Retreat - Lounge + Pool Bar Service

[Guest 4-2-N-8]

How well do Retreat lounge and pool deck servers ensure drink orders are taken and drinks delivered?

 

Reading another forum, sounded as if self service and queuing at a bar was often required in order to get drinks from other non-Retreat bars/venues.

 

That's terrible.

Edited September 24, 2022 by 4-2-N-8

[jelayne]

There were servers circulating at the Retreat Sundeck  frequently.  Sometimes I would go to the bar to order just to get up and move around.  

[Jim_Iain]

My observation is that they have 1-2 servers at the Retreat at all times and they check often for drink orders as well as come around with treats all day.   During lunch they come around and take order for their limited lunch menu.

 

The Revolutionized S-Class and the E-Class have a bar and a bartender on duty most of the time so you could sit at the Bar if you choose or anywhere and the attendants will take you drink requests.

[Guest 4-2-N-8]

16 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

My observation is that they have 1-2 servers at the Retreat at all times and they check often for drink orders as well as come around with treats all day.   During lunch they come around and take order for their limited lunch menu.

 

The Revolutionized S-Class and the E-Class have a bar and a bartender on duty most of the time so you could sit at the Bar if you choose or anywhere and the attendants will take you drink requests.

You have allayed my concern. TY.

[Jim_Iain]

55 minutes ago, 4-2-N-8 said:

You have allayed my concern. TY.

You will have no problem.   Also in Retreat they have a Bartender and will try to keep an eye on drinks.   Remember though that you may have to wait a little.    When they have an event they often bring on additional help.

[Guest 4-2-N-8]

1 hour ago, Jim_Iain said:

You will have no problem.   Also in Retreat they have a Bartender and will try to keep an eye on drinks.   Remember though that you may have to wait a little.    When they have an event they often bring on additional help.

Thank you for your time and feedback.

[Cap_D]

On Edge in April, there was better bar and server action on the main resort deck. The retreat bar tenders were burned out, and the servers seemed indifferent.  The setup also leads to crowding or standing in the pathway area like a lot of bars.  So nothing special. 

 

On the main deck they came around with water, soft drinks, and beer, maybe wine.  No need to even ask or do anything at all except pick. Plus, if needed, the bartenders were moving and could handle the crowds. 

 

The Retreat deck was a lot more fight for your perks and benefits from experience.  No one seemed to be in charge from a holistic standpoint. Rather each department has people in retreat and they do their thing.  Drinks included. Sometimes it felt like Retreat was an afterthought, and the pace was deliberately lazy and slow. This led to some absurd situations for a luxury experience at the price being charged.  

 

Example:  We ordered drinks and burgers at the bar because the servers were mia and were told we had to pick up the food at the bar, while they helped with the drinks.  We were in loungers on the other side of the pool from the bar.  When the burgers were supposedly ready a drink server came to our lounger area to tell us.  He did not bring the food, and not ask if we needed more drinks.  We then had to go retrieve the burgers.  When we got back to our seat area we determined the burgers were not prepared to our requests, and two were raw in the middle.  (The famous Luminae Burger was a dud).  Then a clown car experience began to unfold. We had to go back to the bar to ask for the correct order.  People came out to apologize, but didn't fix the order.  Then the OVC manager, who we identified earlier while doing a pass through and he was directing some OVC staff to tear down the breakfast pastries, showed up with the chef who was apologetic. Meanwhile still no correct burgers after two more tries and a lot of time passing.  

 

Even McDonald's will bring an order to you if there is a wait, so I don't know why the drink servers couldn't serve food. And, the botched burgers was a problem with the kitchen not having anyone doing QC on the line before the food went out.  The attempt to recover was disjointed and showed no one was really figuring out the solution without us having to guide them.  The upshot, we had a lot of baskets of fries (same frozen coated product  as Mast Grill, sorry to spoil the allure).   

 

Bottom line:  The Retreat bar waa nothing special.  Not even sure they had fresh fruit and higher quality mixers than the most basic of bars around the ship, and the food and beverage availability and execution doesn't fit the concept. 

 

The Retreat deck overall needs some work. Celebrity needs to have some holistic managers on duty, not just the future cruise sales concierge team and the butlers (who may not even have access to Luminae) down below.  The closest that came to someone on that role was the very well intentioned, and helpful Luminae maitre'd (overworked) who did introduce himself later that day.  He seemed to be the only person that acted like a leader.  (The somelier tried to sell us a wine bottle opener that seemed inappropriate from the experience, but that is discussed elsewhere on the board).

Edited September 25, 2022 by Cap_D

[wineoclock]

That doesn’t sound very good Cap_D. 
 

Have you emailed head office about that? Explain if it would put you off sailing in retreat again as at the end of the day the bottom line counts. 
 

For the money in retreat you could look at other premium or luxury lines. 
 

However I think I’d find the luxury lines to small for me. 

[Guest 4-2-N-8]

9 hours ago, Cap_D said:

On Edge in April, there was better bar and server action on the main resort deck. The retreat bar tenders were burned out, and the servers seemed indifferent.  The setup also leads to crowding or standing in the pathway area like a lot of bars.  So nothing special. 

 

On the main deck they came around with water, soft drinks, and beer, maybe wine.  No need to even ask or do anything at all except pick. Plus, if needed, the bartenders were moving and could handle the crowds. 

 

The Retreat deck was a lot more fight for your perks and benefits from experience.  No one seemed to be in charge from a holistic standpoint. Rather each department has people in retreat and they do their thing.  Drinks included. Sometimes it felt like Retreat was an afterthought, and the pace was deliberately lazy and slow. This led to some absurd situations for a luxury experience at the price being charged.  

 

Example:  We ordered drinks and burgers at the bar because the servers were mia and were told we had to pick up the food at the bar, while they helped with the drinks.  We were in loungers on the other side of the pool from the bar.  When the burgers were supposedly ready a drink server came to our lounger area to tell us.  He did not bring the food, and not ask if we needed more drinks.  We then had to go retrieve the burgers.  When we got back to our seat area we determined the burgers were not prepared to our requests, and two were raw in the middle.  (The famous Luminae Burger was a dud).  Then a clown car experience began to unfold. We had to go back to the bar to ask for the correct order.  People came out to apologize, but didn't fix the order.  Then the OVC manager, who we identified earlier while doing a pass through and he was directing some OVC staff to tear down the breakfast pastries, showed up with the chef who was apologetic. Meanwhile still no correct burgers after two more tries and a lot of time passing.  

 

Even McDonald's will bring an order to you if there is a wait, so I don't know why the drink servers couldn't serve food. And, the botched burgers was a problem with the kitchen not having anyone doing QC on the line before the food went out.  The attempt to recover was disjointed and showed no one was really figuring out the solution without us having to guide them.  The upshot, we had a lot of baskets of fries (same frozen coated product  as Mast Grill, sorry to spoil the allure).   

 

Bottom line:  The Retreat bar waa nothing special.  Not even sure they had fresh fruit and higher quality mixers than the most basic of bars around the ship, and the food and beverage availability and execution doesn't fit the concept. 

 

The Retreat deck overall needs some work. Celebrity needs to have some holistic managers on duty, not just the future cruise sales concierge team and the butlers (who may not even have access to Luminae) down below.  The closest that came to someone on that role was the very well intentioned, and helpful Luminae maitre'd (overworked) who did introduce himself later that day.  He seemed to be the only person that acted like a leader.  (The somelier tried to sell us a wine bottle opener that seemed inappropriate from the experience, but that is discussed elsewhere on the board).

I've got two Beyond Edge Villas queued up, one 7-night in January/February to the Caribbean and another 11-night to the eastern Mediterranean in August/September. 

 

This is disheartening. These two trips are my attempt at trying this market segment.

[LMHSRN]

17 hours ago, 4-2-N-8 said:

How well do Retreat lounge and pool deck servers ensure drink orders are taken and drinks delivered?

 

Reading another forum, sounded as if self service and queuing at a bar was often required in order to get drinks from other non-Retreat bars/venues.

 

That's terrible.

It also depends on if there is a bar on the retreat dick or not.  Not all ships have a bart on the retreat deck.  If no bar, good luck chuck!