Retreat on Westerdam

[TrolleyGirl]

I was just reviewing the thread on the new EXC on the Westerdam. I noticed on post number 43, there are pictures of the "new & improved" retreat.

 

Oh, my goodness, what is HAL thinking???

 

It appears as there are no chaise/lounge chairs in the cabanas. They have been replaced with a daybed type piece of furniture, a footstool and a serving buffet. The lounge chair has been moved outside the cabana in the sun, butted against the cabana entrance.

 

Also gone are the cute cabana names, replaced by a number.

 

I wish I could figure out how to link the pictures to this thread so you could see. Maybe one of you with better computer skills could add the photos to this thread.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Original Pictures posted by InTheWASide:

[Krazy Kruizers]

Rest of pictures

[TrolleyGirl]

Thanks for linking the pictures, Krazy Kruiser. Those are the ones I was referring too.

[djhsolara]

Wow. So are the lounge chairs assigned for the cabana outside which they sit or is it open seating? Is this happening in the cabanas fleet wide?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[ithaca gal]

Are you kidding me? The new configuration of the cabanas (and the furnishings) looks more like a college dorm room than a place to lay back and read or snooze.

 

Having experienced the disaster of the "Family" retreat cabana on the Koningsdam (extremely small, no table for dining), it appears that HAL decided to experiment with the Westerdam, too.

 

Doesn't HAL realize they got it just right the first time on the Eurodam and Nieuw Amsterdam? These new incarnations on the Westerdam are not appealing to us at all.

[bluesplayer]

looks like a doctors office waiting area

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thanks for linking the pictures, Krazy Kruiser. Those are the ones I was referring too.

 

 

You are welcome.

I tried to get all the pictures into one post, but my computer had other ideas.

[POA1]

Sort of free form response, so bear with me....

 

We really dislike the elimination of the table and chairs in the cabanas. They were a great place to have lunch or to sit and do work. (Yes, I am fun that way.) Not sure what purpose the sideboard will serve. It would be like taking the table out of your dining room, but leaving the sideboard.

 

My guess is that the two chairs outside the cabana would be for the cabana's guests. The photos show the robes on those chairs and the robes were normally in the cabanas. Otherwise, it would be creepy to have someone lounging right outside your door, wearing your robe.

 

There's no longer a low table in the cabana proper, just the upholstered hassock thing. That should make for amazing spills if you try to set your drinks there. Nothing says "stable table surface" like a cushion. (Order strawberry daiquiris for the best stains!) They appear to have virtually eliminated places to eat lunch, unless you like to hold your food in your lap.

 

While the cabana numbers make it easier to identify them, the names added a little bit of ambience. I suppose it never occurred to anyone that you could make a sign that said both "Portofino" and "8."

 

Also gone are the large, shaded loungers in the common area. These were very popular on all of our cruises. Now there's just empty space. --- Unless there's other seating that's coming soon. Perhaps the empty space represents the missing dance floors?

 

As people who are squarely in the "Willing to Pay Hundreds More for a Cabana" demographic, we have some definite opinions on the product. Never, in all our discussions did we say, "You know what they need to do? Get rid of all of the umbrellas and shade. People don't need shade in the Caribbean. If they want shade, they need to scoot into their little cabana and sit on a sofa-like piece of furniture and stare at a sideboard." We also never said that the space could benefit from box hedges and dwarf palms.

 

Hopefully someone will be able to take a picture from above so we can have a better idea of what the space looks like. I'm hoping for something like these (from the Eurodam):

 

 

[TrolleyGirl]

looks like a doctors office waiting area

 

Exactly! Nothing says come, relax, enjoy your vacation like a doctors office!!

 

I cannot for the life of me wrap my head around what HAL could possibly be thinking with this new format.

 

Ithaca Gal is so right on this one. The retreat on the Edam and NA is PERFECT! Why mess with perfection?

[Old As Dirt Mom]

Well, call me the clueless, classless rebel. I don't see what all the fuss is about. I think the new Westerdam retreat looks very nice:)

[TrolleyGirl]

Well, call me the clueless, classless rebel. I don't see what all the fuss is about. I think the new Westerdam retreat looks very nice:)

I agree you are quite right. It does look very nice. But looking nice and serving the purpose intended are two very different things.

 

Those of us that covet the retreat are looking for a relaxing, quite serene environment to spend the day. We enjoy lounging on our chaise lounges in the shade of our cabanas or the shade of the umbrellas. We enjoy our tiny table to eat our lunch at inside our cabana. We love the big squishy round sofas under the canopy and the gentle music that plays in the background. All of those treasures are now missing.

[ithaca gal]

Well, call me the clueless, classless rebel. I don't see what all the fuss is about. I think the new Westerdam retreat looks very nice:)

 

I'm guessing you have not rented a cabana on the Nieuw Amsterdam or Eurodam (please correct me if I am wrong).

 

As Trolley Girl said, the area on the Westerdam does look nice. But as for functionalilty and enjoyment, they missed the mark. We are not sun-lovers, so we have always enjoyed reclining on the lounges in our cabana and having lunch inside our cabana, in private. These cabanas and their furnishings are the antithesis of why we fell in love with the cabanas on the NA/Eurodam and why we only cruised on those two ships after our discovery. Seeing these cabanas, we would never book a cruise on the Westerdam (add that to the Koningsdam, mainly for the same reason).

 

I'm willing to bet my next three cruises that HAL didn't get tons of feedback saying: Please add a SIDEBOARD to my cabana -- oh, and take out the comfortable, reclining loungers -- and eliminate any shade outside of my cabana.

 

So ....... this area LOOKS nice but those of us who have consistently rented cabanas know that this plan "just doesn't work".

[POA1]

We love the big squishy round sofas under the canopy and the gentle music that plays in the background.

 

Technically, we don't know that the music is missing. You might just bake in the relentless sun to some relaxing spa music. Still searching for clues on the sideboard....

 

BTW - Am I missing it, or is there no longer a pedestal ice bucket for your water? I'd give points if there was a fridge in the sideboard. However, that makes sense, so probably not.

 

If Poohby Joe had thumbs, they'd be pointing down right about now.

[ithaca gal]

Regarding music or the absence of it .......... it might be drowned out by the sound of sizzling flesh. Just guessing.

 

Seriously, though, what ARE they thinking?

 

Take two comfortable reclining loungers, add a small table and chairs, throw in an ice bucket and VOILA! You have a wonderful relaxing cabana!

 

Now ...... remove the loungers. Check

Remove the table and chairs. Check

Remove the ice bucket (maybe). Check

 

Install a regular type bench seating area. Check

Add a sideboard (???). Check

 

WHY???

[*Miss G*]

Wow. That looks like the most uncomfortable, awkward, and sterile "retreat" ever. I'm guessing when revenue drops off they might rethink it. I hope.

[ithaca gal]

Wow. That looks like the most uncomfortable, awkward, and sterile "retreat" ever. I'm guessing when revenue drops off they might rethink it. I hope.

 

 

This version of the retreat cabana looks like what should have been a re-worked draft in the beginning -- not something that evolved with guest requests/suggestions!

 

Thank you, Trolley Girl, for getting the info out there. If you had done this good of a job with getting out the info on the debacle that is the family retreat cabana on the K'dam, you would have saved us a lot of $$$$ AND disappointment! :)

[TrolleyGirl]

Wow. So are the lounge chairs assigned for the cabana outside which they sit or is it open seating?

My guess is the lounger is for the specific cabana it is in front of. But I know if I were renting the cabana I would ask the cabana attendants assistance in moving the sofa out of the cabana and replacing it with two loungers. I may keep the sideboard, especially if POA's tongue-in-cheek speculation is right and there is a mini-fridge in there.

 

I suspect I wouldn't be the only cabana renter re-arranging furniture either. Embarkation day in the Retreat, may end up looking like college dorm move in day.

[POA1]

DW spends much of her cabana time on a lounger in the common area, so the outside loungers aren't the deal breaker for us. The lack of a proper table is. We'd probably skip the new style cabanas and save the money.

 

The new design reminds us of a less comfortable version of the Lido cabanas.

[Swice]

After reading your posts, I understand what you're talking about. But when I was on the Westerdam last week, none of that registered with me. Honestly, I walked through the retreat area a couple of times but I really considered it basically "closed." I saw the towels and robes and figured they were just there to make the area look nice but not really intended for use. The ship is in Europe and considering this is a port intensive cruise, nobody was hanging out in the sun all day. To be fair, I guess they could have been used on "sea days." But I think most people were like us, we slept later on sea days, went to the port lecture, ate lunch, went to the pool for just a short time, played ping pong and then ran out of time before we had to get ready for formal night. Maybe some of the tables and other things you are talking about will be out when the ship moves away from Europe.

[elizabethbp]

Are the cabanas booked prior to the cruise online or after boarding? Does anyone know the cost?

[lastlook]

:(We'll be sticking to the Eurodam, Nieuw Amsterdam or Noordam when we want a Retreat Cabana as we loved the original Retreat Cabanas WITH the small table and chairs and two loungers and ice bucket stand. Totally bummed that HAL is messing with the original layout as they were perfect for us. The lack of table and chairs in the Retreat Cabanas on the Koningsdam was very disappointing. The common area was very noisy when people were dining outside the cabanas on the Koningsdam - not very "retreat-like" and very disturbing if you just want to read and relax in your Cabana.

[cruisingxpert]

The makeover on the Westerdam Retreat area ranks up there with the idiots who took out the aft pool on the Veendam. Wonder if it was the same people?

 

Like POA1 said "nothing says stable table surface like a sofa cushion". Do you think they have done this to force you to leave the retreat to go eat somewhere else?

[OVgirl]

(y)

 

Agree with everyone who doesn't care for the new incarnation of the Retreat Cabanas.

Please leave well enough alone and give us back the table and chairs and loungers.

[ithaca gal]

:(We'll be sticking to the Eurodam, Nieuw Amsterdam or Noordam when we want a Retreat Cabana as we loved the original Retreat Cabanas WITH the small table and chairs and two loungers and ice bucket stand. Totally bummed that HAL is messing with the original layout as they were perfect for us. The lack of table and chairs in the Retreat Cabanas on the Koningsdam was very disappointing. The common area was very noisy when people were dining outside the cabanas on the Koningsdam - not very "retreat-like" and very disturbing if you just want to read and relax in your Cabana.

 

 

Absolutely!