Cabanas and Cabana Club

[cruz chic]

We have never asked for any extra, but I do know that if you have an open bottle in your ice bucket, they don't mind if you want to take it to your cabin. Just be aware that they are large bottles, not sure if it's 1 litre of larger.

They would be a litre.

[ej22ndrow]

Thanks. I didn't realize they were the bigger 1 liter bottles. I was expecting the smaller 16-20 oz bottles.

[InTheWASide]

Do they have these on the Noordam?

 

Have I been in such a state of bliss that I've never noticed them?

 

They will starting in May

[Kimmah]

reading through the thread it seems the only way to try to rent a cabana is to CALL Holland, is that correct? Sounds like a cabana would be a good idea for us during on the Nieuw Amsterdam.

[RuthC]

reading through the thread it seems the only way to try to rent a cabana is to CALL Holland, is that correct?

Yes, a call to Holland America in Seattle will do it.

[maxie99]

reading through the thread it seems the only way to try to rent a cabana is to CALL Holland, is that correct? Sounds like a cabana would be a good idea for us during on the Nieuw Amsterdam.

 

yes, that's what I did, going solo on the eurodam,, I booked a inside and invested in the retreat cabana---first time:)

Edited February 2, 2014 by maxie99

[djhsolara]

If you are not exactly sure that you want one, you can take a chance to see if one is available for a sea day during your sailing. On our last Eurodam sailing we didn't book for the week but once we were onboard there was one available and we booked for 2 sea days. It was true bliss and we will certainly be doing it again.

[djhsolara]

IMO, those cabanas are enough reason to keep us from booking a cruise on Nieuw Amsterdam or the Eurodam. :(

 

 

To each their own, but I'd love to know why.

[luckysadie]

Actually, the Retreat cabanas are on the Noordam now. We are boarding February 7 and have a reserved cabana.

[lastlook]

Actually, the Retreat cabanas are on the Noordam now. We are boarding February 7 and have a reserved cabana.

 

We were on the Noordam for New Year's and booked a Retreat Cabana for the week. (They were added to the Noordam last year.) The ones that face aft (above/overlooking the pool) can be very windy. We chose one port side and enjoyed it tremendously.

[alwaysfrantic]

We were on the Noordam for New Year's and booked a Retreat Cabana for the week. (They were added to the Noordam last year.) The ones that face aft (above/overlooking the pool) can be very windy. We chose one port side and enjoyed it tremendously.

 

Did you make the request when you reserved? Or once onboard were you able to choose?

 

Is it 1 glass of sparkling wine per guest each day? There is a special menu they will bring your lunch from, right? Or we could bring up a lunch from the lido if we wanted something else?

[CruiserBruce]

Did you make the request when you reserved? Or once onboard were you able to choose?

 

Is it 1 glass of sparkling wine per guest each day? There is a special menu they will bring your lunch from, right? Or we could bring up a lunch from the lido if we wanted something else?

 

You can request when booking, but you don't know what you get until you get on board.

Yes. Yes. Yes. (to the questions in the second paragraph.)

[John Reid]

Is smoking allowed in the Retreat cabanas and the common area of shared Retreat loungers and chairs?

[kazu]

Yes, a call to Holland America in Seattle will do it.

 

Love your new signature Ruth:D

 

for anyone interested in cabanas - there is now a short videos on the cabanas at halfacts.com - just click on the Signature ships and I believe it is under the general Nieuw Amsterdam information.

[absolutboy20]

I also have to agree that we thoroughly enjoyed the retreat cabanas on the NA. One thing to note on the lido deck cabanas is that if you want to get any sun or lay out, you need to leave the cabana and try to find a chaise lounge that is closer to the pool that is unreserved. The retreat cabanas on the other hand is reserved and roped off, where chaise lounges are available for use only for cabana guests.

 

On our cruise, all of the cabanas were reserved and the retreat area always had a lounge chair to lay out in the sun. I doubt that they would bring extra bottles besides the 2 large bottles they provide for the cabanas. I believe the set up is for two people on the regular cabanas, and up to four in the family cabanas which there are only two.

[RuthC]

Love your new signature Ruth:D

Glad you noticed. It was my pleasure to add a plug for HALFacts.com.

[EatonDoolittle]

Actually, the Retreat cabanas are on the Noordam now. We are boarding February 7 and have a reserved cabana.

 

We had the family corner cabana in November, loved it. Reserved for a sea day, and spent the entire day up there.

 

On Noordam, sparkling wine was limited to 1 glass, even tho there were only a few cabanas occupied that day.

 

Yes, you can order something else for lunch than what is on the menu.

NO, smoking is not allowed up there at all.

[lastlook]

Did you make the request when you reserved? Or once onboard were you able to choose?

 

Is it 1 glass of sparkling wine per guest each day? There is a special menu they will bring your lunch from, right? Or we could bring up a lunch from the lido if we wanted something else?

 

Yes - the Cabana stewards serve sparkling wine and chocolate covered strawberries every afternoon, and yes there is a limited lunch menu (mostly sandwiches/burgers.) I'm sure you can go down to the Lido to bring up whatever you like if you don't like the choices on the lunch menu.

 

We did not request a specific Retreat Cabana (RC) nor location when we purchased the RC on the Noordam. However, my sister and her husband decided to join us on the New Year's cruise after we had already booked the first Retreat Cabana for ourselves, so we called to book a second 2 person RC for them. (We could have booked the larger family Retreat Cabana but opted to book a second and separate two-person Retreat Cabana.)

 

So the only request that I did make was for our 2 two person Retreat Cabanas to be next to each other and received an e-mail confirming that they would assign our two RC's next to each other. (I made sure to explain that I had booked two RC's for the week and how it came about with my sister and her husband deciding to join us on the cruise after we had booked the first one.) I printed out my e-mail confirmations/conversations regarding the 2 two person Retreat Cabanas and brought them with me just in case there was any confusion once we boarded the Noordam.

 

It was a good thing that I did as they only showed that I had booked one Retreat Cabana. That is when we realized they had assigned us an aft-facing Retreat Cabana, and knew we would prefer one facing port or starboard. I presented my e-mail confirmations to show that we had booked and paid for two separate RC's and that we had requested that they be next to each other. The matter was straightened out and we were able to select two of the port facing RC's. (Most of the RC's were not booked, so we were able to choose which two we wanted.) I think the reason that most were not booked in advance is because the HAL web site made it appear that the Cabana Club would not exist until later this year. In fact, when I first called Ship Services to book the SECOND Retreat Cabana for my sister and her husband, the HAL agent told me the Noordam did not have them. I had to inform her that they did in fact have them and that I had already booked one of them and wanted to book a second one for my sister and her husband. After consulting someone else, she came back on the line and booked the second RC for me. I always request an e-mail confirmation of these special arrangements.

 

Due to the fact that the Retreat Cabanas were added to the Noordam fairly recently, it seemed that the Cabana Club was still not operating as smoothly as it was on the Nieuw Amsterdam (we had experienced our first RC on the N.A. in 2011.) The RC stewards that we had on the Noordam were new to HAL (and cruising), but worked very hard to make sure that we were well taken care of and that we enjoyed our week in the Cabana Club.

 

We have booked another RC for the week on an upcoming Nieuw Amsterdam cruise and this time we did request a port side RC. We received a confirmation that we have been assigned a specific port side RC, which happens to be the same one we were in on 2011 N.A. cruise, so we are happy. I will again be bringing my e-mail confirmations with me for back up.

[OVgirl]

We had the family corner cabana in November, loved it. Reserved for a sea day, and spent the entire day up there.

 

On Noordam, sparkling wine was limited to 1 glass, even tho there were only a few cabanas occupied that day.

 

Yes, you can order something else for lunch than what is on the menu.

NO, smoking is not allowed up there at all.

 

For three years we have been booking the Retreat Cabanas on Neiuw Amsterdam. They would pour sparkling wine whenever you wanted a refill. So, over an afternoon, maybe two or three times. Guess we will see how it works out on Noordam.

[lilith1155]

Perhaps those of you who've had a retreat cabana on the Noordam, could you please tell me if there is an elevator to the Retreat area? I don't see one in the deck plans.

Thanks!

[EatonDoolittle]

Perhaps those of you who've had a retreat cabana on the Noordam, could you please tell me if there is an elevator to the Retreat area? I don't see one in the deck plans.

Thanks!

 

Yes, it is a new addition, just next to the elevator bank outside the Crows Nest.

Only room for one or two people, only goes between those 2 decks

[Beachgirl85]

Who do you email to receive confirmation? I called ship services as reserved 2 retreat cabanas but would also like to have email proof - I to requested they are next to each other.

[lilith1155]

Thanks for the quick reply on the elevator! One last question. I use a smaller mobility scooter. Do you think I'll fit in the elevator?

[alwaysfrantic]

For three years we have been booking the Retreat Cabanas on Neiuw Amsterdam. They would pour sparkling wine whenever you wanted a refill. So, over an afternoon, maybe two or three times. Guess we will see how it works out on Noordam.

 

OV-will you be up there for the second half of the trip as well? We will be, and I'm planning to be up there a lot!

[OVgirl]

OV-will you be up there for the second half of the trip as well? We will be, and I'm planning to be up there a lot!

 

Yes we will!!!

 

Heading out this morning, but the snow has already impacted our travel a bit. First segment of the flight cancelled and rebooked on a later one.

I can hardly wait to set foot on the ground in Fort Lauderdale.

See you on the 17th.