Barefoot Beach, Should I bother with a cabana on Vision?

[RCCL Fan]

 

Sailing on Vision soon, and we stop in Labadee.    I am not in a suite, but they're still offering Barefoot Beach cabanas for bookings.

 

I got this cruise for a steal and so am totally down to spend more to make each stop awesome, and was thinking of buying this.

 

Last time I was at barefoot beach the buffet included filet mignon and lobster, I know it's not Coco Beach Club calibur but it was far nicer.   Is it still that way?  

I know everything's seeming cut back these days.

 

However, I also started to think about this.   It's Vision....  2,400 passengers.     Labadee is able to handle everyone on a Oasis class.   Maybe it's really silly to pay extra for a cabana, when chances are the place will be semi deserted simply because it's such a small ship. and its designed to hold so many.

 

Probably why they're selling to non suite guests and so many are still available.

 

[Dan83]

I haven’t been to barefoot beach since last spring. But we did get a cabana and it was nice. The buffet was just ok in my opinion. Back at Labadee last fall and didn’t really miss barefoot beach that much. The other beaches are very nice too. If the money is burning a hole in your pocket, then sure, a cabana on barefoot beach is a nice upgrade. But you certainly aren’t missing anything if you decide against it. Labadee on a small ship day sounds pretty good to me. 

[RCCL Fan]

12 minutes ago, Dan83 said:

I haven’t been to barefoot beach since last spring. But we did get a cabana and it was nice. The buffet was just ok in my opinion. Back at Labadee last fall and didn’t really miss barefoot beach that much. The other beaches are very nice too. If the money is burning a hole in your pocket, then sure, a cabana on barefoot beach is a nice upgrade. But you certainly aren’t missing anything if you decide against it. Labadee on a small ship day sounds pretty good to me. 

 

I had a feeling the buffet wouldn't be as nice as it was pre-pandemic.... 

[Merion_Mom]

3 minutes ago, RCCL Fan said:

 

I had a feeling the buffet wouldn't be as nice as it was pre-pandemic.... 

 

No filet or lobster.  Save your money for a splurge at another port or on board.

[neverbeenhere]

Save the dough for your “one” child, you know who I’m writing about!!!!  😝

[Spurschick]

We definitely did not have filet or lobster last year in our cabana

 

The only place we have seen that lately is beach club at CocoCay 

[Spurschick]

27 minutes ago, RCCL Fan said:

 

I had a feeling the buffet wouldn't be as nice as it was pre-pandemic.... 

even pre pandemic I never recall lobster or filet there.

[bajathree]

I was debating the same on my last sailing and decided against the extra expense. We went to the beach thats just beyond Barefoot instead and grabbed a couple of loungers and enjoyed the day there instead. The general buffet has really gone downhill on Labadee. It was just mainly hot dogs and hamburgers. As for the buffet at barefoot last time I was there I noticed a decline in their buffet also....long gone is the steak and lobster.

[PompeySailor]

Here are a few food offerings at Labadee 

It’s beach food, not even close to the offerings at Beach Club JMO

 

No lobster or filet, some big chunks of steak and dogs and odds.

Golden Coral at best, but edible 😎

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 10, 2023 by PompeySailor

[RosieRoo]

We were in a suite last week on Harmony and visited Barefoot Beach. There was no steak. There was hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken and cold shrimp, as well as some prepackaged salads. Nothing I would pay extra for. Not sure what cabanas you are referring to. There are some right on the beach where people sit right in front of your cabana and some on the cliff. I would not pay for one of those on the beach. There’s really no privacy. 

[SG65CB]

Doesn't the food at Labadee come from the ship? What about Coco Cay?

 

I had a cabana at Barefoot Beach about 5 years ago when prices were "reasonable" and they did not have lobster at the buffet. 

 

What kind of price are you looking at today? Maybe since there's low demand the price is lower than usual. 

[neverbeenhere]

yum... Just like Golden Corral, the hotdog already has a bite or two out of it.

[Big_G]

We've been suite cruisers for some time but prefer the bungalows at Columbus Cove. The buffet is close by and you still get bar service at your beck and call. We loved the cabanas at Barefoot but they're just ridiculously priced at this point. 

[ATG]

We had a bungalow last month and it was great!  Bar service, comfortable loungers, plenty of shade and the beach was sandy not rocky.  We had never done one before but will definitely do it again.  I liked it much better than the cabana we splurged on several years ago, and it cost a LOT less.

[bajathree]

The prices on cabanas highly fluctuate depending season and demand. To give an example same ship exact same itinerary for 2 sailings ....My sailing in Dec had a beach cabana at barefoot listed for $250....for March that same beach cabana was listed for $1250 and they are all now showing sold out.

[George C]

12 hours ago, Merion_Mom said:

 

No filet or lobster.  Save your money for a splurge at another port or on board.

On our last trip they were not there either, but buffet was nice.

[Peachy59]

We were at Barefoot in December. Asolutely nothing special about the buffet there.

[cruisegirl1]

Couple of weeks ago on Jewel they served some nice shrimp, as well as some shrimp salad. Most of the other items were on the regular buffet.

 
On a ship like vision, you won’t have a problem getting a nice lounger/umbrella on any beach, at any time. 

 

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[kneadsdough2cruise]

Hi RCCL Fan, 

Just my two cents - we were on Grandeur a few weeks ago and were the only ship in port - which seems to be the norm now.  We were also in a suite.  I thought the buffet was good beach food with addition of steak pieces, shrimp and a shrimp salad, no lobster.  There were maybe 20 guests at barefoot.

 

We did wander over to other beaches to visit with friends and they agreed service was great and available food was fine. Being on a smaller ship, it was really not crowded at any of the beaches, plenty of loungers where ever you wanted them, sun or shade.  Service was quick for drinks, no line for the buffets,  Would save my $$ for another adventure.

 

Have a great trip!