Is a $600 private cabana at Universal’s Volcano Bay water park worth it? My party of 10 tested it out for a day to find out.

I spend a lot of time at the theme parks throughout Central Florida. I've sweated it out in 100-degree temperatures to ride popular roller coasters and battled crowds to see the return of beloved parades and shows after the coronavirus pandemic caused them to be canceled. The theme park life is fun, but stressful at times. But there's a place where my family has never experienced a stressful day — Volcano Bay, the South Seas-themed water park located at Universal Orlando Resort.

At Volcano Bay, guests are immersed in a world designed to feel like its at the base of a volcano on an island in the Pacific. Like any water park, there are water slides and wave pools. But there are also tropical drinks, an aqua roller coaster and some of the most beautiful greenery I've ever seen in a park.

When guests enter Volcano Bay, there's always a mad rush to claim beach chairs, which are set up on the park's main sandy beach area and in other areas throughout the destination. There's even an option to reserve premium seating — two chairs with an attached sun shade — for an additional fee. Although both are great options we've tried before, I've always been curious about the secret life of the people who hang out in rented cabanas for the day.

So my family and six friends hit Volcano Bay for the day to see what the cabana life is really like. The experience did not disappoint, and just may be the only way I do Volcano Bay from here on out, budget permitting, of course.

How much is a Volcano Bay cabana, how do you rent one and what comes with it?

There are 51 cabanas at Volcano Bay, 10 of which are "tower units," meaning there are two cabanas stacked on top of each other. Standard cabanas hold up to six people, while the two family suites on the property can house up to 16 guests for the day.

Like so many aspects of theme parks, prices for a daily cabana rental vary depending on things like the time of year you visit and how close to the date you book. Universal Orlando keeps quiet on the pricing for these rentals, but Orlando Informer reports single-level cabanas start around $160 for the day and can go up to $450, while top-level cabanas (which have incredible views of the park and volcano) run from $200 to $550 or higher. (On the day we visited, our top-level cabanas were priced at around $600 for the day).

Cabanas can't be booked online, so interested guests must call Universal Orlando Resort to inquire about rentals.

What comes with the daily rental fee? Guests receive a private, shaded area to call their own that has comfortable cushioned seating, a mini fridge, lounge chairs, complimentary water bottles, fresh fruit and snacks, towel and locker service and their own concierge, who can deliver food and drinks from an exclusive menu specific to cabana guests. Inside the cabana, there's also a TapuTapu screen, the interface guests use to reserve a spot in line for busy attractions. (Using a wristband, simply tap the screen and choose the ride you'd like to wait in a virtual line for. The device will let you know when it's time to return.)

Is a cabana at Volcano Bay worth the cost?

On the morning of our cabana rental at Volcano Bay, we entered the park and checked in at the concierge desk, where we were introduced to a guide who escorted our group to our assigned cabanas. Since we were a party of 10, we were assigned to two side-by-side cabanas on the second level of a group of cabanas overlooking the wave pool and volcano.

We were greeted by a beautiful arrangement of fresh fruit and breakfast muffins — plenty of food to hold our party over until later in the day when lunch would be served. We snacked and drank bottled water while applying sunscreen, then used our TapuTapu interface to get ourselves in a virtual line for the Krakatau Aqua Coaster, our favorite ride in the park. We met our concierge, who would be helping us with everything from cocktail orders to fresh towels throughout the day, and spent some time relaxing and taking in the gorgeous view.

Throughout the morning, we went our separate ways, the kids hitting as many water slides and pools as possible while the moms and dads alternated between floating in the lazy river and relaxing in the lounge chairs in our cabana.

When the bars in the park opened, our concierge appeared to take our drink orders. The only thing that made our cabana more perfect was sipping a tropical beverage while looking out at the volcano — we were truly in vacation mode.

At lunch, we ordered everything from cheeseburgers for the kids to coconut shrimp for the adults. (Beyond complimentary water and a basket of fruit and pastries, all other food and drinks cost extra.) We spent the afternoon hitting more pools and water slides, but loved having the central and easy-to-find meeting place of the cabana since we had six teenagers with us. They loved not having to stick close to their parents, and we loved knowing they had a safe spot to keep returning to in the cabana.

When a kid got tired, they rested on the comfortable cushioned chairs of the cabana and checked their phone. When the dads got tired, they took a little nap in the lounge chairs in the sunshine. It was an idyllic day that felt different than any other day I'd spent at Volcano Bay. It was Volcano Bay ... elevated.

While I certainly couldn't afford to drop $600 on cabana rentals every time my family visits Volcano Bay, my friends and I agreed it would be an amazing once-a-summer splurge to do together. In the seasons when cabanas are a bit more affordable, it'd also be easier to budget for.

All pricing aside, the luxury and convenience of having the cabanas for the day made our experience even more fun than a normal day at Volcano Bay. Like anything involved with a theme park vacation, it's all about what activities are a priority to your family and which don't seem worth it for you. If relaxation, avoiding the crowds on the main beach and being waited on hand and foot are a priority for your family when you visit a water park, cabana rentals at Volcano Bay may be worth it for you.

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