Beach Cabana in Mahogany Bay!

[Vacationer80]

My hubby and I are thinking that a nice way for us to end our cruise this year is to rent a beach cabana in Mahogany Bay. It's a little pricey but this cruise is all about reconnecting and taking a break from our extremely stressful jobs. Any comments on these cabanas? All we are looking for is something somewhat private, where we can lay in the sun, jump in the water and basically relax the day away. Thanks! :)

[crewsweeper]

The cabanas are "roped off" from the main beach but people still trek across the beach heading to the small pier by the breakwater, and more active swimmers can swim over into the cabana area. Cabanas are relatively close together and typically larger groups make use of these as a means to share expenses. Otherwise, if you're willing to splurge a bit for just the two of you not necessarily a bad thing. Get a cabana nearer the the small pier end, but not at the end nor at the end nearest the main beach. Sorry not sure how these are numbered or if you can reserve a specific cabana in advance of the cruise. If not, then do go to the shore excursion desk upon embarking and see about getting a specific cabana.

And enjoy your re-connection cruise.:)

[Vacationer80]

The cabanas are "roped off" from the main beach but people still trek across the beach heading to the small pier by the breakwater, and more active swimmers can swim over into the cabana area. Cabanas are relatively close together and typically larger groups make use of these as a means to share expenses. Otherwise, if you're willing to splurge a bit for just the two of you not necessarily a bad thing. Get a cabana nearer the the small pier end, but not at the end nor at the end nearest the main beach. Sorry not sure how these are numbered or if you can reserve a specific cabana in advance of the cruise. If not, then do go to the shore excursion desk upon embarking and see about getting a specific cabana.

And enjoy your re-connection cruise.:)

Thanks so much for the pointers! Will check with the excursion desk when we arrive.

[Vacationer80]

I tried to write my review on the Carnival website; however, despite following every guideline provided, they refused to publish my review. I only wished I had save a copy but nonetheless, I will try my best to remember what I wrote and express it here.

 

My husband and I sailed on the Carnival Glory in April of this year (2014). Isla Roatan was our last stop and we wanted to do something relaxing. Carnival offered a shore excursion called "Beach Cabana Rental". It's $225.99 for a maximum of 4 guests per cabana. It was a little pricey but it was appealing because of the description, which said the cabana was located on a semi-private stretch of beach. We were anxious to leave the crowded beach behind so we splurged and booked it.

 

When we arrived, we took the "magical chair lift" over to the beach (the cost was included in our cabana rental). It was a slow ride but nice as you got a bird's eye view of the island. We were the first to arrive of those who had rented the cabanas and they put us in the first cabana next to the fence that separated our section of "semi-private" beach from the public beach (more on that in a bit). Upon arriving, we thought we had landed in paradise. The area was just beautiful!!

 

The cabana was also nice; small but we weren't planning on hanging out inside all day. It was fully air-conditioned and provided a nice reprieve from the hot day. It had two small sofas (more like loveseats), a chair, table and safe. There are no washrooms in the actual cabanas but public washrooms were located just behind the cabanas and they were very clean. There was a outdoor shower between our cabana and the one next to ours, which was great for rinsing off sand and salt! The cabana came with loungers on it's small deck, loungers on the beach, a hammock and regular chairs, so there were many options for basking in the sun. In addition, we also got two kinds of water floats to use in the ocean. The stretch of beach was GORGEOUS and the water was perfect!

 

There was a waiter who would take our order for drinks and food, both of which were great but a bit pricey. Service was quick but more often than not, we had to go looking for the waiter. There was one security guard when we arrived. Mid-way through the day he left for what I assume was his break and another guy arrived. The second guy was not very effective in his job but I will get to that shortly.

 

What you should know if you're booking this shore excursion is that the advertised "semi-private beach", while not crowded, is not really "semi-private" either. There are fences on either side to act as a separator from the public beach but the fences do not extend into the water so they did not stop anyone from walking onto the semi-private stretch of beach. There were signs posted on the fences but they were barely visible and people ignored them. We thought that there would be a security guard posted on each side by the fence to act as a deterrent but they didn't do this, in fact, there was only one guard there for the majority of the day and he sat on the deck of one of the cabanas looking at things on his phone.

 

There were only two other cabanas rented that day so our section of the beach was definitely quieter and you had a lot of space with your hammock and loungers but you did have people walking by constantly. We learned upon arriving that the area directly in front of our cabana (20ft or so) was private (i.e. no one was allowed to set up for the day there on a towel or anything like that); however, the distance between where that boundary ended and the ocean's edge, was fair game for anyone. People could walk along, think this was a nice stretch and set up shop for the day in front of the area of our cabana. It seemed odd to us and definitely not what we were expecting. I mean, obviously we understood that they couldn't tell someone not to swim in the section of ocean directly in front of our cabana but I did think the section of beach would have been roped off somehow... given it was supposed to be "semi-private".

 

Now, we would have been fine if it had just been foot traffic all day. However, what we were not fine with, was people coming up onto the area of our cabana (that was supposed to be "private") and using the things that were provided for us in our rental rate. What compounded the issue was that the security guard did nothing about it!

 

When the second security guard came on shift, he sat on the patio of the cabana furthest away from ours. He seemed more interested in playing with his cell phone than he did in doing his job. My husband and I went swimming and while we were out in the water, we noticed this couple walking towards our cabana. They proceeded to take pictures of themselves sitting on our chairs, hanging out in our hammock (on my towel) and then they basically planted themselves directly in front of our cabana for about 20-30 minutes. They even stayed when we got out of the ocean and went into our cabana to check on our stuff. The security guard saw this but did nothing until finally I went down and asked him if he would ask them to leave. I was so annoyed that I had to ask him to do his job. I'm not sure if he was lazy or afraid to tell people they couldn't hang out. Either way, it was not satisfactory.

 

If that had been the only incident, we could have overlooked it, but it wasn't. For the rest of the day, we had to deal with people coming from the public beach onto the "semi-private" stretch then up to our cabana, trying to use our chairs and our floats. At one point, a man took one of our chairs and brought it down to the water's edge to sit on. My husband had to go down and tell him that the chair was part of our rental and that he had to give it back. It was uncomfortable and not something we should have had to do after paying $225.99.

 

At another point during the day, a woman walking by picked up and walked away with one of the floats belonging to another family who had a cabana rented. The father from that family had to chase her down to get the float back. It was just ridiculous. And my annoyance was not just with the security guards, it was with the people who were doing this. I know you could say that they did not know any better but even when they were told the difference, they seemed annoyed that they weren't getting to hang out there or use the items for free. I heard someone say "What? Are they special or something?" I had to do everything in my power to say "No, we're not special but we did cough up over $200 to get these extra perks so bugger off!" If the security guards had been posted on either end of the semi-private stretch of beach, I think all these incidents could have been avoided or at least lessened.

 

The first security guard finally came back from break and he was slightly more effective but not to the point where we felt comfortable leaving our belongings unattended, which was one of the main draws of purchasing this rental in the first place.

 

So, to summarize, the cabanas are a great idea for a family with kids, they are great to store your belongings and to get changed during the day. The air conditioning in our cabana was really cold so that allowed us a break from the heat when we needed it. The food and drinks were good but somewhat pricey. We obviously had some issues with the security and didn't really like leaving our stuff unattended. That said, the stretch of beach we were on was quieter than the public beach. The beach loungers were placed within the 20 ft or so of "private" space and they were a nice distance from one another, meaning you were NOT on top of your neighbor. The hammock was divine! The whole beach (semi-private and public) calmed down later in the afternoon and when it did, we got to enjoy some of the quiet beach time that we had been expecting.

 

Would I rent again? I'm not sure. If the security was better and we had kids with us, then we would definitely consider it but it was pricey and we did have issues so I cannot say for sure if we would. What I would advise for sure is that if you do have a cabana rented, get there early and request (demand) one of the middle cabanas (or at least one that was not right next to the fence) and I would probably request one furthest from the busiest stretch of public beach (i.e. furthest from the cruise ships).

 

Despite the issues we had, Mahogany Bay Beach was beautiful and we really did not want to leave the area. Thankfully the afternoon panned out better than the morning and we did get to relax and enjoy it.

[gail811]

Thank you for the review! We have two booked for our cruise in July and I got them mainly for the grandchildren and the A/C! Good to know that we will have to monitor the guards!

I do have a question. I broke my foot and ankle Monday and will be casted by the time we sail. We are trying to decide what to bring to help me with mobility. I will be on crutches but likely will also have a knee scooter. Do you recall how deep the sand was as you walked to the cabana? I will get there one way or another....even if my DH and DS have to carry me, but the more planning I do ahead of time the better! And ironically, I broke my foot and ankle at our beach cottage while walking across the dune back to cottage!

[Vacationer80]

Thank you for the review! We have two booked for our cruise in July and I got them mainly for the grandchildren and the A/C! Good to know that we will have to monitor the guards!

I do have a question. I broke my foot and ankle Monday and will be casted by the time we sail. We are trying to decide what to bring to help me with mobility. I will be on crutches but likely will also have a knee scooter. Do you recall how deep the sand was as you walked to the cabana? I will get there one way or another....even if my DH and DS have to carry me, but the more planning I do ahead of time the better! And ironically, I broke my foot and ankle at our beach cottage while walking across the dune back to cottage!

Hi gail811,

 

Sorry to hear about your injury! Hopefully it won't slow you down too much. I believe the walk to the cabanas (once off the chair lift) was on a wooden walkway. That should be fine for you. The sand... I'm having trouble remembering. I think the closer to the cabana you were, the deeper it was. Just deep enough that your feet would sink in but probably deep enough that with your limited mobility you may find it difficult to get around. That being said, the closer you got to the water, the shallower the sand got and it was hard packed down by the water so very easy to walk on. Also, the beach loungers are nearer to the water so the sand around them is less deep than right up by the cabanas. There was a small ledge that stretched the length of the beach that you would cross as you walked towards the water. It's not worth worrying about because it's literally an inch or two in height, barely noticeable if they groom the sand a certain way. You see, the whole beach is man-made and we kind of thought of it as the separator for the "private" cabana property versus the "public" beach walkway. But the sand on either side of that ledge was less deep and you'll probably find it easy to get around there. I really hope you enjoy your time there! It was a beautiful beach and we had fun despite our problems with security. :-)

 

Cheers!

[wantocruisemore]

I tried to write my review on the Carnival website; however, despite following every guideline provided, they refused to publish my review. I only wished I had save a copy but nonetheless, I will try my best to remember what I wrote and express it here.

 

My husband and I sailed on the Carnival Glory in April of this year (2014). Isla Roatan was our last stop and we wanted to do something relaxing. Carnival offered a shore excursion called "Beach Cabana Rental". It's $225.99 for a maximum of 4 guests per cabana. It was a little pricey but it was appealing because of the description, which said the cabana was located on a semi-private stretch of beach. We were anxious to leave the crowded beach behind so we splurged and booked it.

 

When we arrived, we took the "magical chair lift" over to the beach (the cost was included in our cabana rental). It was a slow ride but nice as you got a bird's eye view of the island. We were the first to arrive of those who had rented the cabanas and they put us in the first cabana next to the fence that separated our section of "semi-private" beach from the public beach (more on that in a bit). Upon arriving, we thought we had landed in paradise. The area was just beautiful!!

 

The cabana was also nice; small but we weren't planning on hanging out inside all day. It was fully air-conditioned and provided a nice reprieve from the hot day. It had two small sofas (more like loveseats), a chair, table and safe. There are no washrooms in the actual cabanas but public washrooms were located just behind the cabanas and they were very clean. There was a outdoor shower between our cabana and the one next to ours, which was great for rinsing off sand and salt! The cabana came with loungers on it's small deck, loungers on the beach, a hammock and regular chairs, so there were many options for basking in the sun. In addition, we also got two kinds of water floats to use in the ocean. The stretch of beach was GORGEOUS and the water was perfect!

 

There was a waiter who would take our order for drinks and food, both of which were great but a bit pricey. Service was quick but more often than not, we had to go looking for the waiter. There was one security guard when we arrived. Mid-way through the day he left for what I assume was his break and another guy arrived. The second guy was not very effective in his job but I will get to that shortly.

 

What you should know if you're booking this shore excursion is that the advertised "semi-private beach", while not crowded, is not really "semi-private" either. There are fences on either side to act as a separator from the public beach but the fences do not extend into the water so they did not stop anyone from walking onto the semi-private stretch of beach. There were signs posted on the fences but they were barely visible and people ignored them. We thought that there would be a security guard posted on each side by the fence to act as a deterrent but they didn't do this, in fact, there was only one guard there for the majority of the day and he sat on the deck of one of the cabanas looking at things on his phone.

 

There were only two other cabanas rented that day so our section of the beach was definitely quieter and you had a lot of space with your hammock and loungers but you did have people walking by constantly. We learned upon arriving that the area directly in front of our cabana (20ft or so) was private (i.e. no one was allowed to set up for the day there on a towel or anything like that); however, the distance between where that boundary ended and the ocean's edge, was fair game for anyone. People could walk along, think this was a nice stretch and set up shop for the day in front of the area of our cabana. It seemed odd to us and definitely not what we were expecting. I mean, obviously we understood that they couldn't tell someone not to swim in the section of ocean directly in front of our cabana but I did think the section of beach would have been roped off somehow... given it was supposed to be "semi-private".

 

Now, we would have been fine if it had just been foot traffic all day. However, what we were not fine with, was people coming up onto the area of our cabana (that was supposed to be "private") and using the things that were provided for us in our rental rate. What compounded the issue was that the security guard did nothing about it!

 

When the second security guard came on shift, he sat on the patio of the cabana furthest away from ours. He seemed more interested in playing with his cell phone than he did in doing his job. My husband and I went swimming and while we were out in the water, we noticed this couple walking towards our cabana. They proceeded to take pictures of themselves sitting on our chairs, hanging out in our hammock (on my towel) and then they basically planted themselves directly in front of our cabana for about 20-30 minutes. They even stayed when we got out of the ocean and went into our cabana to check on our stuff. The security guard saw this but did nothing until finally I went down and asked him if he would ask them to leave. I was so annoyed that I had to ask him to do his job. I'm not sure if he was lazy or afraid to tell people they couldn't hang out. Either way, it was not satisfactory.

 

If that had been the only incident, we could have overlooked it, but it wasn't. For the rest of the day, we had to deal with people coming from the public beach onto the "semi-private" stretch then up to our cabana, trying to use our chairs and our floats. At one point, a man took one of our chairs and brought it down to the water's edge to sit on. My husband had to go down and tell him that the chair was part of our rental and that he had to give it back. It was uncomfortable and not something we should have had to do after paying $225.99.

 

At another point during the day, a woman walking by picked up and walked away with one of the floats belonging to another family who had a cabana rented. The father from that family had to chase her down to get the float back. It was just ridiculous. And my annoyance was not just with the security guards, it was with the people who were doing this. I know you could say that they did not know any better but even when they were told the difference, they seemed annoyed that they weren't getting to hang out there or use the items for free. I heard someone say "What? Are they special or something?" I had to do everything in my power to say "No, we're not special but we did cough up over $200 to get these extra perks so bugger off!" If the security guards had been posted on either end of the semi-private stretch of beach, I think all these incidents could have been avoided or at least lessened.

 

The first security guard finally came back from break and he was slightly more effective but not to the point where we felt comfortable leaving our belongings unattended, which was one of the main draws of purchasing this rental in the first place.

 

So, to summarize, the cabanas are a great idea for a family with kids, they are great to store your belongings and to get changed during the day. The air conditioning in our cabana was really cold so that allowed us a break from the heat when we needed it. The food and drinks were good but somewhat pricey. We obviously had some issues with the security and didn't really like leaving our stuff unattended. That said, the stretch of beach we were on was quieter than the public beach. The beach loungers were placed within the 20 ft or so of "private" space and they were a nice distance from one another, meaning you were NOT on top of your neighbor. The hammock was divine! The whole beach (semi-private and public) calmed down later in the afternoon and when it did, we got to enjoy some of the quiet beach time that we had been expecting.

 

Would I rent again? I'm not sure. If the security was better and we had kids with us, then we would definitely consider it but it was pricey and we did have issues so I cannot say for sure if we would. What I would advise for sure is that if you do have a cabana rented, get there early and request (demand) one of the middle cabanas (or at least one that was not right next to the fence) and I would probably request one furthest from the busiest stretch of public beach (i.e. furthest from the cruise ships).

 

Despite the issues we had, Mahogany Bay Beach was beautiful and we really did not want to leave the area. Thankfully the afternoon panned out better than the morning and we did get to relax and enjoy it.

 

 

Thank you for your even handed review. We did not rent one when at Mahogany and chose another excursion for some of the same reasons you indicated. We had heard on this board many of your same complaints. I'm a more confrontational person and so is DH. While I would not have had a problem telling someone it was private, I agree you should not have to. With many of your same complaints, the guards should be on their toes.

[misguidedangel]

Thanks for posting about the lack of security. I will need to forget I am Canadian and tell people to get off our beach!!!!!! Do you have more pics of the beach and Cabanas?

 

I'll have my camera get with me, so I'll be shooting pics like a seasoned Japanese tourist!!!! ha ha ha......see if I can beat the 1200 I took on last years cruise and stay in New Orleans....

[gail811]

I sent a short email to Carnival's special needs department to ask about having a shower seat in my cabin and inquiring about transportation to the cabana. I was overwhelmed with their quick responses, both by email and phone. I must say I was very impressed! They do not have sand wheelchairs in Mahogany Bay, but after a few calls the ship arranged with a vendor in port to have a golf cart available for me! The special needs department gave me the point of contact once I board the ship, and instructions on where to meet the golf cart. I am now confident that my journey to the cabana will be much easier!

[Vacationer80]

I sent a short email to Carnival's special needs department to ask about having a shower seat in my cabin and inquiring about transportation to the cabana. I was overwhelmed with their quick responses, both by email and phone. I must say I was very impressed! They do not have sand wheelchairs in Mahogany Bay, but after a few calls the ship arranged with a vendor in port to have a golf cart available for me! The special needs department gave me the point of contact once I board the ship, and instructions on where to meet the golf cart. I am now confident that my journey to the cabana will be much easier!

 

So great to hear! Now you can relax and enjoy your beach day!! :-)

[crusingchicks]

I tried to write my review on the Carnival website; however, despite following every guideline provided, they refused to publish my review. I only wished I had save a copy but nonetheless, I will try my best to remember what I wrote and express it here.

 

My husband and I sailed on the Carnival Glory in April of this year (2014). Isla Roatan was our last stop and we wanted to do something relaxing. Carnival offered a shore excursion called "Beach Cabana Rental". It's $225.99 for a maximum of 4 guests per cabana. It was a little pricey but it was appealing because of the description, which said the cabana was located on a semi-private stretch of beach. We were anxious to leave the crowded beach behind so we splurged and booked it.

 

When we arrived, we took the "magical chair lift" over to the beach (the cost was included in our cabana rental). It was a slow ride but nice as you got a bird's eye view of the island. We were the first to arrive of those who had rented the cabanas and they put us in the first cabana next to the fence that separated our section of "semi-private" beach from the public beach (more on that in a bit). Upon arriving, we thought we had landed in paradise. The area was just beautiful!!

 

The cabana was also nice; small but we weren't planning on hanging out inside all day. It was fully air-conditioned and provided a nice reprieve from the hot day. It had two small sofas (more like loveseats), a chair, table and safe. There are no washrooms in the actual cabanas but public washrooms were located just behind the cabanas and they were very clean. There was a outdoor shower between our cabana and the one next to ours, which was great for rinsing off sand and salt! The cabana came with loungers on it's small deck, loungers on the beach, a hammock and regular chairs, so there were many options for basking in the sun. In addition, we also got two kinds of water floats to use in the ocean. The stretch of beach was GORGEOUS and the water was perfect!

 

There was a waiter who would take our order for drinks and food, both of which were great but a bit pricey. Service was quick but more often than not, we had to go looking for the waiter. There was one security guard when we arrived. Mid-way through the day he left for what I assume was his break and another guy arrived. The second guy was not very effective in his job but I will get to that shortly.

 

What you should know if you're booking this shore excursion is that the advertised "semi-private beach", while not crowded, is not really "semi-private" either. There are fences on either side to act as a separator from the public beach but the fences do not extend into the water so they did not stop anyone from walking onto the semi-private stretch of beach. There were signs posted on the fences but they were barely visible and people ignored them. We thought that there would be a security guard posted on each side by the fence to act as a deterrent but they didn't do this, in fact, there was only one guard there for the majority of the day and he sat on the deck of one of the cabanas looking at things on his phone.

 

There were only two other cabanas rented that day so our section of the beach was definitely quieter and you had a lot of space with your hammock and loungers but you did have people walking by constantly. We learned upon arriving that the area directly in front of our cabana (20ft or so) was private (i.e. no one was allowed to set up for the day there on a towel or anything like that); however, the distance between where that boundary ended and the ocean's edge, was fair game for anyone. People could walk along, think this was a nice stretch and set up shop for the day in front of the area of our cabana. It seemed odd to us and definitely not what we were expecting. I mean, obviously we understood that they couldn't tell someone not to swim in the section of ocean directly in front of our cabana but I did think the section of beach would have been roped off somehow... given it was supposed to be "semi-private".

 

Now, we would have been fine if it had just been foot traffic all day. However, what we were not fine with, was people coming up onto the area of our cabana (that was supposed to be "private") and using the things that were provided for us in our rental rate. What compounded the issue was that the security guard did nothing about it!

 

When the second security guard came on shift, he sat on the patio of the cabana furthest away from ours. He seemed more interested in playing with his cell phone than he did in doing his job. My husband and I went swimming and while we were out in the water, we noticed this couple walking towards our cabana. They proceeded to take pictures of themselves sitting on our chairs, hanging out in our hammock (on my towel) and then they basically planted themselves directly in front of our cabana for about 20-30 minutes. They even stayed when we got out of the ocean and went into our cabana to check on our stuff. The security guard saw this but did nothing until finally I went down and asked him if he would ask them to leave. I was so annoyed that I had to ask him to do his job. I'm not sure if he was lazy or afraid to tell people they couldn't hang out. Either way, it was not satisfactory.

 

If that had been the only incident, we could have overlooked it, but it wasn't. For the rest of the day, we had to deal with people coming from the public beach onto the "semi-private" stretch then up to our cabana, trying to use our chairs and our floats. At one point, a man took one of our chairs and brought it down to the water's edge to sit on. My husband had to go down and tell him that the chair was part of our rental and that he had to give it back. It was uncomfortable and not something we should have had to do after paying $225.99.

 

At another point during the day, a woman walking by picked up and walked away with one of the floats belonging to another family who had a cabana rented. The father from that family had to chase her down to get the float back. It was just ridiculous. And my annoyance was not just with the security guards, it was with the people who were doing this. I know you could say that they did not know any better but even when they were told the difference, they seemed annoyed that they weren't getting to hang out there or use the items for free. I heard someone say "What? Are they special or something?" I had to do everything in my power to say "No, we're not special but we did cough up over $200 to get these extra perks so bugger off!" If the security guards had been posted on either end of the semi-private stretch of beach, I think all these incidents could have been avoided or at least lessened.

 

The first security guard finally came back from break and he was slightly more effective but not to the point where we felt comfortable leaving our belongings unattended, which was one of the main draws of purchasing this rental in the first place.

 

So, to summarize, the cabanas are a great idea for a family with kids, they are great to store your belongings and to get changed during the day. The air conditioning in our cabana was really cold so that allowed us a break from the heat when we needed it. The food and drinks were good but somewhat pricey. We obviously had some issues with the security and didn't really like leaving our stuff unattended. That said, the stretch of beach we were on was quieter than the public beach. The beach loungers were placed within the 20 ft or so of "private" space and they were a nice distance from one another, meaning you were NOT on top of your neighbor. The hammock was divine! The whole beach (semi-private and public) calmed down later in the afternoon and when it did, we got to enjoy some of the quiet beach time that we had been expecting.

 

Would I rent again? I'm not sure. If the security was better and we had kids with us, then we would definitely consider it but it was pricey and we did have issues so I cannot say for sure if we would. What I would advise for sure is that if you do have a cabana rented, get there early and request (demand) one of the middle cabanas (or at least one that was not right next to the fence) and I would probably request one furthest from the busiest stretch of public beach (i.e. furthest from the cruise ships).

 

Despite the issues we had, Mahogany Bay Beach was beautiful and we really did not want to leave the area. Thankfully the afternoon panned out better than the morning and we did get to relax and enjoy it.

 

Thank you so much for the review. I know the Carnival website soft soaps most reviews. They put in a few negatives just to make it look good. We rented 2 cabana's for our cruise in Oct. We are a party of 6. So thanks for the heads up about the guards. I would think they would have gotten the picture after you had to speak to them once. So it's your opinion that we should get 2 cabanas (next to each other) in the middle of the pack?

Thanks for the info.

[Vacationer80]

Thanks for posting about the lack of security. I will need to forget I am Canadian and tell people to get off our beach!!!!!! Do you have more pics of the beach and Cabanas?

 

I'll have my camera get with me, so I'll be shooting pics like a seasoned Japanese tourist!!!! ha ha ha......see if I can beat the 1200 I took on last years cruise and stay in New Orleans....

 

Hi there fellow Canadian! :-) I do have more pictures of the beach and the cabana but after trying multiple times, I was not able to load them or attach them to this message. I'll try again soon and hopefully it will work. You'll definitely enjoy, it was a beautiful location.

[Vacationer80]

Thank you so much for the review. I know the Carnival website soft soaps most reviews. They put in a few negatives just to make it look good. We rented 2 cabana's for our cruise in Oct. We are a party of 6. So thanks for the heads up about the guards. I would think they would have gotten the picture after you had to speak to them once. So it's your opinion that we should get 2 cabanas (next to each other) in the middle of the pack?

Thanks for the info.

 

 

Carnival finally posted my review after I wrote them and asked why it wasn't published. Turns out I had mentioned the cost of the excursion... which is posted there anyway but no odds, it's there now. :-)

 

As for the cabanas, they form a squared C shape (more like this shape [ if you can picture it that way) on that stretch of beach. So the cabanas on either end are closer to the beach (they jut out from the rest of the cabanas) and the middle cabanas are in a row further back from the beach. If that makes sense... :-P My personal preference if we went back would be to get a cabana in the middle of the pack just so our stuff is away from the wandering tourists plus we'd be away from the fence where some people from the public beach were hanging out all day. That being said, the hammocks and beach loungers are closer to the ocean and all in a line. The cabanas on either end of the row would be closer to those but that didn't really matter to us, everything is close in proximity there. The nice thing about the middle cabanas is that you could take the lounge chairs from the deck of the cabana and set them up in front of your cabana and be away from the beach traffic while still enjoying the sun. We were right by the fence separating the beaches and as I said, people were hanging out, leaning on the fence all day so we just hung out on the beach loungers to get away from that. Hopefully all, or at least some of this, made sense. I think you'll have a wonderful time, the place is really beautiful!

[PSkinner]

I know it says 4 but can you do more?

[Vacationer80]

I know it says 4 but can you do more?

 

I had to go back to Carnival's website to see what it said. The cost they list is for up to a maximum of 4 guests. The cabana is not very big, with a small L-shaped sofa that could accommodate 4 people and one other chair. We did have lots of seating options outside including the hammock, deck loungers and chairs plus the beach loungers. I think you're best bet would be to contact Carnival and ask them about the additional guests. If I had to guess, I would say they may make you pay extra for the additional guests or they may make you rent a second cabana. Good luck!

[gail811]

Just back from our cruise on the Sunshine. We rented 2 cabanas for our group and were able to add more at $49 per person once there. Carnival had a golf cart waiting for me as I got off the ship and they drove me to the cabana. We had #4 and #5 because they are handicap accessible. The walkway from the restrooms runs between the cabanas, but we did not have much foot traffic so nothing to complain about. The service from Fat Tuesday's was remarkably fast and the food delicious. Although the security guards did a great job keeping people off the beach, they cannot enforce people floating in the water; again not an issue, just an observation. More worrisome was the fact that they (security, which are not Carnival employees) enforced the extra wristbands for additional family members at only "selected" cabanas, others were allowed to stay free of charge. I started to let it ruin my day, but then looked around at my family and friends and realized how lucky I was to have them all there with me, and dropped it. All in all it was worth it alone just to have a place to cool off and relax on the loungers!

[CimW]

Wanted to add my thoughts for others.

We just got back from the Dream and rented a Cabana.

 

We loved it and would book this again. We had cabana #3.

It was really nice to have so few people around the cabanas. It was very peaceful and relaxing. You can hear the music from Fat Tuesdays but it was fine.

 

The air conditioner worked really well but we only ate our food in the cabana. The rest of the time we spent lounging on the porch, in the water and my son loved laying in the hammock. I did not want to leave.

As for people in the water, sometimes there were a few and other times not so many. Looking down to the end, there looked to be far more people than in our area.

 

I don't know of any problems from outside people entering our area. We didn't encounter any problems.

 

We ordered the nachos which were good, drinks, cups of ice. The waiter came often except at the end we had to find him to pay. I want to say most of the food items are around $13.

 

I just cannot say enough good things about our cabana experience.

 

I appreciated it even more when we were leaving and really took notice of the beach loungers and clam shells lined up.

 

I think the cabanas would be good for those who don't want in the water also. It's fairly close to the ship and you know it's safe. A great way to lounge and enjoy.