Overwater Cabanas Coming Soon to Royal Caribbean's Private Island
Nothing screams "aspirational vacation" like an overwater villa. Despite the current political climate, the Maldives remains my go-to — the new St. Regis in particular — but this high-end trend recently made its Caribbean debut, and now an expansion of sorts is underway at Royal Caribbean's private island known as CocoCay.
The cruise giant introduced its new Overwater Cabanas at an event at New York City's South Street Seaport on Wednesday night.
Royal Caribbean's first overwater cabanas will roll out at the new Coco Beach Club in the Bahamas by November 2019.
The highlight for me is the integrated hammock — it looks similar to those at the St. Regis Maldives' overwater villas.
Unlike other overwater accommodations, these cabanas are designed for day use only — you'll spend the night back on the ship — so lounging is limited to the sofa, chairs and hammock.
There's also a slide — it looks arguably more impressive in the renderings than the mock-up on display at this week's Seaport event.
Bottom Line
In addition to launching new ships, like the gargantuan Symphony of the Seas, Royal Caribbean is investing $900 million in its existing fleet, updating 10 ships over the next four years, including Oasis and Allure of the Seas. Improvements including new pools and waterpark features, refreshed restaurants and a virtual-reality trampoline experience called Sky Pad. Sounds fun!
As for the overwater cabanas themselves, Royal Caribbean hints at an expansion far beyond the Bahamas, with possible locations in Asia, Australia and more. I think pricing will significantly impact the program's success, and it isn't yet clear what kind of fee you'd be looking at to rent one of these. It certainly can't be pricier than the thousands of dollars per night you'd need for comparable overnight retreats, though.
Looking for a high-end experience on the cheap? Check out 6 Ways to Use Points and Miles on a Cruise Vacation for redemption tips and more.
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Rewards Rate
| 2X miles | 2 miles per dollar on every purchase |
| 5X miles | 5 miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel |
| 10X miles | 10 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel |
Intro Offer
Earn 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200K miles when you spend $150K in the first 6 monthsLIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus milesAnnual Fee
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Why We Chose It
The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)Pros
- The Capital One Venture X business card has a very lucrative welcome offer.
- In addition, the card comes with many premium travel perks such as an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel.
- Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.
Cons
- The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
- Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
- With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
- Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month
- Top rated mobile app