Amber Cove Ocean Cabana Review and Pics!

We rented an Ocean Cabana at Amber Cove during our 4/24/16 week Carnival Conquest sailing. In short, it was a terrific experience and we will absolutely rent one if we port in Amber Cove again. We have rented cabanas in several ports and in waterparks and the ocean cabanas rank high.

Pictures

Here is a link to 15 Ocean Cabana pictures (outside AND inside). Click on the 1st picture and then use the right/left arrows to move through the pics. I wrote descriptions with more information for each pic. Enjoy! :)

http://s1042.photobucket.com/user/janetcole72/library/Amber%20Cove%20Ocean%20Cabana

Pier Transportation Carts

When we left the ship we choose to use the bicycle/cart transportation to the end of the pier. It was a hot day and it was so worth it for us. The sign says something like "no fees, but tips appreciated." We tipped $10 each way. Probably could have given less, but we were wicked happy with the service. It would have been a long walk, certainly doable though, for someone with no mobility issues. If you have an older person, or someone with even the slightest mobility issue, I recommend these carts. You can definitely fit 2 people, possibly 3 if the 3rd is a small adult or child.

Walk to the Ocean Cabanas

At the end of the pier, you walk to the left to go to the shops, or to the right to head to the pool, restaurant, zipline, and all the cabanas. After turning right, you first hit the pool area on the left, which is AMAZING. Big, clean, but somewhat loud with the music. If you get a poolside cabana, just know it will be in a congested, loud area (my opinion), but close to all action. Pros and cons there.

Past the pool on the right hand side is the Water Activities booth. This is where we turned in our ocean cabana excursion ticket and the nice staff there checked us in. We both received wrist bracelets and one of the employees walked us to our cabana. We could not select our cabana, it was already assigned to us, which was completely fine. On the 2 minute walk to the cabana pier, we were asked if we wanted water noodles (no charge). Yes, please! We were then shown hammocks (no charge) we could use (although, I think anyone could use them) and then the restroom right by the cabana pier. The restrooms here (one male, one female) were very clean and monitored by an attendant. No lines here. :)

Once on the cabana pier, there is a relatively big covered bar area that is used to service only the cabanas, manned at times by 1 or 2 bartenders. I think pool guests could come over and use the bar if they wanted, but they had a bar area that was closer so no one seemed to come over except for cabana guests. The bartenders were great. I was disappointed they didn't have amaretto for amaretto sours, but I quickly recovered. ;) I did find out later the bartender talked to the 'big boss' who said she would bring down a bottle, but it never happened. They kept apologizing, but I told them it was all good...

After the cabana bar, there is a roped off entryway, manned by a security person (only employee we encountered that didn't know English), where the 7 ocean cabanas are. There 3 regular cabanas to the left, the grand cabana in the middle, and then 3 more regular cabanas to the right, all in a row. We were in B-5, so basically the 5th one in line. Loved this location! All cabanas were being used, except for the Grand Cabana. B-5 was next to the Grand Cabana.

Inside the Cabana!!

In reading past reviews, there hasn't been a lot of details given, so here goes:

1. there is a front door that can be locked with a key (in case you want to zipline, kayak, etc,). You can leave the door opened or closed.

2. the furniture inside the cabana is all very comfortable, cushioned and sturdy. One long couch, 2 single chairs, and a pretty big coffee table. The couch is big enough to lay down on for a nap...just saying.

3. there is a refrigerator (includes the 5 bottled waters, single Coke, Diet Coke, Fanta Orange, Dr. Pepper and 2 local sodas.) There is a freezer section, but nothing was in there.

4. the coffee table had a basket of local goodies on it: 3 bags of different types of chips, lollipop-like candy, cookies, and some type of white pastry, and a nut bar. Just tried the cookies and they were good, similar to a butter or sugar cookie.

5. there is a safe directly above the refrigerator, at least the same size as the ship cabin safe. There is a separate key to lock/unlock the safe. You need to get the key from the water activities booth. We didn't use the key.

6. There is a large mirror on the wall - used this to check out my hair situation from time to time. ;)

7. Small flat screen TV up in the corner with a posted list of channels. Didn't try this.

8. There was a ceiling fan and a wall air conditioner. We used both. In the afternoon when it got hotter we closed the 5 shutter windows to keep the cold air in. Truth be told, though, we probably would have been just fine with only the ceiling fan.

9. Everything was so CLEAN and in good repair. Loved the inside!

10. Behind the refrigerator there is a pair of available electrical outlets: 2 USA compatible, 2 USB ports and I'm not sure what the other was. We charged our phones/tablets here.

11. The front cabana view was of the water activities booth with their stock of kayaks, standup paddle boards (fun!) and some type of covered pontoon boat. The back view was of the ocean, the ships that are docked and of the gorgeous mountains. A very nice, relaxing view, for sure.

Outside the Cabana!!

1. At the back of each cabana is a two tiered deck. The main deck has two cushioned lounge chairs, each with an end table. The chair backs were adjustable and could be moved. We moved them in/out of the sun. The double doors leading from the inside to the back deck could be opened or closed, too.

2. Above the lounge chairs there are several 'misting' holes where water comes out. An employee came around to show us how to use it...it was great.

3. On the side of the deck, there is a ladder that moves with you as you go down into the water. I asked how deep the water was and they said 6.5 feet. The water was a murky greenish blue, but not gross. You couldn't see anything...no sea life or plants, etc. That was OK with me. The swimming area was a good size and roped off.

4. You could also take a step down or two onto a lower deck, where you could sit down and put your feet into the water. We only had two people in our group, but if you had more it would be nice to have this extra room.

5. The cabanas were staggered so if you looked out your window, you saw the cabana next to you, but not straight on, giving some privacy. I liked that.

6. I did the stand up paddle boarding (included) for the 1st time. The water activities booth will help you with this. They gave me a 1 minute lesson, had me sign a waver, and I was on my way. All the equipment was clean and in good condition. Note: if you are in the last cabana in the row (closest to the docked ships) you will get all the kayakers and paddle boarders close by your cabana. There isn't a lot of traffic, but just heads up if you are looking for privacy, this specific cabana may not be for you. Having said that, though, if this was the only cabana that was still available on my next trip I wouldn't hesitate to book it. :)

7. There is an outside shower on the back deck. Didn't try it, but liked that it was there.

Service

1. The service was simply awesome. We had one main server, Isaiah, who was so friendly and helpful. He brought a huge menu that we could order from and he would bring the food and drinks right to us. I have pics of the menu in the link above. We tipped him $20 at the end of the day and he was super appreciative. He stopped by several times to check on us.

2. Wifi: A port employee stopped by and asked if we could connect to the Wifi (included). I didn't have a problem connecting, but my sister did so he successfully helped her with that. We each had our own logon code. Truthfully, the wifi was spotty for the several hours we were there. Sometimes it was good for an hour, then go down, and we would have to reconnect. Not a biggee, but good to be aware of.

3. Food: We ordered chicken quesadillas, fries, and a cheeseburger. All yummy.

All in all, it was a great time! Very relaxing for us (just my sister and I this time). If a larger party reserved a cabana it would be a GREAT home base, allowing you to do all the activities the cabana offers (water sports, food, relaxation, zipline, air conditioning), plus go to the pool and shop if you wanted.

Feel free to ask questions and I'll do my best to answer then. :D

Thanks so much!!! I've been looking for a review like this. How did you feel the location was? Was it close enough to the pool? We have young adults who will probably want to use the pool for a little bit.

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

Hi E&B, the ocean cabanas are close to the pool, maybe a 2 minute walk. Not bad at all, but just far enough that the pool music was somewhat muted. I really enjoyed the location of the Ocean Cabanas. It was about a 5 minute walk from the end of the pier. I wanted peace, beautiful scenery, access to activities and food and they delivered. :)

Thanks so much!!! I've been looking for a review like this. How did you feel the location was? Was it close enough to the pool? We have young adults who will probably want to use the pool for a little bit.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

Sounds like we made the right choice. Thanks again so much!!! This review was very much needed.

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

I obviously wasn't on top of my game last night when I posted the original ocean cabana pics. :rolleyes: I've added 10 more pics for 25 total. The additional pics are of the safe, ladder, shower, back lower deck, TV and back cabana views.

Click on the 1st picture and then use the left/right arrows to navigate through the pics. I hope you enjoy them!

http://s1042.photobucket.com/user/janetcole72/library/Amber%20Cove%20Ocean%20Cabana

Thank you so much for the menu pictures!!!:)

Did you have to bring your ship pool towels to use in the cabana?

Thanks again for taking the time to post such a detailed review. It's truly appreciated!!

Hi goofygal531, yes, we did bring the blue towels from the ship. We brought 2 per person. I liked that Carnival kept a huge stack at the gangway so I always grabbed an extra!

Thanks so much for the information AND the pictures - they are great!! I was thinking we would get one for our trip in Feb, this helped seal the deal!!!

Did they sell-out? The shore excursions for our trip aren't posted yet...

Was there an option to get an extra lounge chair? (We are traveling with another couple and might like 3 chairs...)

Thanks again!

Thanks for the review and pics! I hadn't seen a review of the ocean cabanas until this one! We had a pool-side cabana in March and the cabanas look almost identical. The inside and outsides have all the same furnishings, tv, fridge, and misting stations!

Hi Kabux, we didn't reserve our ocean cabana until the week right before our 4/24/16 cruise so they were still available online. When we got to Amber Cove all 6 ocean cabanas were reserved. The Grand Cabana was not reserved.

Regarding the lounger question, there wasn't an option for it, BUT I suggest doing the following since everyone was very accomodating:

1. definitely ask your attendant...in our case, Isaiah was very solicitous so I'm thinking it wouldn't have been a problem. Especially since the Grand Cabana wasn't reserved right next to us they could have pulled the 3rd lounger from there.

2. at a minimum, the pool is nearby, so someone in your party, or one of the Amber Cove attendants, could bring a pool lounger into the cabana.

Hope this helps!

Hi Kabux, we didn't reserve our ocean cabana until the week right before our 4/24/16 cruise so they were still available online. When we got to Amber Cove all 6 ocean cabanas were reserved. The Grand Cabana was not reserved.

 

Regarding the lounger question, there wasn't an option for it, BUT I suggest doing the following since everyone was very accomodating:

1. definitely ask your attendant...in our case, Isaiah was very solicitous so I'm thinking it wouldn't have been a problem. Especially since the Grand Cabana wasn't reserved right next to us they could have pulled the 3rd lounger from there.

2. at a minimum, the pool is nearby, so someone in your party, or one of the Amber Cove attendants, could bring a pool lounger into the cabana.

 

Hope this helps!

Definitely helps!!

Thanks so much!

Did they give you fresh fruit according to web it was included

Thanks for the review. I wish I could read those menus. Those are the first pics I've seen of the amber cove menus.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hi carolTC - unfortunately the Amber Cover Ocean Cabanas don't include fresh fruit so we didn't receive any. The cabanas at Half Moon Cay do include fruit, though.

Coachbradu - regarding the menus, on the original post, when you click on the pics link you have the option to make an individual picture bigger or smaller by using the magnifying glass option. Hopefully that will help with being able to read them.

I remember seeing fruit in the description at one time, but they've been modifying the description to add things and make them more attractive since no one was renting them when Amber Cove first opened. Just looked now and fruit is no longer in the description. I'd rather have fruit than the "local goodies" but I'm also more than ok with them lowering the price (now $75 lower than when they first opened), adding ziplining and water sports.

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

We rented an Ocean Cabana at Amber Cove during our 4/24/16 week Carnival Conquest sailing. In short, it was a terrific experience and we will absolutely rent one if we port in Amber Cove again. We have rented cabanas in several ports and in waterparks and the ocean cabanas rank high.

 

Pictures

Here is a link to 15 Ocean Cabana pictures (outside AND inside). Click on the 1st picture and then use the right/left arrows to move through the pics. I wrote descriptions with more information for each pic. Enjoy! :)

 

http://s1042.photobucket.com/user/janetcole72/library/Amber%20Cove%20Ocean%20Cabana

 

Pier Transportation Carts

When we left the ship we choose to use the bicycle/cart transportation to the end of the pier. It was a hot day and it was so worth it for us. The sign says something like "no fees, but tips appreciated." We tipped $10 each way. Probably could have given less, but we were wicked happy with the service. It would have been a long walk, certainly doable though, for someone with no mobility issues. If you have an older person, or someone with even the slightest mobility issue, I recommend these carts. You can definitely fit 2 people, possibly 3 if the 3rd is a small adult or child.

 

Walk to the Ocean Cabanas

At the end of the pier, you walk to the left to go to the shops, or to the right to head to the pool, restaurant, zipline, and all the cabanas. After turning right, you first hit the pool area on the left, which is AMAZING. Big, clean, but somewhat loud with the music. If you get a poolside cabana, just know it will be in a congested, loud area (my opinion), but close to all action. Pros and cons there.

 

Past the pool on the right hand side is the Water Activities booth. This is where we turned in our ocean cabana excursion ticket and the nice staff there checked us in. We both received wrist bracelets and one of the employees walked us to our cabana. We could not select our cabana, it was already assigned to us, which was completely fine. On the 2 minute walk to the cabana pier, we were asked if we wanted water noodles (no charge). Yes, please! We were then shown hammocks (no charge) we could use (although, I think anyone could use them) and then the restroom right by the cabana pier. The restrooms here (one male, one female) were very clean and monitored by an attendant. No lines here. :)

 

Once on the cabana pier, there is a relatively big covered bar area that is used to service only the cabanas, manned at times by 1 or 2 bartenders. I think pool guests could come over and use the bar if they wanted, but they had a bar area that was closer so no one seemed to come over except for cabana guests. The bartenders were great. I was disappointed they didn't have amaretto for amaretto sours, but I quickly recovered. ;) I did find out later the bartender talked to the 'big boss' who said she would bring down a bottle, but it never happened. They kept apologizing, but I told them it was all good...

 

After the cabana bar, there is a roped off entryway, manned by a security person (only employee we encountered that didn't know English), where the 7 ocean cabanas are. There 3 regular cabanas to the left, the grand cabana in the middle, and then 3 more regular cabanas to the right, all in a row. We were in B-5, so basically the 5th one in line. Loved this location! All cabanas were being used, except for the Grand Cabana. B-5 was next to the Grand Cabana.

 

Inside the Cabana!!

In reading past reviews, there hasn't been a lot of details given, so here goes:

1. there is a front door that can be locked with a key (in case you want to zipline, kayak, etc,). You can leave the door opened or closed.

2. the furniture inside the cabana is all very comfortable, cushioned and sturdy. One long couch, 2 single chairs, and a pretty big coffee table. The couch is big enough to lay down on for a nap...just saying.

3. there is a refrigerator (includes the 5 bottled waters, single Coke, Diet Coke, Fanta Orange, Dr. Pepper and 2 local sodas.) There is a freezer section, but nothing was in there.

4. the coffee table had a basket of local goodies on it: 3 bags of different types of chips, lollipop-like candy, cookies, and some type of white pastry, and a nut bar. Just tried the cookies and they were good, similar to a butter or sugar cookie.

5. there is a safe directly above the refrigerator, at least the same size as the ship cabin safe. There is a separate key to lock/unlock the safe. You need to get the key from the water activities booth. We didn't use the key.

6. There is a large mirror on the wall - used this to check out my hair situation from time to time. ;)

7. Small flat screen TV up in the corner with a posted list of channels. Didn't try this.

8. There was a ceiling fan and a wall air conditioner. We used both. In the afternoon when it got hotter we closed the 5 shutter windows to keep the cold air in. Truth be told, though, we probably would have been just fine with only the ceiling fan.

9. Everything was so CLEAN and in good repair. Loved the inside!

10. Behind the refrigerator there is a pair of available electrical outlets: 2 USA compatible, 2 USB ports and I'm not sure what the other was. We charged our phones/tablets here.

11. The front cabana view was of the water activities booth with their stock of kayaks, standup paddle boards (fun!) and some type of covered pontoon boat. The back view was of the ocean, the ships that are docked and of the gorgeous mountains. A very nice, relaxing view, for sure.

 

Outside the Cabana!!

1. At the back of each cabana is a two tiered deck. The main deck has two cushioned lounge chairs, each with an end table. The chair backs were adjustable and could be moved. We moved them in/out of the sun. The double doors leading from the inside to the back deck could be opened or closed, too.

2. Above the lounge chairs there are several 'misting' holes where water comes out. An employee came around to show us how to use it...it was great.

3. On the side of the deck, there is a ladder that moves with you as you go down into the water. I asked how deep the water was and they said 6.5 feet. The water was a murky greenish blue, but not gross. You couldn't see anything...no sea life or plants, etc. That was OK with me. The swimming area was a good size and roped off.

4. You could also take a step down or two onto a lower deck, where you could sit down and put your feet into the water. We only had two people in our group, but if you had more it would be nice to have this extra room.

5. The cabanas were staggered so if you looked out your window, you saw the cabana next to you, but not straight on, giving some privacy. I liked that.

6. I did the stand up paddle boarding (included) for the 1st time. The water activities booth will help you with this. They gave me a 1 minute lesson, had me sign a waver, and I was on my way. All the equipment was clean and in good condition. Note: if you are in the last cabana in the row (closest to the docked ships) you will get all the kayakers and paddle boarders close by your cabana. There isn't a lot of traffic, but just heads up if you are looking for privacy, this specific cabana may not be for you. Having said that, though, if this was the only cabana that was still available on my next trip I wouldn't hesitate to book it. :)

7. There is an outside shower on the back deck. Didn't try it, but liked that it was there.

 

Service

1. The service was simply awesome. We had one main server, Isaiah, who was so friendly and helpful. He brought a huge menu that we could order from and he would bring the food and drinks right to us. I have pics of the menu in the link above. We tipped him $20 at the end of the day and he was super appreciative. He stopped by several times to check on us.

2. Wifi: A port employee stopped by and asked if we could connect to the Wifi (included). I didn't have a problem connecting, but my sister did so he successfully helped her with that. We each had our own logon code. Truthfully, the wifi was spotty for the several hours we were there. Sometimes it was good for an hour, then go down, and we would have to reconnect. Not a biggee, but good to be aware of.

3. Food: We ordered chicken quesadillas, fries, and a cheeseburger. All yummy.

 

All in all, it was a great time! Very relaxing for us (just my sister and I this time). If a larger party reserved a cabana it would be a GREAT home base, allowing you to do all the activities the cabana offers (water sports, food, relaxation, zipline, air conditioning), plus go to the pool and shop if you wanted.

 

Feel free to ask questions and I'll do my best to answer then. :D

We will be there in Sept. and I have a question on the wrist bands? Are they to have access to the cabana, or the zip lines or both. We will be there with other's that have small children, and I was wondering If I could let them use the zip line, since I'm not going to? Thanks, Jim

Hi, it was my perception that the wristbands denote that someone is in a cabana, say with a certain color. I walked from the cabana to the water activities booth and they recognized that I was in a cabana and didn't ask for additional payment. We didn't zipline while we were there so I don't know if we could have just walked on with the wristband I had. I'm assuming we could have.

The wristbands are made to fit your wrist so it may be difficult to take off and put back on.

We had a poolside cabana and the same wristband used for the cabana was used to get on the zipline.

We had a poolside cabana and the same wristband used for the cabana was used to get on the zipline.

Any comments or advice on the poolside cabanas? Was it really loud? Did you have people wandering up?

We have one booked for October.

Hi RCMommy, the only details I remember about the poolside cabanas is that the music was very loud and the cabanas were close to the physical pool. If you are looking for a party vibe, close to lots of people and the action, this location will be great. A lot of people like this. If you are looking for calm, soothing serenity, not so much. It's total personal preference. If my teen kids and husband had been with me on the cruise, instead of a sister/sister girls cruise we may have opted for the poolside cabana, instead of the ocean one.

The poolside cabanas themselves are the same as the ocean cabanas so that will be fabulous! The ocean cabanas had a 'checkpoint' with a rope that was monitored by an employee that checked the wristbands. If you didn't have a wristband you weren't allowed to enter the cabana area. I don't know if they had the same setup over by the poolside cabanas.

Enjoy your time in Amber Cove!

Hi RCMommy, the only details I remember about the poolside cabanas is that the music was very loud and the cabanas were close to the physical pool. If you are looking for a party vibe, close to lots of people and the action, this location will be great. A lot of people like this. If you are looking for calm, soothing serenity, not so much. It's total personal preference. If my teen kids and husband had been with me on the cruise, instead of a sister/sister girls cruise we may have opted for the poolside cabana, instead of the ocean one.

 

The poolside cabanas themselves are the same as the ocean cabanas so that will be fabulous! The ocean cabanas had a 'checkpoint' with a rope that was monitored by an employee that checked the wristbands. If you didn't have a wristband you weren't allowed to enter the cabana area. I don't know if they had the same setup over by the poolside cabanas.

 

Enjoy your time in Amber Cove!

Thanks!

I think my DH and I would prefer the serenity of the ocean cabana but we have two thirteen year olds so we are likely better off in the poolside cabana. They will want to do the zipline and waterslide and would probably prefer the pool so I like to be closer to those attractions to keep an eye on them.

I wonder if they give poolside cabana patrons pool noodles for the pool? Or is it only for use in the ocean?

 

I wonder if they give poolside cabana patrons pool noodles for the pool? Or is it only for use in the ocean?

Cabana Includes:

. 6 Small bottles of water

. 6 Sodas

. 1 basket of local goodies

. Zip line all day pass (1 per person)

. 2 Pool Float + floating noodles

. Amenities:

. A/C

. Fan

. WIFI

. TV with HDMl Cable

. Showers

. Mist Cooling System

. Refrigerator

. 2 Lounge chairs

. Living Room Set (Chairs, coffee table and table)

. Hammock

Towels are not included.

Any comments or advice on the poolside cabanas? Was it really loud? Did you have people wandering up?

 

We have one booked for October.

I loved the poolside cabanas and they are my favorite out of any I've rented on any cruise! We did have some people try to use the hammock underneath the cabana even though it has a "reserved" sign on it. No one actually tried to use the actual cabana or shower though as they are both set up about 15 stairs from the pool deck. There is a waiter for the cabanas that stands right at the bottom of the stairs kinda at your beckon call. There was music (DJ) playing all day long but we knew that going in and like that atmosphere. You do get floaties and pool noodles to use in the pool. If you don't like the selection of drinks they put in the fridge you can ask to swap things out for things you like. The first two cabanas share a set of stairs as do the last two. The zipline runs directly over the 4th cabana (closest to the restrooms). They do not supply towels. Hope this helps and hope you enjoy your day there as much as we did!

Hi, it was my perception that the wristbands denote that someone is in a cabana, say with a certain color. I walked from the cabana to the water activities booth and they recognized that I was in a cabana and didn't ask for additional payment. We didn't zipline while we were there so I don't know if we could have just walked on with the wristband I had. I'm assuming we could have.

 

The wristbands are made to fit your wrist so it may be difficult to take off and put back on.

Thanks for the information

Very nice review and pics! Thank you for sharing all of this information!

Still trying to decide between poolside and hillside cabana. Longer walk vs. more noise.