These are my thoughts exactly. For a group of 6-8 people (more than could fit in an MK resort room) staying offsite and visiting during the holidays, I think this would be very attractive. I have gone to MK during Christmas week and you are lucky to find a bench to sit on. This is a dedicated, private air-conditioned space with snacks, drinks and reserved parade and fireworks viewing. Especially for offsite guests who risk not being able to get back into MK if they leave mid-day, this is really attractive.
This would be a really cute place to have a celebration as well - birthday, anniversary, family reunion. If you compare it to a private Illuminations or Wishes cruise, it's actually more cost effective as you get the cabana the whole day instead of only about 2 hours. Get a cake, some balloons and you have your own private party space in MK. People are always asking on these boards, "where can we celebrate so-and-so's b-day". Well, here you go.
We did the Wild Africa Trek last Dec. 26 and spent just about the same amount as the cabanas on that tour. It was a different experience, but I don't really see why people are up in arms over this over the pricing of tours, fireworks cruises, etc. People are always looking for different ways to make their vacations unique and magical. If someone wants to spend money on this because it fits their family's vacation needs and desires, so be it.
The new head of Disney Parks, who used to head up the
Disney Store, is known for trying to find new revenue streams. Since he came onboard, we've seen the introduction of EMM, the late night MK event (which was short-lived), the 4-day, 1 park per day ticket (which also seemed to be marketed more to offsite guests) and now the cabanas. I think we are just going to see more and more of these experiments.