Cabana Rentals on the EDGE

[driftychick]

Hello, can anyone give me an idea of the cost of the Cabana rentals on the Edge?  Are they only available on Sea days?  What happens on Part Days are they available for general use?  Thank you.

[delondin]

I don’t know about the cost but they do not seem to be very private. People walking past all the time etc. I would check you like the location before committing.

[vtcruising]

For my cruise in January it is available every day from 9-6 (except embarkation day) for $300 for full cabana up to 4 people and 1/2 cabana for $150 for up to 2 people. We did a full one for 2 of us and it was a little big, but we enjoyed it. The 1/2 cabana seemed a little small for 2 - sort of tight, but okay. If we do it again, I would book one with two more people - a full one seems perfect for 4 people.

 

Full one:

 

 

1/2 cabana:

 

 

 

 

 

This is what is included:

 

Four Large Bottles of Evian Water

 

Selection of Six Chilled Beers

 

Unlimited Soft Drinks

 

Fresh Fruit Skewers

 

Cabana Food Menu

 

Evian Facial Spray

 

Ice Cold Towels

 

Choice of one of the following:

One Bottle of Grey Goose Vodka

 

One Bottle of Veuve Cliquot Rosé Champagne

 

One Bottle of Grgich Hills Opulence Chardonnay

 

 

Cabana Food Menu:

Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad: Herb Croutons, Aged Parmesan

 

Chilled Shrimp Cocktail: Horseradish Cocktail Sauce

 

Roasted Turkey BLT Wrap: Roasted Garlic Aioli, Whole Wheat Wrap, French Fries

 

Luminae Signature Burger*: Cheddar, Bacon-Onion Jam, Sesame Brioche, Truffle Fries

 

Marinated Chicken Sandwich: Lettuce, Tomato, Grilled Onions, Basil Pesto Aioli

 

Selection of Fresh Fruits with Lime Yogurt and Mint

Edited July 3, 2019 by vtcruising

[jelayne]

Agree with delondin, there is no privacy they face a walkway that gets a lot of foot traffic.  

[hcat]

The inclusions seem fine and well worth the price BUT  we would not book it. 

 

We walked through on a sea day. It was very windy  and everything was blown down including planters.   There is no privacy as it is the main pathway along one side of the  pool deck.  Very poor design to have had the walkway go right through the cabana area. Part  of what you are renting is on the other side of the path and  others think they can just sit there for a spell

Edited July 3, 2019 by hcat

[megfla]

3 minutes ago, hcat said:

The inclusions seem fine and well worth the price BUT  we would not book it. 

 

We walked through on a sea day. It was very windy  and everything was blown down including planters.   There is no privacy as it is the main pathway along one side of the  the pool deck.  Very poor design to have had the walkway go right through the cabana area. Part  of what you are renting is on the other side of the path and  others think they can just sit there for a spell

Agreed...we would never book one either.

[lshpak]

Can you tell me if the cabanas are in the shaded area?

[wendyam76]

They are in a shaded area but oh my goodness they have no privacy whatsoever. I did have one booked (July) but cancelled a week before and I am so glad I did. Day 1 they had it set up lovely to entice people to book - I rushed my mum through it saying hopefully they will block the path off. They didn’t and throughout the next two weeks there wasn’t even a sign at the entrance saying the cabanas were private areas. I would rush through to give people privacy but to be honest I only ever saw one being used by somebody who had booked it - other times it was people thinking they were free! 

Travelling with my mum who is mobility challenged this was the only way to get to the Mast Grill without steps unless we went all round the solarium and also the main way to enter the Magic Carpet when it was on deck 14.  

[WonderMan3]

I’ll never understand why they didn’t have the openings to these facing out to the pool so

you could have a comfy, shaded space to sit and lounge and then just get up and walk straight out to the pool instead of having to walk all the way around. I could put up with a little foot traffic from that pool side versus facing onto a hallway.

[DebInAntigua]

12 hours ago, WonderMan3 said:

I’ll never understand why they didn’t have the openings to these facing out to the pool so

you could have a comfy, shaded space to sit and lounge and then just get up and walk straight out to the pool instead of having to walk all the way around. I could put up with a little foot traffic from that pool side versus facing onto a hallway.

 

Its in keeping with the theme of EDGE “in closer connection to the sea”, “outward facing spaces”. That’s why they face outward but the effect is ruined by all the walkthrough traffic it seems. 

[hcat]

1 hour ago, DebInAntigua said:

 

Its in keeping with the theme of EDGE “in closer connection to the sea”, “outward facing spaces”. That’s why they face outward but the effect is ruined by all the walkthrough traffic it seems. 

 

To us that's  more of a  PR phrase...We did not find EDGE to be "in closer connection to the sea"  than other  X ships,..If anything it was less so...esp on the inside..not very many views to the sea. If the cabanas faced the pool area and did not have a public walk through, we would have booked one , esp with all the amenties that are included.  They might also be less of a wind tunnel if they faced inward to the pool.

 

Are you considering one for  the EDGE?

[DebInAntigua]

2 hours ago, hcat said:

 

To us that's  more of a  PR phrase...We did not find EDGE to be "in closer connection to the sea"  than other  X ships,..If anything it was less so...esp on the inside..not very many views to the sea. If the cabanas faced the pool area and did not have a public walk through, we would have booked one , esp with all the amenties that are included.  They might also be less of a wind tunnel if they faced inward to the pool.

 

Are you considering one for  the EDGE?

Yes, for one sea day at least, we are strongly considering one. Three reasons:

1) No fighting with chair hogs, we'll know we have a spot that's ours
2) Knee and hip problems make it very difficult to get into and rise from low loungers (cabana seating looks higher, more like couch height)
3) Less likelihood of being subjected to children splashing, running and screaming within a few feet of where we are trying to relax

[hcat]

Hope it works out..cabana  seating looks comfy....and no.one will take your space.

[waterbug123]

On 7/26/2019 at 6:19 PM, wendyam76 said:

 they have no privacy whatsoever.

 

On 7/28/2019 at 1:34 AM, WonderMan3 said:

I’ll never understand why they didn’t have the openings to these facing out to the pool

 

I just have to laugh.  When the lawn cabanas were introduced on Reflection, everyone complained that they faced inward rather than outward.  Now they face out and people complain that they aren't facing the pool, LOL

 

As for privacy, to each his own.  We don't have any privacy when sitting in regular pool loungers so when we rent cabanas it isn't for privacy; it's to have a guaranteed comfy outdoor spot to lounge during the day.  Haven't people walk by in front of us on the lawn on Reflection never bothered us and it wouldn't bother us on Edge.  We are considering an Edge cruise next year and will almost certainly rent a cabana at least once or twice.

[vtcruising]

When they first rolled out the cabanas on the Edge, many of us wondered if there was a separate pathway or if the foot traffic went right by them. Once it became clear that the walkway went right past the cabanas, we suspected that this was a design error.  Though some, like waterbug, are fine with the traffic, many would find it distracting. It's all about expectations, I guess.

 

When we rented one, it was the first day that they had rented one (a preview cruise) and I had asked the manager the day before if the ends would be blocked off and he said yes. They blocked off the ends and most people respected it, but others figured that it didn't mean them 😉.  A couple of people stood there and muttered and gave us the look. By the end of the day, I felt like the walkway should be opened up - it was crazy to make people walk around (and some had mobility issues), though I knew the cabana experience would be affected. Sure enough, the next day it was open and has been open since, as far as I know (we heard that many had complained that day).

 

I figured that some people would be fine with the open walkway and those would be the people renting them. I also figured that they might change the design on future Edge Class ships - not sure if they can do it for Apex or not, but I would guess that the Beyond will have a different design (ship will be bigger).

 

We paid $400 for a large one (the half size was $200), but they are now $300 for a large one, which is more reasonable for what you get - we had extra OBC because of a canceled cruise so it wasn't as painful.  I think, if not in a suite, we might rent one with friends - like waterbug, I would think of it as like other seats on the pool deck - people walk by all the time. The nice thing about those cabanas is the very comfortable seating (big enough to lay down or sit up), a large table to put drinks on, the ability to have a nice lunch there looking at the ocean (while being close to the pool), the lovely bubbly or wine, beer, sodas, Evian, fruit and yummy food to enjoy (and cocktails from our package), cold towels when we got hot and bathrooms nearby. The best part of the whole day was the cabana butler. We were so pampered - they couldn't do enough for us. We had a lovely day of reading, relaxing, chatting, eating and drinking cold beverages on a lovely sunny day. This may be a nice option for people, especially those who are not in suites, to have a comfortable, pampered day near the pool, despite the foot traffic.

 

I do agree that the signs should go back - in January signs by both cabana entrances had info about renting the cabanas so people would know that they weren't for people who hadn't booked one (and maybe were less apt to stop and ask how to rent one). The other issue I had was the lack of outlets or USB ports for changing devices (the butler offered to charge my phone for me). Hopefully that will be corrected on the Apex.

 

 

 

 

Edited July 29, 2019 by vtcruising

[WonderMan3]

1 hour ago, waterbug123 said:

 

 

I just have to laugh.  When the lawn cabanas were introduced on Reflection, everyone complained that they faced inward rather than outward.  Now they face out and people complain that they aren't facing the pool, LOL

 

As for privacy, to each his own.  We don't have any privacy when sitting in regular pool loungers so when we rent cabanas it isn't for privacy; it's to have a guaranteed comfy outdoor spot to lounge during the day.  Haven't people walk by in front of us on the lawn on Reflection never bothered us and it wouldn't bother us on Edge.  We are considering an Edge cruise next year and will almost certainly rent a cabana at least once or twice.

 

These are “poolside” cabanas though. Generally when one has a cabana near the pool they want the easiest access to the pool. Kind of defeats the purpose otherwise IMO. 

 

As for the people walking by, there would be no getting around it on this ship either way the cabanas faced. That’s why I said since you would have people walking by either way you mind as well have them face the pool to have the easiest access. If that walkway was closed off that would be a different story.

 

Anyway, based on the many reports I’ve read here of the cabanas being empty or easy to book day of they do not appear to be very popular.  But hey, if people want to

waste $300 (or whatever the ridiculous pricing is) on nonsense like this, more power to them.

[wendyam76]

VT cruising it was thanks to your wonderful posts I did initially book one and loved what was included in it. But having seen the walkway I’m glad, for us, I cancelled. I honestly rushed past them when I had to use the walkway (try explaining to an 85 year old she has to walk even longer to avoid them when everyone else is using the walkway!) as I felt bad but there were no signs apart from the very first day so I only knew because of what I had read here. It’s direct access to The Mast Grill and soft serve ice cream so there are a lot of children coming through. 

The seating looks exceptionally comfortable and it is in shade which is a huge bonus on Edge. We’ve several times booked alcoves on the Lawn and there is far more privacy up there compared to Edge Cabanas.

Everybody has to make the decision of what works best for them - the wonderful things about these boards is the advice people can give from first hand experience.

Wendy

[vtcruising]

14 minutes ago, wendyam76 said:

VT cruising it was thanks to your wonderful posts I did initially book one and loved what was included in it. But having seen the walkway I’m glad, for us, I cancelled. I honestly rushed past them when I had to use the walkway (try explaining to an 85 year old she has to walk even longer to avoid them when everyone else is using the walkway!) as I felt bad but there were no signs apart from the very first day so I only knew because of what I had read here. It’s direct access to The Mast Grill and soft serve ice cream so there are a lot of children coming through. 

The seating looks exceptionally comfortable and it is in shade which is a huge bonus on Edge. We’ve several times booked alcoves on the Lawn and there is far more privacy up there compared to Edge Cabanas.

Everybody has to make the decision of what works best for them - the wonderful things about these boards is the advice people can give from first hand experience.

Wendy

Absolutely!  I initially was thinking I wouldn't book again without blocking the ends, but if I didn't have access to the Retreat Sundeck and we shared with someone else, I think it would be fine for us because we would be with our friends, instead of thinking of it as a "private venue". There are few kids on the Carib cruises we book so wouldn't have that issue and we did ours on a port day so there was little traffic in the morning anyway - it picked up some by mid-afternoon. We may give it a try on the Apex on a port day - hopefully they have made some improvements. If we have issues, I will come back here with a different viewpoint. 🙂

Edited July 29, 2019 by vtcruising

[wendyam76]

2 minutes ago, vtcruising said:

Absolutely!  I initially was thinking I wouldn't book again without blocking the ends, but if I didn't have access to the Retreat Sundeck and we shared with someone else, I think it would be fine for us because we would be with our friends, instead of thinking of it as a "private venue". There are few kids on the Carib cruises we book so wouldn't have that issue and we did ours on a port day so there was little traffic in the morning anyway - it picked up some by mid-afternoon. We may give it a try on the Apex on a port day - hopefully they have made some improvements. If we have issues, I will come back here with a different viewpoint. 🙂

As always the voice of common Sense!! Lots of children on our two 7 day cruises. Think partially due to fewer bookings than expected so quite a few casino comps and special pricing to those affected by the NCL Pearl cancellations. This made even port days busier.

[waterbug123]

23 hours ago, WonderMan3 said:

 

These are “poolside” cabanas though. Generally when one has a cabana near the pool they want the easiest access to the pool. Kind of defeats the purpose otherwise IMO. 

 

As for the people walking by, there would be no getting around it on this ship either way the cabanas faced. That’s why I said since you would have people walking by either way you mind as well have them face the pool to have the easiest access. If that walkway was closed off that would be a different story.

 

Anyway, based on the many reports I’ve read here of the cabanas being empty or easy to book day of they do not appear to be very popular.  But hey, if people want to

waste $300 (or whatever the ridiculous pricing is) on nonsense like this, more power to them.

 

Defeats the purpose, LOL   If those few extra steps are a big deal, well, oh my.

As for people walking by and why this walkway issue makes me laugh, is that for Reflection et al, everyone complains because the lawn cabanas faced inward, yet if they faced outward toward the ocean they would quite literally be facing the outer walkway as well....and facing a walkway on Edge is apparently upsetting people.  It's kind of a no-win for Celebrity. 

As for "wasting" money, is it really a waste if it has value to the person renting it?  Many would say taking a cruise in the first place is a "waste" of money, and I'm sure you spend money on things that some would find wasteful.  Why so critical of others' choices? 

[WonderMan3]

3 hours ago, waterbug123 said:

 

Defeats the purpose, LOL   If those few extra steps are a big deal, well, oh my.

As for people walking by and why this walkway issue makes me laugh, is that for Reflection et al, everyone complains because the lawn cabanas faced inward, yet if they faced outward toward the ocean they would quite literally be facing the outer walkway as well....and facing a walkway on Edge is apparently upsetting people.  It's kind of a no-win for Celebrity. 

As for "wasting" money, is it really a waste if it has value to the person renting it?  Many would say taking a cruise in the first place is a "waste" of money, and I'm sure you spend money on things that some would find wasteful.  Why so critical of others' choices? 

 

Not sure why you keep dragging in discussion about cabanas on the lawn from another ship. We are talking about Edge cabanas near the pool in this thread. 

[Mr Miserable]

Don't book a cabana on the Edge if you want my advice. As others have said, they are not well sited.  I did a week on the Edge in January and did not see anyone use one - understandably.  You can make up your own mind when you board - they will not sell out!

Mind you I would not book on the Edge again - but that's another story...

 

 

[waterbug123]

On 7/30/2019 at 1:04 PM, WonderMan3 said:

 

Not sure why you keep dragging in discussion about cabanas on the lawn from another ship. We are talking about Edge cabanas near the pool in this thread. 

 

Because the two are related.  And threads spin off on related tangents all the time.

[LeAnne_Cruiser]

Is there any way to get a discount on these if I already have the premium drink package?

[tallnthensome]

46 minutes ago, LeAnne_Cruiser said:

Is there any way to get a discount on these if I already have the premium drink package?

On what, the Cabana? Highly unlikely ........ Let's just say no.