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To Cabana at Perfect Day or Not?


CruisingOz

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G'day RCB Community, the sense of excitement with cruising restarting soon is awesome. 

My wife and I are booked on a B2B Symphony 29th Jan 22 & 5th Feb 22. The ship, destinations and of course Perfect Day will be amongst many first's for us. We want to make the most of Perfect Day; so Thrill Waterpark on leg one and Coco Beach Club on the second leg. We are considering the cabana's but for just two people, seems possibly a waste of money? Understand this is subjective; like flying first class vs economy; end up in the same location but as there is only two of us and the exchange rate from AUD to USD needs to be considered. 

At either location, is there sufficient seating with shade where you can call home for the day, leaving your things and enjoy the facilities without the expense of of a cabana.  We will end up on the water for most of the time but my wife does enjoy to lie down and read a book or take a nap, so comfort and shade needs to be considered. We are fairly laid back people and so the idea of a cabana is fantastic but if you guys who have been there think we will be fine just by purchasing the day pass; we would appreciate your feedback.

Also any tips or tricks for Perfect Day would be helpful. Already know about the "secret sandwich" and can not wait. Thanks Matt for this detail.  

If anyone reading this is going to be on those cruises and weighing up the same thoughts, perhaps we can share a cabana? Just putting it out there.  

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I don't cabana at PDCC because of the cost.  That's a personal choice.  For some there is value but not for me as a solo.  I do buy the Coco Beach Club if it's ~$70 or less.  Once it rises above that I don't acquire it but I go frequently so I have the luxury of shopping across multiple visits.  Coming from down under can change the value equation.

With Labadee on cruise two consider a cabana there, or a beach bungalow.  Much better value at Labadee at typical prices.

YMMV. 

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There are a lot of umbrellas throughout the island including the waterpark (haven't been to the beach club so can't say how common they are there) - which are free once you've paid entrance to the area. The umbrellas are somewhat able to be adjusted throughout the day as the sun moves, but if you want constant complete shade you may want the cabana.

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10 hours ago, twangster said:

I don't cabana at PDCC because of the cost.  That's a personal choice.  For some there is value but not for me as a solo.  I do buy the Coco Beach Club if it's ~$70 or less.  Once it rises above that I don't acquire it but I go frequently so I have the luxury of shopping across multiple visits.  Coming from down under can change the value equation.

With Labadee on cruise two consider a cabana there, or a beach bungalow.  Much better value at Labadee at typical prices.

YMMV. 

Thank you, as it is only the of us I think we could spend our money better; pr should I say , my wife can spend the money better, LOL. 

 

With Labadee, for one sailing we are in a GS Symphony) and another a JS (Radiance). Can I pre-book at Bare Foot beach or need to wait until I board? Also am I correct in saying that the JS won't have access to the suite area, so should I look at an alternative locvation and pre-book? 

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32 minutes ago, CruisingOz said:

Thank you, as it is only the of us I think we could spend our money better; pr should I say , my wife can spend the money better, LOL. 

 

With Labadee, for one sailing we are in a GS Symphony) and another a JS (Radiance). Can I pre-book at Bare Foot beach or need to wait until I board? Also am I correct in saying that the JS won't have access to the suite area, so should I look at an alternative locvation and pre-book? 

JS does not have access to Barefoot beach at Labadee.  Nellie's beach is open to all.  Those cabanas are better value compared to PDCC in my opinion.

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On 4/15/2021 at 9:19 PM, twangster said:

I don't cabana at PDCC because of the cost.  That's a personal choice.  For some there is value but not for me as a solo.  I do buy the Coco Beach Club if it's ~$70 or less.  Once it rises above that I don't acquire it but I go frequently so I have the luxury of shopping across multiple visits.  Coming from down under can change the value equation.

With Labadee on cruise two consider a cabana there, or a beach bungalow.  Much better value at Labadee at typical prices.

YMMV. 

With Labadee, I am trying to work out if you know the differances with the cabanas you pre-purchase; not Barefoot suite cabanas? At Nellies Beach they are offering Beach Cabana - Waterfront and for slightly more they have just the Beach Cabana? Both are at Nellies Beach. The only description difference is "water access" and "direct water access". These are seperate to the over water cabanas. So do you know the difference as I can't seem to find anything online or through Matt's blogs? 

   

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On 4/17/2021 at 6:53 AM, CruisingOz said:

With Labadee, I am trying to work out if you know the differances with the cabanas you pre-purchase; not Barefoot suite cabanas? At Nellies Beach they are offering Beach Cabana - Waterfront and for slightly more they have just the Beach Cabana? Both are at Nellies Beach. The only description difference is "water access" and "direct water access". These are seperate to the over water cabanas. So do you know the difference as I can't seem to find anything online or through Matt's blogs? 

   

The overwater cabanas at Nellie are much like the overwater cabanas at Barefoot beach.  You have direct water entry.

The other cabanas at Nellie's do not have direct access to the water but may have beach or a walking path between your cabanas area and the water. 

It's like buying waterfront property where one property may be literally right on the waterfront versus another property that has a road between your house and and the waterfront.  In both cases your view is to the water but in one case there is potentially traffic between you and the water and a road you need to walk across.

I have photos of the two but am having trouble finding them.  Until I do... 

First let's try this:

https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2016/09/21/photo-tour-of-the-beach-cabanas-nellies-beach-labadee

 

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The map of Labadee illustrates the differences.  

Full map here:  https://creative.rccl.com/Sales/Royal/Private_Destinations/14039222_Labadee_Map.pdf

In the yellow circles below are Nellie's overwater cabanas.

In the pink circle below are the "standard" Nellie's cabanas that have public beach and a public walkway between the cabanas and the water.

 

1119120393_NelliesBeachCabanas.jpg.e184dcb543fa0a36c8c6b5a249f22c1e.jpg

 

Both are labelled "31" but are not the same.

 

 

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Can't find all of my pictures but are some from various trips.

These are taken from the area where the pink and yellow circles overlap in the previous post. 

labnelcab-11.jpg

There is a walkway behind these cabanas.

labnelcab-2.jpg

There are also stairs or a ramp to the beach and/or water.

labnelcab-1.jpg

labnelcab-3.jpg

 

The picture I can't find is for the non-water cabanas that are behind me and to the right from where I took the first picture above.  The non-water cabanas have a concrete wall between them and a sidewalk that is used by the general public.  (see pictures in the blog link posted above)

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  • 1 month later...
On 4/19/2021 at 1:46 PM, twangster said:

The map of Labadee illustrates the differences.  

Full map here:  https://creative.rccl.com/Sales/Royal/Private_Destinations/14039222_Labadee_Map.pdf

In the yellow circles below are Nellie's overwater cabanas.

In the pink circle below are the "standard" Nellie's cabanas that have public beach and a public walkway between the cabanas and the water.

 

1119120393_NelliesBeachCabanas.jpg.e184dcb543fa0a36c8c6b5a249f22c1e.jpg

 

Both are labelled "31" but are not the same.

 

 

Not to hijack this post, but DH and I were discussing whether or not Oasis docks or tenders @ Labadee, & I even looked at your map to see if I could figure it out, but sadly, I cannot.  I see a long dock to walk down, but since the last time I was there was 8 years ago, and on Explorer, I don't remember.  Can you tell me, please?

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15 minutes ago, MaryCS62 said:

Not to hijack this post, but DH and I were discussing whether or not Oasis docks or tenders @ Labadee, & I even looked at your map to see if I could figure it out, but sadly, I cannot.  I see a long dock to walk down, but since the last time I was there was 8 years ago, and on Explorer, I don't remember.  Can you tell me, please?

It docks. I took this in 2012 from the top of zipline.

IMG_0198.jpg

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We booked a Chill Island beach bed on PDCC, as it is only 2 of us and it seemed more cost effective.  I am not sure if we made the right decision or not (as we have never been there), but that may be another option if you want some place to land that is guaranteed and has shade.

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 6/14/2021 at 1:20 PM, LCinPDX said:

We booked a Chill Island beach bed on PDCC, as it is only 2 of us and it seemed more cost effective.  I am not sure if we made the right decision or not (as we have never been there), but that may be another option if you want some place to land that is guaranteed and has shade.

On my cruise planner there is the ability to book Chill Island Beach Bed or South Beach Beach Bed. Is one area preferred over the other?

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