Private Island Cabanas

The host at serenity bay when we were there was not a concierge host from the ship but rather another CM given that duty for the day. He was quite hard to find the couple times we went looking or called.

That's been our experience too. Our SB hosts have been virtually useless, but that's fine with us usually.

I looked at the videos and it looks like the Serenity Bay cabanas don't have beach loungers. I see the ones on the cabana, but I was hoping for a couple in the sand, also. Do the family beach ones have loungers on the sand?

Since we are just adults, I was going to get one at Serenity Bay, but is there any benefit to getting one on the family beach? My husband has mobility issues and a closer walk to stuff would be better, although he will probably just sit in the cabana and drink all day.

 

Since we are just adults, I was going to get one at Serenity Bay, but is there any benefit to getting one on the family beach? My husband has mobility issues and a closer walk to stuff would be better, although he will probably just sit in the cabana and drink all day.

At least one cabana is accessible. There are beach wheelchairs available at the pier, but we found them to not work very well. You need a strong male person to push them, even if the person using it is rather small.

I looked at the videos and it looks like the Serenity Bay cabanas don't have beach loungers. I see the ones on the cabana, but I was hoping for a couple in the sand, also. Do the family beach ones have loungers on the sand?

 

Since we are just adults, I was going to get one at Serenity Bay, but is there any benefit to getting one on the family beach? My husband has mobility issues and a closer walk to stuff would be better, although he will probably just sit in the cabana and drink all day.

Unlike the Family Beach, where the cabanas have their own dedicated beach, and are fairly close to it, on Serenity Bay, there's no dedicated beach, and the distance from the cabana to the beach there is further.

Family beach cabanas:

Serenity bay cabanas:

As a side note, Cabana 18, if you're talking about Serenity Bay, is now Cabana 22. It's our favorite too.

I was referring to the family cabanas.

One yr we didn't even try to get a cabana even though we could have. We ended up getting one 2 yrs ago and loved it. Our son hates the beach so he spent most of his time in the cabana. I went back and forth between the cabana and the water.

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One yr we didn't even try to get a cabana even though we could have. We ended up getting one 2 yrs ago and loved it. Our son hates the beach so he spent most of his time in the cabana. I went back and forth between the cabana and the water.

 

 

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But if you hate beaches, you can stay on the ship and basically have your own private yacht for the day! And yes, we did it once.

But if you hate beaches' date=' you can stay on the ship and basically have your own private yacht for the day! And yes, we did it once.[/quote']

 

 

 

It's just our son who hates the sand. The rest of us enjoy it. Plus he's 13 and he can deal [emoji1]

 

 

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It strikes me as very odd that Disney posts no information on the cruise website. I wonder why? Are there other events or excursion type things that are unadvertised?

It strikes me as very odd that Disney posts no information on the cruise website. I wonder why? Are there other events or excursion type things that are unadvertised?

They post information on the web site. It is just hard to find ALL the information at one page....it tends to be scattered around.

There are lots of things that are not on the web site, but they are not things that need to be booked. You'll find the info you need in the Navigator that you will get each evening. You can also use the app to view it on line.

They post information on the web site. It is just hard to find ALL the information at one page....it tends to be scattered around.

 

 

I've looked hard on the web site and have not been able to find any info on cabanas. There is a little info on castaway cay and info on excursions available there but I've found no mention of the cabanas except for the spa/cabana excursion. If you can find it, I'd appreciate a link.

It strikes me as very odd that Disney posts no information on the cruise website. I wonder why? Are there other events or excursion type things that are unadvertised?

My gut feeling, and it is just a gut feeling, is that they do not

A: Need to advertise them. Word of mouth and boards like CC do the job.

B: Why advertise something with such a limited availability? That will only lead people to believe they have a chance of booking a Cabana on their first Disney cruise, when in fact their chances are very slim. Especially on Dream and Fantasy Cruises. That is only going to lead to disappointment.

With only 24 Cabanas, each holding up to 10 Guests, and the Grand Cabana holding 16 Guests, that is a minute number compared to the 2400 or 4000 Guests that maybe on the Magic class or Dream class.

C: Castaway is promoted as an extension of the ship. Included food, soft drinks, umbrellas and loungers (unlike some other lines islands that have locals demanding tips for using them), water slides, the game pavilions, and yes while there is a charge for snorkelling equipment, bikes, tubes, etc, it is almost or can be an upcharge free day.

$399 / $549 / $599 /$899 +VAT depending on location and time of year, and $50 per person in a regular Cabana after the first 6 people, and $50 person after the first 10 in the Grand Cabana, is a massive sticker shock to some.

And the all on the ship included is suddenly "less magic" IMO.

Just my thoughts, and no insider info.

ex techie

But if you hate beaches' date=' you can stay on the ship and basically have your own private yacht for the day! And yes, we did it once.[/quote']

 

 

If we don't have a cabana we go ashore for a drink and souvenirs and then head back to the boat. Our own private resort and all the AquaDuck we can handle.

 

 

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So for those of us who don't want a cabana, is there somewhere we can get information on what to do and what the set up is on Castaway Cay?

So for those of us who don't want a cabana, is there somewhere we can get information on what to do and what the set up is on Castaway Cay?

http://www.wdwinfo.com/disney-cruise-line/ports/castaway-cay.cfm

Perfect. Thank you.

Given the number of questions of "Help, I can't afford a cabana, what can I DO on the island?", it does point out the problem that Disney tends to over-promote its expensive premium options over (obviously) what entertainment they already provide for free, to the point that newbies are literally unaware of what is included in the package.

At the land parks, for example, I remember hearing from stressed-out moms who thought they had to get castle breakfasts because they literally thought the characters never appeared anywhere else.

Always do your homework before a trip: There's plenty to do on an island with free beach and barbecue included, don't worry.

Disney had ships visiting Castaway Cay for many years before the cabanas were built. Everything that was there for 2500 guest per day prior to the cabanas is still there, and some additions have been made. There is plenty to enjoy without investing in a cabana!

True, there are people who consider a cabana to be essential, just as there are those who won't cruise without a suite. Others can enjoy whatever cabin they might choose on the ship and can enjoy a hammock under a shade tree.