I've rented plenty of cabanas at Royal Caribbean's private destinations in the Caribbean, but its latest creation is my favorite yet.
Perfect Day at CocoCay is an island in The Bahamas for its passengers to enjoy, and there's plenty to see and do without spending extra.
Around Perfect Day at CocoCay are cabana rentals you can choose to reserve for an extra cost to provide privacy, extra service, shade, and amenities.
I recently spent the day at CocoCay with some friends and splurged to book a Hideout Cabana in the adults-only area.
Booking the cabana
I booked my cabana online from Royal Caribbean's website a few months before the cruise. The pre-cruise booking experience is quite easy, as there have been a number of improvements to expedite the process.
Not only is booking a cabana online easy and fast, it's likely cheaper than waiting to book it onboard the ship. Royal Caribbean usually discounts its add-ons to entice customers to spend more overall. In fact, about 70% of passengers are pre-booking something.
There are two sets of cabanas at Hideaway Beach, which is the adults-only area that opened in 2024. The Hideaway Cabanas near the beach (between $899 - $1,699), and the Hideout Cabanas with a private pool (between $1,899 - $2,699).
Because I prefer the pool over the beach, I went with the Hideout Cabanas. For $2,000, we had the cabana for the entire duration of our stay at CocoCay for up to 8 people.
We checked in as early as possible the day we arrived
Cabanas open as soon as the gangway is open for passengers to disembark the cruise ship. Our ship, Wonder of the Seas, docked at 7am, and we walked off the ship at 8am to maximize our time.
It took us just a few minutes to walk down the pier and hop on a complimentary tram to take us to Hideaway Beach.
At the entrance to Hideaway Beach, we informed them we had a cabana and we then went to the cabana check-in desk.
The staff welcomed us and escorted us to the cabana.
Our cabana had plenty of shade, private pool access, drink and food service
The Hideout Cabanas offer in-pool loungers, a couch, and chairs in the cabana. In fact, two of the chairs can be converted to floats that can be used in the pool.
The pool itself is heated too.
The cabana provides privacy with three walls, along with a ceiling fan, Bluetooth sound system, shower, mini-fridge, and sink.
Our mini-fridge was stocked with beers, wine, sodas, and water. The bottled Evian water is complimentary, but the other beverages cost extra. If you have a Royal Caribbean drink package, then that will cover the beverages consumed in the cabana (and elsewhere on the island).
We had everything we needed for the day
Part of the appeal of renting any cabana on CocoCay is it's your own little spot to enjoy without much care.
Your cabana attendant already has towels for you, so there's no reason to bring any on or off the ship. And they also bring you food and drink.
You can order food from Slice of Paradise or Hideaway Hut, which includes pizza, sandwiches, salads, burgers and more.
The only reason to leave the cabana is to go to the beach or the restroom.
We really enjoyed our poolside lunch
Lunch service begins at 10:30am and is available the whole day. There's no limit, so just keep ordering as much as you'd like.
The menu had something for everyone and the kind of food you'd like to have on a pool/beach day. While the food is not as high quality as the Coco Beach Club restaurant, there are additional items not available elsewhere on CocoCay, such as coconut shrimp basket or pizza.
I spent time before lunch going between dips in the pool and working from the table in our cabana. Blogging requires work, but I was sure to get as much done early so I could enjoy the rest of the day.
Our cabana attendant would come by every 20 minutes, but there was a button we could use to page him if we needed something.
The food was brought reasonably quickly, and we were not hungry for long.
There were lots of fun drinks to pick from
In addition to the typical beers and cocktails most people order, there are a half dozen featured cocktails you can order.
Having extra choices to consider is always nice, especially on a cruise where it seems like you gravitate towards the same choices.
Since we had a drink package on this cruise, we could try different cocktails without risk of being "stuck" with a poor choice.
Something else special about the Hideout Cabanas is there is bottle service, where you can order bottles of wine or champagne.
We spent most of the day in the pool
The Hideout cabanas have access to their own infinity pool, and I think this is the top reason to book one of these cabanas.
Only Hideout cabana guests can access this pool, so it has a sense of exclusivity as well as being very convenient as it's at the entrance to the cabana.
You could sit in one of the loungers, take a dip in the pool, stroll, or sun yourself. There's enough space for 8 people to enjoy and not feel cramped at all.
We loved having the ability to go out into the pool for a bit to get some sun, and then retreat into the cool shade when we'd had enough.
There's more to do, if you care to leave the cabana
The cabana is a blessing and a curse in the sense you have everything you need in one place, but leaving it to explore the rest of Hideaway Beach seems like you're wasting your investment.
Elsewhere in Hideaway Beach is a giant pool with DJ party, sports bar, and beach. In my opinion, these areas are great if you don't rent a cabana. But there's nothing wrong with taking a walk to see them either.
The pool is definitely the party spot, with a giant swim-up bar and DJ nearby. It's big on energy.
The cost of the cabana seemed well worth it to me, and I'd rent one again
Although we only had the cabana for about 8 hours, it seemed worthwhile for our large group.
The cabanas are a great choice for family and friends looking to get the most out of their day at CocoCay. Since it's adults-only, no kids are allowed. For cruises where we sail with our adult friends, it's the perfect add-on.
The cost is not insignificant, but when you split the cost across a group of people and then figure out the hourly cost, it's not a bad price at all. Especially compared to the price for Coco Beach Club cabanas.
Read more: Guide to CocoCay cabanas
I'd absolutely rent a Hideout Cabana again. The pool is such a nice idea, and I think it's better than the pricier over the water cabanas at the Coco Beach Club.
Among the many choices where to spend your day at CocoCay, having your own dedicated place to chill is key. Combined with a friendly host, lots of drink choices, and a delicious poolside lunch, a cabana rental feels like a no-brainer.
