Nellie's Hillside Cabanas

[whitshel]

Hey sorry to have been confusing in my posts. I guess the key things about cabanas that drew us to them are 1) the privacy factor - being able to have our own, private spot where we could enjoy the beach and get sun but in a more exclusive and comfortable location, 2) the amenities that of course come with the cabana, and 3) specifically with those over water cabanas on the right side, seeing as how in every single photo I had seen there is overall uninterrupted sun in the open lounger area of the cabana (the deck portion), as there are obviously no trees around them whatsoever.. As I had alluded to, we are really big fans of being able to lay out in the sun as much as possible, and those cabanas in particular seemed by all accounts to offer the best of both worlds. That is the whole reason we immediately opted for those cabanas (not so much for the water view, but for the sun exposure that they offered versus, for example, some of the more inland cabana options).

 

So, with all of this in mind, I had no hesitation whatsoever going with one of those cabanas, under the assumption that only the four on the right side of beach (nearest to Barefoot) were the only over-water cabanas at Nellies. Now come to find out that it appears we have a 50/50 chance of landing one of those cabanas. And as I said if we do end up with one of the others, it appears that the only way we'd be able to get a few hours of solid sunbathing would be to walk down to the beach area and grab a couple of chairs, and then head back to cabana every now and then to relax with a drink. And we've already decided that if that's what we'd need to do, then so be it. Just would be a real shame, so at any rate we'll surely be up extremely early to be the first ones off the ship in hopes of getting our pick of the cabanas :rolleyes: Don't get me wrong, normally I wouldn't be nearly as picky about such things, but $200 is a solid chunk of change in my book.

 

I can see where your coming from, I booked a hillside Nellies beach for our Jan 7th IOS cruise thinking the Cabanas you don't want were the ones we want and were classified hillside. Come to find out there are over the water and there are only 2 hillside and they are on the point between Barefoot and Nellies. This is fine too looks like they will have great views.

 

What I don't get is you have no choice, you either book and take what you get or cancel. You know what you may get now, I just dont get the complaining.... If you knew going in that the ones on the left side of the beach are over the water would you still have booked? If you wouldn't have, then cancel...

 

Sorry, you have a choice now, take it or cancel. No more whinning!!!:D

[joeski27]

I can see where your coming from, I booked a hillside Nellies beach for our Jan 7th IOS cruise thinking the Cabanas you don't want were the ones we want and were classified hillside. Come to find out there are over the water and there are only 2 hillside and they are on the point between Barefoot and Nellies. This is fine too looks like they will have great views.

 

What I don't get is you have no choice, you either book and take what you get or cancel. You know what you may get now, I just dont get the complaining.... If you knew going in that the ones on the left side of the beach are over the water would you still have booked? If you wouldn't have, then cancel...

 

Sorry, you have a choice now, take it or cancel. No more whinning!!!:D

 

I totally agree with you, and we are completely on the same page. Point is, when we booked we did NOT know about the fact that those cabanas on the left side of the beach were also of the over-water category (all that thanks to RCI and their lack of information and/or maps on the subject). So to answer your question, if we knew that, then there is a rather high chance that we would not have booked, so with regard to your comments about "whining", as you can see they have no relevance here. Again nothing against you in the slightest, but I just wanted to point out the truth, and that is that RCI is really falling short in their efforts to provide complete information for those who are contemplating dropping big bucks on their cabanas. And that is specifically why we are in the position we are in, end of story. :rolleyes: I mean if you saw an ad for a big sale on a new red convertible sports car, and that was exactly what you wanted to buy and were interested in, but it turned out that for the same price the local dealerships only had blue non-convertibles for the same price, would you still be as interested, and should people fault you if you weren't?

 

At any rate, we have agreed that our plan will likely be to stick to our reservation. But most importantly, we plan to get up that morning very, very early so as to be one of the very first off the ship in an effort to have our choice of cabanas (I have read at least 3-4 accounts on CC of passengers who have been off the ship at Labadee super early, and though their cabanas have been preassigned, because of they were one of the first off the ship, they are able to get their choice). But again, worst case is, if we don't end up with one of the ones we were led to believe we would have, then we'll likely spend at least half of our day in loungers on the beach were we can get the sun exposure that we would have gotten in the other cabana location (right side). :D:cool::D:cool:

[whitshel]

I totally agree with you, and we are completely on the same page. Point is, when we booked we did NOT know about the fact that those cabanas on the left side of the beach were also of the over-water category (all that thanks to RCI and their lack of information and/or maps on the subject). So to answer your question, if we knew that, then there is a rather high chance that we would not have booked, so with regard to your comments about "whining", as you can see they have no relevance here. Again nothing against you in the slightest, but I just wanted to point out the truth, and that is that RCI is really falling short in their efforts to provide complete information for those who are contemplating dropping big bucks on their cabanas. And that is specifically why we are in the position we are in, end of story. :rolleyes: I mean if you saw an ad for a big sale on a new red convertible sports car, and that was exactly what you wanted to buy and were interested in, but it turned out that for the same price the local dealerships only had blue non-convertibles for the same price, would you still be as interested, and should people fault you if you weren't?

 

At any rate, we have agreed that our plan will likely be to stick to our reservation. But most importantly, we plan to get up that morning very, very early so as to be one of the very first off the ship in an effort to have our choice of cabanas (I have read at least 3-4 accounts on CC of passengers who have been off the ship at Labadee super early, and though their cabanas have been preassigned, because of they were one of the first off the ship, they are able to get their choice). But again, worst case is, if we don't end up with one of the ones we were led to believe we would have, then we'll likely spend at least half of our day in loungers on the beach were we can get the sun exposure that we would have gotten in the other cabana location (right side). :D:cool::D:cool:

 

I gotcha, didn't mean to be a PIA, we are sorta in the same predicament with the hillside, like I said thinking we would get the ones you didnt want. But what can you do it still beats fighting the crowds at the beaches especially with 2 ships in town for us. I was thinking the same thing to either get off early or go to the excursion desk a couple days before and see it i could reserve a specific one. But now with only 2 too choose from and both look in prime local, we'll take what we get.

 

Looks like we'll be there a couple days before you, ill let you know about the sun on the cabanas to the left, see how long they actually have sun then maybe that will help you out if, and I say if you can sway someone to get your pick.:D

[teddie]

At any rate, we have agreed that our plan will likely be to stick to our reservation. But most importantly, we plan to get up that morning very, very early so as to be one of the very first off the ship in an effort to have our choice of cabanas (I have read at least 3-4 accounts on CC of passengers who have been off the ship at Labadee super early, and though their cabanas have been preassigned, because of they were one of the first off the ship, they are able to get their choice). But again, worst case is, if we don't end up with one of the ones we were led to believe we would have, then we'll likely spend at least half of our day in loungers on the beach were we can get the sun exposure that we would have gotten in the other cabana location (right side). :D:cool::D:cool:

 

But Joe, I've been reading that the cabanas are now assigned in advance; you no longer have a "first come, first served" choice. If this is the case, I would go to the Explorations desk once onboard to check your assignment, and hopefully be able to make an adjustment to it. That's what I plan on doing. There is only one of the over the water cabanas that I am not interested in. As long as it's not that one, I'll be happy.

 

I am hoping that someone here visits Labadee soon, and reports back with some up to date details to put us all out of our misery!!

 

Teddie

[joeski27]

But Joe, I've been reading that the cabanas are now assigned in advance; you no longer have a "first come, first served" choice. If this is the case, I would go to the Explorations desk once onboard to check your assignment, and hopefully be able to make an adjustment to it. That's what I plan on doing. There is only one of the over the water cabanas that I am not interested in. As long as it's not that one, I'll be happy.

 

I am hoping that someone here visits Labadee soon, and reports back with some up to date details to put us all out of our misery!!

 

Teddie

 

I too hope we can (somehow) get definitive word on this, because I've now seen it both ways, including situations where individuals say that even though they were technically preassigned to a cabana, because they were one of the first off the ship they simply asked their "golf car escort" (for lack of a better term) if they could have a different cabana, to which that escort essentially said no problem and let them have their pick. I'll try to find that post...

[joeski27]

Ok after about 20 minutes of searching I finally found the posts I was thinking of, though I'm actually contemplating starting a thread to gauge exactly what people's experiences are with such cabana assignments (and in particular, those most recent experiences), and maybe we can draw conclusions from that:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=34791183&postcount=2

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=34793835&postcount=10

 

(and that second one is from a 7/8/12 cruise, about as recent as it gets, so that's what I'm most apt to believe)

 

 

At any rate, as I've said we've now accepted that if we do end up with a cabana with little sun exposure then as I said we'll simply end up spending a few hours of our day on nearby beach loungers. Not sure about any of you all, but when on a Caribbean cruise my wife and I make a point to spend a solid amount of time laying out in the sun (i.e., on deck or on the beach), so based on the photos I've seen of the left-side cabanas (facing from the beach) that could be a bit of a challenge. Sadly we were led to believe that those other cabanas (right side) which, by every photo I've seen, do have plenty of sun exposure, were the only over-water Nellie's cabanas...but apparently, not so much.

 

But its all good, because we've now accepted that if we get stuck with one of the shadier cabanas, we'll simply spend a few hours of our day on a nearby beach lounger, and if our "cabana boy" has to drop off our drinks a few yards away at our temporary location, so be it....assuming he/she is indeed interested in their tip at the end of the day :D:D:D:D:D.

[Kinofdc]

Will there be a problem having the extra child? Is there a wrist band required? How is access to the cabana's controlled? I would hate to book the cabana only to find out upon arrival that we would not be allowed to use it. Thanks for any help.

 

4 adults, 1 teen, and 2 children should be fine, at least as of 9am this morning when I received the invitation email from concierge Charmaine. The email is for the cabanas at Barefoot, but I am sure the 6/7 guests capacity applies to the cabanas at Nellie as well.

<<

Dear suite guests,

For this Western Caribbean Cruise we offer to you a Cabana in Labadee Barefoot beach.

We have 20 cabanas available in Labadee below you will see the categories:

 

1. OverWater Cabana $ 200.00 - (Only 4 available)
   
2. HillTop Cabana $ 175.00 - (Only 5 available)
   
3. WaterFront Cabana $ 175.00 (Only 2 available)
   
4. Standard Cabana $ 150.00 (Only 9 available)
   

 

• Cabana charges are per cabana and not per person.
  
• Cabanas hold up to 6 / 7 guests only.
  
• When reserving a cabana it is reserved for you the entire day in Labadee.
  
• Cabanas reserved are only for you and your family or friends use only, remember they only hold up to 6/ 7 guests.
  
• >>
  
  

[warmwinds]

Where are the "Standard Cabanas" located?

[QTMichele]

Where are the "Standard Cabanas" located?

 

Standard Cabanas are located on Barefoot Beach. They are on the beach, but located further back than the "over the water." In fact, they are far enough away from the beach that there will be many loungers with guests in them obscuring the view. They are not private.

 

Side note, I'm not sure that Nellie's Beach will have this type of cabana. I could be wrong though!

[clochette]

I just booked an over the water cabana at Nellie's beach, with the understanding that there are 4 of those cabanas, now I am reading that there are other cabana which are considered over the water, but I cannot find any pictures. So my question is are there indeed more than 4 cabanas considered above water and if so where are they?

[MS52]

Does anyone remember how far out they listed the Cabanas on their website?

We sail in December and I did not want to miss the listing. We want 2 cabanas so I want to get to them the day they are listed.

 

I booked ours yesterday for a January 2013 cruise - about 130 days out. I was told that we got the last two.

 

I had to call to book them because the website would only let me book one. It gave me an error message when I tried to book two on our reservation.

[E&B]

We just left the Freedom last Sunday and were not able to choose or change our cabana. I went to the excursions desk when i first got on the ship and was told it was first come first served. So, I was one of the first off the ship in Labadee and was then told they were all pre-assigned and I had no choice. We were lucky - we got a very nice one. Not at all thrilled with the service we got, but the location was ideal.

[clochette]

We just left the Freedom last Sunday and were not able to choose or change our cabana. I went to the excursions desk when i first got on the ship and was told it was first come first served. So, I was one of the first off the ship in Labadee and was then told they were all pre-assigned and I had no choice. We were lucky - we got a very nice one. Not at all thrilled with the service we got, but the location was ideal.

 

which one did you get, and what was wrong with the service/

[melbur]

We just left the Freedom last Sunday and were not able to choose or change our cabana. I went to the excursions desk when i first got on the ship and was told it was first come first served. So, I was one of the first off the ship in Labadee and was then told they were all pre-assigned and I had no choice. We were lucky - we got a very nice one. Not at all thrilled with the service we got, but the location was ideal.

 

well, I think that is a fair way to handle it - just because someone literally ran off the ship to get there first shouldn't mean they oust someone from a cabana booked before them.

Do tell what you mean by the service not being what you expected.

[teddie]

well, I think that is a fair way to handle it - just because someone literally ran off the ship to get there first shouldn't mean they oust someone from a cabana booked before them.

 

I have to agree.

 

Teddie

[clochette]

I have to agree.

 

Teddie

 

I booked a cabana, but have no way of knowing which one it is, I wish we could pick a specific one when we book. Oh well I am sure they are all great

[E&B]

well, I think that is a fair way to handle it - just because someone literally ran off the ship to get there first shouldn't mean they oust someone from a cabana booked before them.

Do tell what you mean by the service not being what you expected.

 

I was very happy with the cabana we had - we had the last one over the water, only one cabana next to us, with a ladder to the water - very private. I have no issue with the fact that I could not change it, my issue was with the fact that the excursion desk told me I could, when in fact I could have slept in for another hour. That actually was the most minor part of my complaints regarding the cabana. The rest was just downhill from there and very disappointing.

 

DD and I arrived early and the towels had to be brought off the ship and were not available for the first hour we had the cabana, so we were unable to go in the water until they arrived (unless we didn't mind not having a towel, but we did). Our cabana attendant only came by 3 times to check on us over the course of the 7 hours we were there. The first time was when he brought the towels and floating mats. DD and I were alone and didn't want anything else at that point. When everyone else arrived and we wanted some drinks, he was no where to be found. Everyone but DH got tired of waiting and went to the market and picked up our own drinks (and lunch) on the way back. While we were gone he did make an appearance and my husband commented that we had gotten tired of waiting and left. He appoligized and brough my husband a drink. When we returned he came once more at some point. DH ordered a drink for me (the Labadoozie I had read such great things about - that did not disappoint :D) and gave him his sea pass card, which the attendant lost for 45 minutes. He actually asked DH for it again, had forgotten DH had handed it to him and had to go looking for it. We never saw him again after he came back to return it.

 

We were supposed to have an upgraded buffet, which was available from 11:30-1:30. We arrived for the buffet at 1:00 only to find out the shrimp and steak were gone and we were told it would not be replenished, so no upgraded buffet for us.

 

The really upsetting thing was the golf carts we were supposed to have at our disposal. I am perfectly able to walk and take every opportunity to do so (we rarely used the elevaors onboard), and everything is fairly close together on Labadee, but one of the reasons I reserved the cabana was for my in-laws. My FIL has trouble walking long distances and I thought this would be a great perk for them. DD and I arrived early and were told the golf carts were not available yet and could we walk. Not a problem and we made our way to Nellie's Beach. Everyone else did have a golf cart available when they got off the ship, but we had trouble getting them once we were at the cabana. When we left to go to the market, we tried looking for our attendant to see how we should go about getting one, but he was no where to be found. We asked someone else and they told us to go to Barefoot Beach. Once there we asked again and were told they were on the other side of Barefoot Beach. Not a long walk for me, but it was for my FIL and by the time we reached the 4 available carts all parked together, we could have just walked a little further in the other direction and reached the market. I asked the drivers why we at Nellie's had to walk all the way accross Barefoot to get a cart and we were told we should have asked our cabana attendant and he would have summoned one much closer to us. That of course was a problem, since we hardly ever saw him that day. The final annoyance was the cart we had gotten to go back to the market at the end of the day (after flagging down another cabana attendant and asking for assistance) when DD decided she hadn't finished her shopping. We made arrangements for the cart to come back to the market and pick us up in 20 minutes. My FIL had already gone back to the ship by then, so it was just us, but we were hot and tired and it was a much longer walk from the market to the ship. The cart never came back for us. We waited 15 minutes in the hot sun, started worrying about not getting back on the ship in time (it was the end of the day) and so started walking back. All the way along our path we looked for the driver, but he never passed us. We stopped at Barefoot Beach to complain at that point and they asked who the driver was. They found him nearby and asked him about it (I presume that's what was discussed - it wasn't in English). He just shrugged his shoulders and that was that, no appology or anything. They did get another driver to take us back, but then we ended up in the long line to get back on the ship (which may have been shorter had we been back 20 minutes earlier) and spent 15 more minutes in the blazing sun before we made it through security.

 

I was REALLY disappointed in the whole experience. I'm not a needy, demanding person, and neither are my family members. I had read excellent reviews about all things regarding the cabanas, but that was not the experience we had. I did stop by Guest Services when we got back on board and mentioned all of this. They said they'd look into it, and we did end up getting a $100 OBC to make up for it. That made it less painful, but I still would rather have had the wonderful experiences everyone else had and been $100 poorer. :(