10 Things You Should Know About the New Mickey and Minnie Cove Cabanas

I just returned from a great sailing on the Disney Destiny, and finally got to try the Mickey and Minnie Cove cabanas on Castaway Cay! Here are my thoughts, and some things you should know.

1. There are 30 – Disney Built 30 of these cabanas trying to keep up with the demand for cabanas. It’s mostly working, because I’ve found them much easier to reserve. In the past, cabanas on Castaway Cay were usually gone by the time regular booking windows opened, as they were all taken by Concierge guests. Even being Concierge didn’t guarantee you one! Since they opened, I’ve seen availability for the Pearl (guests who have sailed at least 25 times with Disney) booking window opened, the Platinum (guests who have sailed at least 10 times) window opened, and sometimes even when the Gold (guests who have sailed at least 5 times) window opened. That’s good news all around for those looking to get one!

2. They Are Next to Serenity Bay – These new family cabanas are located right next to the adult beach on Serenity Bay. I didn’t find that to be a problem as both areas were clearly marked, and the number of people in the cabanas was low enough that it didn’t seem to bother the adults at Serenity.

3. They Have Their Own Food and Bar – Once you’re inside the cabana area, it feels like its own little island. They have their own section of the restaurant, tables, their own bar, and tablets to order drinks and other amenities inside each cabana. We did find the buffet line to be painfully slow the first 30 minutes or so after it opened, so I’d wait until after the initial rush has passed.

4. There is One Grand Cabana – There is a Grand Cabana which fits up to 16 guests out near the end of the area, and it’s gorgeous. It’s huge with plenty of seating inside, lounge chairs on the deck, and two hammocks out front.

5. The Ones on the End Are in a Cove – Cabanas 19 and up form a partial semi-circle at the end of the beach. While that means the ones in the center of the semi-circle, like the Grand Cabana, are farther from the water, that also meant they had a very large beach, with not many people.

6. Some Have Bad Views – There were some that were not in an ideal location. I’d avoid cabanas 6, 7, and 8. All three of these more or less stare at a lifeguard stand, and not the water.

7. You May See a Shark (or two) – It’s true! There is no barrier of Serenity Bay like you will find on the main family beach, so seeing aquatic life is somewhat common. I’ve seen many stingrays out there. When the tide is high, there’s a little area at the end of the cabanas where sharks like to visit. Very small sharks! Don’t panic. But if that concerns you at all, stick to the other cabanas.

8. Each Cabana is Lightly Themed – Each cabana has light theming – Donald, Daisy, Mickey, Minnie, etc. It’s just the colors they are painted outside, with a character face portrait on the outside, plus their footprints on the doormat. I loved the bright colors!

9. Pricing is the Same – Disney has now standardized the cabana pricing at Castaway, and both the old and new cabanas are the same price. The standard cabanas are $935 for up to 6 guests, and the Grand Cabana is $1,320 for up to 12 guests. You can add up to four more in any of those for $56 additional per guest.

10. You Can See the Ship – I don’t know why this surprised me, since you can see the cabanas from the end of the family beach, which faces the ship, but I was not expecting to see the ship out there! It’s not a picture-perfect view, but it’s always fun to get a peek at it!

Have you stayed in the new Mickey and Minnie Cove cabanas? What did you think?