HMC Cabana

[mr. godfredo]

Going on Nieuw Statendam in late March and considering getting a cabana. For those that have used one, are they worth it? Pros/cons??? Do tell!

[sevenseasnomad]

The first time we went to HMC we rented one, the pink one way down the beach by the restrooms.  Great choice, as it wasn't crowded at all at that end of the beach.  Back then, I believe the price was around $200.  We loved the convenience of having a shower, air conditioning, water toys, a cooler with soft drinks and water, and a waiter who brought things to us; however, we have never rented one on the dozen subsequent visits.  I can't recall if the butler service was extra or not.  I believe that service is very pricy now. 

 

Was it worth it that one time?  Yes, but on future visits, we also found that walking around the island is a lot of fun too.  If we want to sit these day, we simply park ourselves on the powdery sand or on one of the free benches, which is a lot friendlier to the budget.

 

Only you can decide if it's worth the $$$$.  Whether you rent a cabana or not, you will probably love the island.  Personally, I would put the money toward a cabana on the ship, since you can use it every day, and the service is to-die-for.  You will be truly pampered.  We've rented a ship cabana four or five times on those ships where it's available and have never felt we wasted the money.  Hope this answer helps.

[Florida_gal_50]

6 minutes ago, sevenseasnomad said:

The first time we went to HMC we rented one, the pink one way down the beach by the restrooms.  Great choice, as it wasn't crowded at all at that end of the beach.  Back then, I believe the price was around $200.  We loved the convenience of having a shower, air conditioning, water toys, a cooler with soft drinks and water, and a waiter who brought things to us; however, we have never rented one on the dozen subsequent visits.  I can't recall if the butler service was extra or not.  I believe that service is very pricy now. 

 

Was it worth it that one time?  Yes, but on future visits, we also found that walking around the island is a lot of fun too.  If we want to sit these day, we simply park ourselves on the powdery sand or on one of the free benches, which is a lot friendlier to the budget.

 

Only you can decide if it's worth the $$$$.  Whether you rent a cabana or not, you will probably love the island.  Personally, I would put the money toward a cabana on the ship, since you can use it every day, and the service is to-die-for.  You will be truly pampered.  We've rented a ship cabana four or five times on those ships where it's available and have never felt we wasted the money.  Hope this answer helps.

I was thinking the same thing.  I believe the hmc cabanas are $399 but I’m not sure since I don’t have a Caribbean cruise booked.  For the same price you can get a cabana on the ship for the same price.  

[CruiserBruce]

"Worth it" is a personal judgement only you can make. Except in our case, our dermatologist insists a cabana is worth it, and we have had 7 of them.

[mr. godfredo]

Thanks for the replies so far. When I say "worth i"t, I am not really talking about the money rather the experience. Sorry for the confusion.

[Kris75]

On our latest cruise we got the red cabana which is way down the beach. In any case we really enjoyed it. We were there the entire day. It was so nice having our own private space with loungers and a table and chairs to eat lunch and have some shade. You also get pop and water in a fridge, along with tortilla chips and dip, small cut up veggies, and a bowl of fruit. It is certainly not "cheap", although I guess that is relative, but we decided to splurge since it was our first cruise in almost 2 years and we needed to spend a few dollars that cruise to get to 4 stars.

[Sharon in AZ]

Definitely worth it!  We have done it only once, way back when they were fairly new.  I think we were in the Pink one, not sure, but it was further toward the tip of the bay, if that makes any sense.  We invited another couple with their two sons that we had met onboard and it was wonderful, very relaxing and a special experience.  It was very good for my fair skinned DH.  And so wonderful to just go for a dip in the ocean and then get back to the cabana.  Lunch brought to us was wonderful.  I honestly don't remember much else but it was very relaxing and enjoyable.  We are going back to HMC on the Rotterdam sailing next week and I hemmed and hawed about booking one again, and alas, I waited too long and they are all sold out.  Bummer............

[NengEuis]

We will be renting one with a butler upgrade on our next sailing as a bit of a splurge - 20th anniversary, Christmas.I think if it was a normal cruise I would be okay just being at HMC without one. I think the "worth it" just depends on your reason for cruising and the value you place on experiences on that voyage. It is different for us each time. 

 

If you are ever looking for the correlation between colors and numbers, here is the thread I refer to: 

 

 

 

Edited December 15, 2021 by NengEuis

[coffee59]

Hoping to get to HMC in 2022.

Is there a tram service for access to the far cabanas?  

I read on this thread that lunch will be brought to you.  Is that still correct?

Are there still bar staff that service the beach?  

Thanks.  

[gigianne]

We have been to HMC many times, our last in November 2019.  Our DD and DGS were with us and we decided to rent Pink #8 for the day.  One of the best decisions we have ever made while cruising.  Will we do it again - definitely!    

[Mr. Boston]

We’ve rented the green cabana a few times and have always enjoyed the experience very much.  The last time we invited friends and included the butler upgrade. I think that was a little over the top, how much food can you possibly eat in a relatively short period of time.  I would do just the cabana next time.

[coffee59]

The Cabana is for 4 people.  Do they all have to be from the same cabin?

 

 

[RuthC]

46 minutes ago, coffee59 said:

The Cabana is for 4 people.  Do they all have to be from the same cabin?

 

 

Not at all. I have shared with people from other cabanas a few times. 

[RuthC]

1 hour ago, coffee59 said:

Is there a tram service for access to the far cabanas?  

I remember getting a ride in a jeep to the cabana near the end, but it was so long ago I don't remember how that was set up. 
I also got a ride to the huge private cabana the time my party rented that. Two of us had mobility problems, so even though it would otherwise be a short walk, we needed the ride. 
Both times we set it up to get a ride back, too. 

1 hour ago, coffee59 said:

I read on this thread that lunch will be brought to you.  Is that still correct?

The time we were way down the beach, we had the butler service, so lunch was brought to us. 
Another time we were at a cabana nearer to the lunch area, did not have cabana service, and had to fetch our our food. 
In the private cabana, of course, lunch is prepared and served right there. 

[ETinCA]

Our March cruise has them at over $450 now...  we've done them before and enjoyed, but the new pricing is more that we think it's worth

[coffee59]

It is very expensive.  But our last cruise was March 2020 and it has been too long.  I am in need of some HMC.  

 

Thank you, Ruth C,  for the great feed back.  256 days away and I am excited!

 

 

[AFNavigator]

20 hours ago, ETinCA said:

Our March cruise has them at over $450 now...  we've done them before and enjoyed, but the new pricing is more that we think it's worth

I was really surprised by the HMC cabana price too.  Their price keeps shooting up despite many beginning to look quite weather worn.  Compare these cabanas to the ones at Amber Cove--both Carnival Corp locations.  The Amber Cove cabanas look to be in much nicer condition, are priced more than $100 less, and offer more amenities (free wifi, TV, waiter service, free zipline passes, etc.).  Comparatively, the HMC cabanas value likely should rank somewhere in the mid-upper $200's, not $450.

[woodinville cruisers]

You can rent a clamshell for $30 for the day.  it's 2 lounge chairs plus a cover for shade for those on a budget that want time out of the sun.

[highscar]

Or take an umbrella. 👍🏻

[fatcat04]

We have booked a cabana 4 times now (green twice, red, and yellow), always with butler service. It is an expense (yolo!) but it is nice to have your excellent steak lunch brought to your cabana and to have your own well stocked home base with plush loungers and all the doo dads plus snacks and unlimited beverages. We have always had our kids with us and even took our moms last time. That was very nice. My mil would have stayed there forever. I quite simply have never seen her have such a great day. We think it is very much worth it.  

 

Yes there is a tram. My mil has mobility issues so the tram was a huge help for her. The tram dropped us off not far from our cabana. 

 

With the butler service, your meal is served in cabana. Your menu to fill in will be sent to your cabins well ahead of time and you will make your choices then. The butler also helped us with our beach bags and was the one to get all our drinks. Tipping your butler extra I think is common practice, at least it is for us. 

[CruiserBruce]

Totally agree @fatcat04...our feelings exactly. And our dermatologist is happy we get a cabana also.

[AFNavigator]

A HMC cabana (for 4) plus butler service currently works out to $720.  Extra persons beyond 4 are additional $46 + $100 butler.  Seems a bit much for 4-5 hours use of a weather-worn cabana.

 

To each their own though on deciding if the cost is worth it.  Seeing your MIL have a great day certainly is not something you can put a price on.

[mr. godfredo]

We booked the red cabana and are happy with our choice!!! We are traveling with another couple and after dividing the cost (4 people) it really works out to be the same as if we went on a 4 or 5 hour shore excursion at a port. Thanks for the responses and I will certainly report back after our cruise.