Retreat cabanas

[78232]

We are planning a Caribbean cruise in March. We will have a regular size veranda (VE) .DH thinks a retreat cabana would be duplicating the veranda. I'm not so sure I agree with him. Has anyone booked a retreat cabana and felt like it was a waste of money taking into consideration the time spent in port and other activities on the ship?

Thanks

Marcia

[Krazy Kruizers]

Which ship are you on?

Only the Eurodam and Nieuw Amsterdam have the Retreat and Lido Cabanas.

Personally -- we always book and SA and feel that it is a waste of money to rent one of them. JMO

[78232]

We are waiting for the spring 2012 bookings to open so we haven't booked yet. I know for sure it will be the Eurodam or Niew Amsterdam. I want a ship with the Tamarind, I love oriental food and the Lido misses the mark for me.

Marcia

[Former Goalie]

We are planning a Caribbean cruise in March. We will have a regular size veranda (VE) .DH thinks a retreat cabana would be duplicating the veranda. I'm not so sure I agree with him. Has anyone booked a retreat cabana and felt like it was a waste of money taking into consideration the time spent in port and other activities on the ship?

Thanks

Marcia

No way is booking a Retreat cabana remotely close to having a stateroom w/veranda. At the Retreat, you have your own dedicated small cabana, shaded with two chaises, two chairs, and tables. Set ups with fruit and bottled water. In the common area are loungers for use only by Retreat customers. So, it's very private and never, in our experience, was there a lack of space, chaises, etc. There are two wonderful attendants who will get you lunch, champagne and choc. covered strawbs. int the mid afternoon.

[78232]

Did you use the cabanas on port days? Did you participate in many activities on board during sea days or was the cabana your main entertainment? I'm trying to figure out how much we would use one.

Thanks

Marcia

[IRL_Joanie]

Did you use the cabanas on port days? Did you participate in many activities on board during sea days or was the cabana your main entertainment? I'm trying to figure out how much we would use one.

Thanks

Marcia

 

Marcia,

 

I am in your shoes wanting to book the Retreat Cabana for our cruise on Nieuw Amsterdam in November. We have an SY Guarantee right now and hubby also thinks the Retreat Cabana is a waste:(

 

That said, maybe we can both use the foolowing as an incentive to get our spouses to see what we would get there as opposed to Room Service in the Taterooms:

 

BTW, I have this in full only on the Nieuw Amsterdam, but think all of it would also be on the Eurodam:

 

The Retreat Cabanas

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Rental Period: Full day, 09:00am to 05:00pm

Price: $45 for port days and $75 for sea days

Occupancy: 2 adults + 2 children up to 18 years

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Includes following services:

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* Towel Setup

* Bathrobes

* Handheld fans – in case no ceiling fans will be installed

* I-Pod with preloaded music selection

* Discount on selected spa services for days in port only

* 1 Evian Mister per cabana

* Chilled water bottles setup

* Frozen grapes, chocolate covered strawberries and a glass of champagne at 03:00pm

* Food service Island with following offerings: all food items will be served in small glass or porcelain cups. Healthy breakfast options like yogurts, cereal and muesli, fresh sliced fruit, a variety of “healthy bites” sandwiches, wraps, salads, fruit juices and yogurt/buttermilk drinks at lunch and afternoon.

[

Packages are also available at discounted rates for guests who wish to rent a cabana for the duration of the entire cruise and can be booked at the Reception Desk or Prebooked via Ships Services at 1-800-541-1576 (IRL_Joanie's Note: Pricing as of 17 July 2010)

[

Following info from fellow Cruise Critic Member: Cruzin Suzin on 17 July 2010 with the response to questions she had asked of HAL regarding the Retreat Cabanas. Her questions are in Bold the answers from HAL are in blue:

[

Retreat Cabanas..Questions Answered. I had a few questions about the retreat cabanas on the Nieuw Amsterdam, so I wrote to HAL and just received the answers.

 

Please see the below questions / answers and the attached lunch menu from the Beverage Manager onboard.

 

1. We would like to entertain friends we might meet on the ship. I thought it was a classy way to entertain rather than just on our balcony or in our cabin. Is this allowed?

 

Family cabanas are for 4 adults and 2 children under 18 only. Since it is only you and your daughter as long as the number of adults does not exceed the max there is no problem.

 

2. Also if I do entertain can drinks be charged separately? Or will they go on my account since I have the cabana?

 

The beverages for cabana occupants are charged to the “registered” on board account.

 

3. If I purchased liquor on the ship, for our own use, for example vodka and mixer can I bring that up there? Or must drinks be purchased and consumed only up there

 

You may order Liquors via in room dining for in room consumption only.

 

Can we bring wine up there?

 

Yes, any wine that is not provided by HAL and brought to a public area is subject to a $18 corkage fee per bottle. If purchased onboard no corkage fee is charged.

 

4. What if it is raining? Can you still use them or is it too slippery up there?

 

If it’s a light rain it’s still usable, if cabanas are unusable due to rain any unused portion of the day is refunded.

[

 

Menu.. menu from the Beverage Manager onboard.

[

 

Vegetarian Panini

Fontina cheese with grilled eggplant, pimento, tomato, red chili aïoli

Pita Pocket

Hummus, roasted vegetables, chiffonade lettuce, kalamata olives, tzatziki sauce

Croque Monsieur

Grilled French Baguette with ham and Gruyère cheese

French Panini

Baguette filled with smoked ham and Gruyère, cornichons and French fries

Salmon Fillet Sandwich

Grilled with seaweed salad

Freshly Grilled Burgers

All American beef or cheeseburger, classic cut French fries

 

Hope this can benefit all of us who are trying to convince our significant others:D My hubby is food driven so...:)

 

Joanie

[78232]

Since the family cabanas allow 4 adults and 2 children under 18, I wonder if the regular retreat cabanas allow 1 child in addition to tnhe two adults?

Marcia

[jtl513]

Since the family cabanas allow 4 adults and 2 children under 18, I wonder if the regular retreat cabanas allow 1 child in addition to tnhe two adults?

Marcia

Probably. There is a chair and table at the railing.

[lazydayz]

I recently discussed the retreat cabanas with HAL and was told that the regular cabanas could be reserved by our party of two adults and one child (but cannot be booked by three adults). We elected to go with the family cabana anyway since it is so much larger.

[traveler1980]

Does anyone know if you can let others use your cabana when you are not in it? For example we are traveling with my parents. If we rented a retreat cabana and wanted to let them use it for the day is that allowable? Thanks.

[driven2succeed]

I hate to post since I want to always be assured of having a retreat cabana for myself, BUT....

The cabana was THE BEST part of the cruise. We went on several excursions only to say that Enrico must be missing us (wink wink) so we better hurry back to the ship!

The service was wonderful. The solitude restful. The view divine. It was money well spent.

We have booked a cabana for our upcoming cruise. We are going to be seeing the same ports, but the availability of a retreat cabana was a deal breaker for us.

I would NOT want a cabana down by the pool unless I had toddlers who wanted to be in the pool and yet needed the opportunity to rest at some point in the day. It is very crowded down there and not very relaxing.

[rebeccac]

DH and I are sailing on the Nieuw Amsterdam to the Med next September. Since it is such a port intensive cruise, I don't want to book a cabana for the entire week, so I know I have to wait until onboard to see if there is anything available for a day. Where would I go once on board to attempt to book a retreat cabana?

[IRL_Joanie]

DH and I are sailing on the Nieuw Amsterdam to the Med next September. Since it is such a port intensive cruise, I don't want to book a cabana for the entire week, so I know I have to wait until onboard to see if there is anything available for a day. Where would I go once on board to attempt to book a retreat cabana?

 

I will be doing the same, since I cannot convince hubby to pre book for a week:mad:

 

I will go to the Front Desk (in the Atrium) as soon as I board the ship to make our daily reservations. I just hope there will be one available...

 

Joanie

[Diane Rose]

I hate to post since I want to always be assured of having a retreat cabana for myself, BUT....

The cabana was THE BEST part of the cruise. We went on several excursions only to say that Enrico must be missing us (wink wink) so we better hurry back to the ship!

The service was wonderful. The solitude restful. The view divine. It was money well spent.

We have booked a cabana for our upcoming cruise. We are going to be seeing the same ports, but the availability of a retreat cabana was a deal breaker for us.

I would NOT want a cabana down by the pool unless I had toddlers who wanted to be in the pool and yet needed the opportunity to rest at some point in the day. It is very crowded down there and not very relaxing.

 

I am so glad to hear this. We also booked a retreat cabana and I cannot wait for the cruise.

 

It sounds like the service is a wonderful part of the cabana experience. Do the stewards share in a part of the daily tipping charge or should they be tipped separately?

 

Diane

[mindydaile]

I'm obviously in the minority here but I think it's definitely a "duplication" of the perks of a verandah.

 

Then again I'm not one to sit in the same place all day - I'm going to trivia and to bingo and a cooking class and a lecture, etc.

 

I also don't use the spa so the discount on spa services would be wasted on me.

[Cruisin Suzin]

I'm obviously in the minority here but I think it's definitely a "duplication" of the perks of a verandah.

 

Then again I'm not one to sit in the same place all day - I'm going to trivia and to bingo and a cooking class and a lecture, etc.

 

I also don't use the spa so the discount on spa services would be wasted on me.

 

 

I didn't realize or know there was a discount on spa services with the cabana..where did you see this..I just might want that..:D

[boingy300]

I rented one for the week as my husband will be in the "Seminar at Sea" for continuing education. I am not one to lay around all day so I just want a spot I can come and go and not worry about carrying around my towel,etc. I met another lady traveling alone via the roll call who has a Lido. We are going to visit each others' cabanas.I think it'll be fun just to try. My husband will enjoy it when he's on break or on port days after our excursions. I'll let you know after Dec. if I thought it was worth it.$300 or $21.43/day per person didn't seem that much to me.

Karen

[mindydaile]

I didn't realize or know there was a discount on spa services with the cabana..where did you see this..I just might want that..:D

 

It was in the list of amenities posted by Joanie earlier in the thread.

[rebeccac]

I'm also wondering if you can use a cocktail card to pay for drinks in the cabana (assuming we order the drinks that are part of that package)?

 

I too hope there are some still around when I board. I would like to try it, but just can't get myself to pay for the full trip when we are going to be off touring so much of the time.

[dot73]

I'm the person who booked the Lido cabana that Boingy300 refers to in her post. I am on the 14-day cruise and booked that cabana for the entire cruise. I've read mostly bad things on these boards about the Lido cabanas, mostly from passengers who have never booked them, however, I've decided to see if I will like it.

 

I travel solo and love the idea of having my own spot by the pool, near the Lido, etc. I can come and go and never lose my spot. I can park my reading materials, my cross stitch, etc. in the morning and never be accused of being a chair hog when I leave to go for lunch, seminar, etc. I think the Nieuw Amsterdam only has five Lido cabanas so hopefully it won't be too crowded. Because of the huge single supplement for a balcony cabin, I save $$ by booking an outside guarantee. I also don't gamble (except a one time $20 for the slots) and don't use the spa, so the cabana will be my extravagance for the the cruise. If I don't like it, I won't book it again, but might as well give it a try. My new roll call friend and I will have the best of two worlds: when she comes down to swim or eat at the Lido, she can visit my cabana; and when I need some peace and quiet, I will join her at her retreat cabana. :D

 

I also would like to know whether the cabana attendant is part of the automatic tipping or whether he gets tipped separately. Thank you.

[kent4489]

We were on the Eurodam in Feb. Absolutely LOVED the Retreat cabana. We were traveling with friends (separate cabins), so we rented the family cabana for the week. We all had verandahs, but spent a lot more time at the Retreat. The service was OUTSTANDING! Plenty of time to use it on port days too.

 

We'll be on the Eurodam again in Sept. and we'll book a Retreat cabana again. Just hubby and I, but we're booking the family cabana again... love all the space and corner view.

 

We tipped the cabana attendants directly.

[78232]

Is it possible to use the cabanas in the evening for stargazing or relaxing? I know the attendants aren't there at that time>

Marcia

[traveler1980]

I am going to ask this question again as i think it got lost in the thread.

 

If we rent a two person cabana for the week and we are not using it can my parents who are on the ship with us use it when we are not there?

[boingy300]

I am going to ask this question again as i think it got lost in the thread.

 

If we rent a two person cabana for the week and we are not using it can my parents who are on the ship with us use it when we are not there?

 

When I asked this question to HAL they said 1 person from the renting cabin is supposed to be there. So when my DH is in seminar, I can have a friend visit, but the 3 of us cannot be there at the same time. I guess only HAL can answer this,but that's as they explained it to me. (First timer w/ HAL or a cabana).

Karen

[Cruisin Suzin]

I think you are best getting this answer directly from HAL Ship Services, see if they will confirm the answer in writing.. Perhaps you would be better renting the family one then you could have your parents us it as well.