My husband had to work during our trip to Disney World, so we decided to try hanging out for a day in a cabana next to our hotel pool. If you must work while on vacation, it is only fair you have a good view while doing so.
We stayed at the Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel. The grotto-style pool is described on its website as three acres with foliage, a waterfall, a slide, caves, and a hot tub. There are also two lap pools, a spring pool, three additional whirlpools, and a kiddie pool. It also features two restaurants in the pool complex. Guests from the Dolphin Hotel, Walt Disney Swan Hotel, and Walt Disney Swan Reserve all share this pool complex. You should also be aware that Marriot manages these properties.
There are only three cabanas to rent at the grotto pool. There are four cabanas for rent by the lap pool near the Swan Hotel. We had Cabana 1 at the grotto pool, with a great view of the pool waterfall. At the time of this article, the price for a grotto-style pool cabana ranges from $300-$475, depending on the date. A cabana rental comes with an attendant(s) who check on you throughout the day and bring you food and beverages. The attendant was very helpful in assisting me with ordering food with my accommodations (no wheat, dairy, or strawberries). He provided me with options and worked with the chef to ensure cross-contamination would not be an issue. This was not the easiest place to order food with modifications, nor were there a lot of options, but I was able to order food. I had planned to order a pizza without cheese and a gluten-free crust but was informed that all pizzas were cooked in the same oven. I asked if my pizza could be placed on a separate pizza pan, but I was told they were placed directly on a rolling platform. I ordered a hamburger with a gluten-free bun and fries that were cooked in a dedicated fryer. My husband ordered a hamburger with waffle fries. I requested barbecue sauce, which came in a sealed tub with ingredients listed. We both liked our lunch.
I am thankful my husband mentioned the food accommodations the first time we spoke with the attendant. If you have special dietary needs, I strongly suggest that you mention this when the attendant walks you to the cabana. This allowed enough time before lunch for the attendant to speak with us and the chef, for all parties to ask questions, and to finalize my meal plans. Starting the discussion early was extremely important because it also allowed the chef to prepare my food first on the grill before other orders (we ate lunch at approximately 11 a.m.) to limit cross-contamination. If you do not want to eat this early, or you need to stay with the assistance of a Disney property allergy chef, this is something to consider.
Our cabana came with a corner sofa, a large coffee table, two side chairs, an end table, a refrigerator, a safe, and a water beverage dispenser. The sofas had comfortable cushions, and we had plenty of room to move around and spread out our belongings. Our refrigerator was stocked with complimentary cans of Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite, Fuji water bottles, and sparkling mineral water. The safe was surprisingly large, and it was large enough for phones, iPads, and a camera. There were also two pool floating mats rolled up in the corner, which we did not use. We also had two reserved pool loungers directly outside of our cabana, which we did not use. We had the ability to untie the curtains on the sides in the front, but we left them pulled tied back. There was a ceiling fan to circulate air, and we had a television with satellite service. One thing I really liked was that we could attach a chain at the entrance of the cabana when we left to make the cabana a little more secure from people entering. We have rented cabanas before where anyone could walk into them, and there was not a barrier. There was not a trash can, so I did leave frequently to dispose of trash. This was not a burden, as two trash cans were located a few steps on either side of our cabana area. The attendant also would have taken the trash if we did not want to have it removed immediately.
There was a cabana on one side of us that shared a wall with our cabin. The walls were constructed of vertical slats with spacing between them, although some sections of the walls had an additional solid piece of wood behind the slats, allowing for some additional privacy. Overall, there was adequate privacy.
The view of the falls was excellent, but the sound they created was even better. I propped my feet up on the sofa, enjoyed some soda, and felt like a nap could happen with the ambient sound from the falls. I was so relaxed I decided I did not want to get into the pool because I just wanted to continue feeling relaxed in the cabana. We did, however, get into the hot tub once in the afternoon. The hot tub was warm without being so hot when we first entered that it hurt. It was very large and nice.
We were provided with a fruit platter with whole fruits (an orange, plums, and an apple). The attendant had discussed a frozen grape platter that came with strawberries, and we arranged to be given just the frozen grapes. He informed us later that the grapes had not been frozen that day, so he put some in the freezer and waited until early evening to give them to us so they would be as cold or frozen as possible. He continued to wait on us throughout the day, removed the lunch dishes, and asked if we needed anything.
The only negative thing about the cabana was the squirrel situation. I looked up while lying on the sofa and saw a squirrel’s head popping over the armrest at the end of the sofa near my feet. I screamed loudly in terror and jumped up, feeling like I was reenacting the squirrel scene from National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. After the squirrel ran away, I noticed there was a large gap between the end of the back wall and the floor of the cabana. I made my husband plug the hole with some of our cabana towels. That seemed to work, although I took two more rolled pool towels later and scrunched them under the back wall because I felt reinforcements were a good idea. Squirrels ran along the wooden beams at the top of the cabana as well. Later in the day, a squirrel entered the cabana from the front opening and ran toward the plugged area. My mind raced as I realized I blocked his escape route and that he would probably attack me, and this was how it was all going to end for me. I jumped up from the sofa, ready to run for my life, but he disappeared. When I walked over to investigate, I noticed there was also a hole above the floor to the right of the refrigerator in the corner where he must have escaped. There is a big difference between walking on a sidewalk and seeing squirrels running nearby and being trapped in a tight space with one that does not respect personal space. This did detract from my so-relaxed-I-might-take-a-nap level of peacefulness.
The only recommendation I have if you rent a cabana here is to take a mug if you have one with you. There is no ice, so the cans of soda got warm quickly in the heat, so a mug might help your drinks stay cool longer. You can also purchase fountain drinks if that is a better option for you than the complimentary cans of soda from the refrigerator.
Overall, the cabana was a great experience. We had good service, a great view, and a rare chance to not push ourselves too hard at Disney and take time to relax on vacation; what a concept! The cabana rental was worth the money for us. It provided us with a much-needed break and an opportunity to rest. It forced us not to push it too hard with consecutive days in the parks, and our feet got a needed break. It was a great way to do work if you must do it while traveling. If you are an Annual Passholder and you visit the parks often enough that you can take a day to enjoy a resort, this is a great option for you. If you like to get to the parks as soon as they open and stay until they close, or you do not want a pool day, then renting a cabana might not be how you want to spend your money while at Disney World. For us, this tranquil day was exactly what we needed. If you would like a review of the Dolphin Hotel, you can read it here.
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