter, July 4th ... these would sell out very quickly once word is out. Having these would actually make those days something I would consider whereas now I wouldn't go close to MK. NOW we are hoping to do Epcot for NYE but I don't think they would be as big a perk there for us, all adults, but a family yes.

Hi!
I'm a family of four with my kids being 18 and 23. I am VERY interested in sharing a cabana at Epcot for NYE if anyone is interested.
We could split the cost per person. If these become available at Epcot I want to book for NYE and share if anyone wants to do this with me.

I planned on having dinner at the Boathouse and hanging out in DTD for NYE since we will be staying at SSR but if I can get a cabana and hang out there from 11 pm - midnight, I'm all over it.

Now we need a cabana share thread like the Illuminations and Wishes cruises.

 

[Ciao Mickey]

I'd be interested in seeing Disney do themed cabanas rather than bland white tents. I get that it's in testing.. but imagine a cabana that fits into the theme of Frontierland (would it have a fridge? haha).. but realistically, imagine a little castle cabana or a tiny Mickey's toon house cabana. I guess the downside would be that it would blend in too much and you'd have kids running up and trying to go into cabanas that don't belong to them, but it'd be an interesting idea.

We'd never rent one, but I guess this would be an option for those who are willing to to have a safe haven to store their valuables and go to cool off. Certainly an unexpected addition...

I can see them making the cabanas themed too.

If this catches on I would think that they would put the cabanas in an area that can be gated and you can enter only by your magic band. Also there needs to be private restrooms for them to use. I can also see them jacking up the price.

If they had offered this years ago, when we travelled with my parents who were in wheelchairs, and when all the kids in our family were younger, I could see us renting one at certain times of the year.

If they follow through with this they need some larger cabanas for larger families. Lol.

 

[HopperFan]

Hi!
I'm a family of four with my kids being 18 and 23. I am VERY interested in sharing a cabana at Epcot for NYE if anyone is interested.
We could split the cost per person. If these become available at Epcot I want to book for NYE and share if anyone wants to do this with me.

I planned on having dinner at the Boathouse and hanging out in DTD for NYE since we will be staying at SSR but if I can get a cabana and hang out there from 11 pm - midnight, I'm all over it.

Now we need a cabana share thread like the Illuminations and Wishes cruises.

Only 2 maybe 3 of us right now and we are not 100% sure, as we would only be driving over from beach for the night. But keep putting this out there if you get one, am sure you will get a group of 4 that can share with certainty - and I'll keep watching for your posts too.