Best Overwater Cabana?

[sunshinetricia]

My mom and I have been searching everywhere for information about the best overwater cabanas and finding very little but also conflicting information. 

 

My husband and kids and I did one for the very first cruise after COVID (when they were having to sail out of Bahamas) so our cruise was only about 25% full and there was only one ship there (Independence). I think we were the ONLY people in one of the cabanas, so it didn't matter which we had and we didn't see hardly anyone the whole day.  

 

For this trip, we are going in October and there will be two ships there. I'm sure all of them will probably be taken but from what I understand, we can try to make a request if we want specific ones. 

 

One Youtuber said that if you are in the cabanas on the ends, you are so close to the beach that people literally swim up around your cabana the whole time. He suggested the ones in the middle. Someone else said that you can't even trust the numbering system because they are different on the ship's customer service map than then are when you get to the island. 

 

I really, really, really want to make this the most awesome experience possible for my mom. Any thoughts on whether there even is a "best" cabana? 

[SteelCityCruiser10]

Coco Cay or Labadee?

[sunshinetricia]

8 minutes ago, SteelCityCruiser10 said:

Coco Cay or Labadee?

Sorry! CocoCay

[OCSC Mike]

1 hour ago, sunshinetricia said:

Any thoughts on whether there even is a "best" cabana?

 

The one we had last year was somewhere in the front row (i.e. we looked out at the ocean and only saw other cabanas if we looked to the sides. I don't remember the number though.

 

TBH, I wouldn't really care, but I guess I'd choose front row over back row.

[CruisingHusker]

We had #16 and it was perfect. It sat further out in the water and we didn’t have any obstructed views or nearby swimmers. We were in a star class suite so we were able to request which one we wanted ahead of time through the communication with our genie. My understanding is when there are 2 ships one ship has #1-10 and the other ship has #10-20. 

[sunshinetricia]

11 hours ago, CruisingHusker said:

We had #16 and it was perfect. It sat further out in the water and we didn’t have any obstructed views or nearby swimmers. We were in a star class suite so we were able to request which one we wanted ahead of time through the communication with our genie. My understanding is when there are 2 ships one ship has #1-10 and the other ship has #10-20. 

 

Looking at the map, that's exactly what one of the videos said. That the two in the middle (5 and 6 or 15 and 16) were great because the views were unobstructed. I guess a big part of it will depend on which side we are assigned based on our ship. Sounds like the star class ships might get 11-20. If so, I definitely want to make sure that we don't get #10 because it looks like it basically sits right on the beach! 

[orville99]

We just let everyone else get off of the ship and then we relax in our overwater balcony on an empty ship😇

[sunshinetricia]

3 minutes ago, orville99 said:

We just let everyone else get off of the ship and then we relax in our overwater balcony on an empty ship😇

 

We also often do this, but we are celebrating my mom's 4 year remission of pancreatic cancer. So we decided to go big for her. 

[OCSC Mike]

12 minutes ago, sunshinetricia said:

We also often do this, but we are celebrating my mom's 4 year remission of pancreatic cancer. So we decided to go big for her. 

 

While overpriced it's a great experience (as you know), Enjoy the worthy celebration!

 

Unsolicited opinion: The coconut crusted lobster sandwich is one of the best things on the beach club menu.

[sunshinetricia]

Just now, OCSC Mike said:

 

While overpriced it's a great experience (as you know), Enjoy the worthy celebration!

 

Unsolicited opinion: The coconut crusted lobster sandwich is one of the best things on the beach club menu.

oooooh! That is good to know! I have to admit I have already been looking at the menu and we don't sale for a month. lol

[OCSC Mike]

1 minute ago, sunshinetricia said:

oooooh! That is good to know! I have to admit I have already been looking at the menu and we don't sale for a month. lol

 

A month is nothing... I've looked at menus for my March cruise, lol.

 

Ditching the roll and just eating the coconut crusted lobster patty like a crab cake is another good option if you don't to waste room on bread when you could be eating lobster and filet.

[orville99]

54 minutes ago, sunshinetricia said:

 

We also often do this, but we are celebrating my mom's 4 year remission of pancreatic cancer. So we decided to go big for her. 

Then I would choose one at the Beach Club. Last time we were there the servers came to the cabana on electric trikes, took the lunch orders and then brought everything back so we never had to leave the cabana.

[DoctorWhoGirl]

4 hours ago, sunshinetricia said:

 

Looking at the map, that's exactly what one of the videos said. That the two in the middle (5 and 6 or 15 and 16) were great because the views were unobstructed. I guess a big part of it will depend on which side we are assigned based on our ship. Sounds like the star class ships might get 11-20. If so, I definitely want to make sure that we don't get #10 because it looks like it basically sits right on the beach! 

Don’t fret if you get #10. We were #10 last fall and it was amazing- definitely not too close to the beach like it appears on the map. The regular beach club seating is there and most people stay right in front of the area with the chairs. We never had anyone swim near our cabana other than the people in the one right next to us. Our views were incredible because there was only 1 cabana next to us, and it sat back closer to the beach than ours did. 
 

 

[sunshinetricia]

2 minutes ago, DoctorWhoGirl said:

Don’t fret if you get #10. We were #10 last fall and it was amazing- definitely not too close to the beach like it appears on the map. The regular beach club seating is there and most people stay right in front of the area with the chairs. We never had anyone swim near our cabana other than the people in the one right next to us. Our views were incredible because there was only 1 cabana next to us, and it sat back closer to the beach than ours did. 
 

 

 

 

This is so good to know!! I was afraid we were going to be so hyped up about it for months and then disappointed if we got a "bad" one. At least knowing that they all still have great views makes me feel better! 

[sunshinetricia]

1 hour ago, orville99 said:

Then I would choose one at the Beach Club. Last time we were there the servers came to the cabana on electric trikes, took the lunch orders and then brought everything back so we never had to leave the cabana.

That will be so helpful. Do you happen to remember how easy/hard it was to get to the Beach Club? Like in terms of shuttle, walking, etc? 

[orville99]

18 minutes ago, sunshinetricia said:

That will be so helpful. Do you happen to remember how easy/hard it was to get to the Beach Club? Like in terms of shuttle, walking, etc? 

There is a marked shuttle that will pick you up right where you get off the ship that will take you to the beach club. We are back there in two weeks and I will see if I can get a photo of the shuttle and where it stops.

 

It is about a 15 minute walk or you could walk the length of the pier and take one of the loop shuttles that will stop there as well.

Edited September 20, 2023 by orville99

[ATG]

1 hour ago, sunshinetricia said:

That will be so helpful. Do you happen to remember how easy/hard it was to get to the Beach Club? Like in terms of shuttle, walking, etc? 

We joined friends at their cabana last July.  It was quite nice.  I do remember that the bathroom was at the end of the walkway.  If walking is an issue, you may want to consider this.

[vjmatty]

3 hours ago, ATG said:

We joined friends at their cabana last July.  It was quite nice.  I do remember that the bathroom was at the end of the walkway.  If walking is an issue, you may want to consider this.

Yes that is true, the Beach Club cabanas which are on the actual beach as opposed to the over water ones are a lot closer to the bathroom, which is convenient since you're there almost 8 hours and probably having lots of cocktails.  The over water ones can be a long hike.

[time4u2go]

3 minutes ago, vjmatty said:

Yes that is true, the Beach Club cabanas which are on the actual beach as opposed to the over water ones are a lot closer to the bathroom, which is convenient since you're there almost 8 hours and probably having lots of cocktails.  The over water ones can be a long hike.

There's always the ocean! 😉