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

FtWildernessCamper said:
The day we visited there were two fireworks shows - 7:30 and 11:45. We were told to meet at the Tomorrowland Terrace dessert party check in area where we would be escorted to the Plaza Garden East (right in front of the Plaza Restaurant). When we arrived, no one knew what we were talking about. We were standing next to other cabana tenants just as confused and frustrated as we were. The cast members at the Terrace and the Plaza Garden called their Team Lead who told us that we did not have reserved viewing until 11:45 and I explained that I had checked when I reserved, checked again before the trip and confirmed again that very morning with the attendant. Second fireworks at 11:45 had just as much confusion - the cabana team and the dessert party team simply could not get the communication figured out.
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Thanks for the detailed info. Sort of similar to our experience as well, but the details were different for us.

I see the coordination with this and the other area leads as a bit of a problem... not sure how well the communication flow is, and this seems to be proof. We had a little bit of that for our holiday parade viewing. The first CM was like "yeah, whatever, never heard of that, move along" but the second was up to speed that we should be let in. I was there I think the first or second day they were offered to the public so I gave them a pass on that.

Mind if I ask how they resolved the situation?
 
GADisneyDad14 said:
Thanks for the detailed info. Sort of similar to our experience as well, but the details were different for us.

I see the coordination with this and the other area leads as a bit of a problem... not sure how well the communication flow is, and this seems to be proof. We had a little bit of that for our holiday parade viewing. The first CM was like "yeah, whatever, never heard of that, move along" but the second was up to speed that we should be let in. I was there I think the first or second day they were offered to the public so I gave them a pass on that.

Mind if I ask how they resolved the situation?
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After the communication issue on the first fireworks show, the cabana attendant apologized for the misunderstanding with the Team Leads and offered to set us up at the Tomorrowland Terrace dessert party for the second fireworks show. We were asked to meet her at 11:30 at the terrace but when we arrived on time she was not there. We texted her and she came promptly over and pointed to an area behind the newly painted tomorrowland rocks and said that was our area and she had left plates of desserts for us and a private table. Other guests had taken the table already and eaten the desserts. I went and grabbed a few chairs from the stack of extras and we sat patiently and waited for the show in the best spot we could find on the terrace. It was very awkward - the dessert party guests were giving us the stink eye to say the least. All in all, we just made the most of it. The two fireworks experiences are the only negative things we encountered with our rental - the rest of the experience was fantastic.
 
beesly said:
I just read some reports that the price is being reduced to $499 from 1/17 to 2/17. Anything confirming this on the HUB, @yulilin3?
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yes, searched for it and starting on Jan 17th the price is $499 plus tax which is $531.44. The new price does not have an end date though
 


well we already knew this wouldn't last long, I personally think Disney is right now testing How much is people willing to pay for that extra magic any thoughts?
 
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I see a lot of posts guessing that this is going away because it failed, but saw this on Facebook (take it for what you will):

"When I called Disney about reserving one for our trip, they said they were booked solid till the end of the test period. Sounds like it went very well to me. They did say the tents would be removed in February, but only to make way for permanent structures."
 
beesly said:
I see a lot of posts guessing that this is going away because it failed, but saw this on Facebook (take it for what you will):

"When I called Disney about reserving one for our trip, they said they were booked solid till the end of the test period. Sounds like it went very well to me. They did say the tents would be removed in February, but only to make way for permanent structures."
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Yeah. Bob Chapek (Disney Parks & Resorts chairman) apparently is really pushing for upcharge items and experiences at the North American parks. Be thankful we didn't get what Disneyland just got--electronic Fastpass reservations that you have to pay for.
 
beesly said:
I see a lot of posts guessing that this is going away because it failed, but saw this on Facebook (take it for what you will):

"When I called Disney about reserving one for our trip, they said they were booked solid till the end of the test period. Sounds like it went very well to me. They did say the tents would be removed in February, but only to make way for permanent structures."
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Agree. Disney said it was a test, Disney said it would go into February, Disney is removing them as said. WE have no idea if they consider them a success or not. We will only know in the long term if they become a distant memory or we start to see some construction.

Everyone said DAH was a HUGE bust and was gone forever .............. it's back ......... with adjusted price. Testing helps determine what they need to know if they choose to go forward.

"A Disney spokeswoman said the cabanas had been planned as a test running through mid-February." ALL Disney has said. The rest of the story just assumptions.
 
Hmmm, I was there and rented one on the first day they were available to the public (11/27 I think). Like I said in my review, it was very obvious this was a test and Disney didn't really try to hide it.

Ironically enough, I'll be at WDW the last day these are available (2/17). Doesn't make sense for me to get one given the logistics of this trip. But, if anyone wants to split one and have a "one last blast" cabana party...... Anyone? Lol.....

:-)
 
adisneyaunt said:
Help pls!
I'd really like to read the review.
Why am I not seeing post numbers??
Am I doing something wrong??
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Here it is

GADisneyDad14 said:
While I hate to follow @rteetz bomb above (lol!).... here’s my review of our cabana experience. Some of this repeats things I’ve already noted in other posts above but wanted to get everything in one post. Sorry this is so long, but hopefully this info is helpful to those considering a cabana rental. There's a lot to cover!
  • First off…this is obviously a Disney experiment… I would expect the details of the cabana rentals in their current form to perhaps change or be tweaked along the way. Everything I say below could change or evolve over time. Heck, the entire concept may fail, who knows. I was asked if I’d be willing to have a 20-30 minute interview survey sometime after our rental.
  • Our overall experience was excellent, but you can tell everything about this is "new" for the CMs involved and probably even the execs pushing this into existence.
  • I found the initial CM that I made the reservation with had limited information (not surprising), but I was contacted by another CM a few days after I made the reservation who was quite knowledgeable and very informed. He even followed up with me later on a few items. I was not expecting this kind of proactive outreach.
  • There are four cabanas and frankly we had trouble even finding our way in to them. Yes you can see the tops of two of them if you're over by Space Mountain but they are otherwise very well disguised. There is certainly nothing there at the moment that even sniffs at Disney trying to sell them in a visual sense.
  • The cabana offerings were exactly as described in the announcements to date. You have access from park opening to park close. In our case, it was a holiday party so we had access to the cabana during that event as well.
  • It's a semi-private tent with several seating areas pillows, a blanket, etc. They offered a pack-n-play for our 2 year old which we said yes to, but didn't end up actually using. There's a small fridge with drinks and a lockable cabinet for valuables. The cabana is tastefully decorated and very comfortable. I want some of the Tomorrowland posters for my office!
  • There is a cabana CM attendant who is pretty much "around" all of the time and you are given a phone number to contact him/her for food or other requests. Worked extremely well. Very professional CMs with great customer service.
  • There was a large fruit bowl with apples, bananas, and grapes. Also a snack bowl with chips, goldfish, etc. It was replenished during the day. We did indulge on a couple of Mickey Bars. I was under the impression there’s no limit on the ice cream ordering but I’m not 100% sure about that.
  • My biggest gripe is probably the food that was available to order. Bland/limited selection that I’m assuming came from the Lunching Pad or somewhere similar. For this kind of experience I’d prefer to have better dining options available, although I know that’s easier said than done.
  • The cabana had one of those tower Dyson fans, but no A/C or heat. We were told they are either considering or will be installing portable A/C and heating units soon. It was a beautiful day with a nice breeze which made the cabana quite pleasant, but you would definitely need A/C or heat depending on the conditions given how enclosed they are.
  • One note - the cabanas are right next to the train tracks, especially the "back two" cabanas behind the ones you can see from the outside. The back of our cabana was about 10 ft from the tracks. It's loud for a few seconds when the engine rolls by.... my son loved it actually (and he easily managed a catnap mid-afternoon). You can't really see the train as it's well hidden by bushes. Otherwise, it's actually reasonably quiet. Sure you can hear the buzz of Tomorrowland, but it's really quite pleasant. I particularly enjoyed hearing (and watching) People Mover being evac'd at one point. ;-)
  • We had access to a reserved viewing location for:
    • FOF parade (Town Square / Flag Pole area).
    • The nighttime holiday parade (small reserved viewing area next to the Liberty Square Bridge with benches). This was great by the way and frankly one of the biggest benefits for us.
    • Wishes (in this case, Holiday Wishes). We were told the reserved fireworks viewing location was that area on the east side of the Hub in front of The Plaza Restaurant, the one that used to be the FP fireworks viewing area (that part with the fake grass). That area was NOT reserved and we weren't able to actually find any reserved spot, but this could have been user error on my part in that maybe I misunderstood the exact location. Either they were wrong or I was wrong, I'm not sure. Didn't matter though, didn't need a reserved spot. Walked up 2 minutes before fireworks and had a great seat in the old FP viewing area anyway. If you are renting a cabana and the fireworks viewing is important to you, make sure to ask detailed questions about this.
So my overall thoughts... I thought it was great! It was a fun new way to experience our favorite park. We’re relatively experienced Disney folks but not commandoes – our kids are young and the moments of downtime the cabana offered were well appreciated.

Was it "worth" the cost? This one is tougher. Disney certainly has these priced at the top end of my personal comfort zone for what is offered at the moment. A part of me thinks they have the price set a little too high based on the current offerings and amenities but I'm sure they're trying to test how far they can go. It would certainly be a better “deal” for a larger group.

I think the setup would be EXCELLENT for extended families who have older folks that don’t want to traipse all over the park. My mother would be happy as a clam sitting there all day with a book.

Would I book it again? Yes, given the right circumstances. Depending on overall trip length, touring plan, etc, I would definitely consider it. For context, this was a short trip for us (3 days, with only 1 MK day). Personally a cabana wouldn’t be that appealing for me on a longer trip where we’re going to be in the MK multiple days.

I suspect some folks will find the location of these to be the biggest negative, and I kind of agree. Tomorrowland is just a bit out of the way from where we usually find ourselves in the park. This wouldn’t be enough for us NOT to book one, but it’s a consideration.

Happy to answer any questions! Thanks for reading.
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GADisneyDad14 said:
Hmmm, I was there and rented one on the first day they were available to the public (11/27 I think). Like I said in my review, it was very obvious this was a test and Disney didn't really try to hide it.

Ironically enough, I'll be at WDW the last day these are available (2/17). Doesn't make sense for me to get one given the logistics of this trip. But, if anyone wants to split one and have a "one last blast" cabana party...... Anyone? Lol.....

:-)
Click to expand...

If it was during my trip I'd be all over the One Last Blast Cabana Party!

Bye Cabanas, we hardly knew ya!
 
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