Private Cabanas at Magic Kingdom: Last Day to Rent One - February 17, 2017

[outlander]

Hi Bill. We rented one this past Sunday (and really enjoyed it by the way). Below was our experience with the reserved viewing areas for various events. I will caveat this by noting that you can tell Disney is "trying out" this cabana thing and could likely tinker with the "extras" such as reserved viewing areas as they go along. At first when they called me pre-arrival they were not going to have a reserved area for the holiday parade, but they called me again the day before to let me know they had in fact "secured" a reserved spot for the holiday parade (which I thought was very proactive, I did not ask for it, I only inquired if it was offered).

So... your mileage may vary! Note these reserved areas aren't 100% dedicated to cabana guests, they are shared with other groups that have reserved access for various reasons.

• The reserved area for the FOF parade was in the middle of Town Square by the flagpole area.

• We were there on a Christmas Party night so there was a nighttime holiday parade. The reserved area was a small roped off section near the Liberty Square bridge, just to the left of the bridge before you cross into Liberty Square. It had three rows of benches. This was for the first parade, I didn't inquire if it was available for the second.

• We were told the reserved fireworks viewing area was on the east side of the hub in that area in front of The Plaza restaurant with the fake grass - the old FP+ reserved fireworks area. Either Disney gave me bad info or I misunderstood the exact location because that area was not reserved for the fireworks. We arrived with only a few minutes to spare and didn't have time to go searching around to find if it was in fact another area. I'll note again, this could have been user error on my part for sure. It ended up being a non-issue because we found a great spot in that fake grass area anyway, so didn't bother me one bit. If reserved fireworks viewing is important to you, make sure to push Disney on the exact location. If this had been a regular Wishes (not a party fireworks show) I would have been more concerned about the reserved area, personally.

I'm in the middle of writing up a summary of my experience and hope to post soon.

Thanks for the update! I am looking forward to hearing more about your experience

 

[jade1]

But that's the point, what's important to you may not be important to others. In reality people who aren't in love with Disney will never understand how people can spend the money that they do to "go on some rides", as my brother-in-law would say.

Bill

Haha heard that many times.

And yes, special needs (as just one example) changes your outlook and needs and whats important to you very dramatically.

 

[KateP85]

Hi Bill. We rented one this past Sunday (and really enjoyed it by the way). Below was our experience with the reserved viewing areas for various events. I will caveat this by noting that you can tell Disney is "trying out" this cabana thing and could likely tinker with the "extras" such as reserved viewing areas as they go along. At first when they called me pre-arrival they were not going to have a reserved area for the holiday parade, but they called me again the day before to let me know they had in fact "secured" a reserved spot for the holiday parade (which I thought was very proactive, I did not ask for it, I only inquired if it was offered).

So... your mileage may vary! Note these reserved areas aren't 100% dedicated to cabana guests, they are shared with other groups that have reserved access for various reasons.

• The reserved area for the FOF parade was in the middle of Town Square by the flagpole area.

• We were there on a Christmas Party night so there was a nighttime holiday parade. The reserved area was a small roped off section near the Liberty Square bridge, just to the left of the bridge before you cross into Liberty Square. It had three rows of benches. This was for the first parade, I didn't inquire if it was available for the second.

• We were told the reserved fireworks viewing area was on the east side of the hub in that area in front of The Plaza restaurant with the fake grass - the old FP+ reserved fireworks area. Either Disney gave me bad info or I misunderstood the exact location because that area was not reserved for the fireworks. We arrived with only a few minutes to spare and didn't have time to go searching around to find if it was in fact another area. I'll note again, this could have been user error on my part for sure. It ended up being a non-issue because we found a great spot in that fake grass area anyway, so didn't bother me one bit. If reserved fireworks viewing is important to you, make sure to push Disney on the exact location. If this had been a regular Wishes (not a party fireworks show) I would have been more concerned about the reserved area, personally.

I'm in the middle of writing up a summary of my experience and hope to post soon.

I know you said you'd be writing a summary, but if you have a minute, do you mind me asking if the cabanas are air conditioned? I've been curious on this one point.

 

[Allison]

I'm in the middle of writing up a summary of my experience and hope to post soon.

Looking forward to it.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

I know you said you'd be writing a summary, but if you have a minute, do you mind me asking if the cabanas are air conditioned? I've been curious on this one point.

At the moment, they are not. I asked and was told they are getting those portable AC/heat units at some point. Right now they have a Dyson bladeless tower fan which works remarkably well actually.

Sunday was gorgeous with a great breeze so you didn't need anything, but you would definitely need/want AC on a hot/no breeze day given the way they are currently designed.

 

[kj2mom]

• We were told the reserved fireworks viewing area was on the east side of the hub in that area in front of The Plaza restaurant with the fake grass - the old FP+ reserved fireworks area. Either Disney gave me bad info or I misunderstood the exact location because that area was not reserved for the fireworks. We arrived with only a few minutes to spare and didn't have time to go searching around to find if it was in fact another area. I'll note again, this could have been user error on my part for sure. It ended up being a non-issue because we found a great spot in that fake grass area anyway, so didn't bother me one bit. If reserved fireworks viewing is important to you, make sure to push Disney on the exact location. If this had been a regular Wishes (not a party fireworks show) I would have been more concerned about the reserved area, personally.

I'm in the middle of writing up a summary of my experience and hope to post soon.

Thanks soo much for taking the time to review for us. I hope you enjoyed it! I just wanted to mention that over the summer we watched Wishes from the fake grass in front of the Plaza and a tiny portion of it was sectioned off. It was a tiny portion from the Main St. walk way and went the length of a couple of the tables. I think at the time it was for the dessert party option of the Plaza. Maybe this would be the cabana section as well? Since you mentioned the parade was a shared section, it might make sense that the fireworks might be as well. If you arrived close to the start time you might not have noticed the tiny rope sectioning that part off from the rest of the grassy area?

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Still going to do a full written review but in the meantime here are some pics....

They offered us a pack-n-play, which was a nice touch.


Cool art. IMPORTANT NOTE.... the train tracks are like 5-10 feet behind this window. It's loud when the engine goes by. DS loved it actually.






One of my small complaints is the limited menu. For the money I'd like to see a broader selection with maybe even the ability to order from some of the better park dining options like BOG or Skipper Canteen. I know that's a lot easier said than done. We did order lunch in the cabana. Quick & easy process.


There are two sets of these.


There are four cabanas. We were in #1. The two you see in this view (#3 & #4) are the "front ones" that you can see the top of from near Space Mountain.


Note these are only semi-private cabanas. You can't cover the windows or close the front much more than what you see here. The cabinet there on the left has the fridge and a lockable section with a key for valuables if needed.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Thanks soo much for taking the time to review for us. I hope you enjoyed it! I just wanted to mention that over the summer we watched Wishes from the fake grass in front of the Plaza and a tiny portion of it was sectioned off. It was a tiny portion from the Main St. walk way and went the length of a couple of the tables. I think at the time it was for the dessert party option of the Plaza. Maybe this would be the cabana section as well? Since you mentioned the parade was a shared section, it might make sense that the fireworks might be as well. If you arrived close to the start time you might not have noticed the tiny rope sectioning that part off from the rest of the grassy area?

I am pretty sure this or something similar was exactly what happened! I just couldn't find it and I didn't spend more than a minute looking for it since the spot I had in the fake grass area was perfectly fine with me. It was my fault for showing up 2 minutes before the fireworks anyway.

 

[HopperFan]

Still going to do a full written review but in the meantime here are some pics....

They offered us a pack-n-play, which was a nice touch.
View attachment 208080

Cool art. IMPORTANT NOTE.... the train tracks are like 5-10 feet behind this window. It's loud when the engine goes by. DS loved it actually.
View attachment 208081

View attachment 208082

View attachment 208083

One of my small complaints is the limited menu. For the money I'd like to see a broader selection with maybe even the ability to order from some of the better park dining options like BOG or Skipper Canteen. I know that's a lot easier said than done. We did order lunch in the cabana. Quick & easy process.
View attachment 208084

There are two sets of these.
View attachment 208085

There are four cabanas. We were in #1. The two you see in this view (#3 & #4) are the "front ones" that you can see the top of from near Space Mountain.
View attachment 208086

Note these are only semi-private cabanas. You can't cover the windows or close the front much more than what you see here. The cabinet there on the left has the fridge and a lockable section with a key for valuables if needed.
View attachment 208087

I like the arrangement so the long planter outside creates some privacy between you and tent across way.

 

[MinnieSweetheart]

I know this wasn't directed at me as I have no problem with it per se. Its not a fit for my family but I can see where others might find it attractive. That being said what does rub me the wrong way is that Disney seems to more and more look at ways of charging extra to improve guest experiences. They continue to cut cast member training, operating hours, entertainment, etc. All the while they come up with these idea of offering something "magical" that they can charge a premium for them. Again I have no problem with these cabanas but how about Disney focus on improving the core guest experience (or at the very least go back to what it was) rather than offering ways to improve the experience for those that they can charge (and are willing to pay) more money to.

Jumping in, but I agree with this. We went to disneyland in August and did the frozen premium pre-show package. They don't have fast pass plus and it was the only way we could guarantee we could see the Frozen show since we had breakfast reservations with our Army friends who now live in Cali. So we paid $250 for dinner and frozen show as well as the popcorn and Olaf meet and greet. In comparison to what we would have paid in Vegas or New York, it was a bit cheaper. However, we did feel a little miffed. To us, Disney has always been an all inclusive day and we felt like in order to do everything we wanted to do that day, we had to pay an additional $250. I worry this is the direction that Disney parks may be headed and that makes me sad.



And on another point, discussing how people spend their money at Disney, whether positive or negative is half my purpose of coming on this board. I want to know why people decided to try things and see if they got value from it. No one needs to take things personally if someone says you're wasting your money. According to some of my friends, each and every one of us is wasting our money! It's all about our own unique situations and preferences, but please still talk about it, because that's how we can ALL learn to maximize our vacation days.

 

[Orsino]

My only quibble with the cabanas is it seems like Tomorrowland is a bit out of the way. It got me thinking that if they had these in Cinderella's castle, they could easily charge 1000 each. Can you imagine renting a sitting room in Cinderella's Castle? I know the Suite Room was a big deal back in the day, but having guests sleep in the castle is probably not something Disney wants to deal with even though they could charge crazy dollars for the privilege. I wonder if Disney could squeeze in half a dozen rooms into the Castle for something like this. Centrally located... in a CASTLE -- Forget 1000, they could charge 2000.

 

[Jedimike]

Was the walkway in front of your cabana a private/reserved area? Or was there a ton of traffic strolling by?

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Was the walkway in front of your cabana a private/reserved area? Or was there a ton of traffic strolling by?

Private, very private actually. No visible foot traffic at all. I saw a couple of people standing on benches looking over the planters, but you can only see the first two cabanas by doing that. The "back two" (#1 & #2) were quite private and not visible unless someone actually walked back in the area.

 

[EnchantedTikiGal]

I can't wait to read your review! I have a reservation for one and am still trying to decide whether to keep it or not.

I guess my main question is, was it worth it and would you do it again? Thanks for being the first to dive in here and try it out and work on a review for us!

Interested in hearing more about the ice cream/dessert delivery, fruit basket, if any of the snacks are replenishable. Seems not too much for a party of 8, especially teens, haha.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

I still think they are ugly but I can see how it can work for some families. A multi generational trip where grandma and grandma can go relax without going too far and then returning after they are refreshed.

For us it would never work. My kids would think I'm crazy. They would much rather go back to the resort and have pool time. They are huge pool kids.

I would also be conflicted to get my money's worth from the tent and my money's worth from the park ticket. I wouldn't know what to do with myself. lol

 

[rteetz]

Rumor from Jim Hill

Cabana Test- Final version of cabanas in MK would have firework views. They would go in the area where the Tomorrowland Skyway station was. They would be on the second level for views of the park. http://www.yesterland.com/reminders.html
-Epcot test would put the tents in the future world area between FW and WS where they place the flower and garden kids playground.
-1.5 acres set aside in Star Wars Experience for permanent cabanas, Star Wars Experience is supposed to be 14 acres total, 1.5 of that dedicated to cabanas...
-Imagineers not happy about this and the theming aspect.

 

[WANNABE@WDW]

I just hung up with WDW-Play, after being on hold for 15 minutes. It was not a very productive call. The CM I spoke with assured me that there was no reserved seating for any parades or fireworks included with the cabana rental! These new cabanas were just places for guest to rest and recharge with drinks and a small amount of pre-packaged snacks as well as a one time delivery of frozen treats. I could also order a meal from a menu for an extra charge. I was not going to argue with a CM over perks that I have been reading about her on the Dis. He did admit that this was very new. I asked about any of the other parks having the cabanas and he said it was just at MK for now, he did not offer any suggestion of other park locations in the future. I had the CM check for availability on 12-30, all of the cabanas are rented as of now for that date. He also said NYE was booked as well. I am not a newbie and I know that many times CMs are not always kept up to speed on somethings, but this is the department booking this upsale... $650 is a pretty high price for a couch and a few treats (oh, yes and the Mickey ears!). The reserved parade and firework viewing were the things that made this appealing to me, especially during the Holidays.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Rumor from Jim Hill

Cabana Test- Final version of cabanas in MK would have firework views. They would go in the area where the Tomorrowland Skyway station was. They would be on the second level for views of the park. http://www.yesterland.com/reminders.html
-Epcot test would put the tents in the future world area between FW and WS where they place the flower and garden kids playground.
-1.5 acres set aside in Star Wars Experience for permanent cabanas, Star Wars Experience is supposed to be 14 acres total, 1.5 of that dedicated to cabanas...
-Imagineers not happy about this and the theming aspect.

1.5 acres for cabanas in Star Wars land?

 

[rteetz]

1.5 acres for cabanas in Star Wars land?

Yep...

 

[GADisneyDad14]

While I'm pro-cabana, that would seem to be ridiculously excessive IMHO.