wdw1972

There's one on deck 2 near where you enter the ship - by Ocean Bar. Another is up on the Lido deck, in the Lido pool area close to the spa (forward). That one is less busy, since people tend to to not know it's there. I never have a need for it for more than 10-15 minutes immediately after embarking so I don't know if either remain throughout the cruise. I'd say definitely no to the one in the Lido, but not sure about the one on deck 2. On Rotterdam (pinnacle class) the one on deck 2 was open and manned every day, and the person working seldom seemed to have anyone stopping by to make a reservation. Sue/WDW1972

Good question. I'm thinking the sparkling wine alcohol content must take care of that. Sue/WDW1972

I agree! A frozen drink shouldn’t be soup. No frozen grapes or chocolate strawberries in this retreat. Instead, watermelon and pineapple skewers with a plain strawberry on the side. sue/wdw1972

Asked Hery this morning. He gets the gelato from the gelato place down by the Lido pool. Makes sense since they have so many flavors and not much room up here. We’ll have to do this in the upcoming days. Sue/wdw1972

I'll see what I can find out. Sue/WDW1972

We haven't experienced the gelato, and if they have to run down and get it I'm thinking it'll be pretty melted by the time it arrives. However, on embarkation day spoke to a guest staying on from the previous sailing and he said they'll bring the gelato whenever you ask for it (assuming Gelato is open), not just as some set time in the afternoon. Evidently he & his wife took advantage of it a number of times. Sue/WDW1972

Been onboard 2 days now. Despite the little paper saying “a” glass of sparkling wine as one of the perks we have had 2 each both days with no apparent concern. We haven’t tried for a third because we were running into shower and cocktails before dinner time. Maybe we need to start earlier 😉 Sue/wdw1972

Ok first set started recently. Fairly good crowd, but Humanity is going on next door. Lots of audience interaction with the piano player. It’s not a preset list of songs from what I see. It’s very enjoyable. Headed to bb Kings after this. Sue/wdw1972

We’re in billboard now - it’s packed, for music trivia. We’ll see how it goes for the first set after trivia. sue/wdw1972

We were in BB King's last night - pretty busy there. This group has a lot of energy and they had the dance floor packed with people during the first show. Unfortunately we could smell the cigarette stench from the casino all the way over to BB Kings (we were on deck 3), so I can only imagine how bad it was down in Billboard. The casino was very busy whenever we were nearby - lots of gamblers & it sees lots of smokers. Although our staterooms are forward, we use midship stairs/elevators in order to avoid the stink when leaving BB Kings to retire for the evening. Sue/WDW1972

Gangway was just pulled Sue/wdw1972

Me too - but onboard this time! Lots of people up here in the priority waiting room. Hope to board soon. Will be just below Retreat at sail away - deck 11. sue/1972

At 10am the doors were already open. We were sitting upstairs in priority area by 10:14. Now just waiting for boarding to begin! sue/wdw1972

Thanks from me as well - I board Rotterdam tomorrow! We plan to book Rudi's for the first night, have a couple Tamarinds & a Pinnacle dinner already booked and will add a Pinnacle lunch and a Canaletto once onboard. Your photos have been excellent and your positive/upbeat approach is very enjoyable! Looks like I'll finish reading your report while I'm onboard - enjoying the Retreat! Sue/WDW1972

They've always allowed kids, but most people have had the sense not to bring them. There is NOTHING to occupy/amuse kids in the Retreat. I've had a Retreat cabana every cruise for many years now (twice a year) and twice there were kids. The first time was maybe 7-8 years ago. One couple had a pre-teen son who would come up and sit on a shady chair reading a book. He was 100% fine. The other was last cruise (November 2023) - a couple had 2 kids. One was probably around 10 years of age and the other a toddler. They seldom had the kids up in the Retreat, and really didn't use it much themselves - I assume they were elsewhere with their kids. They'd come up with the kids late in the afternoon and enjoy their cabana as a family as others were leaving and after the other passengers were gone. We'd frequently go for pre-dinner cocktails at Tamarind Bar and would see them in their cabana across the way (Eurodam), just having family time in that space. They were also no problem, and very considerate of both their kids and the other Retreat passengers. Thankfully I've never experienced poorly parented brats up there, and hope that continues to be the case! Sue/WDW1972

Orange Party on the pinnacle class ships is in BB King's (in Rolling Stone Lounge in most of the others). The suggested dress is "a splash of orange". That can mean whatever you like. I bought a chunky orange necklace and earrings, so that's my "orange". A friend I'm sailing with bought an orange boa - that's her "orange". I've seen passengers in orange clothing, orange costume wigs, orange framed fake glasses, etc - it doesn't have to be serious 😉 Sue/WDW1972

HAL oceanview staterooms are usually 175% - not 200%. The solo ocean view vary in size from a few sq feet smaller than a regular (non solo) all the way down to 127. Booking in advance, it's easy to get the largest ones - that's what I do. In fact, I'll be in one in a few days - along with a couple friends who also booked the solo oceanviews (on Rotterdam). Being forward doesn't bother us - it's our preferred location because we don't bother with the Main Dining Room (aft) but spend days in the Retreat (forward) and evenings between midship and forward at the music venues and World Stage. Sue/WDW1972

FYI - on the 3/8 sailing and the app updated recently. The 2 dressy nights are 1st and 3rd sea day for us. We have 2 sea days, 3 port days, 2 sea days, 1 port day (HMC) then go home. Sue/WDW1972

I'm 3/8 on Rotterdam 😉 Hopefully without rain! Sue/WDW1972

Two of us will be just below the Retreat - on the deck where the LIdo pool roof is located. Holli is taller, blondish and will have her orange boa. I'm shorter, short brown hair & wearing a dark tank top. Sue/WDW1972

I'll be on Rotterdam - requested a wave yesterday, so we'll see how that works. Sue/WDW1972

NS confirmed for 15:45 Sue/WDW1972

I have a tiny digital travel alarm clock that is set manually & does not change on its own. I open it up when going o bed, so in the morning I know the "real" time, compare it to what my phone says & just remember to add or subtract an hour as necessary. I don't want to fiddle with changing a setting or the time on my phone - for me it's easier to just remember what adjustment to keep in my mind each day. Sue/WDW1972

That's a shame about your "overnights" - agree that's nothing great. In our case we arrive Curacao at noon and depart at 11pm the following day, so 2 full evenings to enjoy the town! We're doing sunset happy hour at a local eatery the first night, and the cocktails with a view excursion the second night - should be fun! Aruba for us is the normal 8-5 day. That's assuming nothing crazy like weather or medical evacuations interfere 😉 Count me in with the crowd that enjoys the ship rocking. If I want to be still I can stay home or stay at a resort on land. Sue/WDW1972

Looking forward to your review - the more details, the better! I'll be boarding 3/8/24 for the same itinerary, other than you having an overnight in Aruba (I think) and we have the overnight in Curacao. I'd love to see the daily events if you can post those! Currently the Navigator app has events listed, including an NFL playoff game that was played in January - so the credibility of the app at this point is near zero 😉 Sue/WDW1972