Best cabanas to rent on Barefoot?

[SarcasmSpasm]

Can you tell me which cabanas are best for renting?  I know it’s subjective...but maybe the best one in each category?  Looking for a location close to water access, relatively private?

 

OTW

hilltop

standard

beach

 

Thabks in advance!

[Clarea]

Over water 5 and 6.

[sharonlacey]

We have had the over the water and IMO they are the best.

[SarcasmSpasm]

Is there a “best location” for the standard cabanas?  @Host Clarea

[Clarea]

15 minutes ago, SarcasmSpasm said:

Is there a “best location” for the standard cabanas?  @Host Clarea

 

Not that I've seen reported.

[SuzD123]

We've had an over-the-water (W3) and a beachfront (B1) and enjoyed them both very much.  I agree with Bob that W5 or W6 would be amazing...a little more private as we found we had a lot of "traffic" on the walkway behind us throughout the day as others were going to/fro W1/W2.  B1 was nice  when we were traveling with my elderly parents...easy access to the water and less distance to walk for them.

 

As for standard cabana locations?  Some are closer to the paved path, some are closer to the water, while the ones in the back are closer to the bar/buffet.  It would come down to availability and your preferences.

Edited September 5, 2019 by SuzD123

[dodgestang]

1 hour ago, Host Clarea said:

Over water 5 and 6.

 

5 if you want best visibility to kids in water

6 if you want best privacy

Both have best viewing angle of ship

 

Photo is from cabana 5

 

 

[Clarea]

We had a group of 10, and were able to get both 5 and 6.  Very private as there's one ramp that leads only to 5 and 6.

[JalenR]

Bob-

 

Did you request these two cabanas when the concierge emailed precruise? We have an owners suite on Indy in April and would like to get 5 and 6.

 

Thanks!

Ted

 

 

[Clarea]

10 minutes ago, JalenR said:

Bob-

 

Did you request these two cabanas when the concierge emailed precruise? We have an owners suite on Indy in April and would like to get 5 and 6.

 

Thanks!

Ted

 

 

 

Yes, when the concierge emailed me, he sent me a map and told me what was available.  This was Denzel, who is one of the best.

[JalenR]

Thanks!

[mac_tlc]

We had B2, which was great as some travelers were a bit "mobility challenged" and the ramp, etc to the Hilltop and OTW cabanas could have been an issue.

 

Here's a map:

 

[sailaway04]

Hi, don't want to hijack your thread but had a slightly related question. I too am crusing with "mobility challenged" elderly parents and was hoping to get the B2 cabana. How far away are the bathrooms and buffet from that cabana? Thank you. 

Edited September 6, 2019 by sailaway04

[uvadover]

3 hours ago, mac_tlc said:

We had B2, which was great as some travelers were a bit "mobility challenged" and the ramp, etc to the Hilltop and OTW cabanas could have been an issue.

 

Here's a map:

 

 

Does anyone have a similar map for the cabanas on Nellie's Beach?  We have a beachfront cabana reserved for a December cruise and I have no clue what the layout is.  We actually had an OTW cabana reserved, but gave that up when a seemingly better (aka more expensive) beachfront one came available.  Figured that might be a better setup for our family that includes younger kids.  Thanks!

 

[SuzD123]

8 hours ago, sailaway04 said:

Hi, don't want to hijack your thread but had a slightly related question. I too am crusing with "mobility challenged" elderly parents and was hoping to get the B2 cabana. How far away are the bathrooms and buffet from that cabana? Thank you. 

Bob can likely confirm, but I seem to recall "beach wheelchairs" being available to assist mobility challenged guests in the sand.  There is also a tram available to transport guests from the pier to Barefoot Beach (and other stops) at Labadee.  As for the distance from the beach (i.e., the B1 or B2 cabanas) to the restrooms and buffet, it's not far but for those with mobility issues it can be a distance including walking through sand to get to a paved path. 

 

Attached is a map/diagram to give you an idea .  The blue line represents the tram path, while the green lines are paved walking pathways.  The buffet is at the rear of the Barefoot Beach (13) area (marked with a blue rectangle), with the nearest restrooms outside of the Barefoot Beach area (15). 

 

Edited September 6, 2019 by SuzD123

[sailaway04]

Thank you for the map and highlighted areas. That helped a lot! 

[SarcasmSpasm]

Thanks everyone!  Appreciate the help and maps!

[Tall-Cruiser]

On September 5, 2019 at 5:51 PM, Host Clarea said:

We had a group of 10, and were able to get both 5 and 6.  Very private as there's one ramp that leads only to 5 and 6.

 

We also had both W5 and W6 (had 6 three different times). Attached picture shows W5 & W6 taken from our balcony on HOTS.

 

 

Edited September 8, 2019 by Tall-Cruiser

[Wildcard50]

Are all cabanas rented for the same price? And what is that price? Specifically W5 and W6. I haven't been able to spot any pricing here at all.

[Clarea]

3 minutes ago, Wildcard50 said:

Are all cabanas rented for the same price? And what is that price? Specifically W5 and W6. I haven't been able to spot any pricing here at all.

 

Each cruise can have different prices.  Look in your Cruise Planner on Royal's website for the prices for your cruise.

[Tall-Cruiser]

For Barefoot Beach, they usually don't have th price on the planner because you cannot directly book it online. The concierge will send you an email with the price. On our Allure cruise we paid $395 and I think for Harmony it was $400 or $450.

[Wildcard50]

1 hour ago, Tall-Cruiser said:

For Barefoot Beach, they usually don't have th price on the planner because you cannot directly book it online. The concierge will send you an email with the price. On our Allure cruise we paid $395 and I think for Harmony it was $400 or $450.

 

Thank you for your responses. I was going to say that only price's for Nellie's Beach were listed (and sold out at extremely higher pricing than I expected). So this makes sense. We paid for a Grand Suite, but $400 for a cabana seems.....pricey to us. I guess we'll see what happens.

[Tall-Cruiser]

12 hours ago, Wildcard50 said:

 

Thank you for your responses. I was going to say that only price's for Nellie's Beach were listed (and sold out at extremely higher pricing than I expected). So this makes sense. We paid for a Grand Suite, but $400 for a cabana seems.....pricey to us. I guess we'll see what happens.

 

As Bob noted in one of the post above, the price is different per sailing and ship. Yes $400 does seem pricey but, if you have other friends and or family joining you then it helps when you split the cost. The person in the GS or above books the Cabana and the others give you cash or whatever arrangements you make with them for reimbursement.

If you are still contemplating of booking one, send your email now to the Suite Concierge now regardless of your sail date. The earlier you send it the better your chances of getting the Cabana you want. Plus you have an email record of when you requested it (hopefully way ahead than normal). Then you forward the same email again   (and again as your sailing nears) to the Concierge reminding them about your request. Lastly when sending an email, send it to both concierges, e.g. AL_Concierge01@rccl.com and AL_Concierge02@rccl.com. When they contact you to confirm and give you a price quote you can accept or decline if the price is too high. Hope this helps. 

 

As as a side note - Some people who are in suites (GS and above), sometimes also book a Nelies Beach Cabana as backup just in case they don't get a/the Cabana they want at Barefoot Beach. In this case you are still entitled to using the amenities at Barefoot because of th suite category you booked.

 

Good luck. 

[stevekc]

 One thing to keep in mind is that they reserve B1 and B2 for the star class guests and they also will have priority on any waterfront locations.  So if you were sailing on a ship that has those levels of amenities that is something to consider. 

As others have advised, communicate with the concierge asap. 

[stevekc]

 deleted

Edited September 8, 2019 by stevekc
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