Eurodam's retreat cabanas review

[DFD1]

We just returned from the 10/25 sailing of Eurodam. Absolutely beautiful ship with the most understated, but elegant interior yet. The fabrics, colors, carpets and textures are supberb. Lots of fresh flowers in huge arrangements....on and on....She's a real beauty.

 

As for the Cabanas. They reminded us of the ones around the pool at the old Fountainbleu Hotel, a throw back to the 60's and 70'. I think Arison lived in Miami too long!

 

For us, the ones down by the pool were crowded and out of place. People laying around in them in string bikinis with a large bowl of fruit nearby brought up images of a Rembrandt painting of the large, nearly naked ladies of Europe . Not always a pretty sight!

 

The walking space in front of them is narrow, putting the passer-by a tad too close to the "lounger" for comfort. (LOL)

 

By the way, we found the crew, the food, and the general performace of the staff to be first rate. If she where 1800 passengers instead of 2200, We'd go back in a hearbeat.

 

As it is, we'll cruise her again if the price and itinerary are right, but because of her size, she's not our favorite.

 

All of this is JMO.

[southt00]

Hi: We have two booked for a cruise in February. How do you request a particular one? The ship services told us we couldn't.

 

Thanks....

[Krazy Kruizers]

We just returned from the 10/25 sailing of Eurodam. Absolutely beautiful ship with the most understated, but elegant interior yet. The fabrics, colors, carpets and textures are supberb. Lots of fresh flowers in huge arrangements....on and on....She's a real beauty.

 

As for the Cabanas. They reminded us of the ones around the pool at the old Fountainbleu Hotel, a throw back to the 60's and 70'. I think Arison lived in Miami too long!

 

For us, the ones down by the pool were crowded and out of place. People laying around in them in string bikinis with a large bowl of fruit nearby brought up images of a Rembrandt painting of the large, nearly naked ladies of Europe . Not always a pretty sight!

 

The walking space in front of them is narrow, putting the passer-by a tad too close to the "lounger" for comfort. (LOL)

 

By the way, we found the crew, the food, and the general performace of the staff to be first rate. If she where 1800 passengers instead of 2200, We'd go back in a hearbeat.

 

As it is, we'll cruise her again if the price and itinerary are right, but because of her size, she's not our favorite.

 

All of this is JMO.

 

Thanks for your report on the Cabanas!!

[cruisr]

Hi: We have two booked for a cruise in February. How do you request a particular one? The ship services told us we couldn't.

 

Thanks....

 

 

I just rented one for the 3 of us for Xmas week and was told I have to book the particular one when I get onboard. Apparently we get first choice and then they use the ones not rented for the week for "fill-in" for the daily rental.

[AtlantaCruiser72]

Anyone know the cost to rent a Lido cabana for a 7 day Caribbean Cruise? Sailing on the Eurodam 11/28 and I like the idea of having my own personal deck lounger on the lido deck - steps away from the pool and hot-tubs. I can sun in the pool surround then return to "my" cabana and read, have a drink and escape the sun a bit - all w/o traipsing up and down several levels of steps........ :D

[Jewel99]

Anyone know the cost to rent a Lido cabana for a 7 day Caribbean Cruise? Sailing on the Eurodam 11/28 and I like the idea of having my own personal deck lounger on the lido deck - steps away from the pool and hot-tubs. I can sun in the pool surround then return to "my" cabana and read, have a drink and escape the sun a bit - all w/o traipsing up and down several levels of steps........ :D

 

The Lido cabanas are $199 for the week. They can be pre-booked through Ships Services, or you can book onboard (if any are still available). They assign them once you get onboard.

[spcl4cs_gal]

You can only book by the week online. If you want it for one day you have to wait until you board. And from what people are saying, do it right away.

 

So you can book a Retreat cabana online if you wish to have it for the week? Where on the HAL site can you do this?

[Jewel99]

So you can book a Retreat cabana online if you wish to have it for the week? Where on the HAL site can you do this?

 

HI there... I don't think you can book the cabanas online, but you can book them ahead of time through Ship Services. I think the other poster probably meant you can book the cabanas prior to sailing - not necessarily online via the HAL website.

[Brad1185]

I can't help but feel these cabanas are tacky at best, and an abomination at worst.

Why would anybody spend good money to shut themselves inside a tent with a double bed so all around can draw their own conclusions as to what is going on inside - rightly or wrongly?

The cruise line must be scraping the bottom of the barrel when they decided on these 'space fillers and income generators'

I have vented my spleen, no i am content and look forward to my cabanaless cruise in 2 weeks

 

I completly agree and am against these cabanas.

 

Give the people back the deck space and get rid of the cabanas. Its sounds tacky, extremely ugly, annoying to those not renting one.

[byucougs]

Call them and they will reserve one for you -

1-800-541-1576

(U.S. and Canada), or send an e-mail to:

hal_ship_services@hollandamerica.com

 

Cheers,

 

Karen

[helenp2]

We had the family cabana "costa del sol" on our recent Eurodam NE/Canada cruise and loved every minute of it. What a fabulous spot for sailing past lady liberty and sailing thru the St Lawrence seaway. I can not begin to tell you how much we enjoyed this wonderful "retreat".

 

Oliver & Jayson did a fantastic job taking care of these cabanas. The costa del sol is quite large and located on the starboard corner of the ship. There were 2 very large double loungers, 1 single lounger, dining table and 3 chairs. All of the loungers and chairs were double padded and extremely comfortable. Wonderful throw pillows and fresh towels in abundance.

 

Every morning there was a new large basket of fresh fruit with grapes, bananas, apples, oranges, strawberries, pears, even fresh pineapple. Evien atomizers for cooling off, preloaded I-Pods, small individual battery operated hand held fans, the list goes on and on. My husband usually hit that area around 10 am every day. Both Oliver & Jayson offered to bring him breakfast (he had already eaten) or fresh coffee. Within minutes of arriving they were there with ice cold melon skewers, large liter bottles of ice water and glasses. In the cabana there is a nice lunch menu for you to order from but as they both reminded us, we could order whatever we wanted. We usually did the DR or Lido for lunch.

 

If you are a champagne lover this is the place. They were pouring from 10am right thru 6pm and there seemed to be no end for anyone who liked it. In the early afternoon, there was nuts, popcorn, unlimited choc. covered strawberries and with the happy hour from 4 to 5 on this deck they were taking orders for 2 for 1 from the crows nest. Unbelivable service.

 

These cabanas are great for reading, napping, socializing, whatever. We used the living room portion (common area) and exposed to the sun whenever if got a bit chilly. There are lots of wonderful cushioned arm chairs, ottomans & sofas for guests to enjoy.

 

Long story short - I would not hesitate to book one of these again. They are worth every penny spent and then some.

[Former Goalie]

I have seen the deck plans for the Retreat cabanas, one of which we have reserved for an upcoming cruise:

 

http://www.signaturetravelnetwork.co...0%20071808.pdf

 

Those who have rented one before, are some "better" than others? Are the ones that face the pool more advantageous, as they receive more air, as the ones port and starboard back up to plexiglass, as I understand it. Or, maybe those port and starboard are "better" because it can be too windy up there, and one gets the sea view?

Any advice would be appreciated, thanks in advance.

[RuthC]

You resurrected a thread from 2008 to ask a question that you posted in it's own thread this morning???

 

In the immortal words of Nancy Kerrigan---Whyyyyyy?

[Former Goalie]

You resurrected a thread from 2008 to ask a question that you posted in it's own thread this morning???

 

In the immortal words of Nancy Kerrigan---Whyyyyyy?

Whyyyyyy? Pretty simple, the new thread I started received 0 (zero) responses, and became buried in the archives, not page one.

This thread was referenced in another Eurodam Retreat thread as a "go to" thread. I thought I stood a better chance of getting a reply in this forum.

 

This is not the only time this thread had been "resurrected." The time between the prior post and mine is about half that of a post in Nov. '08 and the next in Sept. '09.

[maxsmamma]

I have seen the deck plans for the Retreat cabanas, one of which we have reserved for an upcoming cruise:

 

http://www.signaturetravelnetwork.co...0%20071808.pdf

 

Those who have rented one before, are some "better" than others? Are the ones that face the pool more advantageous, as they receive more air, as the ones port and starboard back up to plexiglass, as I understand it. Or, maybe those port and starboard are "better" because it can be too windy up there, and one gets the sea view?

Any advice would be appreciated, thanks in advance.

 

Sorry, I haven't been, but I think it is a very valid question. I hope you find some advice!

[janiceah]

I have seen the deck plans for the Retreat cabanas, one of which we have reserved for an upcoming cruise:

 

http://www.signaturetravelnetwork.co...0%20071808.pdf

 

Those who have rented one before, are some "better" than others? Are the ones that face the pool more advantageous, as they receive more air, as the ones port and starboard back up to plexiglass, as I understand it. Or, maybe those port and starboard are "better" because it can be too windy up there, and one gets the sea view?

Any advice would be appreciated, thanks in advance.

I have read in one of the posts that the ones that face the pool do get a better breeze so I would think one of the middle ones might be your best bet. We have a family cabana reserved for the four of us for next Saturday and since there's only two I'm hoping either one will be great.

 

Wish I could be of more help or remember which thread it was in. Maybe someone will post with more info.

[CelebrationFamily]

And while we're at it...what is the CURRENT process for reserving a cabana before we leave home. We last sailed the Eurodam for New Year's 2009 and decided we would never again sail that ship without a cabana.

 

Thanks in advance for your helpful responses. :-)

[510picker]

And while we're at it...what is the CURRENT process for reserving a cabana before we leave home. We last sailed the Eurodam for New Year's 2009 and decided we would never again sail that ship without a cabana.

 

Thanks in advance for your helpful responses. :-)

 

Call Holland America to reserve your cabana. Simple as that!

[Former Goalie]

And while we're at it...what is the CURRENT process for reserving a cabana before we leave home. We last sailed the Eurodam for New Year's 2009 and decided we would never again sail that ship without a cabana.

 

Thanks in advance for your helpful responses. :-)

$299 (Retreat cabana, not lido) for a seven day cruise, which is the typical length for an E-dam voyage.

[CelebrationFamily]

Perfect. Thanks for the quick responses!

[Tillylovesseabourn]

Hi Folks! Just got back form Eurodam, had the family cabana Capri for the week, and it was great! Port side, costa del sol Starboard. Both family cabanas get breeze from both sides being open, no plexi glass in these cabanas! Also found there to be some stunning views from the corner cabanas.

 

As for the smaller cabanas I would go for a central one, as they have an open front, the side cabanas have little/no breeze just a lotta plexi glass. The couple to the side of us spent most of their time sunbathing on the open deck as they had no sun/breeze all day!

 

The cabanas were great,the only complaint I really had was that the menu up at the retreat for lunch was ALL burgers meat/veg or fish, the salad niciose was no longer on the menu, and i asked for any salad and was told the burgers were all they could get, which was a little disappointing.

[kent4489]

Just got off the Eurodam this morning... (Loved it!) We had the Capri (family cabana in the Retreat) for the week. Open on one side, plexiglass on the other... plenty of "breeze". We were two couples, but DH and I would rent it again if only for the two of us. Service could not have been better! Our stewards would get anything we wanted whether on the limited menu or not. We did not take advantage of their kindness and often went and got our own, not on menu items, when we knew they were busy with other guests. The Retreat was one of the best parts of our cruise.

[byucougs]

We had a middle one and thoroughly enjoyed it. The shade and breeze were perfect. Privacy was much better than the Lido cabanas. The butlers/attendants were very helpful and would get us whatever we asked. We also would make small runs to get some food/drink items ourselves, as it was on the way for some other short errand.

 

Call ship services to reserve and they will email a confirmation to you. They didnt tell us our specific one until we were on board, but we requested a middle one by phone and email, of which they granted to us.

 

 

 

 

.

[Copper10-8]

To those of you who have rented/used a cabana on Eurodam (we've never done so), would you mind clearing something up? Apparently, HAL advertizes their use with bathrobes that they supply (see enclosed pic). Silly question: are there any "groundrules" on the use of those robes (anything written down that comes with the cabana?) Have you used the robes? Do you take those robes back and forth to your cabin or are they supposed to stay in the cabana? Thanks a bunch for clearing this up!:)

[kent4489]

To those of you who have rented/used a cabana on Eurodam (we've never done so), would you mind clearing something up? Apparently, HAL advertizes their use with bathrobes that they supply (see enclosed pic). Silly question: are there any "groundrules" on the use of those robes (anything written down that comes with the cabana?) Have you used the robes? Do you take those robes back and forth to your cabin or are they supposed to stay in the cabana? Thanks a bunch for clearing this up!:)

 

We did use the robes when we felt chilly... coolish on departure day and the following at sea day and the last at sea day in the late afternoon. Otherwise all days were very warm. We did go up to our cabana late one evening as we were leaving San Juan and it was warm, so didn't need to use the robe, but they are there if needed. We did not use them to go back and forth to our cabin, although I would have if I had wanted to. Easy to get to our cabin without being in "public" areas. No written groundrules listed anywhere regarding robes. The Retreat was one of the highlights of the cruise. Service was outstanding.