Retreat

[ne1travel]

We’ve only cruised 4 times and with Princess. We enjoy their Sanctuary for peace and quiet. Is the HAL Retreat similar to that and if so, can you tell me a little about it. May look at HAL for future cruise.

Thanks...

[CruiserBruce]

Yes, it is pretty quiet. From our experience in the Sanctuary on Dawn Princess, you get more amenities and perhaps a bit more privacy.

[lastlook]

We've had a Retreat Cabana twice on the Nieuw Amsterdam, once on the Noordam, and once on the Westerdam. All good past experiences and a quiet, peaceful atmosphere where one could read, relax, sun, snooze, have lunch inside our Cabana, etc. The atmosphere matched the "Retreat" name.

 

However, the Retreat Cabana layout was changed on the Koningsdam, and they were made smaller, with a canvas divider partition on one side (rather than solid partitions on both sides) and the canvas was already tattered and torn (January 2017), so the privacy was lacking since you could easily hear (and somewhat see) your neighbors through the torn canvas. There were only two loungers and a low, small table between the two loungers in the Koningsdam Retreat Cabanas. No additional round table with two chairs (as on the other HAL ships), so one was forced to either eat from one's lap, or dine at a table in the Retreat's common area outside your Cabana. There was a large table that seated 6-8 people just outside our Cabana, where a group would gather to socialize, have their lunch, etc. Gone was any semblance of peace and privacy. In addition, our Cabana neighbors (on the canvas wall side) were loud and animated so we were subjected to their personal family conversations/gripes. We asked if we could be moved to another Cabana, but the entire Retreat was booked, so that was not possible. To compound the situation, the Retreat Cabanas were closed entirely for a couple of days due to an unusual week of rough seas/weather in the Caribbean. Obviously, mother nature cannot be controlled but we had paid for an entire week and got very little enjoyment from that Cabana experience due to the changes in the layout. So while I recommend the Retreat Cabanas in general, I cannot recommend the ones on the Koningsdam. I am hoping that the next new HAL ship (Nieuw Statendam) will not have the same Retreat Cabana layout as the Koningsdam, as it was very disappointing compared to the original Retreat Cabana layout on the other HAL ships.

[ithaca gal]

We've had a Retreat Cabana twice on the Nieuw Amsterdam, once on the Noordam, and once on the Westerdam. All good past experiences and a quiet, peaceful atmosphere where one could read, relax, sun, snooze, have lunch inside our Cabana, etc. The atmosphere matched the "Retreat" name.

 

However, the Retreat Cabana layout was changed on the Koningsdam, and they were made smaller, with a canvas divider partition on one side (rather than solid partitions on both sides) and the canvas was already tattered and torn (January 2017), so the privacy was lacking since you could easily hear (and somewhat see) your neighbors through the torn canvas. There were only two loungers and a low, small table between the two loungers in the Koningsdam Retreat Cabanas. No additional round table with two chairs (as on the other HAL ships), so one was forced to either eat from one's lap, or dine at a table in the Retreat's common area outside your Cabana. There was a large table that seated 6-8 people just outside our Cabana, where a group would gather to socialize, have their lunch, etc. Gone was any semblance of peace and privacy. In addition, our Cabana neighbors (on the canvas wall side) were loud and animated so we were subjected to their personal family conversations/gripes. We asked if we could be moved to another Cabana, but the entire Retreat was booked, so that was not possible. To compound the situation, the Retreat Cabanas were closed entirely for a couple of days due to an unusual week of rough seas/weather in the Caribbean. Obviously, mother nature cannot be controlled but we had paid for an entire week and got very little enjoyment from that Cabana experience due to the changes in the layout. So while I recommend the Retreat Cabanas in general, I cannot recommend the ones on the Koningsdam. I am hoping that the next new HAL ship (Nieuw Statendam) will not have the same Retreat Cabana layout as the Koningsdam, as it was very disappointing compared to the original Retreat Cabana layout on the other HAL ships.

 

This is exactly how we felt about the cabana set up on the Koningsdam. We Thought the retreat area would be the same as in other ships, if not even better. We had the family retreat cabana which is substantially smaller than those on the other ships. There was no way we could enjoy quiet time together with our son and daughter-in-law in that cabana. As a result, we won’t be sailing on the Koningsdam again.

[*Miss G*]

We had a completely opposite experience on the Koningsdam, in October, than lastlook did. OP, once you pick a ship you will be able to focus on the Retreats. OR you can pick a Retreat and focus on the itinerary. I am unfamiliar with Princess so cannot offer a comparison from that respect. Sorry.

[Florida_gal_50]

Yes, it is pretty quiet. From our experience in the Sanctuary on Dawn Princess, you get more amenities and perhaps a bit more privacy.

I agree. While the sanctuary is fine the cabanas offer much more privacy. I believe the cabanas work out to be cheaper and you can book them ahead unlike the sanctuary.

[Florida_gal_50]

We've had a Retreat Cabana twice on the Nieuw Amsterdam, once on the Noordam, and once on the Westerdam. All good past experiences and a quiet, peaceful atmosphere where one could read, relax, sun, snooze, have lunch inside our Cabana, etc. The atmosphere matched the "Retreat" name.

 

However, the Retreat Cabana layout was changed on the Koningsdam, and they were made smaller, with a canvas divider partition on one side (rather than solid partitions on both sides) and the canvas was already tattered and torn (January 2017), so the privacy was lacking since you could easily hear (and somewhat see) your neighbors through the torn canvas. There were only two loungers and a low, small table between the two loungers in the Koningsdam Retreat Cabanas. No additional round table with two chairs (as on the other HAL ships), so one was forced to either eat from one's lap, or dine at a table in the Retreat's common area outside your Cabana. There was a large table that seated 6-8 people just outside our Cabana, where a group would gather to socialize, have their lunch, etc. Gone was any semblance of peace and privacy. In addition, our Cabana neighbors (on the canvas wall side) were loud and animated so we were subjected to their personal family conversations/gripes. We asked if we could be moved to another Cabana, but the entire Retreat was booked, so that was not possible. To compound the situation, the Retreat Cabanas were closed entirely for a couple of days due to an unusual week of rough seas/weather in the Caribbean. Obviously, mother nature cannot be controlled but we had paid for an entire week and got very little enjoyment from that Cabana experience due to the changes in the layout. So while I recommend the Retreat Cabanas in general, I cannot recommend the ones on the Koningsdam. I am hoping that the next new HAL ship (Nieuw Statendam) will not have the same Retreat Cabana layout as the Koningsdam, as it was very disappointing compared to the original Retreat Cabana layout on the other HAL ships.

 

This is exactly how we felt about the cabana set up on the Koningsdam. We Thought the retreat area would be the same as in other ships, if not even better. We had the family retreat cabana which is substantially smaller than those on the other ships. There was no way we could enjoy quiet time together with our son and daughter-in-law in that cabana. As a result, we won’t be sailing on the Koningsdam again.

Agree. That koningsdam cabanas are the worst in the fleet. They are tiny and have a plexiglass "front" on all of the cabanas which prevents airflow. I guess that is to make them more appealing in colder areas.

[ne1travel]

Thanks for your replies, greatly appreciated.

[ithaca gal]

Agree. That koningsdam cabanas are the worst in the fleet. They are tiny and have a plexiglass "front" on all of the cabanas which prevents airflow. I guess that is to make them more appealing in colder areas.

 

Yes, we were quite surprised that the newest ship with all the bells and whistles "downgraded" (in our opinion) this area while enlarging it.

 

I'm curious to see if the Nieuw Statendam is a carbon copy of the Koningsdam in this area. If so, we can cross that ship off our "to sail" list.