Seabourn Encore - The Retreat

[Able Seaman H]

If you see someone using the Retreat wearing a false beard, sunglasses and hiding behind a large newspaper you'll know a member of this parish has weakened and gone for the complimentary loyalty club benefit day ....... :)

 

 

Henry :)

[Catlover54]

I have never understood why SB pax who have veranda and higher level suites (as opposed to just a window) i.e., the vast majority, choose to cluster around the pool rather than lounge on their luxurious suite balconies, unless they are going for a swim. But from what I have seen, most people are just lounging and drinking and reading, not swimming.

 

The Retreat seems to cater to be more of the same, but minus the pool, plus adds extra cost. If there were at least a special view of the ocean maybe it would be worthwhile, or perhaps if people are on a corporate retreat and just want to be around their friends and coworkers and no one else it might make sense. Even for the fun of people-watching the Retreat does not sound suitable, as there are few people.

 

As is, given the beauty and privacy of suite balconies with room service, the Retreat makes even less sense to me than sitting around facing the pool and other people, rather than gazing at the ocean with your beloved.

 

I prefer the serene and quiet veranda suite balconies and their privacy. I can alternate between the balcony, the bed and the couch if it gets too hot or too cold, have news or music play in the background, freshen up without traveling, sip my wine or cocktail, quickly access a sweater or jacket if it gets chilly, and not have to look at strangers' wrinkled and semi-flabby old bodies ( and others do not have to look at mine :). DH enjoys the hot tub in the bow on deck 6, e.g., on the Quest for a hot soak, and sometimes I join him there, but neither of us wants to sit around pools or in clumps. If we were traveling with a lot of friends and family and were in veranda suites we would need a bigger space to properly congregate, but most SB pax are couples.

 

Is there anyone here who actually likes the Retreat?

[cruising kirby]

Catlover, having actually tried the Retreat, I completely concur with your comments. It is a mystery to me why the designers thought it would be used, let alone be popular. I guess there will be the occasional "once'off" passenger like me, but really, once experienced, I find it almost impossible to believe many would return.

 

I am not a designer but the space itself just doesn't work. With the cabanas blocking all sea views and creating a hot humid atmosphere (relieved only by "retreating" to your cabana to get under the fan), food that is available everywhere else on the ship (and much better choices available elsewhere), essentially you are paying for the exclusive use of a sunbed.

 

Like you, I much prefer my private balcony and the occasional dip in the pool/spas on deck 5.

Edited October 1, 2017 by cruising kirby
spelling

[RustyRollock]

The Retreat offers nothing we can't already enjoy in our own suite/veranda for "free" and that's exactly what we plan to do if we ever sail in Encore again.

[wripro]

The entire ship is a retreat imo from every day life. So the Retreat is a retreat within a retreat. Who needs that?

[Les Picantins]

The announcement of The Retreat came shortly after the Crystal's new release of their yacht Esprit with it's submarine as well Scenic's Eclipse with it's helicopter. Is it possible that Seabourn was looking for a gimick with wow factor to get them extra press for the inaugurational season?

[Prunella1]

The entire ship is a retreat imo from every day life. So the Retreat is a retreat within a retreat. Who needs that?

Any retreat from reality is welcome at the moment, can't wait until we board the Encore on Wednesday.

[rols]

I was one of those who received the survey and expressed my strong preference that The Retreat was not something I wanted to see on a Seabourn ship. I'm not sure the results of that survey made much difference because I find it hard to believe the Seabourn regulars they sent it to would have been very pro.

 

But will it go away? I don't think so. It's built, they can shift staff around as needs be to cater for the usual case of empty or the occasiona times it may get popular. Converted to deck space it earns them nothing, left as not-well-used premium space it earns them something.

[wripro]

Converted to deck space or some other useful venue does earn them something, the continued loyalty of some of their best customers.

[markham]

... as in restoring the deck space on Encore for ALL passengers so that Seabourn management shows that they are listening and acting accordingly...

 

And to demonstrate that they respect the original all-inclusive luxury brand rather than sully it with a pretentious and hyped-up gimmicky waste of space area which was designed presumably for punters with more money than sense. (And even among them, I wonder how many ante up the $350 for a repeat visit.)

 

Protecting the brand and showing goodwill towards loyal and repeat passengers is worth more than the cost of whatever's involved in removing those silly cabanas and the "restricted area- no admittance" signage.

 

Shuffleboard anyone?

 

Happy and healthy cruising!

[cruising kirby]

My guess is that Seabourn management know the Retreat is a terrible mistake (how couldn't they, a vacant or almost vacant space day after day is pretty clear), but they are reluctant to withdraw it so soon for fear of being seen as poor decision makers. They will ride the negative feedback a little longer, hope that it will all settle, perhaps try to keep up appearances by offering the area free of charge to "special passengers", then when it still fails to impress, find a way to alter the use of the space. It looks like the cabanas are just modules that could be removed without too much difficulty. I gather the Ovation is still on track for a Retreat, such a shame.

[Joc123]

The Retreat is a big mistake but so is the outdoor space at the back of TK Grill - no one seems to mention this. The space needs be rectified on Ovation, not sure how because “The Great Chef” will not allow his food to be served outside ( obviously doesn’t know about the Colonnade!)

[RustyRollock]

Shhhhhh! That verandah behind TK is a great "secret spot" for some peace and quiet with a cocktail from the bar. Maybe they should call it The TK Retreat? While the tail continues to wag the dog nothing much will change.

[Mr Luxury]

I propose that we use the under utilised TK space for the block partys.

Guests can turn up at 6.00pm to meet each other and share a drink and a snack rather than the more civilised approach of dressing properly and going to a bar.

Dress code of course will be Bathrobe,unshaven and wet hair.

[lincslady]

I mentioned the outdoor area behind the TK grill some time ago- could hardly believe that was there but then TK would not allow it to be used for eating! I suppose it is OK for people to eat his more KFC type offerings in the Colonnade outdoors. I have not been on Encore, but believe people have been, sensibly, taking their cocktails from the TK bar there, and also going up there from the Colonnade to have their breakfast/lunch, although not a very satisfactory use of the venue, as it presumably does not have suitable serving and cooking areas.

 

I completely agree that Seabourn know exactly what most people think about the Retreat, and also many about TK's food, but do not want to lose face by changing the style until something appropriate can be substituted and advertised. The cost of both must have been pretty high.

[Able Seaman H]

I don't think any love would be lost were the Retreat to be quietly pensioned off but I do disagree with you in the strongest of terms when you try to bundle the TK Grill into your argument.

 

We had some excellent food in there whilst aboard Encore and it added to our cruise experience without costing a penny more. The ribeye, the lamb and the prawn cocktail were superb.

 

The Sushi restaurant at night was also a big hit allowing respite from heavier dining options.

 

Henry :)

[lincslady]

Maybe the TK grill works well on Encore; it cetainly did not on our our experience on one of the Odyssey ships. A table so close to the others that if you were overweight you would not have squeezed through, dim lighting for reading the menu, which was a heavy volume you had to hold up as you could not rest it on the already full table setting; 'tableside preparation' of the 'classic Caesar salad' performed by a sweet but undertrained waitress which ended up as effectively lettuce leaves in a vinegary dressing; lamb coated with an uncooked mixture, and a huge and perfectly good though not unusual ice cream dessert. We had been told the fish was good, by staff, and the couple at the next table said it was very good. That is probably what we should have ordered. The vegetable dishes were also good, but otherwise I am afraid to us it was a poor dinner, and we would certainly not return. A lot of effort by the staff, with very fussy presentation, but did not work for us. I realise it does work for some people, but by no means for everyone, Henry.

[cruisr]

If the CEO wants a "Retreat" added to Seabourn (ala HAL ships) the CEO gets a "Retreat". Apparently I guess the thought was that it works so well on HAL it will work well on Seabourn. Of course they are two different products with two different business models and two different client base. I wish they would remove it.

[californiacruiseluvrs]

While I appreciate the innovative thinking of Seabourn by adding the retreat I think the experiment is a giant failure. I just returned from the September 14th sailing of the Encore. My impression - waste of space that could have been better used for all guests. Additionally, the cruise was wonderful! Home run with Encore. My only complaint - no cushions and terry cloth covers on the lounges by the pool like Oceania and Regent. This is cheap! The lounges are sling backs which become uncomfortable very quickly for sun worshipers like my wife and I. They are the same lounges used by sister lines Carnival, HAL and Costa. Grrrr!!! It's below Seabourn standards. They spend so much money on bedding - why not on lounges too? Just my two cents.

[BasandSyb]

Maybe the TK grill works well on Encore; it cetainly did not on our our experience on one of the Odyssey ships. A table so close to the others that if you were overweight you would not have squeezed through, dim lighting for reading the menu, which was a heavy volume you had to hold up as you could not rest it on the already full table setting; 'tableside preparation' of the 'classic Caesar salad' performed by a sweet but undertrained waitress which ended up as effectively lettuce leaves in a vinegary dressing; lamb coated with an uncooked mixture, and a huge and perfectly good though not unusual ice cream dessert. We had been told the fish was good, by staff, and the couple at the next table said it was very good. That is probably what we should have ordered. The vegetable dishes were also good, but otherwise I am afraid to us it was a poor dinner, and we would certainly not return. A lot of effort by the staff, with very fussy presentation, but did not work for us. I realise it does work for some people, but by no means for everyone, Henry.

 

Totally agree. Our TK Grill O class experiences have been sloppy tasteless mush. Good to hear some people have had a decent steak experience on Encore - still waiting on O. Our last cruise included a friend who in a previous life was sous chef on other line in the same family. He commented that with TK the daily food allocation per passenger has probably reduced by up to 25% and that the bean counters would be particularly happy with TK Colonnade as they could spin it on a dime with little waste. Not quite "luxury" cruising.

 

Hoping our next cruise in Feb will bring a better experience and a few more options on the MDR and pool grill menus which have been quite limited. We love SB, but it's starting to flag a bit in the food stakes.

 

Have enjoyed the frank and fearless Retreat feedback. Hopefully someone is listening. As already suggested they probably don't want to run the risk of looking like they got it wrong. The marketing department is probably trying to nut out a campaign for next dry dock. Agree there were probably a lot of influencers for something new given the Scenic Eclipse, Ritz etc. There is going to be a bit more choice in the small ship market soon. Seabourn just needs to listen to its passengers.

[RustyRollock]

Between the unpopular Retreat, the underwhelming TK experiment and the disastrous omission of a guest laundry facility (now fixed) I suspect the powers that be at Seabourn are still smarting from the almost universally negative feedback. In an increasingly competitive market I can understand the need for new ideas and offerings but in this instance I can't believe they did any proper market research and relied instead on personal preference and/or experience. The senior execs who make the decisions are treated like royalty when they sail in their ships, staying in the best suites with the very best service, the finest dining and maybe being able to escape the riff raff to some kind of special "Retreat" (no charge, natch). And obviously they don't need a DIY laundry. In other words they live in a parallel universe and have no idea of what their customers actually want as opposed to what they misguidedly think we want.

[Tony & Trevor]

RustyRollock

Today 01:45 AM

 

Between the unpopular Retreat, the underwhelming TK experiment and the disastrous omission of a guest laundry facility (now fixed) I suspect the powers that be at Seabourn are still smarting from the almost universally negative feedback. In an increasingly competitive market I can understand the need for new ideas and offerings but in this instance I can't believe they did any proper market research and relied instead on personal preference and/or experience. The senior execs who make the decisions are treated like royalty when they sail in their ships, staying in the best suites with the very best service, the finest dining and maybe being able to escape the riff raff to some kind of special "Retreat" (no charge, natch). And obviously they don't need a DIY laundry. In other words they live in a parallel universe and have no idea of what their customers actually want as opposed to what they misguidedly think we want.

 

 

Well said. Quite Agree.

[Able Seaman H]

Our last cruise included a friend who in a previous life was sous chef on other line in the same family. He commented that with TK the daily food allocation per passenger has probably reduced by up to 25% and that the bean counters would be particularly happy with TK Colonnade as they could spin it on a dime with little waste. Not quite "luxury" cruising.

 

I spoke at great length with some of the TK team when we were on Encore. Because it was the first cruise there were several members helping to roll out the programme.

 

My understanding is that with TK the raw materials are actually more expensive to purchase. The Ribeye doesn't use the whole cut, they have to discard a significant proportion of what in most other restaurants would be served to guests.

 

The prawns used in the prawn cocktail are huge, hardly cost cutting.

 

If we are going to judge luxury cruising on the amount of food waste it creates, the more the better, then it is a dying industry. In today's society overt decadence of that type is not the way forward.

 

I would far rather see smaller quantities of superb ingredients rather than a mountain which gets thrown away on my behalf.

 

I will experience TK on Sojourn for the first time in December but for us it worked well in the Grill aboard Encore.

 

Henry :)

[lincslady]

Henry - I am sure that the especially designed galley and the size of the TK restaurant on Encore compared with the old R2s on the O class ships makes a difference. It will be interesting to see how you feel when you have tried the TK on Sojourn. Also, no doubt the TK chefs on board who will have trained the SB chefs on Encore will have helped to make sure the dishes were better done. As to the expensive ingredients; they may have been, but were no improvement to us (lamb, steak) than whatever is served in the restaurant. I should add, however, that I did enjoy the funny little caviar starter by TK in the restaurant, so long as you knew to stir it up before eating it, which was delicious.

[Able Seaman H]

I too am genuinely intreagued as to how I view TK on Sojourn. The Grill on Encore works as a package. I haven't bothered with restaurant 2 the past few times we cruised Sojourn.

 

To add balance I wasn't overly impressed by TK in the Colonnade. I much preferred the theme nights such as Indian etc. served there.

 

What would transfer well between Encore and the R2 space on Sojourn is the Sushi restaurant. We really enjoyed that as an alternative to heavy food served at dinner. I am however aware that there are lots of people who don't enjoy Sushi so it would be too niche for the space which should be used by as many guests as possible. Maybe a Benihana type restaurant might be a compromise for the space ?

 

Hopefully there might be a Sushi themed evening on Sojourn in the Colonnade one night.

 

Henry :)