Boulder Beach Waterpark at Silverwood offers private cabanas to guests for an upcharge fee during each day of operations. We recently (finally) got a chance to rent one of these and see what it was like. In this review, we’ll share all the juicy details of our experience, some photos of our specific space, and ultimately try and answer the question of whether or not this upcharge perk is “worth it”.
Let’s start with some basic information. Cabanas available for rental are now located in two separate sections of the water park – one is at the former “Cabana Island” location in between the wave pools. This is now referred to as Garnet Bay. The other section is located in the new Emerald Forest, where a new batch of cabanas surround the Salmon Run kiddie area. Note that Emerald Forest also has larger cabana options available for rental. Specifically, villas (which hold 20 people) and the two massive pavilions for major events. We won’t be covering either of those in this review.
When we arrived at Boulder Beach, we immediately went up to the VIP counter at the Northern Flights drink bar to check in. Staff greeted us and presented us with two complimentary Boulder Beach towels, a pamphlet with a full park map as well as a map to our specific cabana, wrist bands (more on that later), two tube vouchers, and the lock for our cabinet.
We walked over to find our cabana marked with our family’s name on the sign, and got settled in. Immediately we noticed how large and spacious the area was, with plenty of room to spread out, even for our family of five. Our specific cabana was facing north, which meant that our entire area (including the uncovered portion) stayed shady for most of the day. Each cabana can be occupied by 6 people at a a time, and includes four chairs, two lounge chairs, and a table. There is also a small fridge, as well as a decent sized cabinet that comes with a lock, for securing your belongings.
Location-wise, the area surrounding Salmon Run worked well for our group. Our littlest could come and go from Salmon Run very easily, and we had an easy view of the entire area so we could keep a close watch on him. It was also nice being right next to Eagle Hunt, as we could keep an eye on the queue, and jump in when the line happened to shorten later in the day.
Mealtime is where arguably the biggest benefit kicks in, which is the ability to order food for delivery to your cabana. All of this is done via a mobile order system, using a unique QR code found inside your unit. Just scan the code, and a menu appears on your phone to make selections from. Right away, we noticed that this does not include the entirety of food offerings within Boulder Beach. See the below screenshots for the menu as of the time of our visit in July 2024:
The majority of what can be ordered comes from the nearby Rapids Grill, so there’s a wide range of things to choose from. The personal pizzas from Sapphire Grill were also available. But the Hawaiian rice bowls, along with all of the items at Pablo’s, were not. Although we hope this changes in the future, the items we could choose from were plentiful, and everyone managed to find something they were happy with.
Service was quick – our food arrived within about 5-10 minutes, and during that time we were able to relax, dry off, and reapply sunscreen. Certainly better than standing in line out in the sun, as we have become accustomed to doing. And later in the day, if one of us was craving a snack or drink, we just grabbed our phone, put in another quick order, and the item was delivered right to our spot. The fridge added to the convenience, as we could store any leftovers or unfinished drinks for later.
The last “perk” offered to us was special VIP wristbands that allow you to skip the lines at all of the drink bars – this includes the one by the wave pools, the float-up bar in the lazy river, and the new Northern Flights location. It’s really only necessary if these places get really busy, and we found most of the time there wasn’t much of a wait anyways. But it was nice to have the option available, should lengthy queues have formed.
One question you may have – and one that we thought about a lot – was which of the two cabana areas should you choose for your group? We found that the easiest way to answer this question is to consider the relative age of your group. If you’ve got smaller children that are under 54 inches – Emerald Forest is without question the right option. You’ll have a perfect view of Salmon Run (where your littles will likely be spending a lot of time!), and you’re also really close to Polliwog Park. If you’ve got older kids, then Garnet Bay by the wave pools is the better bet. That location not only has great views of the wave pool (where your older kids are likely to be spending a lot of time anyways), but it’s closer to all the more extreme slides such as Velocity Peak, Avalanche Mountain, and Ricochet Rapids.
Now that we’ve covered all of the details of our day, let’s move on to the big question – are these $300 per day cabanas “worth it”? Ultimately, the answer is really “it depends”, as there are a lot of different factors to consider, and your personal situation will dictate a lot of that. For us, without a doubt the answer was yes. We even admittedly didn’t end up spending a massive amount of time at our cabana, aside from lunch and snack time, as we were busy hitting up slides, relaxing in the lazy river, or playing in the wave pools. But having a large, designated, and secure area for all our stuff was a huge load off. Food delivery service was super convenient. And all the other little extras, like the towels and the free tube rentals, were icing on the cake.
Having said that, let’s explore some of those considerations and caveats. First of all, if you’re not planning to spend all or a majority of your day in the water park, we obviously wouldn’t recommend a cabana. We specifically chose a day we were planning to be there for a long time; indeed, we stayed until about 5pm. But if you’re just going to pop in and out for a couple hours, and spend most of the rest of your time in the “dry park”, don’t bother with a cabana rental.
We would also recommend considering the size of your group, what you plan to do at the water park, how much you plan to bring with you, and where you spend most of your time. For example, if you’ve only got infants/toddlers that are going to be playing at Polliwog Park all day, then a cabana might seem a bit out of the way for you. Or, if you’re leaving most of your things in the car or at your hotel, then you won’t necessarily need a place to secure your things. And, if you’re just a group of 1 or 2, then you don’t really need a big space to spread out.
In short, before shelling out the money for one of these, it’s worth thinking about how much you truly think you’ll be using the benefits offered. For us, we got enough use out of it to justify the cost. Your mileage may vary, so just use your best judgement. The park does offer a 48 hour cancellation policy, so if you’re on the fence, we’d recommend booking in advance regardless. Then, as the date gets closer, you can always cancel if you (or the weather!) change your mind.
Bottom line: we hope you find this guide helpful in making your decision on whether or not to get a cabana for your group. We’ve tried to offer a balanced approach to the titular question at hand – cabana rentals aren’t for everyone, but they likely will be worth it for most families and groups of 4-6 people. It took us over 15 years of waffling back and forth, unsure of whether or not to try it out, before we finally bit the bullet this year and took the plunge. Now that we’ve experienced what it’s like, we’re not planning to go back anytime soon; suffice to say, we plan on renting a cabana on our “Boulder Beach” days from now on.
Planning a trip to Silverwood this year? Be sure to check out our Silverwood Trip Planning Guide to get some great ideas on how to plan your trip. Also, our Silverwood Rides and Attractions Guide and Boulder Beach Attractions Guide have even more details on which rides, slides, and shows to hit up while you're there!
Have you rented cabanas at Boulder Beach before? How was your experience? Do you agree or disagree with our recommendations? What other questions do you have about cabanas that we didn't cover? Let us know in the comments below - we love to hear from our readers!!
The official Silverwood Theme Park website can be found at: www.silverwoodthemepark.com. All business-related questions should be directed to this site.
