GigglewolfOfTheSeas

1 hour ago, STLCRUISIN said:

The only refurbishments on Celebrity ships that affected the men's locker room sauna were on the M Class ships (only the Summit and Millennium were affected). Any refurbishments that S Class ships had did not affect the saunas. 

Thank you, STL! Concise & succinct. 🙌🏻👍🏻

55 minutes ago, tonygcharles said:

I put the post up about it in August, 

To my knowledge nothing has changed..

Maybe ask on a forum that is just for that ship ?

Thank you, TonyG. I’d seen your post, but also on this site I’d seen a formal review dated in October, 2023, indicating the ship had recently come out of dry dock from being refurbished, so I wasn’t certain.

I think you’re absolutely correct and all should be fine based on your most recent assessment.

Kindly,

Gigglewolf

Hello gents,

I’m still considering a short cruise on the Celebrity Silhouette later this year, but finding conflicting information on precisely WHEN this ship was last refurbished. I’ve seen mention  here as recently as August, 2023, of the sauna located in the men’s locker room still being intact. However, some of the refurbishment articles describing changes to the fitness area I found were dated October - 2023.

Calling Celebrity to inquire about such information is…a challenge.

Thanks in advance for your insights and I’d also welcome your recommendations on the best sites for information on ship refurbishments.

Best,

GigglewolfOfTheSeas

(founding OP of this thread, est. 2005 😈👍🏻)

1 hour ago, billybeachboy said:

A friend was on Explorer of the Sea this last week & has confirmed that the free male only facility is still in place & was well utilised- he also sent these images.

 

 
This is an EXCELLENT update & great news. Thank you for sharing, billybeachboy!!

This is the original men’s locker room set-up all of the Voyager & Freedom-class ships USED to have, but many have sadly lost. The sauna shown in the pic can easily seat about 10 guys and the steam room accommodates up to about 8.

Well done, bbb!! 🙌🏻👏🏻👍🏻

6 hours ago, happytraveller said:

Currently on Celebrity Infinity, small sauna in men’s changing room deck 10 front.

Large round window looks out to the ocean. 

Large open shower for 2 persons in front of sauna, a further 3 in changing room
usage in sauna varies, guys with and without towels on, some in shorts.

Thank you for this report, happytraveller. Seems the Infinity still has the original sauna & shower set-up in the men’s locker room she had when inaugurated. That window overlooking the ocean is amazing!

Thanks for verifying! 👏🏻👍🏻

I realize this topic has appeared often in this thread, but after researching the matter via “a certain website” with deck plans of RCI’s Voyager-class ships recently, it appears that as of early 2023 only the Freedom, Voyager & Navigator might’ve had their sauna & steam facilities removed from the port side of Deck 11 (where I believe such facilities were/are located on all the Voyager class ships). I’m not 💯% certain of this and would welcome the firsthand input of others who’ve recently sailed the Adventure, Explorer, Independence, Liberty or Mariner.

Having sailed often on the Voyager-class ships in the early 2000’s, I’m certain the men’s locker rooms on those ships were always on the port side (not sure if Deck 11 or 12, though) and recall the saunas had windows with fixed wood slat blinds because there was a narrow outdoor walkway just outside. I believe the locker rooms were on Deck 11, because the much-wider outdoor walkway on Deck 12 wrapped around the main gym area and included the jogging track (and Deck 12 is where all of the Voyager-class ships have had cabins added).

Thoughts or other actual firsthand accounts with better recall, gents??

And while we’re at it: What’s the latest on RCI’s Radiance-class ships as of early 2023: Radiance, Brilliance, Serenade & Jewel?? These ships also had excellent dedicated (if slightly smaller) steam and sauna facilities in the men’s locker rooms located on their Deck 11. According to “a certain website’s” current deck plans for these ships, only Jewel appears to have had cabins added to the starboard, ocean-facing side of the spa (which I believe housed the heated loungers facing the ocean); yet even on this ship, where the men‘s/women’s locker rooms (rectangular -shaped sections running parallel to each other along the center of the ship on Deck 11) might be appear to be intact (??).

The group’s input will be much appreciated. 😌

1 hour ago, tonygcharles said:

Will update the thread when I'm  back from each trip

I'm  on Arvia for 2 weeks in April 

Unfortunately there's  no facilities on there except a an expensive coed area

If you like feel-free to message me directly at Steamcruiser at gmail, tonygcharles.

24 minutes ago, twodjs said:

No HAL ships have the saunas in the locker area - all are kinda hidden down the hall. A little odd. But there are a couple of showers in the sauna area. The locker room has two larger walk-in showers.

Understood. Odd set-up, but as long as the door to the sauna down the hall read’s “Men” on it, that should maintain privacy, lol.

Feel-free to message me directly at Steamcruiser at gmail, twodjs.

I realize this topic has appeared often in this thread, but after researching the matter via VTG’s deck plans for RCI’s Voyager-class ships just now, it appears that as of early 2023 only the Freedom, Voyager & Navigator might’ve had their sauna & steam facilities removed from the port side of Deck 11 (where such facilities were/are located on all the Voyager class ships). I’m not 💯% certain of this and would welcome the firsthand input of others who’ve recently sailed the Adventure, Explorer, Independence, Liberty or Mariner.

Having sailed often on the Voyager-class ships in the early 2000’s, I’m certain the men’s locker rooms on those ships were always on the port side and recall the saunas had windows with fixed wood slat blinds because there was a narrow outdoor walkway just outside. I believe the locker rooms were on Deck 11, because the much-wider outdoor walkway on Deck 12 wrapped around the main gym area and included the jogging track (and Deck 12 is where all of the Voyager-class ships have had cabins added).

Thoughts or actual firsthand accounts, gents??

And while we’re at it: What’s the latest on RCI’s Radiance-class ships as of early 2023: Radiance, Brilliance, Serenade & Jewel?? These ships also had excellent dedicated (if slightly smaller) steam and sauna facilities in the men’s locker rooms located on their Deck 11. According to VTG’s current deck plans for these ships, only Jewel appears to have had cabins added to the starboard, ocean-facing side of the spa; yet even on this ship, where the men‘s/women’s locker rooms (rectangular -shaped sections running parallel to each other along the center of the ship on Deck 11) might be appear to be intact (??).

The group’s input will be much appreciated. 😌

2 minutes ago, twodjs said:

Koningsdam has a nice free medium-sized single-sex sauna with floor-to-ceiling windows out to the sea. HAL doesn't have any free single-sex steam. Only co-ed steam in their paid spa suite area. May 1-6 in/out of Vancouver. 

And is that nice sauna on the Koningsdam located in the men’s locker room? Any other HAL ships with saunas in the men’s locker room?

3 minutes ago, willcan said:

I'm on Explorer in July.  I checked the floor plan and it does not show any changes to the gym/sauna area (deck 11), after the dry dock. But sometimes the floor plans are incorrect. 

Today I spent some time making mock bookings for almost every cabin type.  I didn't find any cabins on deck 11.  So maybe RC will not make the same changes they have to similar ships. Such as replacing the sauna space with cabins. 

 

Let’s hope so. 🤞🏻

Just now, twodjs said:

Sorry - Koningsdam 😁

Noted. 😉 I haven’t sailed HAL (I go way-bc, with RCCL/Celebrity), but open to try HAL on a short cruise in/out of Seattle…especially if the sauna/steam room set-up are good and oppty to meet other cool gents from the PNW might exist.

1 minute ago, tonygcharles said:

Will update the thread when I'm  back from each trip

I'm  on Arvia for 2 weeks in April 

Unfortunately there's  no facilities on there except a an expensive coed area

That’s too bad about Arvia. Hope you find the ideal set-up & “circumstances” on your Adventure or Explorer sailings. 😈

Just now, twodjs said:

Welcome back Gigglewolf! Have missed your posts. Ha! Locally-sourced are the best!

Happy to report any changes on K.

 

On “K” do you mean via Kik or related to Koningsdam, lol?

On 3/13/2023 at 5:28 AM, tonygcharles said:

Thanks  for info 

due on Explorer in May 23

So that sounds good 

But not on Adventure till October 24

So hopefully nothing  changes 

Bad there giving out the wrong info 

Please report-back once you’ve sailed the Adventure & Explorer, mister. Wish I was joining your sailing on the Silhouette. 😉

On 3/2/2023 at 3:18 PM, STLCRUISIN said:

On Celebrity ships, when the refurbishments begin again sometime in the future, the saunas on the remaining M class ships will be moved from their current location starboard with the windows facing the sea to a sauna on the portside with a glass wall facing the locker room. The saunas on the S class ships will remain the same when refurbishments are made. Of course, that is the plan now but it's subject to change.

Glad to read this, STLCRUISIN, but may I inquire about your source for this information? I’d luv it to be true and completely understand it’s subject to change. 😌 I’m eyeing the Silhouette myself for a cruise next year. Cheers!

On 3/6/2023 at 7:13 PM, coldhendricksmartini said:

Thanks for your input.  I'd prefer going without a swim suit, but don't want to deal with strange looks or make people feel uncomfortable.

As long as there’s no signage explicitly stating shorts must be worn, entering with just a towel on should be totally ok. It’s the j*rks who go into the sauna and steam with shoes on that really “get my goat”, lol. 😏

Casually researching Celebrity ships that still have non-coed sauna or steam facilities and discovered this older video (from May, 2018) which provides an excellent visual tour of the men’s locker room facilities on Celebrity Silhouette.

Granted, it IS an older video…however, the current (as of early 2023) deck plans available for this ship appear to still reflect a layout for the spa/fitness area that aligns with what’s shown on this video. I also seem to recall others mentioning the Solstice-class ships had the good sauna location shown in this video (note: no steam room in locker room), if not the wonderful saunas on the Millennium-class ships overlooking the ocean (which I believe Celebrity may be starting to replace with cabins; like RCI did with Royal Caribbean ships 😖).

If anyone has more-recent updates or vids on the status of sauna & steam rooms on Celebrity ships, feel free to reply here. Cheers, gents!! 😉

On 3/1/2022 at 10:59 AM, ShipWalker said:

Updated the database with Alexdw Nieuw Statendam photo.

Cruise Ship Steam/Sauna Database

 

Take note of the categories if making a report here or on the other thread. Taking photos is a great addition to the database, too. Every little bit helps.

Thank you, ShipWalker!!

Hello gents:

I’ll likely be sailing the Carnival Radiance in a few weeks (spring, 2022); my first time on a “Carnie” ship (lol 😜). I selected this ship over the Navigator of the Seas due to the NV having her steam & sauna facilities (once very generous & in the separate locker rooms) removed. While I realize the Carnival Radiance may have suffered a similar fate during her recent refurbishment, I remain hopeful “her” original spa facility set-up is still in place. Of course, I will report-back what I find.

Has anyone recently returned from Carnival Radiance and can share what they found? (I did check the database spreadsheet and it, currently, appears blank for this ship.)

Bon voyage to all,

Gigglewolf

(your gracious TopicThreadStarter & O.P. 😉)

Scheduled to sail the Carnival Radiance on 4/25/22. Selected this 4-night cruise now that I’m located on the west coast, have always been curious about Catalina Island and (having never sailed CCL) was curious to see how the line’s efforts to rebrand/remake their onboard experience manifests on a renovated/renamed vessel.

I believe the Carnival Radiance’s “sisters” (that already had their refurbishments) may have had their separate men’s steam & sauna facilities removed, but hoping they might still exist on this ship.

If I opt to keep this cruise booked, I’ll keep everyone apprised of my findings. If someone beats me to it, please report back!!

Happy sails to you!

GigglewolfOfTheSeas

(Topic/Thread Founder 😉) 

9 hours ago, Saab4444 said:

Emission rules in North Europe are or will become even tighter so all cruise lines must find solutions for this. 

 

As Jewel is now available I trust she will go to the West Coast in winter 20/21, maybe in combination with some Panama Canal runs.

This would be great! The Jewel is a great ship! I’d love it if they had even just one ship that cycled through a series of itineraries, ranging from short 4-night cruises that included Catalina Island, to traditional 7-night Mexican Riviera or 10/11-night deeper Mexican ports (Zihuatanjeo?!) and a couple of round trip Panama Canal sailings. Be creative RCCL! Throw in a Celebrity ship doing something similar, but alternating to folks can alternate if the date they want doesn’t offer the itinerary they’re seeking.

Also, RCCL is actively converting their fleets to accept shoreside power, so that won’t be an issue for POLA (Port of L.A.). 👍🏻😉😬

The Port of Los Angeles is preparing a “Request For Proposals” from cruise lines interested in developing their Outer Harbor cruise terminal (Berth 46) at San Pedro. Link to the article is here: https://www.dailybreeze.com/2019/10/02/will-san-pedros-proposed-outer-harbor-cruise-terminal-encounter-smooth-sailing/

Recent rumblings from RCCL seem to indicate they might be interested in submitting a proposal, similar to work they’ve executed several times on the East coast...along with announcing (at least seasonal) ship deployments from the San Pedro/L.A. area. When clarification on whether the sailings would be 3, 4 or 7-day sailings, the response was a variety of itineraries. Likely more news in the coming months.

Fingers-crossed! The demographics of the West coast today versus what they were when RCCL based ships there year-round (back in the 90’s??) have changed dramatically, along with a significant increase in air lift (flights) to the L.A. area to get those of us from throughout the SW and NW to board these cruises. The business case for returning ships (at the very least seasonally) to the L.A. area can be made.

Also on the Royal Caribbean deployment front: “word on the street” is that RCI will be stationing a ship (possibly, more than one) in the L.A. area in the coming years. Fingers-crossed it’s a ship with non-coed spa amenities. 😉

In the spirit of sharing some good information related to spa facilities, I’ll pivot to a land-based facility that I’d highly recommend: JW Marriott Desert Springs. If you should find yourself in the Palm Springs area, this resort currently offers day passes for approximately $35 for the wet area of the men’s locker room of the spa. You can stay as long as you like and the amenities include a handful of digital showers (and plenty more “analog” showers, including a large private ADA shower), very powerful 8-person steam room, mild 6-man sauna, 8-man indoor hot tub and (in my opinion, the best item) a citrus-scented hammam for 8-10 men. One also has access to the coed, outdoor pool (clothing required out there, of course); however, clothing is optional for the extensive indoor section. Standard grooming amenities are also on offer and you can even order meals or snacks from the spa café (at additional cost). It’s a great facility and the crowd is generally a bit more sophisticated & mature than the heathens we’ve seen wearing sneakers & gym clothes INSIDE the steam rooms onboard 😳.

Also in the Palm Springs area (downtown Palm Springs, to be precise) the Agua Caliente Tribe of Indians will be opening their Cultural Center and Bath House in 2020 (possibly in the fall). That spa is literally being built above the namesake hot springs and replaces the Spa Casino that had existed there since the 1960’s. That older facility was well-appointed and also had a great crowd of gents...so I can only imagine a state-of-the-art, 21st century facility will only take that further. I’ve seen early architectural renderings and there were definitely separate men’s and women’s areas, with a clothing/robe-required coed area. I’ll try to keep everyone appraised of this new facility once it opens.

Safe travels, gentlemen, and let’s continue to share our observations of these relaxing amenities found throughout our travels....whether shipboard or shoreside!! 😉😎😊