The Retreat

[JodiandFrank]

I have recently realized that I have not read anything about the private area aboard the Seabourn Ships that one must pay extra for in order to spend time.  Is The Retreat still open on the Seabourn Ships?  I was on the Quest in Aug/Sept and never saw anything about it.  As I prepare to board the Sojourn next week I began looking for information to possibly book a day, but there is no information!  Has anyone spend time in The Retreat lately???  Are they open and functioning?  I appreciate any information you can give me!!

[lincslady]

The Retreats are only on the newer larger ships, Encore and Ovation.

 

 

[Catlover54]

On my Quest trip a few weeks ago, I got a strange alert on my phone, which had the SB Source app, offering me 15 minutes for $29.95 in "The Retreat".

I wasn't interested even if there was one on Quest.

[JodiandFrank]

22 minutes ago, lincslady said:

The Retreats are only on the newer larger ships, Encore and Ovation.

 

 

That makes sense.  Our first cruise was on the Ovation in 2019/2020.  I stupidly just assumed…. Well, you know what they say about people that assume 🤦🏼‍♀️

[lincslady]

Not stupid at all.  I hope you will have a good time on the Sojourn, for some strange reason my favourite of the three smaller ships.

[adoctor]

The Retreat was not widely used on my recent Encore trip. It's a waste of premium space and a strategic mistake as it directly undermines the Seabourn concept. 

 

[hoosier74]

There is no "Retreat" area on Pursuit or Venture according to the online deck plans, so perhaps Seabourn has 'retreated' on the concept.  However, oddly enough, a small area on Deck 11 on the Quest, Sojourn and Odyssey deck plans labeled "The Retreat." Basically the putting greens.  

 

We had huge amounts of OBC on our Ovation cruise last fall and used some of them for a day in the Retreat.  Nice Champagne, good food, great service, terrible TV (but that was happening all over the ship that day), Tote bag and flip flops, very relaxing.  But I must say, not worth it.  

 

Recent treads have been very critical of the "Seabourn concept" as it applies to premium suites, wanting extra perks to go along with them.  I rather like the concept and agree that the Retreat is a bit of an anomaly in that regard.   

[jjs217]

47 minutes ago, hoosier74 said:

There is no "Retreat" area on Pursuit or Venture according to the online deck plans, so perhaps Seabourn has 'retreated' on the concept.  However, oddly enough, a small area on Deck 11 on the Quest, Sojourn and Odyssey deck plans labeled "The Retreat." Basically the putting greens.  

 

We had huge amounts of OBC on our Ovation cruise last fall and used some of them for a day in the Retreat.  Nice Champagne, good food, great service, terrible TV (but that was happening all over the ship that day), Tote bag and flip flops, very relaxing.  But I must say, not worth it.  

 

Recent treads have been very critical of the "Seabourn concept" as it applies to premium suites, wanting extra perks to go along with them.  I rather like the concept and agree that the Retreat is a bit of an anomaly in that regard.   

Seabourn still offers a day in the Retreat for one of my benefits on our Venture Cruise to Antarctica this December.  You are right - not only does the Venture not have a Retreat - sitting outside all day in sub-freezing temps probably wouldn't be much fun even if it had that feature.  It would be nice if they came up with another option.

[brittany12]

 

When they built a few years the Encore and Ovation with basically the same footprint as the O ships, except a new squeezed in deck to accommodate the additional 15O passengers, one of the goodies they offered in the new square footage with the few feet extra width and 38 foot extra length, along with an expanded TK Grill and bar, was the Retreat as a special place that passengers would be willing to pay the daily fee to get away from the crowds elsewhere. Particularly the pool deck. Since its opening a few years back, most all of  the messages I've seen on cruisecritic have been far in the negative.

[calm down dear]

We are on encore, it is a scandal that there are staff in branded retreat uniforms up there with 0 or a couple of guests max (as we sneak down the sides on our regular walks) but they can’t be bothered to open the dining room. The signs are forbidding - do not enter, if you want a tour go to Seabourn square etc, you can only find price by enquiry. It is extremely brand damaging in our view and should be open to all like the forward and club whirlpools. 

[Corony]

Our one experience with the Retreat made us realize that’s it’s selling so poorly that it is often used by guest services as an appeasement for unhappy clients to mend shortcomings in their services/issues during their cruise. Would be nice to see it transformed into some much needed outdoor deck space for everyone. 

[Covepointcruiser]

We enjoyed the Retreat, especially on our post COVID cruises.   Attentive service, great bottles of champagne or wine, and a good lunch.   We reserved it for the entire cruise and the staff is top notch.    If you don’t like to sit by the pool or in the sun, you won’t need to at the Retreat.    Once you set yourselves up in a Cabana, it’s yours for the day.   It may not be something every passenger wants but it was great for us.

[Catlover54]

1 hour ago, Covepointcruiser said:

We enjoyed the Retreat, especially on our post COVID cruises.   Attentive service, great bottles of champagne or wine, and a good lunch.   We reserved it for the entire cruise and the staff is top notch.    If you don’t like to sit by the pool or in the sun, you won’t need to at the Retreat.    Once you set yourselves up in a Cabana, it’s yours for the day.   It may not be something every passenger wants but it was great for us.

 

Certainly it seems a good place to isolate oneself from others, especially  post Covid, alternative to just staying in one's suite.  And the "good lunch" sounds tempting, given the other options. 

 

Putting cost and semi-egalitarianism issues aside (not to mention staffing shortages), what I didn't like about it was the lack of a good sea view.

[brittany12]

" Attentive service, great bottles of champagne or wine, and a good lunch... topnotch staff...." If I am not mistaken Covepointcruiser, is this not the SB promise to every passenger for its cruises—without the walloping daily supplement it has decided to charge for this greater level of comfort and service upstairs at the Retreat? I am  glad  you enjoyed this extra degree of service and the seclusion,  particularly during Covid time. To each his own. I like the  point that this extra space on the Encore and Ovation for sunning and lounging —when it is crowded down below on the pool deck, because of its restricted size and large passenger component — should be available to everyone on the ship as part of the regular fare.

[Covepointcruiser]

Some passengers pay more for larger suites with nice balconies for lounging.    This is no different than paying for a space in the retreat.    The food and beverages can be had anywhere on the ship, you just need to request them.

[Hlitner]

On 10/28/2022 at 2:54 PM, brittany12 said:

" Attentive service, great bottles of champagne or wine, and a good lunch... topnotch staff...." If I am not mistaken Covepointcruiser, is this not the SB promise to every passenger for its cruises—without the walloping daily supplement it has decided to charge for this greater level of comfort and service upstairs at the Retreat? I am  glad  you enjoyed this extra degree of service and the seclusion,  particularly during Covid time. To each his own. I like the  point that this extra space on the Encore and Ovation for sunning and lounging —when it is crowded down below on the pool deck, because of its restricted size and large passenger component — should be available to everyone on the ship as part of the regular fare.

I will repost something similar to what we said last year about the Retreat.  When we were on the Ovation (July-Aug 2021) we had a lot of extra On Board Credit.  On one hot sea day, we decided to use some of the OBC to try the Retreat even though we really enjoy socializing on the pool deck.  So we booked the Retreat and headed up to that area after we had finished breakfast.  It was quite hot, the ceiling fans were working, the staff was very attentive, and the actual retreat area was quite nice.  We sat in our little area, did our normal reading, and tried to ignore the fact that it was too darn hot!  At lunch time we asked for our bottle of Bollinger and ordered our lunch (not much better than what we would have had in the Collonnade.  By 2pm we got tired of being hot, missed the usual excellent staff at the pool deck, and finally left our Retreat habitat to move down to the pool deck where the air flow was much better, the service always good, and we could chat with some of our friends.  At the pool we saw another couple, who we knew had a Retreat cabana booked for the entire cruise.  We had routinely seen this same couple at the regular pool deck and we did have a chat about the Retreat.  While they did like the Retreat (and had enough status to get theirs for no extra charge) they told us they spent more time on the pool deck than at their lonely cabana.  

 

Suffice it to say when we returned to the Ovation (last March for 27 days) we never even ventured anywhere near the Retreat.  Perhaps it is a nice thing for folks that prefer to be alone, isolated from much of the ship, etc. etc. but to us it represented wasted space.  Seabourn is a true luxury line with excellent service/facilities throughout the ship.  While I can see the need for a Retreat-like area on some mass market lines we just do not see it as necessary on a ship where service and options are terrific no matter where one's location.

 

Hank

[Covepointcruiser]

Didn’t know that status on Seabourn can get you the Retreat at no cost.   What status do you need?

[jjs217]

1 hour ago, Covepointcruiser said:

Didn’t know that status on Seabourn can get you the Retreat at no cost.   What status do you need?

I'm currently Gold.  It is a benefit under preferences, and just for one day.

[jjs217]

Oooops!  My bad!!!  I just looked and it is for the Spa Serene area - which the Venture also doesn't have.  Sorry for the confusion.  It was a senior moment.

[Hlitner]

1 hour ago, Covepointcruiser said:

Didn’t know that status on Seabourn can get you the Retreat at no cost.   What status do you need?

The person to whom we referred had an awful lot of SB days and apparently cruised in one of the most expensive suites.  I do not know how it all worked, but suffice it to say that she always had her place at the Retreat.

[Mr Luxury]

19 hours ago, Hlitner said:

I will repost something similar to what we said last year about the Retreat.  When we were on the Ovation (July-Aug 2021) we had a lot of extra On Board Credit.  On one hot sea day, we decided to use some of the OBC to try the Retreat even though we really enjoy socializing on the pool deck.  So we booked the Retreat and headed up to that area after we had finished breakfast.  It was quite hot, the ceiling fans were working, the staff was very attentive, and the actual retreat area was quite nice.  We sat in our little area, did our normal reading, and tried to ignore the fact that it was too darn hot!  At lunch time we asked for our bottle of Bollinger and ordered our lunch (not much better than what we would have had in the Collonnade.  By 2pm we got tired of being hot, missed the usual excellent staff at the pool deck, and finally left our Retreat habitat to move down to the pool deck where the air flow was much better, the service always good, and we could chat with some of our friends.  At the pool we saw another couple, who we knew had a Retreat cabana booked for the entire cruise.  We had routinely seen this same couple at the regular pool deck and we did have a chat about the Retreat.  While they did like the Retreat (and had enough status to get theirs for no extra charge) they told us they spent more time on the pool deck than at their lonely cabana.  

 

Suffice it to say when we returned to the Ovation (last March for 27 days) we never even ventured anywhere near the Retreat.  Perhaps it is a nice thing for folks that prefer to be alone, isolated from much of the ship, etc. etc. but to us it represented wasted space.  Seabourn is a true luxury line with excellent service/facilities throughout the ship.  While I can see the need for a Retreat-like area on some mass market lines we just do not see it as necessary on a ship where service and options are terrific no matter where one's location.

 

Hank

It would be the ideal place to quarantine any guests who have contracted Covid.