The Retreat

[LizbethMcQ]

Looking for feedback from anyone who has experienced the Retreat on one of the Seabourn ships.  We are getting mixed information from the cruise line.  We have the option to purchase whole cruise access or individual day access.  Apparently there is a $50 spa certificate - I’m told one per cruise if you buy the whole cruise package, or one per day if you buy individual days.  My friend was told its one per day either way, but you can’t stack them they must be used each day.

 

Does anyone who has used the Retreat know?

[toseaornottosea]

Not sure why you would want to use the Retreat.  Seabourn made a big mistake creating these underutilized spaces.  As many have suggested they could have made much better use of the space.  

[Mr Luxury]

Personally I would stay well clear of the Retreat but do go along and have a look to see if it suits you.You can decide to do or not once you have actually been there.

[saminina]

1 hour ago, Mr Luxury said:

Personally I would stay well clear of the Retreat but do go along and have a look to see if it suits you.You can decide to do or not once you have actually been there.

 

This is best advice.  It's also the second best advice, and third best.

[cuddles115]

The retreat is Seabourn's  attempt at  Carnivalization.  IMHO, it's their attempt at purgatory. They tried to "lure" passengers with the perk of Spa treatments. Unfortunately, I hope SB learns it's lesson.......and NOT at your expense.

[SLSD]

The Retreat has no view of the sea.  I've toured it and cannot understand why anyone would pay extra money to go there.  Think about it--you have a veranda with a great sea view in your suite.  You can order all the champagne you want--delivered to your own veranda.  Why take an all inclusive cruise and pay extra for something that doesn't add value or enjoyment.  But---as others have suggested---go see it for yourself.  I would not pay for it sight unseen.  

[tv24]

Certainly you should check it out, as the rest of us have.  You will probably be the only one there.  Maybe a great place for solitude to meditate on other ways to spend OBC?

[sail1658]

When the Retreat was initially introduced I read many negative reviews about it which I tended to agree with, such as it being a waste of valuable space which could have been used more beneficially for all Seabourn passengers who were paying for an all inclusive experience. But we thought that the only way to be sure about this was to experience it for ourselves.

 

On our recent Seabourn Encore cruise we had some on board spend, a small amount from Carnival shares, $100, and there was a Retreat charge of $149 for a day in port. You can't get anything worth having from the shops on board for $100, and we'd previously visited all the ports on our cruise so we didn't need any excursions. So we thought we'd use it to experience the luxury of the Retreat. What was my opinion? “Well, that was a waste of $49!”

 

Don't get me wrong. The staff were very nice, the sunbeds were far superior and comfy with soft cushions, and the towels were fluffy. It's really everything that should be around the main pool, as we've already experienced on Oceania and Silversea cruises.

 

The service was good as we were the only guests. The staff didn't bother us as they said “You're here to relax, call us if you want anything.”  So we felt a bit self-conscious if we got up and moved about, because they were waiting for us to ask for something. I felt more like number 6 in the TV series, The Prisoner, rather than being in a luxury enclave.

 

The biggest let down was the food. We ordered lunch, and were told it would be 40 minutes from our initial order, but so what, we were in no hurry. They set up the table for lunch and poured Bollinger champagne. First course was prawn cocktail and my wife had prosciutto ham and melon. It was fine, though not sure why it took 40 minutes. Then they ordered our second course, which was a steak sandwich with fries and fish of the day, which would be 40 minutes, as the food comes from room service. The fish of the day was the size of the palm of your hand, with a salad for what appeared to be for 8 in a dish the size of a washing up bowl. My steak sandwich was so tough and gristly that I couldn't bite or even cut it with a knife.

 

So I ordered the grilled chicken breast club sandwich in its place. But when it eventually arrived it contained no grilled chicken, rather, just sliced cheese, ham and boiled egg, So they ordered another one, but that would be 40 minutes. By that time I was a little hungry so I went down to the pool deck and brought some slices of pizza to eat as we'd been sitting there for almost 2 hours. The second club sandwich arrived but it just had cold sliced chicken, no grilled chicken breast as stated on the Retreat menu. But by that time I'd given up, so I ordered dessert, - can't go wrong with cheesecake, and my wife had ice cream sundae, but that would be 40 minutes. They were very apologetic and said that room service must be very busy. But I was wrong. The cheesecake was in a bowl and bore no resemblance to any cheesecake I'd ever had. It appeared to be a bowl of lard with squirty cream and strawberries on top. So the exclusive lunch in the Retreat ended up being a few prawns, a slice of pizza, some strawberries and all the Bollinger you could drink.

 

The afternoon passed very quickly on the comfy sunbeds. Afternoon tea was served which was very pleasant, and that was it.

 

I did complain at Seabourn Square about the food issues, and the next day was offered a complimentary day in the Retreat. So that the F&B department could redeem themselves, they said, which I thought was fair. Perhaps it was just a one-off.

 

On our second visit to the Retreat, the staff were again very pleasant. This time on arrival we were offered a beautiful fruit plate with champagne. Again we were the only guests, but I didn't want to risk lunch there again, and the weather was a little chilly, if not windy, so we decided to go to the Restaurant for lunch, which seemed to cause a bit of consternation. I don't know if they had something planned so as to “redeem themselves” or maybe that just never happens. In the Restaurant when I gave my suite number to the head waiter she looked at her computer and said “You have a complimentary day in the Retreat”, and seemed confused and somewhat surprised that we were here in the Restaurant. We returned to the Retreat, had afternoon tea, and that ended our experience in the “luxury enclave” as the brochure describes it.

 

So did we enjoy the Retreat? Well, it was OK. I shouldn't really complain at two days there for $49. But I wouldn't use it again. I found it quite claustrophobic even with just the two of us there, with no sea views, just a large jacuzzi and other empty sun loungers . As for the cabanas, - why you would want to sit on a sofa watching TV wearing bluetooth headphones in what felt like a garden shed is just beyond me. I imagine it would be very hot and airless in the height of summer and in the Caribbean.

 

But as it was October and despite being sunny, there was a cool wind and on the second day a cold wind, and with the Retreat being at the front of the ship on deck 12 it seemed to channel the wind around the sun-deck forward like a wind tunnel as there are no wind breaks. So it was difficult to find a sheltered place.

 

When I looked in the Retreat on the sea day to ascertain if the lunch set up was different, it was blowing a gale and all the 28 guests were wrapped in their robes and towels and looked like they'd been rescued from some boating disaster rather than luxuriating in a tranquil setting. So if you book in advance you have to take whatever the weather throws at you.

 

As for the menu and food, it was the worst I'd had on the ship. I don't know if it would be different on a sea day when it was fully booked. Do they have a chef and dedicated kitchen for 28 guests? Because it would be a long wait for room service for everyone. But if it's better food and service on a sea day, then it's not fair on passengers on other days.

 

So after our two day experience, what was our verdict? Well, my initial views haven't changed but they've been more reinforced by the experience. But this was my just own experience, others might have more positive views and experiences.

 

So if you you have some on board spend you want to use, then try it, but I wouldn't waste any money on it. I didn't feel special or more pampered than on the pool deck. My food was dire and my wife's was unimaginative, and I felt very claustrophobic with no view. The best thing was the comfort of the sunbeds, but that just reminded us how uncomfortable the sun loungers were around the pool. But you do get to keep the complimentary Retreat logo flip flop sandals!

 

 

 

 

 

 

[sfvoyage]

Regarding sea view, that has been fixed on the Ovation for over a year - most of the cabanas have shutters opening out to sea view, with the exception of the 3 center cabanas.  However, sometimes it may get too windy to have the shutters open.

 

If you like upgraded wines and champagne and can drink enough of them, it may be worth a day to see if the experience and value is good for you.  The pricing seems to be dynamic, so if you are curious and offered a good deal, why not check it out and decide for yourself?

Edited November 3, 2019 by sfvoyage

[brittany12]

From all the comments I have heard over the years since Encore introduced this concept, and from reading these pages,  it sounds like it's vastly underutilized, a giant disappointment to most of the users and not churning a lot of revenue -  for all the obvious reasons. The comments above in this thread some of the most damning. Seabourn is apparently nevertheless sticking with it.

[tv24]

Salt:  You story had me in stitches!  So many absurd and laughable luxury cruising mishaps!  I hope you've made good use of your $49 Retreat Flip Flops.

[LizbethMcQ]

@sail1658 While I am thankful for all the comments on my question, your very detailed description has been extremely helpful :-)

 

We will give one day a try and see where we go from there.  I'll report back once we have returned from our trip.

[Hanoverian]

Just my opinion, but the popular Earth and Wind suffers greatly from its exposure to the elements.  I have read several reviews and talked with friends in which it was stated that they could or would not eat at times because of the weather.  Might we all be happier if the Retreat space became an enclosed Earth and Wind?  I don't know how challenging it might be to relocate the restaurant to the Retreat space, perhaps it cannot be done, but maybe this would solve two problems at once.

[Mr Luxury]

21 hours ago, LizbethMcQ said:

@sail1658 While I am thankful for all the comments on my question, your very detailed description has been extremely helpful 🙂

 

We will give one day a try and see where we go from there.  I'll report back once we have returned from our trip.

I’ll send you some flip flops if they’re that important 👣

Edited November 4, 2019 by Mr Luxury

[Host Dan]

I was given a day in the retreat on my last cruise.  While it was very nice, I wouldn't dream of paying for the honor.  The whole time we were at the retreat, we were the only passengers there.

[fudgbug]

On 11/3/2019 at 4:48 PM, Hanoverian said:

Just my opinion, but the popular Earth and Wind suffers greatly from its exposure to the elements.  I have read several reviews and talked with friends in which it was stated that they could or would not eat at times because of the weather.  Might we all be happier if the Retreat space became an enclosed Earth and Wind?  I don't know how challenging it might be to relocate the restaurant to the Retreat space, perhaps it cannot be done, but maybe this would solve two problems at once.

I have to agree with you about "Earth & Wind" as on our last cruise there wasn't a night that we make for a comfortable dining experience.

[markham]

Having traveled on Encore and the Odyssey class ships, I just want to clarify that the Earth and Ocean outdoor restaurants on the Ody class ships are not as exposed to the elements as on the Enc class ships. How so? The Ody class E&Os are forward on the pool deck 8 with the forward decks 9,10&11 offering some wind shelter while they are aft on the Enc ships and thereby exposed. (The reason E&O is where it is on the Enc ships is to share the TK and Colonnade kitchens; the former pool grill used on the Ody ships was and still is removed from the TK and Colonnade kitchens.)

Oh, and I concur about eliminating the dopey Retreat. On Ody class ships the similar deck space offers putting, shuffle board and table tennis for all. The Encore ships: nothing / nada. Seems like a simple solution is obvious, right? Tear out the cabanas and get with it, Seabourn.

 

Happy and healthy sailing from Odyssey in Antigua!

Edited November 14, 2019 by markham
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[rols]

1 hour ago, markham said:

Oh, and I concur about eliminating the dopey Retreat. On Ody class ships the similar deck space offers putting, shuffle board and table tennis for all. 

Plus the 'dopey Retreat' removes the natural uncluttered walking circuit around the deck which the Ody class and just about every other cruise ship we have ever traveled on has. 

[Hanoverian]

Thanks for the explanation re E&O, Markham.  We have not been on an Ody in some time, so were not aware of the location differences.  I do hope that Seabourn can think of something innovative to solve the problem on both classes.  Have a marvelous cruise, we are freezing here and are jealous of your warm Antigua weather.