Do cabanas ever become available?

We didn't get one booked. :(. Think there is any hope?

Absolutely!

Keep checking!

People that can reserve them as soon as they can and sometimes do not want them later on.

Plus the HC cabana is held back as well until the last minute incase.

Ex techie

I had two Fantasy cruises in August and was concierge and booked at 120 days out,

I had a cabana for each cruise.

All family beach ones went within 5 minutes of midnight.

To manage expectations on the ship the concierge who are the ones who manage the Cabanas, said the waitlist was over 500 for each cruise.

Some people do reserve knowing they will go fast and change their mind and you may be lucky to get one if you spot it being cancelled, but its more than likely to be taken by the concierge team.

The odds are strongly against you but never say never.

We didn't get one booked. :(. Think there is any hope?

Is this your first time at Castaway Cay...or even second or third? If it's your first time, there are a lot of things to see and do, and in my opinion, a cabana is SO not worth that much money.

Is this your first time at Castaway Cay...or even second or third? If it's your first time, there are a lot of things to see and do, and in my opinion, a cabana is SO not worth that much money.

Actually they are very good value for money if you consider what you get included in it.

You get as a base the equivalent of the 'Castaway Cay Getaway Package' with it, so for my family of four, you got, snorkel equipment for the day, a float or tube rental for the day, and a bicycle rental for one hour, $32 x 4, = $128, if it was for six people thats, $192.

So for us $499 - $128 =$ 371 for a cabana as we used all of those items. or $93 pp at 4 people. ($circa $52 pp for 6).

Then cans of soda, unlimited cold bottled water, (free and no 15% auto tip on those), fruit, private beach, service by concierge hosts, private shower, hammock ( you do not have to race for), fan to keep you call. Sunscreen, sand toys. Magazines. A golf cart type taxi service to/from Cabanas, then you can see why there is a 500+ wait list.

Can you have a great time on CC without it, sure you can, but to say, not worth that much money I would strongly disagree. Each persons budget is there own responsibility but it can work out less than many family shore trips.

BUT....while you're off using the bikes, and the floats and the snorkel equipment, you're not using the cabana.

And if the kids want to play on Pelican Plunge, you're not using it.

If you want to do another excursion, like parasailing, or stingrays or the snorkel catamaran, you're spending even MORE money and not using the cabana.

There are SO MANY things to do, unless you just sit in the cabana all day, in MY opinion, it isn't worth it.

And besides.....I'm trying to make the OP feel better about not being able to get a cabana, and you're making them feel worse. Way to go.

I appreciate all the opinions. We booked this late (ill do a better in next time). We've never been to CC but our kids won't be spending much time in a cabana anyway (and too young to not have us carefully watching in water). We did book one at Grand Turks (?) at that Jimmy Buffet place and it wasn't a great value for us with the kids.

DH will keep looking and maybe we'll luck out. But with a 500+ wait list, I won't hold my breath. But I'll continue to question why they don't just add more....

I appreciate all the opinions. We booked this late (ill do a better in next time). We've never been to CC but our kids won't be spending much time in a cabana anyway (and too young to not have us carefully watching in water). We did book one at Grand Turks (?) at that Jimmy Buffet place and it wasn't a great value for us with the kids.

 

DH will keep looking and maybe we'll luck out. But with a 500+ wait list, I won't hold my breath. But I'll continue to question why they don't just add more....

There isn't room to add any more. The island is really small.

When you consider the number of people who want one, compared with the actual number of passengers, they can't take any more space away from people on the main beach or at the "adult" beach.

I think a 500+ waitlist is a bit exaggerated.

We just got off the Fantasy on March 2nd. We tried and tried to get a cabana and never had any luck.

In retrospect we were glad we did not, as it would have been a waste of money.

(Even though the water was kind of cold, my kid easily spent (at least) an hour riding Pelican plunge.)

Assuming the weather is even kind of nice, don't sweat the lack of a cabana.

BUT....while you're off using the bikes, and the floats and the snorkel equipment, you're not using the cabana.

 

And if the kids want to play on Pelican Plunge, you're not using it.

 

If you want to do another excursion, like parasailing, or stingrays or the snorkel catamaran, you're spending even MORE money and not using the cabana.

 

There are SO MANY things to do, unless you just sit in the cabana all day, in MY opinion, it isn't worth it.

 

 

And besides.....I'm trying to make the OP feel better about not being able to get a cabana, and you're making them feel worse. Way to go.

With the same logic, you would never leave your stateroom as you paid for it, or never leave the ship on a port excursion as you have paid for the ship.

To have a cabana you do not need to stay inside it all day, you can experience other things, yes I would agree on one bit, if you want to do so much else, ie swimming and boat trips etc then a cabana might not be for you,

With the same logic, you would never leave your stateroom as you paid for it, or never leave the ship on a port excursion as you have paid for the ship.

 

To have a cabana you do not need to stay inside it all day, you can experience other things, yes I would agree on one bit, if you want to do so much else, ie swimming and boat trips etc then a cabana might not be for you,

The price we pay to cruise includes FOOD, ENTERTAINMENT, PORT FEES.....

Not the same.

Besides, to me, a cruise is just a convenient way to see different places. I'm paying them to TAKE ME to those places.

I think your logic is skewed.

Hold out hope.

I was able to reserve a cabana about 3 weeks out from my trip. I thought the cabana was a great value and was one of the highlights of our cruise. I assume being on the Magic worked in my favor with less people competing for the limited number of cabanas. Also splitting the cost of the cabana with my brother and his family made it affordable.

The price we pay to cruise includes FOOD, ENTERTAINMENT, PORT FEES.....

Not the same.

Besides, to me, a cruise is just a convenient way to see different places. I'm paying them to TAKE ME to those places.

 

I think your logic is skewed.

Your original comment was that if you have a cabana you must use it all day to get value which isn't correct, and there is a benefit to everyone, you also said you changed your answers to make the OP feel good, I can understand that but I wanted to give an accurate response, as by aiming to make OP feel good, you might also make people who did pay for a Cabana feel bad, its far better to say it as you see it and be honest.

Your original comment was that if you have a cabana you must use it all day to get value which isn't correct, and there is a benefit to everyone, you also said you changed your answers to make the OP feel good, I can understand that but I wanted to give an accurate response, as by aiming to make OP feel good, you might also make people who did pay for a Cabana feel bad, its far better to say it as you see it and be honest.

I think you're seeing things.

My original comment said that especially if it's your first time there, there are a lot of things to see and do, and that you'd be busy enough seeing it all to make it so that it really isn't worth that much money. IN MY OPINION.

And I NEVER changed my answer....anywhere....EVER.

If I made you feel bad about spending that much money, that's your problem.....but it's totally different than telling someone who feels they're missing out on something not to worry about it, because they'll have fun regardless.

Did you ever stop to think that when people post pictures of the cabanas and all the amenities, that it appears to others as though they're BRAGGING? Because it does.

The people who can afford a suite on Disney get first shot. That means they have the MONEY to pay for the suite and then they have the MONEY to grab up all the cabanas. Then they have the lack of sensitivity to plaster pictures of their ritzy cabanas all over.

Talk about making people feel bad........

Now....either drop it, or leave me out of it. I expressed MY OPINION to which I am entitled. I didn't ever say you were wrong in your opinion.