The first thing that goes through my head as soon as we enter a water park with kids in tow is finding our ‘home base’, a place to rest between slides and meet-up when we divide and conquer the various park experiences. Cabanas within Virginia’s Water Country USA are a perfect idea for families and here are seven reasons why:
Enjoy a Little Elbow Room. Everyone has his or her own sense of personal space. For some, like my son, being really close to people isn’t bothersome. For me, I need a little room. Although you can grab a lounger in the park, the cabana offers you more space. It’s a physical boundary between yourself and the person next to you. Having this space is so comforting and if mom’s relaxed everyone will have a better time.
Grab Some Shade.Water Country USA is an outdoor water park. I loved how the slides seem to have been worked around a lot of the existing plant life, giving the park a lot of natural shade when standing in ride lines. The one area where you won’t see this is by the wave pool and that’s where you’ll find most of the loungers. Sitting in the sun all day isn’t ideal for my family or me. The cabanas are little huts (or rather big 16’ by 16’ huts), offering perfect protection from the sun or those brief sun showers that sometimes surprise us in the summer. There’s even a little ceiling fan in the cabana to offer a cool breeze on really hot days.
Savour a Refreshment. When spending the day out in the sun it’s important to stay refreshed and your cabana makes it easy as it comes with bottled water as well as Coca Cola, Diet Coca Cola, and Sprite; you receive two non-alcoholic beverages per guest. Even better is the mini fridge located in the corner of your cabana; perfect for keeping your drinks cold. We used the fridge often, ducking into our cabana for a quick refreshment and break before heading back to the slides.
Feel Like a Special Guest. The cabanas are located in a separate roped-off area. The regular cabanas are by Hubba Hubba Highway and the deluxe cabanas (where we were) are by the Surfer’s Bay wave pool. As a guest we had to sign-in at the cabana entrance to receive our entrance wristband. As other guests fumble around, trying to find a lounger to place their stuff, we checked-in to our already waiting cabana.
As if that wasn’t sweet enough, within our cabana area a staff member with a snake, a large snake, that the kids could hold or touch, greeted us. Only my youngest daughter had any interest but not long enough to pose for a photo. I know there are other animal experiences located within the water park but having access to one of the animals in our cabana area, without line-up was a nice bonus. Only registered cabana guests with wristbands were allowed into the roped off area giving us a bit of a VIP feeling.
Avoid the Food Lines.Grabbing lunch at a kiosk window with kids can be a nightmare. No one wants to wait in those lines, especially hungry kids. No matter how I plan our day, I never seem to avoid the line. The deluxe cabana gives you the option of placing an order from your cabana and having it delivered. You have to pay for the food, it’s not included, but avoiding the line or the food tray juggle to get back to your seat is a nice luxury.
Store Your Stuff. When you check-in to the cabana area you are given a key to your personal locker. These are located within the cabana area so they’re nice and convenient if you want to grab your camera or phone when out of the water. Plus you don’t have to fight a group of people crammed into the main locker areas.
Take Home a Sweet Souvenir. All cabana guests receive a branded beach towel to not only use at the park but we could also take it home at the end of our day. No matter how you fold or roll them, towels are bulky and not having to bring our towels from home to the water park was a nice treat. Plus the kids have an amazing souvenir from their visit. These towels have been used often at camp and swimming lessons, bring back great memories of a fun day. We also received a free family photo. As the family photographer it was nice to have a group shot of everyone as my souvenir. We just picked it up at the end of the day in a nice Water Country USA printed frame.
Before planning our trip to Water Country USA I would never have thought of renting a cabana but the many benefits you receive as a family make it so worth it. They are especially great when traveling with young kids who may not have the same stamina as their older siblings or still have naps as part of their routine.
Sitting in the cabana was like sitting at home, with space and drinks and no crowding but with all the fun of the water rides at Water Country USA. The only thing that would have made the experience complete would have been if the cabana area had change rooms. The rooms were clean enough and didn’t seem too crowded. I think we were just spoiled with our VIP treatment.
If you’re staying at the Williamsburg Woodlands Hotel and Suites, you can avoid the hastle of parking at Water Country USA and enjoy their free shuttle bus, just one of the many benefits family benefits we enjoyed during our stay.
Thanks to the folks at Water Country USA for the deluxe cabana experience.
Thank you so much for your information on the Cabana’s. I’m not much of a sun or water person and I have limitations on walking so renting a cabana is perfect for me and my family. I wasn’t to sure until I read your post and then quickly reserved one. After I made my reservation it does show only 1 guest and it only ask for 1 persons name so I also was a little confused on if the price was for each person or for 4 people like it states. I was planning on calling them in the morning just to double check that the reservation I paid $220 is for 4 people.
Anyway thank you again for all your great information.
Annamarie
Hi Annamarie. If you read the notes on the site, the cabana price includes 4 guests and you can add up to 4 additional guests. Not sure if the additional guests have an extra fee or not. When you reserve, 1 believe the number you select is number of cabanas versus number of guests. Have fun! We loved our experience.
thanks for the info just rented a cabana can’t wait wasn’t sure if I made the right choice on renting one now I’m sure I did going with a big party this just makes it so much eaiser to keep everyone toghther
thanks susan
Thanks for your feedback Susan. Hope you enjoy your cabana as much as we did.
Hi there! Thanks for the wonderful recap of your watercountry experience. I have a question, is the price online per person or is it for the cabana? We have a family of 9 and $1800 seems a little pricey for a day.
Hi Maria,
Thanks for your comment. The cabana cost is a flat rate. Our deluxe cabana covered up to 8 people (not including park admission). So about $150 for the whole family (based on current rates). A cost I gladly would pay for all of the benefits I outlined in the post. I’m not sure with your family of 9 how they would handle the extra person. You might have to call or email them to clarify that part. If you do grab a cabana, let me know what you think. Thanks again for the comment.
Thank you for the great summary on your family’s day at Water Country! I just purchase our cabana based on your recommendation. We had a similar cabana at Disney’s Castaway Cay, so I know what a benefit having a “home base” can be in places like this. Thanks again!
Thanks for your comment Fred. I would certainly do it again at the waterpark. It made the trip far less stressful. Have a great trip!