"Greenhouse Retreat(s)" & Cabanas on HAL Ships

I will be on the New Amsterdam starting August 28th for the Med. Empires cruise for 12 days.

I do not have children and while the public pool areas are very nice, I have 2 questions about the spa areas and cabana areas that I am hoping someone can answer for me. I could not find the answer in the brochure or online.

First, the Spa Brochure mentions the "Greenhouse Spa Area" as being a his/her experience that features very nice thermal areas which I have seen on other cruise lines. It also mentions a "special package" available for "your cruise."

So I gather that this is not a "free item" that just anyone can go into.

That is fine for me....Celebrity had one of those on the top deck of one of their ships and it was the only place on the ship that was truly "kid free." It was an oasis of silence on a 14 day Med. Cruise from London to Venice and we enjoyed it immensely.

Does anyone know if this is the same situation on a HAL ship? We are on the New Amsterdam starting August 28th.

Does anyone know the cost?

Secondly, we are also interested in the cabanas. How does one reserve them?

Currently we are in a "SS" Category that is unassigned. But, if we are lucky, and according to our Travel Agent, everyone she has worked with in the past five years have been offered an upgrade, we will be either upgraded to a Neptune Suite or offered the chance to "buy up" (currently as of the day of payment (today)) the upgrade charge is the full fare difference of $ 800 each.

I know if we get into a Neptune Suite, we'll have a butler.

Currently in the "SS" suite it lists that we have "concierge" service as well.

So I would imagine that our concierge could help us with the cabana??

Are there charges for the cabanas?

I am very fair skinned and can burn easily. So the cabana would be very helpful.

Thanks for the advice!

There is no butler in any cabin on HAL. For an SS cabin you'll have a telephone concierge.

There is a charge for the Cabanas but I am not sure of the cost for the entire 12 day cruise. We took the Med. Emp. cruise in 2011, and as soon as I boarded the ship, I went to the front desk to ask about booking a Retreat Cabana for just the two Sea Days since the itinerary was so port intensive and I knew we'd be off the ship at every port. At that time, I think it was $50 per day to book just those two days, but prices might have changed since then. We really enjoyed those two Sea Days relaxing in the Retreat Cabana, and even though we had a cabin with a verandah, this was a nice treat since you have the Cabana Stewards (aka "Cabana Boys") to take care of you all day.

If you are upgraded or do an upsell to a Neptune Suite, you will have 2 concierges in the Neptune Lounge that can help you with everything -- making spa reservations, specialty restaurant reservations -- I highly recommend that you try the Tamarind Restaurant -- we love it.

We're going on the NA transatlantic in October. Cost for the the double cabana for the 13 days is $499 and $749 for the corner family size. I was quoted a daily rate of $75. We took advantage of a retreat cabana on February Carribbean cruise and it was perfect for us. A little bit of extra privacy, Champagne and strawberries at 4. Besides the table and lounges in the cabana, you had use of overstuffed sofas and open lounges in the central area. there are two dedicated stewards who will be happy to get any beverage or food desired. We actually had breakfast there a few days. It made for an extra special trip.

Also, if you wish to book before you leave and reserve a specific cababna ( ie. overlooking pool, sorta, or along the side of the ship which is closed over with plexiglass, you can do so by contacting "ship services" on the phone and requesting what you desire.

Sorry -- got cut off --major storms went through our area -- again.

You can buy passes for the thermal pool for the entire cruise before you cruise --same thing with the regular Lido cabanas or Club Cabanas --- by calling Ship Services at 1-800-541-1576. If you only want to rent a cabana for one day or use the thermal pool for 1 day, you can only buy these passes once on the ship -- if any are available.

There were several threads earlier this year about the Lido cabanas. They are in the Lido pool area and many people who had reserved them complained about how warm it was as they are right next to the glass so not much air flow. Also, people in the cabanas said they had many people walking by the cabanas and the merchandise sales were very near the cabana area. I would advise getting a cabana on the Observation Deck and ask for an aft-facing cabana so you get a breeze. The cabanas on the port and starboard side have glass in front of them.

Also, if you wish to book before you leave and reserve a specific cababna ( ie. overlooking pool, sorta, or along the side of the ship which is closed over with plexiglass, you can do so by contacting "ship services" on the phone and requesting what you desire.

This is partially true. You can request the cabana you want, but only on the Eurodam I'll you receive a confirmation of your request if granted.

I have posted some of this information before, but am replying to this post again with the hope that it will save others from having the same problems that we have had with our Retreat Cabana reservations earlier this year.

This past March, I was able to request a port side facing Retreat Cabana for a one week cruise on the Nieuw Amsterdam, via a phone call to Ship Services. I asked for an e-mail confirmation of our paid reservation, which I received (you must pay when you reserve.) When I received the e-mail confirmation from Ship Services, it included my specific request for a port facing Retreat Cabana, and specifically confirmed one of the port facing Retreat Cabanas by name. However, once aboard, we had been assigned an aft-facing Retreat Cabana, and the ship staff was not aware of my request and confirmation of that request. That is why I bring a printed copy of my confirmation in my hand when I first go to the Cabana Club - and I go as soon as we've had lunch on embarkation day.

I had a previous experience on the Noordam in January, when I had booked and paid for 2 two-person Retreat Cabanas (the second RC was booked a few weeks after the first one and was for my sister and her husband.) However, when we went to the Cabana Club on the first day, they only had one reserved for us and no record that I had paid for a second one. Again, I had my printed confirmations in hand, and it was resolved fairly quickly.

On my post-cruise HAL surveys, I mentioned these two incidents and suggested that the communication between Ship Services and the HAL ships needed improvement. Hopefully things have improved since then with the Cabana Club reservations. My take away advice is to always have a printed copy of your reservations/payments with you for back up.

This is partially true. You can request the cabana you want, but only on the Eurodam I'll you receive a confirmation of your request if granted.

Actually we were able to reserve one on the NA twice and Yes we did receive and email confirmation.

Actually we were able to reserve one on the NA twice and Yes we did receive and email confirmation.

That is good news. I have commented on all 4 of our cruises on ships that have cabanas that it would be great if all 3 ships would allow requests and confirmations of assignments. Just makes sense and would be consistent with other similar operations, like the cabanas on HMC. I have talked to all the Bar Managers (who run the cabanas on board) and the people at Seattle ( who book, and coordinate with the Bar Managers), encouraging this. Hopefully it will work fleetwide as they put cabanas on the other Vista class ships.

We had a Lido Cabana on our NA Caribbean cruise 3 years ago for the week. We booked one because DH needs shade, and we wanted to be able to sit near the pool without having to search for chairs and walk up and down stairs or take elevators to get to the pool. Didn't have any air circulation problems and yes, people walked by and looked in and the outdoor merchandise sales were close by. We weren't expecting a lot of privacy, and we liked seeing and watching all the happenings around us. Booked it and the cruise at the same time because they are so few. One day we only spent an hour in it after returning from a port tour. Our attendant gave us 2 big bottles of water, a bottle of champagne, and those wonderful chocolate dipped strawberries to go. There was no concierge for our Superior Veranda Suite. We never got an answer from the phone concierge number. We did get an upsell offer from HAL for a Deluxe Veranda Suite which we turned down because we liked our cabin location and it just wasn't worth the extra money for that particular cruise. Don't know how common upsells are, but we were offered one again (and turned it down again) from a Vista to a Neptune for our upcoming Alaska cruise and both cruises were booked directly with HAL. On a longer cruise like the one you're taking, an upsell like that would be worth it to us.

Hope you get what you want and have a blast on your cruise!!! Gotta finish packing now.

If you are thinking of reserving a Retreat Cabana - the one I would recommend, since the other cabanas are at pool-side - I would do it asap. In the past, we have been able to reserve on boarding, but in just two years, they have become extremely popular! Fresh fruit all day, bottled water, cabana stewards take your lunch order and deliver it, chocolate covered strawberries and champagne in the afternoon. It's your own private world up there. And we especially like it because we are always guaranteed a lounge in the shade every day. To say nothing of the lovely fellow passengers you meet.

To us, it is well worth the money, even on port intensive cruises.

I had my TA contact HAL and for the 12 day cruise we received the following pricing:

For a Cabana for the full 12 day cruise the price point is:

$ 499 for 2 passengers.

For the Thermal Suite and Hydra Pool, it is $ 299 per person for the entire cruise; or if two people book for the entire cruise, there is a slight discount @ $ 499 for the entire 12 day voyage.

Both of these need to be done prior to departure.

I gather that the strawberries and the champagne are included in the price of the cabanas?

I had my TA contact HAL and for the 12 day cruise we received the following pricing:

 

For a Cabana for the full 12 day cruise the price point is:

 

$ 499 for 2 passengers.

 

For the Thermal Suite and Hydra Pool, it is $ 299 per person for the entire cruise; or if two people book for the entire cruise, there is a slight discount @ $ 499 for the entire 12 day voyage.

 

Both of these need to be done prior to departure.

 

I gather that the strawberries and the champagne are included in the price of the cabanas?

Yes, the strawberries, champagne, and everything else mentioned above is included in the price.