Jump to content
Cruise Critic Community

Labadee - no more upgraded buffet?

nbsjcruiser

By nbsjcruiser,
in Private Islands

 Share

Recommended Posts

phish tales

phish tales

Posted
Posted (edited)
Having been on Barefoot before and after Nellie's cabanas were built, I can say, absolutely, the lunch was impacted. Really long lines and very little seating. But, to remove the lunch and water and still charge the same amount seems wrong.

 

 

as a couple that gets a Gold Card when we cruise; We can say the buffet on barefoot beach was crowded with all the Nellies beach folks. I can also say; if they take the barefoot beach buffet away from the Nellies beach cabana folks; they should be compensated in some kind of manner...

why pay the same amount and get less.:confused::confused::confused:

Edited by phish tales
Link to comment
Share on other sites
uncleah

uncleah

Posted
Posted
if you rent a cabana on Barefoot Beach; is the upgraded lunch included??

 

You don't have to rent a cabana to get the upgraded lunch at Barefoot Beach. If you have access to BB it is included. Of course you need to be in a suite to get access or rent a cabana (if they have not been sold to suite guests) to get in.

 

BB is very nice, but if you are renting a cabana just for the food, you are a bit nuts.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
LovesCruising

LovesCruising

Posted
Posted
From Royals website

 

OVERVIEW: The upscale beach side cabanas of Nellie's beach with direct access to the water are a great place to relax and enjoy the seclusion, while remaining among the action of Nellie's Beach. HIGHLIGHT: Cabana rental for the full day. Furnished with luxury resort style lounge chairs and ceiling fan. Rental includes 2 floating beach mats, lunch buffet at Columbus Cove Cafe, Dragon's Cafe or Cafe Labadee, and the use of beach towels. Personal cabana attendant service. NOTE: Pricing is per cabana, not per person. One person in the party should reserve

 

 

Hmmmm the poster info seems correct. Becoming more like Carnival everyday!!

 

Since the upgraded buffet is at Barefoot beach, the suite beach, perhaps it is a move to keep the beach and suite amenities more exclusive. Maybe the buffet was too crowded with all the suite passengers, Barefoot cabana occupants (maybe not suite guests) and now all the cabana occupants from Nellies beach. Each cabana at Nellies can potentially add an extra 6 to the buffet.

 

I'm sure cancelling the cabana is not a problem for those who want to do so.

 

 

M

 

Agree with the above. It appears they are attempting to keep Barefoot beach and their cabanas a suite only perk. However, have to agree, if you rent cabana at Nellies - with less perks - price should be lower than those on Barefoot.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
phish tales

phish tales

Posted
Posted
You don't have to rent a cabana to get the upgraded lunch at Barefoot Beach. If you have access to BB it is included. Of course you need to be in a suite to get access or rent a cabana (if they have not been sold to suite guests) to get in.

 

BB is very nice, but if you are renting a cabana just for the food, you are a bit nuts.

 

 

gold card access is not only suites. remember pinnacle members also get a gold card.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
cruiseturbo

cruiseturbo

Posted
Posted

We just had a cabana on barefoot beach during our cruise in Sept and the upgraded buffet is definitely still there as well as the water. However we did not see people coming over from Nellie's like we had the last year and the line was very short the entire time. We even commented on how quiet it was in there. Which of course we loved for relaxation purposes but didn't think about the Nellie's folks not be allowed over.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Ourusualbeach

Ourusualbeach

Posted
Posted

It looks like it will be back to the old supply and demand rule. As long as people keep booking those cabanas RCI will certainly not lower the price even though they are offering less.

 

The only consolation is that anyone that has already booked a cabana that wants to cancel can do so up to 24 hours in advance with no penalties.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
BND

BND

Posted
Posted
It looks like it will be back to the old supply and demand rule. As long as people keep booking those cabanas RCI will certainly not lower the price even though they are offering less.

 

The only consolation is that anyone that has already booked a cabana that wants to cancel can do so up to 24 hours in advance with no penalties.

 

I booked ours months ago as they go pretty fast and at the increased price. The one I had in March, I snagged just before prices went up (pure luck as I had no idea they were increasing them). I told DH about the buffet and water and he said we should cancel. We're tempted to and just get off and find a shady spot as we get up and off the ship pretty early anyway. I have time to decide. It's pretty expensive shade. I can think of plenty of things to spend that money on.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
DragonOfTheSeas "Live from...." Rare

DragonOfTheSeas

Posted
Posted
Found two running threads on this topic.

Read the post about the cruiser who contacted RCI.

Wow!!

I hope he gets answers.....and the ones he wants (post #4)!!

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1924738

 

Sea Ya

 

The RCL agent at first told him these perks had never been included. [many have gotten them--so, we know they were] I imagine RCL may not have intended to include these perks. They likely copied and pasted the description when they created these from the description on the suite beach. Now they have a PR mess.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
jakenashleysmom

jakenashleysmom

Posted
Posted

We had a beach cabana (not recommended) at Nellies in February and not only did it include the upgraded buffet (add shrimp and overcooked steak) but we were driven in a golf cart to the buffet from Nellies. My question is if the "upgraded" buffet isn't included, where is the next closest buffet? Is it a real hike from the over the water cabanas? I can deal with not having the upgraded buffet, but if we have to walk further than people NOT paying for their shade, that would be a shame.:(

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Toddcan

Toddcan

Posted
Posted

Who can we email about this?

 

We had an OTW cabana in March 2013, and loved it. It most certainly included the upgraded buffet - we were driven there (even though it was a short walk), and we had water. I was lucky to get that cabana before the price increase in early 2013.

 

We have one booked for next March too. I'm not sure if I'll cancel.

 

However, an important point about the buffet differences. For us, it was not so much the actual food offered, but the lineups! On our Liberty cruise a few years ago, we went to the normal buffet - and the line ups were plain silly (long). There were many empty trays of food- they could not restock quickly enough. It was certainly not a relaxing lunch.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Toddcan

Toddcan

Posted
Posted (edited)
And to top it off, a standard "beach cabana" at Barefoot Beach is listed on the web site as $175, so it's cheaper to get a cabana if you're in a suite and you do get the upgraded lunch buffet there.

 

Upgrade to a suite and save $75 on Cabana rentals.. hmmm. Do JS qualify as a "suite" in this regard?

Edited by Toddcan
Link to comment
Share on other sites
1ParticularHbr

1ParticularHbr

Posted
Posted
Bummer! :P

 

So, just GS and above get to rent Barefoot Beach? That's got to be a total of what? 50-60 cabins on the ship?

 

If suite guests do not rent all of the cabanas at Barefoot, they do open them up to non-suite guests. I don't know how frequently that happens though.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Lionesss "Live from...." Rare

Lionesss

Posted
Posted (edited)

If a non suite guest wishes to rent a cabana on barefoot beach; As stated above they will be able to ...by putting there name on a waiting list with the conciernage. So the minute you board the ship go and call the conciernage. Found this out on the Freedom 2 years ago, and I do not know if it changed.

The morning of Labadee, yet, sometimes the evening before you will be contacted to see if you want one, that is if any are left.

Dont forget not all the cabanas on barefoot are desirable. There are some back on the beach on the way to the drink stand and buffet, and not very private.

 

Make sure you know what you are getting before you rent one.

Sea Ya

Edited by Lionesss
Link to comment
Share on other sites
BND

BND

Posted
Posted

I just emailed.

 

The cabanas back closer to the food on Barefoot are fine. We've had one as well as over the water. We don't rent them for the privacy, but for the shade and seating. We still may cancel, depending on what we hear back from RCI.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
KenM

KenM

Posted
Posted (edited)

I was on the 9/22 Allure of the Seas and had a cabana at Nellie Beach.

 

It was worth the $250 for the 4 of us. Probably cheaper than I would pay for an excursion and I feel that I got more value than a tour of Jamaica or Cozumel.

 

Had the highest cabana on the hill with private access into the water.. Had the floats, water, nice chairs, lounges and the "upgraded" lunch that everyone is talking about: not to mention the privacy and shade

 

You dine in the private area reserved for the diamond plus group. They offered the steak, shrimp, chicken along with the dogs and burgers.. and steamed vegetables.

Me- I went with the burgers...

They had nice tables with deep wooden chairs to sit, relax and eat your lunch under some nice shade trees.....

 

 

Our cabana attendant did get us several drinks from the bar during the day and yes you should be expected to tip them at days end for the service rendered..

Tipping is a private matter but I gave him $40 for the 4 of us..He did a great job .

 

Yes - I could have gone and got my own drinks but heck- I was on vacation....

 

At the end of the day , they had a cart drive us back to the security check point..Nice touch.

 

I would absolutely rent a cabana again..

 

In fact we felt that day was the best stop on the entire cruise..and we really didn't get a chance to experience all that was offered on the island.

 

 

 

Ken

Edited by KenM
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing
  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • ANNOUNCEMENT: Set Sail on Sun Princess®
      • Hurricane Zone 2024
      • Cruise Insurance Q&A w/ Steve Dasseos of Tripinsurancestore.com June 2024
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Cruise Critic News & Features
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...