Coco Cay Chill Island cabana review

[CaroleSS]

We just got done with a short cruise on the Reflection which included a stop at Coco Cay.

 

As we have never been to Coco Cay, we were a tad concerned about the availability of chairs/loungers as we would be there with the Freedom of the Seas, so booked a Chill Island cabana. There were plenty of seats available, so our fears were unwarranted....but the cabana was nice.

 

First off, I do not think booking the cabana was completely necessary, but it certainly was nice! We felt it was a good "investment" and made our day there much more pleasant. Now, we made our purchase pre-cruise with a 15% discount, so only paid $338 for the cabana (for our sailing, day beds were the same price, so went for the cabana). We had a wonderful attendant (Mercedes), a place to sit and relax and didn't have to get off the ship early to reserve spots for the 4 of us (although there seemed to be plenty of open loungers when we got off around 10am).

 

The cabana came with 8 bottles of water in a small cooler, a locker (which we didn't use) and 2 rafts. Our attendant was always around to check on us, although we were pretty self-sufficient. We got our own lunch at the Chill Grill, but our attendant asked about drinks whenever she was around - which was pretty frequent! We had the drink package, so there weren't any slips to sign and the drinks were plentiful! We could have ordered from the Snack Shack and had that delivered, but we were out exploring and got lunch while we were out and about.

 

We didn't go to the water park or do any of the activities....just lounged around. We saw the stingray that frequents the small alcove and saw plenty of fish near the jetty. We did feed the fish (mainly Sergeant Majors).....and just so you are aware, they are used to being fed and the water will "boil" with fish.....so watch where you throw the bread!

 

We didn't stray too far from the cabana, check-in was quick and easy. Bathrooms are nearly as was the buffet. It was a very "chill" day, which was what we wanted. Not sure it was completely necessary, but was a nice splurge that made our time there exceptional.

 

Ask questions or comment on your experience!

[mahdnc]

Thanks for the write up.  If you went back, would you rent a cabana again assuming the discounted price did not change?

[CaroleSS]

17 minutes ago, mahdnc said:

Thanks for the write up.  If you went back, would you rent a cabana again assuming the discounted price did not change?

Absolutely

 

I say that with the caveat that we thought the available loungers were quite close together. The cabana gave us a bit of "breathing room" so we weren't stacked so close to one another. 
 

I liked that we got a cabana which was in the "front row" so we had unobstructed view of the beach, but there were only 2 rows, and they were staggered, so even the back row had a nice view (we were in cabana #3)

 

I opted for the cabana as the day beds were 3-deep....and for the same price, came with an attendant!

 

I know that it was a bit more than some might want to pay, but for us, it absolutely made the stop!

Edited May 28 by CaroleSS

[Georgia_Peaches]

Did you happen to snap a pic of the cabana?  Just wondering about the shade it provided.  Thank you for the review!  Pricing for our sailing is $764 for a Chill Island Cabana...I guess you got a great deal!

[CaroleSS]

I didn't get a picture, but there is a LOT of shade! The inside has a nice "couch" and a ceiling fan. There are 4 loungers: 2 on the decking and 2 in the sand. The ones in the sand have an umbrella between them.

 

ok, I "stole" these from the web

 

Edited May 28 by CaroleSS

[CaroleSS]

Oh and 8 beach towels come with it, so no need to haul them from the ship!

[CaroleSS]

37 minutes ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Did you happen to snap a pic of the cabana?  Just wondering about the shade it provided.  Thank you for the review!  Pricing for our sailing is $764 for a Chill Island Cabana...I guess you got a great deal!

Ouch! Not sure I'd pay that!

 

The regular price was $400. I do have to wonder how they determine the price. We did book it relatively late in the game.....about 3 weeks prior, but $764.....wow!

Edited May 28 by CaroleSS

[cbfb]

We were on the same cruise and went to South Beach. This is the over the water cabana. We didn’t rent it but it looked amazing. And it should for $1200 but it fits 8 people. 

[dcbiker97]

Thanks for the review. For our cruise in September, the Chill Island cabanas are going for $1,300 and the Coco Beach Club over water cabanas are going for $3k.  I’m not sure who would be paying that amount.  For what you paid, I’d consider renting one, but there’s no way for the prices in my cruise.  For folks not sailing in suites, that’s more than the cost of the entire cruise.