The Retreat on Encore

[galeforce9]

Has anyone ever pre booked the retreat and managed to have the cost refunded and swapped to use on board credit on board?   I know this works for excursions. I’ve booked for the entire cruise, straight after booking the cruise, and now find myself with more OBC than I anticipated.   Thank you. 

[Isr45]

2 hours ago, galeforce9 said:

Has anyone ever pre booked the retreat and managed to have the cost refunded and swapped to use on board credit on board?   I know this works for excursions. I’ve booked for the entire cruise, straight after booking the cruise, and now find myself with more OBC than I anticipated.   Thank you. 

I booked the Retreat online for full cruise last year having forgot about my OBC. My travel agent contacted Seabourn and they refunded it to my credit card.

[chuckncole]

9 hours ago, Isr45 said:

I booked the Retreat online for full cruise last year having forgot about my OBC. My travel agent contacted Seabourn and they refunded it to my credit card.

same, booked entire two weeks ( it was awesome by the way) i was refunded when my obc was applied. And then 700 spa credit was applied at 50$ x 14 days on 1st day of cruise.

 

Edited May 10 by chuckncole

[galeforce9]

14 minutes ago, chuckncole said:

same, booked entire two weeks ( it was awesome by the way) i was refunded when my obc was applied. And then 700 spa credit was applied at 50$ x 14 days on 1st day of cruise.

 

@chuckncoleFantastic.  Presume you sorted this at Seabourn square?  When were you there? What was the champagne?  Is the champagne by the glass there also premium, in addition to the full bottle, which I understand you can use elsewhere?  Thank you 

[Isr45]

2 hours ago, galeforce9 said:

@chuckncoleFantastic.  Presume you sorted this at Seabourn square?  When were you there? What was the champagne?  Is the champagne by the glass there also premium, in addition to the full bottle, which I understand you can use elsewhere?  Thank you 

We were last onboard in January but there are changes in the champagne - once was purely that they ran out of stock - to be fair they enhanced the champagne usually provided.

I have read before that people say they can take the Champagne elsewhere ( we do full cruise Retreat every time). Twice I have seen someone ask to take the champagne and been told no it is for consuming in the Retreat. In January I saw someone put the bottle in their bag and they came over to say couldn’t do that. That one resulted in a semi heated argument where the Hotel Director was called who specifically stated the champagne was for consumption in the Retreat.

I am not saying it has not been done but am saying you can be told no 😀

[highplanesdrifters]

3 hours ago, Isr45 said:

We were last onboard in January but there are changes in the champagne - once was purely that they ran out of stock - to be fair they enhanced the champagne usually provided.

I have read before that people say they can take the Champagne elsewhere ( we do full cruise Retreat every time). Twice I have seen someone ask to take the champagne and been told no it is for consuming in the Retreat. In January I saw someone put the bottle in their bag and they came over to say couldn’t do that. That one resulted in a semi heated argument where the Hotel Director was called who specifically stated the champagne was for consumption in the Retreat.

I am not saying it has not been done but am saying you can be told no 😀

 

Wow!

[chuckncole]

13 hours ago, galeforce9 said:

@chuckncoleFantastic.  Presume you sorted this at Seabourn square?  When were you there? What was the champagne?  Is the champagne by the glass there also premium, in addition to the full bottle, which I understand you can use elsewhere?  Thank you 

Feb 3-17 Champs iin The Retreat was Bollinger. You know,  I do not recall what they poured by the glass as we always took our unopened bottle to our room.  I loved  the Sandhi Santa Rita Hills Chardonnay they poured freely.  so that was my go to. ( 70$ a bottle elsewhere on the ship.) I often drank  Casamigos passionfruit margaritas, They  knew it was my preference and daily got the fresh passionfruit and brought it up to The Retreat. They were awesome!! Junior, Lezme and Nelson brought their A game! 

We return to the Encore in October- Istanbul to Athens and will definitely book The Retreat  FOR the entire time. 

I will say that we had an incredibly relaxing voyage, never having to search for lounge chairs, we had plenty of Shade. our cabana and lounge chairs were ALWAYS waiting for us. My husband and I later recalled that we met less people than usual. Perhaps because we were traveling with a group od 8  family and friend and we were up in the Retreat  most of the time  that we were on the ship.....It was a LOVELY private Oasis!

Edited May 10 by chuckncole

[highplanesdrifters]

On 5/10/2024 at 4:32 PM, chuckncole said:

Casamigos passionfruit margaritas, They  knew it was my preference and daily got the fresh passionfruit and brought it up to The Retreat

Yes please.

[purpleally]

On 5/10/2024 at 6:32 AM, Isr45 said:

We were last onboard in January but there are changes in the champagne - once was purely that they ran out of stock - to be fair they enhanced the champagne usually provided.

I have read before that people say they can take the Champagne elsewhere ( we do full cruise Retreat every time). Twice I have seen someone ask to take the champagne and been told no it is for consuming in the Retreat. In January I saw someone put the bottle in their bag and they came over to say couldn’t do that. That one resulted in a semi heated argument where the Hotel Director was called who specifically stated the champagne was for consumption in the Retreat.

I am not saying it has not been done but am saying you can be told no 😀

By the glass is the champagne you get anywhere on the street, not Moët nor Bolinger.  I have taken the bottle with me, sent to my room and sent to restaurants 

 

i

[chuckncole]

On 5/10/2024 at 3:32 AM, Isr45 said:

We were last onboard in January but there are changes in the champagne - once was purely that they ran out of stock - to be fair they enhanced the champagne usually provided.

I have read before that people say they can take the Champagne elsewhere ( we do full cruise Retreat every time). Twice I have seen someone ask to take the champagne and been told no it is for consuming in the Retreat. In January I saw someone put the bottle in their bag and they came over to say couldn’t do that. That one resulted in a semi heated argument where the Hotel Director was called who specifically stated the champagne was for consumption in the Retreat.

I am not saying it has not been done but am saying you can be told no 😀

Actually on Encore they asked where we were having Dinner and offered to send our unopened bottle  we did not drink from our Cabana to our Dinner Restaurant. I noticed if we did not open the bottle after a few days or declined them sending it to our dinner , they stopped having it in an ice bucket in our Cabana each day. I followed up on it and made sure it WAS available each day when ever we wanted. once they sent us 2 as we did not drink it the day before. That was in February on the Encore.

 

[billdip]

Retreat for an entire voyage is about $100 per day. For a 10 day cruise it is less than the cost of upgrading to a balcony on most ships. Service is exceptional, always a seat in the sun or shade. Everything is brought to you.

[chuckncole]

On 5/23/2024 at 10:38 AM, billdip said:

Retreat for an entire voyage is about $100 per day. For a 10 day cruise it is less than the cost of upgrading to a balcony on most ships. Service is exceptional, always a seat in the sun or shade. Everything is brought to you.

 

[chuckncole]

Clarification....The Encore only has Balcony suites or higher. The 100$ cost then 50$ daily onboard credit for the spa  is a net of 50$ per day. Then, when you add in that you have a large piece of real estate: A cabana with an Ocean view window shutter that opens to see the oceanscape, which is reserved every day for us  with with robes,  slippers, stocked fridge with beer,  perrier water, soft drinks, a bottle of Higher end Champagne and 3-4 people checking in on you all day long, I love the  personal suite of a  couch tv and dining table and 2 very cushioned lounge chairs on top of a  lounge area in front of the cabana and THE shade, with ceiling fans in the cabana and through out the retreat moving air, on top of amazing service asking repeatedly  how they can deliver breakfast, lunch and drinks til early evening. Not to mention each meal is perfectly garnished. In addition fresh fruit and drinks free flowing  throughout the day and people that get to know your every desire before you ask for it.... that is an amazing piece of real estate for my cruise that is reserved for un and infact pays for itself. Heading back to the Encore for 14 days real soon and would not think of not reserving the retreat. Because, it makes my cruise more relaxing and enjoyable. i have been on the odyssey class a few tines and really missed the Retreat.

If you wanted to know.... 

[chuckncole]

On 10/17/2023 at 12:06 PM, Lilly55 said:

Every 14 night cruise segment I have seen/booked is $1419 dollars ( I tended to round it to $100 a day). You receive a rebate of $700 dollars in onboard spa credit.

 

I booked a 14 night cruise Retreat package today - it cost £1170.70

Today when i booked the retreat, It was 699$ per week.  We are on a 14 day or 2,  7 days back to back. so it was 1398 for 14 days!

Edited August 3 by chuckncole

[chuckncole]

On 12/3/2023 at 3:16 AM, Mr Luxury said:

No,Julie 

My TA had a meeting with Natalya but was listening to exciting new things that shebeill be implementing around the ship. 

He wasn't there to suggest anything about the Retreat.

In fact he is tight lipped at what was discussed as I would expect him to be.

He wasn't there to tell her to change the whole ship configuration.

We will be Cruising in October with Natalya and will be in The Retreat for all 14 days we are onboard.  We will have a chat and see  what her perspective is. I bet she will spend at least a day there!

[chuckncole]

On 2/19/2024 at 8:27 AM, whogo said:

Can it be a really nice hot tub, if someone else has used the water before you?

Its huge, well maintained and in hot climates they will turn the heat off anf add ice to keep it cool and refreshing... I bet its a 15 person spa like tub. much bigger than the others on the ship!

[Hlitner]

Like many SB cruisers, we have tried the Retreat (on the Ovation) and were underwhelmed.  For us, it was not about the cost (we had plenty of OBC which made it essentially free).  The Retreat was very nice, the Bollinger good, lunch menu was small but good, and service was amazing!  But, for us, it was not ideal because we enjoy socializing, and the Retreat turned out to be a very private experience.  On our cruise, most Retreat users kept to themselves (and everyone honored a high level of privacy).  I do think it is a terrific option for a couple that prefers to be left along, does not want to interact with other passengers, etc.   

 

We are on the Encore for 3 weeks (three segments), later this month, and just looked at our account.  There are still 2 full cruise Retreat places available, and the full day rentals are sold out.  I am not sure how many of the Cabanas are reserved for the full cruise, but I will assume it is at least 6 units.  So this means that with 300 couples on the ship, fewer than 10 are interested in booking the Retreat for an entire voyage.  

 

Hank

 

 

[lisa6191]

1 hour ago, Hlitner said:

Like many SB cruisers, we have tried the Retreat (on the Ovation) and were underwhelmed.  For us, it was not about the cost (we had plenty of OBC which made it essentially free).  The Retreat was very nice, the Bollinger good, lunch menu was small but good, and service was amazing!  But, for us, it was not ideal because we enjoy socializing, and the Retreat turned out to be a very private experience.  On our cruise, most Retreat users kept to themselves (and everyone honored a high level of privacy).  I do think it is a terrific option for a couple that prefers to be left along, does not want to interact with other passengers, etc.   

 

We are on the Encore for 3 weeks (three segments), later this month, and just looked at our account.  There are still 2 full cruise Retreat places available, and the full day rentals are sold out.  I am not sure how many of the Cabanas are reserved for the full cruise, but I will assume it is at least 6 units.  So this means that with 300 couples on the ship, fewer than 10 are interested in booking the Retreat for an entire voyage.  

 

Hank

 

 

For us it is exactly as you described, we are introverts and like our privacy for the most part, and we enjoy being able to read and relax undisturbed. This way we choose when we want to be social but can have our quiet time as well. We also really appreciate the padded loungers, which is something Seabourn desperately needs to address on their ships IMO.

 

How can you see how many spaces are left for the Retreat? I don’t see where you can do that on my account. But I don’t think you can assume the level of interest from bookings before the cruise. Many first time cruisers are not aware of the Retreat at all, or are not aware you can book it for the whole cruise (or why you would want to). We are going on our second Seabourn cruise in November. On our first cruise we had a ridiculous amount of OBC so we used some to book the Retreat for two days. We had no idea how much we would love it, and ended up booking a third day while on board. But even with that we just assumed that booking for our whole 14-night cruise would be prohibitively expensive. It was only by reading here that I learned that it can be done for net $50/day, at which point I immediately booked the full cruise in November. 😊 It is an especially good value for us because we are on the transatlantic, so we have tons of sea days which are more expensive if booked individually.

[Vineyard View]

When I look at the pictures of the retreat, it appears that you cannot  look out at the sea from your space. It looks instead that the areas look into the opposing direction. Above chuckncole mentioned a window to the sea. Would someone please share if you can in fact relax in our space while also enjoying the sea view? 
We would like to try it out for a couple days on our cruise next year (3/27-4/8). I don’t imagine booking it for the entire trip because on port days we are generally off ship for most of the day. That said, we also usually find a port day that we shorten so as to enjoy the relative emptiness of the ship so that could be a day to book if sea days are unavailable. 

[Hlitner]

1 hour ago, lisa6191 said:

For us it is exactly as you described, we are introverts and like our privacy for the most part, and we enjoy being able to read and relax undisturbed. This way we choose when we want to be social but can have our quiet time as well. We also really appreciate the padded loungers, which is something Seabourn desperately needs to address on their ships IMO.

 

How can you see how many spaces are left for the Retreat? I don’t see where you can do that on my account. But I don’t think you can assume the level of interest from bookings before the cruise. Many first time cruisers are not aware of the Retreat at all, or are not aware you can book it for the whole cruise (or why you would want to). We are going on our second Seabourn cruise in November. On our first cruise we had a ridiculous amount of OBC so we used some to book the Retreat for two days. We had no idea how much we would love it, and ended up booking a third day while on board. But even with that we just assumed that booking for our whole 14-night cruise would be prohibitively expensive. It was only by reading here that I learned that it can be done for net $50/day, at which point I immediately booked the full cruise in November. 😊 It is an especially good value for us because we are on the transatlantic, so we have tons of sea days which are more expensive if booked individually.

When I go into my account and look under "Gift and Extras" where it lists the Retreat it says, "2 Spots Left."  Under "sea day" it tells me "sold out" and under "port day" is says "limited capacity."  I will assume, from prior cruises, if it says nothing that would mean there is plenty of availability.  

 

You raise another issue which is about the lack of decent padded loungers on Seabourn (except in the Retreat).  I have previously posted that we also find this terrible faux pas for what is billed as a luxury cruise line.  I could compare that to our recent Oceania Vista cruise where every lounger is nicely padded.  Explora Journeys also has some of the most comfy passed loungers in the business.  Why a luxury line (Seabourn) does not have luxury loungers is a mystery.  It is something easily corrected.  At this level (Luxury) of quality, it is the little things that matter.  

 

Hank

[lisa6191]

2 hours ago, Vineyard View said:

When I look at the pictures of the retreat, it appears that you cannot  look out at the sea from your space. It looks instead that the areas look into the opposing direction. Above chuckncole mentioned a window to the sea. Would someone please share if you can in fact relax in our space while also enjoying the sea view? 
We would like to try it out for a couple days on our cruise next year (3/27-4/8). I don’t imagine booking it for the entire trip because on port days we are generally off ship for most of the day. That said, we also usually find a port day that we shorten so as to enjoy the relative emptiness of the ship so that could be a day to book if sea days are unavailable. 

The Retreat is set up in a sort of square/circle, with three cabanas on each side. So the two sides facing the sides of the ship have folding doors that open to show the ocean (sort of, it’s definitely not the best view if that’s important to you). The other two sides also have folding doors that open for air flow but obviously just show the ship. You can see the ocean also from the loungers which are out in front of the cabanas. We get our ocean viewing time in other locations and are mainly reading and relaxing when we are in the Retreat. It didn’t bother us, but if ocean view is a top priority for you I don’t think the Retreat is the best choice. On our last cruise, there were a couple of cabanas that had been reserved for the whole time, but otherwise it was first come first served as far as location goes. 

 

When you book individual days, the sea days cost more than the port days for obvious reasons. Our last cruise was a Med cruise so we wouldn’t have booked it for the whole time for the reason you mention, too many ports. But for a TA we thought it would be perfect to have our dedicated place for the whole cruise. And there will be no lack of ocean to view the entire time. 😊

[Isr45]

On 11/28/2023 at 9:20 PM, ualnyc said:

Am considering booking the Retreat for the entire cruise on my upcoming 14day SE Asia cruise on the Encore.   Can you reserve a specific cabana in advance before departure or is it first come, first served every day?

You cannot book a specific cabana in advance before departure 

[Isr45]

2 hours ago, Vineyard View said:

When I look at the pictures of the retreat, it appears that you cannot  look out at the sea from your space. It looks instead that the areas look into the opposing direction. Above chuckncole mentioned a window to the sea. Would someone please share if you can in fact relax in our space while also enjoying the sea view? 
We would like to try it out for a couple days on our cruise next year (3/27-4/8). I don’t imagine booking it for the entire trip because on port days we are generally off ship for most of the day. That said, we also usually find a port day that we shorten so as to enjoy the relative emptiness of the ship so that could be a day to book if sea days are unavailable. 

You can lie on the settee reading facing the jacuzzi or reverse ways facing the ocean ( with the shutters open.

 

The sunbeds outside the cabana face the jacuzzi.

[lisa6191]

1 hour ago, Hlitner said:

When I go into my account and look under "Gift and Extras" where it lists the Retreat it says, "2 Spots Left."  Under "sea day" it tells me "sold out" and under "port day" is says "limited capacity."  I will assume, from prior cruises, if it says nothing that would mean there is plenty of availability.  

 

Got it. I checked for my cruise and whole voyage is sold out, and both sea day and port day show limited availability.

 

FYI for anyone who is interested, sea days are listed at $249 and port days at $149. Each booking includes a $50 spa credit.

[Hlitner]

7 minutes ago, lisa6191 said:

Got it. I checked for my cruise and whole voyage is sold out, and both sea day and port day show limited availability.

 

FYI for anyone who is interested, sea days are listed at $249 and port days at $149. Each booking includes a $50 spa credit.

Keep in mind that it is sometimes possible to book, onboard, even if it does show "sold out" here in our accounts.  When we previously booked the Retreat, we did it onboard.  One simply stops at the Seabourn Square and asks the customer service folks if there is any availability.  We actually waited until there was a favorable weather forecast, and booked late in the day before we went to the Retreat.