Chill Island Cabañas - Worth it?

[proggieus]

18 minutes ago, CRUISEFAN0001 said:

OK...people want to hear what they want to hear, read what they choose to read, and know what they think they know. We have all the "proof we need" and the results having proven spot on - to us and a few others as well. Those needing proof are welcome to seek it on their own.

 

Others get the facts from the direct source. Feel free to believe what you want, but rest assured...some of us will get cabanas at the lower prices whenever we choose knowing the correct formula. We also had cabanas on Labadee, and while both the types, quality, and costs are somewhat different, there is also a formula for how that pricing works. They are more expensive (in general), but discounts can be gotten knowing how thing work.

 

Enjoy your cabana for those who choose one. We certainly will. Hopefully others gain the pricing they can afford.

In other words

  

“I can’t provide proof because i have none”

 

Have fun paying what EVERBODY else that books the same day from the same sailing pays. 

 

Name ONE other suite or C And A perk that’s not

advertised, listed or discussed anywhere on official RCCL documentation. 

 

Now suddenly they are going to discount a limited availability item for the very people who are least likely to need the discount to purchase that item and they are going to do so with telling anybody about it. 

 

Got it. 

 

 

[CRUISEFAN0001]

21 minutes ago, proggieus said:

Got it. 

Great. I got it for sure. Just booked a second cruise this morning with the Coco Cay stop (different ship, different ports, different dates). Got another cabana for <$400.  I got my own proof twice now. 👍

 

Feel free to be a skeptic. I'm done feeding trolls and naysayers.

[later]

On 4/7/2019 at 2:01 PM, CRUISEFAN0001 said:

That's good.  Perhaps a couple other people didn't know it and came up with the wrong pricing for that reason.

 

The $319-$399 pricing is quite reasonable @$53-66 per person for a full day with a cabana (water, towels, and attendant, and food included). Those $1K and above prices...nope.

Food mentioned is available to anyone not just the cabanas.

[A&L_Ont]

53 minutes ago, CRUISEFAN0001 said:

Great. I got it for sure. Just booked a second cruise this morning with the Coco Cay stop (different ship, different ports, different dates). Got another cabana for <$400.  I got my own proof twice now. 👍

 

Feel free to be a skeptic. I'm done feeding trolls and naysayers.

 

I can book a cabana today for $400 US as well, right on the RC website for two of my few sailings that stop at Coco Cay this September and September 2020.  The two have different ports on different Oasis Class ships, and they should have the highest amount of demand for cabanas per capita. I can also book the same one for March of 2020, at the same price on an Oasis Class ship. 

 

I can get a cabana priced the same as yours interestingly enough with no formula, no secret hand shake, and no mention of C&A status or cabin category discount.  

 

 

[siempredescalzo]

1 hour ago, CRUISEFAN0001 said:

Just booked a second cruise this morning with the Coco Cay stop (different ship, different ports, different dates). Got another cabana for <$400.  I got my own proof twice now. 

 

For what it's worth, I was able to book a chill island cabana for $329 and I'm a gold member staying in an inside cabin on that cruise. I'm personally in the camp of ship size and sailing timing making up the vast majority of the pricing algorithm. For those looking for comparisons, that pricing is for a Thanksgiving (so...November) Grandeur sailing. 

[Mikew0805]

I really think this is just supply and demand, just like the cruise itself is. They are going to sell the cabana's (and the cruise) for as much as they think they can. As time goes by, when inventory is higher than they think they can sell in the time left, the prices come down. 

 

If they were going to offer a discount based on cabin category, or C&A status... I believe they would advertise that, as an additional way to get those to purchase a higher category, and incentive to keep cruising for the higher status.

 

This is all of course, just my opinion.

[A&L_Ont]

39 minutes ago, Mikew0805 said:

I really think this is just supply and demand, just like the cruise itself is. They are going to sell the cabana's (and the cruise) for as much as they think they can. As time goes by, when inventory is higher than they think they can sell in the time left, the prices come down. 

 

If they were going to offer a discount based on cabin category, or C&A status... I believe they would advertise that, as an additional way to get those to purchase a higher category, and incentive to keep cruising for the higher status.

 

This is all of course, just my opinion.

 

I am of similar opinion regarding specific ship and cabana pricing, over and above the time of year pricing. 

 

RC have stated in print that cabana pricing will vary depending on the time of year.  If I was going to add speculation in this discussion, regarding pricing and demand, I would say that smaller ships such as Grandeur, Serenade and the cheaper 3/4 day sailings might have cheaper prices for cabanas. 

 

I see the possibility of a lower price for the ships that stop and have less capacity, as well as the weekend warrior sailings to which the guests don’t want to spent a lot of money. The cabanas have to be priced to sell for those sailings, even if a discount needs to be applied. For Oasis, Quantum and Freedom Class ships there will be no need for price fluctuation as capacity should resolve this issue b

 

The only thing that really makes me wonder how RC might be able to do what I stated above, is will their inept IT department be able to juggle ship specific price adjustments over and above time of year pricing. After all, they can’t even run a website with great success.😉

 

It could be a formula, a formula for disaster. That being said it could be a buyers market if one watched prices carefully.  Might almost be a worthwhile separate thread similar to The Key one. 

Edited April 8, 2019 by A&L_Ont

[proggieus]

 

3 hours ago, CRUISEFAN0001 said:

Great. I got it for sure. Just booked a second cruise this morning with the Coco Cay stop (different ship, different ports, different dates). Got another cabana for <$400.  I got my own proof twice now. 👍

 

Feel free to be a skeptic. I'm done feeding trolls and naysayers.

you really dont know what the word "proof" means do you,

 

i have a chill beach cabana booked for oct for $339. So I must be much higher C&A member right?

 

Funny how you have made no effort to prove your claims other then linking to your own post.

1 hour ago, siempredescalzo said:

 

For what it's worth, I was able to book a chill island cabana for $329 and I'm a gold member staying in an inside cabin on that cruise. I'm personally in the camp of ship size and sailing timing making up the vast majority of the pricing algorithm. For those looking for comparisons, that pricing is for a Thanksgiving (so...November) Grandeur sailing. 

how is this possible?  better call your insider and find out what went wrong

Edited April 8, 2019 by proggieus

[taglovestocruise]

3 hours ago, later said:

Food mentioned is available to anyone not just the cabanas.

Yes the  BBQ food is included. Only those in certain Cabana categories have access to the Coco Cay beach club which has Captain Jacks, a upscale for a fee sit down dinning.

[later]

2 hours ago, A&L_Ont said:

 

I am of similar opinion regarding specific ship and cabana pricing, over and above the time of year pricing. 

 

RC have stated in print that cabana pricing will vary depending on the time of year.  If I was going to add speculation in this discussion, regarding pricing and demand, I would say that smaller ships such as Grandeur, Serenade and the cheaper 3/4 day sailings might have cheaper prices for cabanas. 

 

I see the possibility of a lower price for the ships that stop and have less capacity, as well as the weekend warrior sailings to which the guests don’t want to spent a lot of money. The cabanas have to be priced to sell for those sailings, even if a discount needs to be applied. For Oasis, Quantum and Freedom Class ships there will be no need for price fluctuation as capacity should resolve this issue b

 

The only thing that really makes me wonder how RC might be able to do what I stated above, is will their inept IT department be able to juggle ship specific price adjustments over and above time of year pricing. After all, they can’t even run a website with great success.😉

 

It could be a formula, a formula for disaster. That being said it could be a buyers market if one watched prices carefully.  Might almost be a worthwhile separate thread similar to The Key one. 

Andrew:

you may be right.  I have a B2B2B2B on Mariner in Sept/Oct 2019 and each week is different but starts at $299 and progresses up to $379. 

 

3 & 4 night sailings and different weeks.

[A&L_Ont]

3 hours ago, later said:

Andrew:

you may be right.  I have a B2B2B2B on Mariner in Sept/Oct 2019 and each week is different but starts at $299 and progresses up to $379. 

 

3 & 4 night sailings and different weeks.

 

Would it be impolite to ask if you have cabin changes during those sailings, what type of cabin you are in and your C&A level?  

 

Is it the South Beach cabana you were pricing, as they seem to be the most economical of the prices I’ve seen on line. For our 7 day late September Symphony sailing it is $400, and is the lowest price on-line.  

 

Seems to be that the lower capacity ships get lower pricing.  It it would be interesting to do a price comparison for the same cabana categories for your sailings VS ours for the last week being September 28th. At least to see if the big girl’s 7 day sailing is higher priced than a 3/4 nighter on a smaller ship. If you are up to it I’d list the pricing if you want to as well. 

[later]

11 hours ago, A&L_Ont said:

 

Would it be impolite to ask if you have cabin changes during those sailings, what type of cabin you are in and your C&A level?  

 

Is it the South Beach cabana you were pricing, as they seem to be the most economical of the prices I’ve seen on line. For our 7 day late September Symphony sailing it is $400, and is the lowest price on-line.  

 

Seems to be that the lower capacity ships get lower pricing.  It it would be interesting to do a price comparison for the same cabana categories for your sailings VS ours for the last week being September 28th. At least to see if the big girl’s 7 day sailing is higher priced than a 3/4 nighter on a smaller ship. If you are up to it I’d list the pricing if you want to as well. 

No problem 

 

junior suite. Same cabin for all 4. Diamond plus with over 350 points but less than 525. Chill Island Cabana.

 

the sept 30th 2019 cruise

Chill Island $299.99

Oasis Lagoon $359.99

Thrill water park cabana  & full day pass $374.99

 

South beach not showing for this cruise but does show up for my dec 2019 cruises in a suite. 

 

-Tim-

Edited April 9, 2019 by later

[proggieus]

We have a OV balcony on navigator in mid october

 

gold member with 21 points.

 

339.00 for chill island

[parothead]

I booked Chill Island Cabana for Dec because in Jan it said those were the over water cabanas. Now looking at the map they will not be. South beach club is where it looks like they will be from the virtual map. I just called RCI and they said reservation have not opened for those yet. Not going to be happy if the price is 1000+ when they do open up. he offered to move to South Beach but those are still not over water. My 5 yr old is so psyched about the little slide and hammock. I am going to be one unhappy mama bear if I dont get one of these.  

[happymanitee]

The price for Chill Island Cabanas has been all over the place for my Thanksgiving cruise on Symphony.  And, for the record, I am only Platinum and I am sailing in an interior cabin.  I was able to book for $399.  I keep checking to see if they will go any lower, and I have seen the prices change almost every day.  Some days, they are as high as $650.  Other days, it is $499.  I haven't seen $399 again, so I guess I got a good deal.  I am in the camp who thinks that status/room booked doesn't matter.  The prices just seem to fluctuate a lot.  

On the other hand, the prices for the drink package hasn't changed at all.  I've been watching that one too and it has been $52/pp/day the whole time.  The only exception was $49 on black Friday.  

[Dan-P]

2 hours ago, parothead said:

I booked Chill Island Cabana for Dec because in Jan it said those were the over water cabanas. Now looking at the map they will not be. South beach club is where it looks like they will be from the virtual map. I just called RCI and they said reservation have not opened for those yet. Not going to be happy if the price is 1000+ when they do open up. he offered to move to South Beach but those are still not over water. My 5 yr old is so psyched about the little slide and hammock. I am going to be one unhappy mama bear if I dont get one of these.  

 

The Coco Beach Club over-the-water cabanas will have an estimated price range of $999 - $1599 depending on the season and whatever other factors they use for their dynamic pricing.  This is directly from the FAQ located here:   https://www.royalcaribbean.com/content/dam/royal/resources/pdf/perfect-day-at-cococay-frequently-asked-questions.pdf

 

Dan.

Edited April 9, 2019 by Dan-P

[A&L_Ont]

4 hours ago, later said:

No problem 

 

junior suite. Same cabin for all 4. Diamond plus with over 350 points but less than 525. Chill Island Cabana.

 

the sept 30th 2019 cruise

Chill Island $299.99

Oasis Lagoon $359.99

Thrill water park cabana  & full day pass $374.99

 

South beach not showing for this cruise but does show up for my dec 2019 cruises in a suite. 

 

-Tim-

 

Tim.  Thanks for the info.  This is how ours stacks up to your sailing.  There are literally a few days between our stops at Perfect Day, but the prices do differ.  

 

Symphony of the Seas sailing September 28th, Diamond Plus with 400 points in a Crown Loft Suite.

 

I have exchanged my prices from Canadian to US Funds, so they might be a dollar of two different from what is seen on the US version of the RC website.  

 

Cabana Pricing

South Beach $400.

Chill Island $400

Oasis Lagoon $475

Thrill Water Park Cabana with water park pass $472

 

 

We are both Diamond plus and in suites, yet there is approximately an increase of $100 on all cabana categories for me.  The previous poster's theory, that my rates should have been cheaper than yours as my cabin costs more does not come to fruition especially as our C&A levels are comparable.  It does appear that the pricing is lowered for ships that have less capacity, to make certain that they all sell.  That tends to run more to my suggestion above, discounted rates for smaller ships and shorter sailings.

[A&L_Ont]

3 hours ago, parothead said:

I booked Chill Island Cabana for Dec because in Jan it said those were the over water cabanas. Now looking at the map they will not be. South beach club is where it looks like they will be from the virtual map. I just called RCI and they said reservation have not opened for those yet. Not going to be happy if the price is 1000+ when they do open up. he offered to move to South Beach but those are still not over water. My 5 yr old is so psyched about the little slide and hammock. I am going to be one unhappy mama bear if I dont get one of these.  

 

I hate to say it but my understanding is that Chill Island were always on the beach.  South Beach cabanas seem to be the same price as the Chill Island Cabanas from what I have seen.  I hope that the seasonal rate is cheaper when they open for you, so you can get an over the water one, but regretfully I think they will always be the highest priced ones.  

 

If your little guy doesn't like salt watering his face you could always "side sell" him one of the other choices at a lower cost. After all, who likes a face of salt water.  Even if you get one cabana now at a set price, you could always watch for the others to open and swap them or give the original one up.  It might be better to have one, than none.  

 

Good luck and I hope it works.  I always remember our son's happy face when things worked out, and a momma bear face isn't a good thing.😉

Edited April 9, 2019 by A&L_Ont

[kag19]

We are lowly gold in a balcony room and we booked our Chill Island cabana for $499 for next February.  Friends going with us are Diamond in a balcony and they see it in their Cruise Planner for the same price.  I honestly think there is no rhyme or reason to any of the pricing.  LOL!  They are just throwing numbers out for each sailing and hoping people will pay it.  To answer the OP's question, for us it is definitely worth it.  We have 10 people going so we booked 2 cabanas and are splitting the cost between us.  We have rented cabanas before (Labadee) and like having a place where everyone can relax together and come and go as they want.

[A&L_Ont]

26 minutes ago, A&L_Ont said:

Symphony of the Seas sailing September 28th, Diamond Plus with 400 points in a Crown Loft Suite.

 

I have exchanged my prices from Canadian to US Funds, so they might be a dollar of two different from what is seen on the US version of the RC website.  

 

Cabana Pricing

South Beach $400.

Chill Island $400

Oasis Lagoon $475

Thrill Water Park Cabana with water park pass $472

 

 

 

Now I'm going to do a comparable from our Symphony September 2019 sailings to our Symphony March 14, 2020 sailing.

 

Still a D+ and C&A points will be 414.  This time staying in a Star Loft Suite, Star Class.  

 

As above, I have exchanged my prices from Canadian to US Funds, so they might be a dollar of two different from what is seen on the US version of the RC website.  

 

Cabana Pricing

South Beach $400

Chill Island $550

Oasis Lagoon $550

Thrill Water Park Cabana with water park pass $472

 

The more exclusive cabanas are not yet listed for pricing.  In this case the South Beach Cabanas are the "best value".  I think getting in early and watching the price is they.  We already have Thrill Water Park booked and it has gone up $25 overall since last fall but that might only be based upon the Canadian to US exchange rate.

Edited April 9, 2019 by A&L_Ont

[parothead]

4 hours ago, parothead said:

I booked Chill Island Cabana for Dec because in Jan it said those were the over water cabanas. Now looking at the map they will not be. South beach club is where it looks like they will be from the virtual map. I just called RCI and they said reservation have not opened for those yet. Not going to be happy if the price is 1000+ when they do open up. he offered to move to South Beach but those are still not over water. My 5 yr old is so psyched about the little slide and hammock. I am going to be one unhappy mama bear if I dont get one of these.  

South Beach wasnt even an option back when I booked Chill Island in Jan

[proggieus]

As A&L_Ont  said-

 

I have never seen anything that would imply that the chill island cabanas were to be over the water.

 

 

I have always seen that the over the water ones were planned to be starting at ~$1000 and were to be located in the private beach club area of the island

[later]

2 hours ago, A&L_Ont said:

 

 

Now I'm going to do a comparable from our Symphony September 2019 sailings to our Symphony March 14, 2020 sailing.

 

Still a D+ and C&A points will be 414.  This time staying in a Star Loft Suite, Star Class.  

 

As above, I have exchanged my prices from Canadian to US Funds, so they might be a dollar of two different from what is seen on the US version of the RC website.  

 

Cabana Pricing

South Beach $400

Chill Island $550

Oasis Lagoon $550

Thrill Water Park Cabana with water park pass $472

 

The more exclusive cabanas are not yet listed for pricing.  In this case the South Beach Cabanas are the "best value".  I think getting in early and watching the price is they.  We already have Thrill Water Park booked and it has gone up $25 overall since last fall but that might only be based upon the Canadian to US exchange rate.

I think south beach will have both over the water and beach cabanas and the OTWs aren’t listed yet.

 

south beach seems to have a much larger number of beach cabanas then chill island.

 

I have never had any info that showed chill island cabanas as anything other than beach cabanas. 

Edited April 9, 2019 by later

[A&L_Ont]

2 hours ago, proggieus said:

 

I have always seen that the over the water ones were planned to be starting at ~$1000 and were to be located in the private beach club area of the island

 

Same for me as well.  It supposedly gives you access to a pay for restaurant too.  Isn’t that nice.  I’d like to think there’s a free food area in the “country club” as well. 

 

1 hour ago, later said:

I think south beach will have both over the water and beach cabanas and the OTWs aren’t listed yet.

 

south beach seems to have a much larger number of beach cabanas then chill island.

 

I have never had any info that showed chill island cabanas as anything other than beach cabanas. 

 

I have never been CoCo Cay, but from talking with someone I know who has been many times, they are most likely the original/old cabanas renamed and revitalized to become South Beach. 

 

 

 

What’s interesting is the South Beach Cabana’s aren’t listed in the literature so far, but they are bookable and are generally the most economical.  I suspect that they won’t have access to the private club for that simple reason, unless all cabanas get access.  Perhaps there will be some over the water cabanas have access, and other don’t. Time will tell. 

 

 

For some reason I also think that the Beach Club will have a fence, comparable to Labadee, to keep the commoners out.  LOL, I mean the fence to Barefoot Beach keeping the cruisers out, not the fence that keeps the local Haitians out of Labadee. 

 

 

All this beach club talk makes me think of the old 90210 Summer series.  

 

Hey Brando, why you working at the BH Beach Club for the summer and not still slinging food with Nat at the Pit?  

 

Man, what a throw back. 

 

[Dan-P]

1 hour ago, A&L_Ont said:

...existing cabanas....South Beach....

 

If they keep the existing beach cabanas, their location would make them the Chill Island Cabanas not South Beach Cabanas.

 

I have read that the existing ones are not staying, but nothing in hard facts anywhere to support or dispel that.

 

I had a Chill Island Cabana, paid $319 as a Diamond in a Junior Suite for those keeping track, booked for an upcoming Navigator sailing in May, but we decided to change our plans for the day and I cancelled it.

 

Dan.