Nieuw Amsterdam Retreat Cabana Question?

[esquire20]

Hello Everyone, I am currentiy scheduled to sail on the 3-13-11 NA western caribbean sailing. I have a VH GTY so I will have a cabin with a Veranda. The burning question is do I invest the $299.00 for the retreat cabana? Is it worth it? Is the 300 dollars better spent elsewhere? Is it that difficult to get shadad deck lounges. I am not a cheap person, but I am a veteran of over 30 cruises and realize there are only 2 sea days. I just called Hal and they have 3 available. I forgot to mention this is my first Hal cruise so I am relying on all of you HAL veterans. Stand up and be counted! I need your help. LOL Thanks in advance, Leslie

[RuthC]

There's plenty of deck loungers in the shade on Promenade Deck. Ideal place to sit and read, and watch the world go by.

[esquire20]

Thanks Ruth

[DutchByAssociation]

Depends on your perceived value of the private space and amenities versus what your verandah and the public spaces onboard can offer.

 

I would be most inclined to get one with an interior or oceanview room, would consider it with a verandah, superior suite I would start wondering if I really needed it and deluxe or penthouse suite there would be no need.

 

That's just my personal opinion though.

[catl331]

If you're the type who spends all day in one place it might be worth it, but we are rarely any place more than an hour even on sea days. There are too many activities that interest us, so it would be a huge waste of money for us.

[esquire20]

Thanks Carol for your reply.

[Krazy Kruizers]

As long as I have no own verandah -- JMO -- I do not feel that it is worth the money to rent a Cabana.

[scareyness]

We returned just this week after a back to back on NA.

 

Whilst exploring the ship I was left wondering just what the point was of having a cabana? I am sure someone will explain why? The ones around the pool area were as far as I could see awful! Those in them had the drapes open and everyone walking past could see in so obviously not for privacy. We found the pool area to be a bit noisy for us, especially the 2nd week when more children were aboard, and in the cabanas there would be no escaping that.

 

The cabanas on the higher level could also be looked into whilst walking round the decks. We also noted on a few windy days that they almost took off!

 

So I would agree that there is lovely areas to sit on prom deck and also your own balcony. Spend money elsewhere! :)

[esquire20]

We returned just this week after a back to back on NA.

 

Whilst exploring the ship I was left wondering just what the point was of having a cabana? I am sure someone will explain why? The ones around the pool area were as far as I could see awful! Those in them had the drapes open and everyone walking past could see in so obviously not for privacy. We found the pool area to be a bit noisy for us, especially the 2nd week when more children were aboard, and in the cabanas there would be no escaping that.

 

The cabanas on the higher level could also be looked into whilst walking round the decks. We also noted on a few windy days that they almost took off!

 

So I would agree that there is lovely areas to sit on prom deck and also your own balcony. Spend money elsewhere! :)

Thanks for your reply

[amunhbuu]

We loved our Lido Cabana on the Eurodam last week.

 

However, it was a relaxing trip for us. So, I wasn't worried about getting to places at a certain time, etc.

 

We also had booked an interior room, which was the tiniest room I had ever seen. Because of this, we used the cabana as an extension of our room.

 

It was one our favorite things about the ship. On a lido cabana you will have people looking at you and asking you questions for the first couple of days. And we did get into the habit of putting up the velvet rope when we left because we saw someone sitting in ours at one point when we were on another deck. I do not imagine you would have this problem on a retreat cabana.

[esquire20]

Thank you for your reply

[AtMaui]

I think it just depends on what you want. I always have a balcony cabin but I also travel with friends in other cabins who may or may not have balconies. We had a retreat cabana on the Nieuw Amsterdam and loved it because it was a place we just relaxed. Since it was a Caribbean cruise and we had been to all the ports, we rarely got off the ship. If it's a port intensive cruise, I probably wouldn't bother with a cabana because there's not enough time to enjoy it and it would be a waste of money.

 

We're on the Eurodam in November and will be getting another retreat cabana.

[esquire20]

Thanks for your thoughts. Leslie