Labadee Cabanas and Other Musings About "Upscale Competition"

[Bootman4U]

So today I got the "auto" email from the concierges on the Harmony with the rundown about the Coastal Kitchen, the lounge, the reserved seating for shows, etc. The usual deal and also a pitch for renting a cabana on Labadee. Those "hilltop" models cost 100 bucks more than the "ordinary" ones.

 

It's been a couple years since we were there so I went on YouTube for a refresher course for how the place has changed. The very first time we were there the place didn't even have a dock, much less a "private beach" for suite guests but that was then.

 

Of course there was an urgency to the email regarding booking before they are all rented which is no doubt true. I'm not convinced they are worth the money but I am sure a lot of people weren't convinced that staying in a suite is "worth the money" either.

 

Thoughts on cabanas appreciated, positive or negative, appreciated.

 

It has been interesting to both watch and actually participate in these at least three "upscale cruising experiences" as offered by Royal, Celebrity, and NCL.

 

NCL actually BUILT a "ship within a ship" with the Haven and now Royal and "X" have designated eating venues as exclusive to certain types of cabins, reserved show seating, concierges, "genies" and that "suite limo" on Labadee. Celebrity is now building a new vessel that certainly mimics "The Haven" idea and I'm waiting to see what happens next. Private tenders?

 

Anyway, looking forward to spending money again later this week: always fun and I have to say we've been fortunate in never having had a really bad experience with Royal.

[suss1234]

first my guess is folks are going to mention the prices. others can debate if prices are to high, low or just right.

we love the cabanas on barefoot beach.

we have done over the water (W-1) and the hill top (H-6 and H-7).

we prefer the hilltop.

H-6 is our favorite by far and we book it whenever we can. much more privacy and much better views in our opinion.

only downside is getting into water with a ladder (it's not that bad).

[Bootman4U]

With a ladder??? What fun! I've actually sent the concierge an email with a request and we'll see if they are all booked already or not. Thanks for your feedback which has been helpful

[RFerrington]

We've done 2 cabanas at Labadee, Over The Water 1 and B2 which is just a beach access cabana. The B2 was considerably less money than that OTW variety but I cannot recall the exact cost for either !

 

Having done 2 of them now, I will probably be done with the cabanas for a while. I do like having somewhere to get out of the sun (I burn very easily) but to be completely honest, all we do is go there and take a nap ! I am not a beach person to start with and it seems like the water is always too cool for my taste so I rarely go into the water at all.

 

I may very well stay on the ship the next time we go to Labadee (which will be in Sept. when we are on Harmony in an Aqua Theater suite again).

 

If you have small children for whom a shady, comfortable retreat is needed or elderly or minimally mobile folks who need a place to relax comfortably, then I think the cabanas are almost invaluable. But for us, who really don't get that much out of a "beach day" to start with, I just don't see the value.

 

I think maybe we just did it because we could....now I will choose not to do it because I did !

[Bootman4U]

I can fully appreciate your thinking. We live on the beach in Fort Lauderdale and we see the ships going in and out of Port Everglades all the time. We have a pool out front and the sand just beyond. I haven't heard back from the concierge yet but we will probably do it at least this once. I suspect we'll be doing some other activities as well and I have to wonder if it is actually "worth the money." Thanks very much for your thoughts as they are appreciated,

[TinyPinkBug]

 

 

 

It has been interesting to both watch and actually participate in these at least three "upscale cruising experiences" as offered by Royal, Celebrity, and NCL.

 

NCL actually BUILT a "ship within a ship" with the Haven and now Royal and "X" have designated eating venues as exclusive to certain types of cabins, reserved show seating, concierges, "genies" and that "suite limo" on Labadee. Celebrity is now building a new vessel that certainly mimics "The Haven" idea and I'm waiting to see what happens next. Private tenders?

 

It is a very old concept we somehow lost in our society for a while but is making a come back. We just used to call them "1st class passengers", "2nd class passengers" and "3rd Class passengers".

[juliea344]

I had a cabana on Barefoot Beach and, although it was very nice, I won't book one again. Barefoot Beach had plenty of lounge chairs and tons of palm trees for shade. Also my cabana was set far back from the water. I could have had a better view from a regular chair.

[dasi11]

I have been in a Cabana twice. I have also been to Barefoot beach a few other times but did not take a cabana. I found nice shady areas to sit without the Cabana. I am not a sun person but also live in Florida. I think they are nice but I did not miss it either. I don't feel the need to spend the extra on the Cabana anymore.

 

I do like the food better on Barefoot beach! One of the pluses for booking a suite. I also love Coastal Kitchen. I don't know why Suite guests even go to the MDR anymore.

[suss1234]

With a ladder??? What fun! I've actually sent the concierge an email with a request and we'll see if they are all booked already or not. Thanks for your feedback which has been helpful

 

It's a 3 step ladder. Really wasn't that big of deal especially for the privacy and view.

[Bootman4U]

It is a very old concept we somehow lost in our society for a while but is making a come back. We just used to call them "1st class passengers", "2nd class passengers" and "3rd Class passengers".

 

Good point IMO.

 

As to the cabanas, the concierge emailed to say they had reserved one for us. I suspect these may be cancellable perhaps without penalty (I do not know) since they didn't ask for any money up front...yet!

 

One thing that has continually put us off about the MDR is the time it seems to take to finish a meal, We noticed this when we were on the Allure and I've read other reports about the rest if this class of ship. We also thought dining took a long time when we took our TA on the Anthem, too. I do enjoy the conversation with others, however, which comes from eating at a table larger than for just the two of us.

 

In terms of food quality I am not going there since it is SO subjective and nobody ever changes their minds anyway.

 

Again, I appreciate everyone's thoughts.

[FamilyMooner]

We had an over-the-water cabana in Labadee in December 2015. Grandma and Grampa, my brother and I and our spouses and kids (10 people total). It was wonderful to have a "home base" for everyone. Bar service, shade, cold fruit, and water were great. It was pricey - around $500 CDN but hands-down won our "best day of cruise" survey at dinner on the final night of cruise (and we had done many exciting shore excursions over the course of the cruise). Everyone agreed that if we had the chance to go to Labadee again that a cabana was a must-do!

[suss1234]

Good point IMO.

 

As to the cabanas, the concierge emailed to say they had reserved one for us. I suspect these may be cancellable perhaps without penalty (I do not know) since they didn't ask for any money up front...yet!

 

One thing that has continually put us off about the MDR is the time it seems to take to finish a meal, We noticed this when we were on the Allure and I've read other reports about the rest if this class of ship. We also thought dining took a long time when we took our TA on the Anthem, too. I do enjoy the conversation with others, however, which comes from eating at a table larger than for just the two of us.

 

In terms of food quality I am not going there since it is SO subjective and nobody ever changes their minds anyway.

 

Again, I appreciate everyone's thoughts.

 

 

At least 24 hour cancel no penalty...ENJOY.

[suss1234]

At least 24 hour cancel no penalty...ENJOY.

 

 

I should that's what It used to be.

[Bootman4U]

I should that's what It used to be.

Suss1234, thank you. I suspect we'll do it at least this once since it is the only way to know whether or not it was really "worth it." I think there are indulgences and then there are squanderings. I've always liked the whole "private island" thing ever since NCL leased theirs and they have changed (for the better in some ways and for the worse in others) over the years. I remember when Royal made you use doubloons on Labadee so they could prevent pilferage. We've done Disney's as well as HAL's as well as Costa Maya.

 

Frankly, I think sometimes the simpler it is the better; being kinda out there in the middle of nowhere; OK yeah, I'll take the drinks and the hamburgers. But we know that cruise lines are nothing if not good at turning empty spaces into revenue generation opportunities.

[Big_G]

We like to be close to the water so we've done beachfront and over the water. The OTWs were the best except for with small children and mobility challenged. When we had one of the grand kids with us, we did a beach front (B1) and he had a blast. Last year we had B2 and it became and over the water because of unusually high tide and choppy waters. We haven't done a hilltop or standard so I can't comment.

[Llmtax2000]

Just piling on that we've used the labadee cabanas several times and really enjoy them. It's just nice to have a place to hang out. All that being said, with last year's price increase we may pass next time. It was a no brainer even at $250 -- but more than that is just a lot of $$ for what usually turns out to be about four hours on the beach.

 

 

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[dtagirl]

On the Harmony last week, we did get an over water bungalow at Nellie's beach. We have done them in the past, and I really liked the experience. However, they were a lot less back a few years ago, but this was for the whole family. So I had booked it back in 2015, 2 years before our cruise and the price had gone up a lot. But my husband can't do sun, and for the whole family, it was a good spot to put every thing. It was NW 1, the first one on the beach front. It was perfect for the whole family, great to watch the kids in the sand and close enough to get into the water without the ladder! Have had those, not fun for me!! But gone was the fruit, the golf cart limo, all we had was 6 bottles of Evian water! They did do a golf cart to take you to the normal buffet, so it was ok. Will I do it again...probably not unless we have the whole family again. But everyone loved it, so who knows??

[GrayMaineCruiser]

We got one of the two cabanas on the beach, honestly I don't think I'd spend the money again since as a Suite guest you still get access to the private area and there are tons of beach chairs and shade and you still get the BBQ lunch. I mean, they are nice, comfy seating and all, but a bit pricey.

[sparkinator99]

It is a very old concept we somehow lost in our society for a while but is making a come back. We just used to call them "1st class passengers", "2nd class passengers" and "3rd Class passengers".

 

don't forget steerage class passengers. How long before they make the dining room available only to those willing and able to pay for it? The steerage class can eat in the buffett

[fudgedown]

Try it ..you will like it...did it and enjoyed it...if you are happy on vacay..every hour you worked is two fold in smile wrinkles..

[dasi11]

I did notice something about those Cabanas that I did not like. 2 of the last 4 times I was at Barefoot beach, people fell going down the paths/steps from the Cabana and one person was really hurt. The other person had about 5 places they were scraped up and bleeding. While it is nice to have a family gathering in one, please help the older people up and down the path.

[robyn206]

I never really looked into them, because I thought it was ridiculous to charge a per person amount based on a cabana, but it appears that's just the whole price?

[cw2go]

I never really looked into them, because I thought it was ridiculous to charge a per person amount based on a cabana, but it appears that's just the whole price?

 

 

Just a heads up....

The cabana's are priced for up to 4 guests, not individually or per person.