Cabana Questions regarding new amenities.

[OlsSalt]

8 hours ago, Sebbiesgrammy said:

Agree completely. Isn't the Sea View pool adults only anymore?  Agree that the Lido pool can be noisy even when there aren't many kids since that is where poolside activities are normally held but the smaller Sea View on most, if not all ship classes in the HAL fleet, is usually quieter.

 

Sea View Pool is not "adults only" on major holiday cruises - very loud and busy, with lots of shouting pool games going on. Those are the highest number of children impact cruises, so choose them with that expectation in mind.  

 

There are other reports from other times of the year the adults-only aft pool  is only a recommendation, since it is not enforced should anyone choose to ignore the signage. 

[POA1]

On 1/9/2024 at 3:26 PM, CruiserBruce said:

No, there is not a bar in the Retreat area.

 

The "Two children" is a change. There are some added treats...chips and guacamole, ice cream, the Lunch menu, for example.

You know those "added treats?" They were not available on our sailing in December. The amenities list I got had sushi listed as well.

 

Ours was a week long cruise, and there were no children anywhere in the Retreat Cabana area. If only we had realized that we could had had free sailing children in both our room and the cabanas!

 

I cannot believe we missed out.

 

As someone said, there is no bar in the Retreat. You have to go all the way to the Crow's Nest if you want a drink. (Probably around 75 feet.) Or, you can order from your cabana stewards.

 

We have been on sailings where parents have had their children in the Retreat. They were well-behaved.

 

I knew this was bound to happen when I saw Adult Coloring Time on the daily program. What's next? Mar-teen-y Happy Hour?

[mytleturtle]

Has anyone experienced the new offerings in the Cabana?  Interested to see how Lunch and Breakfast were.  We typically leave the cabana to go get our own meals but the sushi and seafood boil have peaked my interest. 

 

[jagger16]

We were on Nieuw Statendam recently. Lunch was only offered from New York Deli & Dive In. You could also order sushi. I believe breakfast was from NY Deli as well. They no longer get you food from the Lido. We did not care for the NY Deli breakfast but my husband was ok with their scrambled eggs so he would do that sometimes. I found myself getting lunches and a couple breakfasts from the Lido and I brought it up to the cabana myself. The Lido food was really good on this cruise. Seafood boil was never mentioned but we saw signs for it in other dining venues on the ship.

[OCJayGuy]

On 1/9/2024 at 1:08 PM, OlsSalt said:

Turning the Retreat Cabanas into a Club Hal Annex must have made sense to HAL bean counters and if they are successful, I am happy for them. HAL does have a lot of debt to crawl out from under. And they did want to attract  younger clientele who find a lot of noise more appealing, than just silently watching the sea pass by. 

 

Or it could be that the Retreats overall turned into a white elephant loss for HAL,  and they needed to tweak up a new customer base. 

 

 

On 1/9/2024 at 1:52 PM, BermudaBound2014 said:

Regardless whether or not HAL is promoting children on board, the absence of an adult only area (whether paid or free), is a marketing error in my opinion. Carnival offers the complementary adult only serenity, rcl offers the adult only solarium, ncl has vibe, etc..

 

There are enough boomers, and retired Gen Xers sailing HAL that want an area free of children, no matter how much we love them.

Count some of us millenials in too, who prefer the quiet, watching the sea go by, no kid vibe. Must be working for them though, on this Jan cruise we just took, all cabanas were reportedly sold out before sailing.

[POA1]

The cabana guys on the Nieuw Statendam in mid December were still getting food from the Lido. Breakfast was either from the room service menu or from NY Pizza & Deli.

 

Lunch was from Dive-In, NY Pizza & Deli or the Lido. They had all 3 menus available.

 

The drinks menu was from the Crow's Nest.