Upgraded buffet for Nellies cabanas since they "took it away"

[jakenashleysmom]

I booked our Nellies cabana before the cut off date in which you had to have booked before to receive the upgraded buffet. Wondering if anyone has recent information on how that's been working out?

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[marklodi]

Hi Bonnie,

 

We'll be able to answer your question in just a couple weeks - exactly the same situation for us for our 5/10 Oasis cruise.

 

If you need a more immediate answer, you might want to post this question in the Private Islands forum: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=406

 

FYI - We have copies of both our original cabana reservation showing the early date, as well as the letter from RCI saying we were to get the enhanced buffet. I am bringing those copies with me when we check in for the cabana. Fingers crossed. :)

[philschoon]

We had the same situation two weeks ago. It's no problem, just tell the guy who assigns you your cabana that you qualify for the upgraded buffet and he will give you a wrist band. At lunch time go to the side entrance to Barefoot Beach, a guard lets you in, and the buffet is 100 yards away.

[nitlioner]

On our cruise this past January, they gave everyone a wrist band for the upgraded buffet, and we definitely booked our cabana after the deadline.

[LMaxwell]

What are the differences from the standard buffet.

[Clarea]

What are the differences from the standard buffet.

Beef, chicken, and shrimp skewers mostly.

[EmpressofPurple]

Um, I think everything is nicer... better bread selection, more fruits, wider array of salads and sides... I've only been once, for a detailed review, look at the link to my Oasis blog below, post #69...

[Polomom]

We had no trouble at all in March. I took all my paperwork since I never received the email that most people got a few days before sailing ( confirmed the upgraded buffet, wristbands, etc). Our cabana guy knew we got wristbands and had them for us early in the day. He even got the golf cart guy to come get us when we wanted to go to lunch. Easy!

[Brandonclan]

Hi Bonnie,

FYI - We have copies of both our original cabana reservation showing the early date, as well as the letter from RCI saying we were to get the enhanced buffet. I am bringing those copies with me when we check in for the cabana. Fingers crossed. :)

 

Bonnie,

We sail Allure next week and have a Nellies over the water cabana booked. We booked it way before the deadline.

We have everything printed as well. (e-mails/receipts)

I'll try to remember to come back to give you a report. :)

[cruising_knc]

We booked on October 4, the day the change was made. I thought, from what I read here, that we'd qualify for the upgraded buffet. I mentioned it to the guy who assigned the cabana, he said he'd look into it, but never came back to us. Other than mention it on the survey, I did not follow up. My DH and I figured it wasn't snowing and we weren't at work. It wasn't worth getting worked up over. We did enjoy the cabana.

 

 

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[twindaddy]

I booked well after the deadline, do I just get the regular buffet with the regular folk?

[momofmab]

FYI...we were at Labadee last week at Barefoot Beach. There were shrimp skewers, but once the bin was empty, they did not refill it with shrimp - they refilled it with the chicken skewers. So if your thing is the shrimp, get in line early!

 

On another note - it was a little disconcerting that there were flies all over pretty much everything on the buffet. I know it's outside and it's a tropical island, but I wish they would have kept everything covered and served people, rather than having to leave everything open so people could serve themselves. There were some things that I skipped because of too many flies!

[Clarea]

I booked well after the deadline, do I just get the regular buffet with the regular folk?

Yes, and the regular buffet is pretty good.

[jakenashleysmom]

Thanks everyone, looking forward to more good reports! My interest in the upgrade is more for location purposes than the actual food. It is so much nicer to eat under the trees in actual chairs a brief walk (or golf cart ride) from your cabana, than to eat under the pavilion with a couple hundred others! My parents will also be with us, and although they are very active for their age, I would rather they didn't have to truck all over the island and stand in a huge hot line for lunch if I can help it!

 

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[Brandonclan]

Just got home from our cruise, figured I would share our experience on Labadee.

Booked a Nellies over the water cabana last June. We did have to show our e-mails to get the upgraded buffet, they kept them too. Not a hassle though, and we did talk to a few who were not allowed the upgraded buffet because they booked late.

Got off the ship early and were able to pick our cabana. They had us assigned to the Jumper, we ended up picking number 5, on the end facing the ship. Loved the location and our cabana attendant Mickey.

We had a great lunch, lots of shrimp skewers, no flies, all the food was good. Ribs, chicken, skewers, burgers, dogs, cookies, lots more too.

I did check out the regular buffet and it looked great too. I will definitely book a cabana again when we return to Labadee.