Cabanas - 10 of us - What to do???

[cruisin'sz]

What's our best bet if our group of 10 all wants a cabana? Do we get 2 (are they close enough to one another that our group could stay together?) or do just a few of us rent 1 and the others use it as well? Can non-cabana paying patrons visit cabana paying patrons and put their chairs/clamshells in front of the cabana? What are the negatives to this?

[iluvcruzin]

For comfort rent 2. Think picnic table for 4 on a 8X8 deck. There's no room for 10 on them. They are very close to the clamshells so if you rent one, hopefully the rest of your group will be on the beach early enough to claim them. The beach area in front of the cabana is fine to pull a chair up too as it's basically a "public" area. Not sure how the attendant would react to the extra people as they bring food and drinks for 4. As far as visiting, we visted our friends who had one but then there was only 2 of us and we did not eat with them or bring extra chairs along.

[FCOWHER]

If you rented two Cabanas you should be fine. I remember that they are anywhere from 20 to 50 yards apart. Joe V.

 

Serenade of the Seas 1/7/2006

Zuiderdam 4/23/05

Princess 3 times

QE2 1 time

RCI 2 times Song of America and Monarch of the Seas

Carnival 1 time

Royal Majesty 1 time

[garydm]

We had other people within 5 feet of our cabana. No idea who they were.

 

As I recall, they place a limit on the number of people in the cabana. If one were to rent it for 2 and invite 8 others over (which I doubt you would do) it would be a bit like paying for two meals at a buffet and then inviting Cousin Eddie and the kids the join you.

 

Gary

[kryos]

We had other people within 5 feet of our cabana. No idea who they were.

 

As I recall, they place a limit on the number of people in the cabana. If one were to rent it for 2 and invite 8 others over (which I doubt you would do) it would be a bit like paying for two meals at a buffet and then inviting Cousin Eddie and the kids the join you.

Yeah, but what if those eight others got all their own food, drinks, etc.? They wouldn't be overworking the cabana people that way. Of course, that number of people aren't going to all fit ... unless maybe they sit on the floor ... but theoretically I can't imagine what the problem would be having ten in a cabana. You would get the same amount of drinks, food, etc. ... so the overage would have to go get their own grub.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[Sage]

There is not enough room in the cabana for ten people unless you take the table and chairs out. As it is, when you sit at the table, it is difficult to walk behind the chairs to get to the fridge and such. I would just rent the cabana next to yours, and eveyone can enjoy the benefits of the cabana, the A/C, the protection from the sun and such.

[montlee]

OK - I give up; what's a cabana?

[dhowell]

Montlee - Cabanas are located on Half Moon Cay - if you look at the excursion list for Holland America, it gives you a description and prices. It's basically a private air conditioned open hut type building with air conditioning, a mister, some seating, basic food and drinks provided. Everyone must get their own lunch at the barbeque - the butlers only provide beverages and set up the cabana (unless you purchase the upgraded service, which is very expensive, but includes many extravagances like a cooked/served lunch from a special menu and alcohol, along with a private butler).

 

cruisin'sz - If you plan to have all 10 of you enjoy sitting in the cabana at once, then you will need more than one. However, if you just want a "home base" for everyone to hang out, don't waste the money. We actually had 21 people - the 3 seniors used the cabana for the most part, while others of us came and went throughout the day. They give you a set amount of soda and bottled water (you order your preferences the night before) - if you ask for more, they will charge you (we didn't realize the extra charge until we received the bill). That was only fair, since there were many of us. There were 2 dishes of nacho chips and some salsa, a plate of fruit - I think that's it with the food. The cabana boys were there to get extra drinks and alcoholic beverages - you can tip them early if you feel guilty for having extra people. Along with the 4 chairs and table, there are also 2 lounge chairs. We got some clamshells nearby (they will set them up for you wherever there's availability, but we never used the clamshells (we let other passengers use them since we paid for them anyway). You're only on the beach for about 7 hours max, assuming you catch the first tender over and the last one back, so depending on what you plan to do for the day, don't waste your money on an extra cabana or on too many clamshells. Some of us did horsebackriding, others did the Aquatrax, and some did banana boating. The water was great to float around in (4 mats are provided with the cabana). I hope this helps - personally, I'd just get 1 cabana unless you are all planning to sit in it all day!

[cruisin'sz]

Thanks everyone for your help. I pretty much have it covered now. However, if we pay for extra people will we get extra lounge chairs, nachos & salsa, water mats etc to equal the number of extra people we pay for?? Also is the priority debarkation and embarkation that comes with the cabanas necessary - are there long lines and hassles otherwise? Can you have clamshells set up in front of your cabana before you get there? And, all in all, is it worth it??

[anjuli]

If you rent a cabana, you get priority on the tenders. We're gettting a cabana because I can't be in the sun for long periods of time. My husband wants to parasail, I plan on doing some swimming, and then just hang out.

 

Friends of ours rented a cabana last year, there were 20 in their group. Everyone chipped in, I think they also rented clamshells. Anyway, everyone had enough shade and they would rotate into the cabana. They all got their own BBQ. Lenore said they all bought the all-you-can drink package for $19.95, so the drinks just kept coming for the group. (I'm not sure the all-you-can drink package is still available...) They had a great time, people could come and go, and there was an average of 3 people in the cabana.

 

Thanks everyone for your help. I pretty much have it covered now. However' date=' if we pay for extra people will we get extra lounge chairs, nachos & salsa, water mats etc to equal the number of extra people we pay for?? Also is the priority debarkation and embarkation that comes with the cabanas necessary - are there long lines and hassles otherwise? Can you have clamshells set up in front of your cabana before you get there? And, all in all, is it worth it??[/quote']

[cruisin'sz]

How many people did the 20 actually pay for?

[Cruisin Kay D]

Maybe someone could post a link to photo(s) of the cabanas and beach in front of them. I know I've seen a photo or two several months ago but don't know where I saw them.....

[S.S.Oceanlover]

For comfort rent 2. Think picnic table for 4 on a 8X8 deck. There's no room for 10 on them. They are very close to the clamshells so if you rent one, hopefully the rest of your group will be on the beach early enough to claim them. The beach area in front of the cabana is fine to pull a chair up too as it's basically a "public" area. Not sure how the attendant would react to the extra people as they bring food and drinks for 4. As far as visiting, we visted our friends who had one but then there was only 2 of us and we did not eat with them or bring extra chairs along.

 

We paid for 4 in a cabana. We wound up with 5. We received no extra soda, no extra floating mat, and no extra snorkeling gear. In fact we received no service. we saw the cabana guy at 1pm AFTER we ate lunch. when we got back on the ship we received a phone call stating that they knew we had had 5 in the cabana and we were charged an extra $45.00. I don't know what for but we didn't argue the point and paid it. :)

 

Bill

[anjuli]

How many people did the 20 actually pay for?

 

I'm not sure. I know at least six did, because two of the ladies were over 80. I think they just sat in the cabana until after lunch then went back to the ship. Everyone else rented clamshells. Lenore said it was good because those who just wanted to veg could, most were out swimming, riding the horses, and doing the other activities. I think they treated it more as a homebase. They did tip the cabana boy a whole bunch because he kept the drinks coming to the cabana and the clamshells.

[Ziggy7]

Maybe someone could post a link to photo(s) of the cabanas and beach in front of them. I know I've seen a photo or two several months ago but don't know where I saw them.....

I have lots of pictures of the Cabanas and clamshells but not sure you see both together, however you can see how big the cabanas are, how far apart, etc .... :) The link is below next to the cruise ship :) There are 2 albums.

[MBeamTX]

We paid for 4 in a cabana. We wound up with 5. We received no extra soda, no extra floating mat, and no extra snorkeling gear. In fact we received no service. we saw the cabana guy at 1pm AFTER we ate lunch. when we got back on the ship we received a phone call stating that they knew we had had 5 in the cabana and we were charged an extra $45.00. I don't know what for but we didn't argue the point and paid it. :)

 

Bill

 

I think this is a prime example of the HAL nickel-and-diming that people bemoan these days. A couple of years ago, HAL charged $25 per additional person (and only $149 for the cabana!) and included beer as well as more soft drinks and water in the package. We paid the $25 each for 2 additional people in the cabana and ended up with far more beverages than we needed even though other folks stopped by. We took them back to the ship and enjoyed them over the next few days.

 

Now the cost per extra person is almost twice as high, you get less for it, and they have cabana police counting heads! What if someone just drops by to visit for 10 minutes while one of the staff is there? Is that an extra $45? What's next? Are they going to start charging by the hour? Yikes, someone in Seattle has probably already put that in the suggestion box. :rolleyes:

 

To us, it's still worth the $219 for the cabana because it provides shade and a place for my parents to rest. But an extra $45 for 3 soft drinks and 2 bottles of water (if anyone bothers to bring them)? That's obscene.

 

We'll only have 3 people in our cabana this November. Maybe I should ask HAL for a $45 rebate? ;)

 

Susan