HMC Cabana with young kids - special needs

Hi.

So I have read EVERY post about HMC cabanas. I have booked my cabana. I know that most covet cabanas farther down the beach but that will not be appropriate in our case.

I will be travelling with my six year old, autistic, son and my two year old daughter (and the hubby). We booked a cabana to be able to stay on the island longer - we always need a place for DS to decompressed when overwhelmed and/or too hot. It will also provide us a place to safely and appropriately manage him should he have a meltdown, without disturbing too many people. Travelling with him and my DS and stuff, walking long distances is not ideal. The trolley is not really an option (unfamiliar vehicle - and yes, I know the tenders are going to be challenging!) All that considered and in order to be closer to the children's area, and the buffet and the bathrooms, I have narrowed down the cabanas to 1-5 for us.

Now, 5 looks way too close to the pirate bar and appears to have a walkway directly behind it for accessing the beach. 1 is obviously the first cabana and, my guess, is it will have the highest rate of people interloping, not realizing that it is not for public use...

So between 2, 3 and 4, is there anything I should know or consider? More shade, in direct path access to beach, etc?

Thanks for answering another Cabana questions, but as you can see my answers are not available in the other threads.

Hi.

 

So I have read EVERY post about HMC cabanas. I have booked my cabana. I know that most covet cabanas farther down the beach but that will not be appropriate in our case.

 

I will be travelling with my six year old, autistic, son and my two year old daughter (and the hubby). We booked a cabana to be able to stay on the island longer - we always need a place for DS to decompressed when overwhelmed and/or too hot. It will also provide us a place to safely and appropriately manage him should he have a meltdown, without disturbing too many people. Travelling with him and my DS and stuff, walking long distances is not ideal. The trolley is not really an option (unfamiliar vehicle - and yes, I know the tenders are going to be challenging!) All that considered and in order to be closer to the children's area, and the buffet and the bathrooms, I have narrowed down the cabanas to 1-5 for us.

 

Now, 5 looks way too close to the pirate bar and appears to have a walkway directly behind it for accessing the beach. 1 is obviously the first cabana and, my guess, is it will have the highest rate of people interloping, not realizing that it is not for public use...

 

So between 2, 3 and 4, is there anything I should know or consider? More shade, in direct path access to beach, etc?

 

Thanks for answering another Cabana questions, but as you can see my answers are not available in the other threads.

I'm sorry, I can't answer your specific questions because I haven't spent any time in that area of the beach. From what I saw it was crowded everywhere at the beginning of the beach, not just cabana 1. A lot of people probably want cabanas close to the amenities too.

In my experience, the cabanas are chosen on a first-come basis. Make sure you get to the Shore Excursion desk as soon as possible. It is possible that 2-4 will be taken, even 1-5. I remember there only being like five or six choices left when I got mine. I'd hate to see you have specific plans that don't work out. Perhaps you could contact the Special Needs department for help in reserving a specific cabana.

Cruise, J.D.

Thanks for your reply.

I am aware of the rush to get to the excursions desk upon boarding - thankfully the FTTF should help with getting on the ship in a timely fashion.

While many people want to be close to the amenities, it was my impression from reading the posts, that the numbers higher than 6 tend to be more popular (at least with CC folk) because the beach "quiets" out a little, the further up you go. I guess I will just keep my fingers crossed.

Thankfully, I am able to go with the flow, despite my "rigid" son and we will take whatever happens in stride. However, I love to be armed with information to make any decision easier, hence my quest for the ideal cabin for "us".

Hope you get to HMC again too...