bejwee

3 hours ago, deepbluediver said:

 

Even if I can afford a Silversea cruise, I won't want to take it - all inclusive or not. A better (almost) all-inclusive would be Virgin Voyages.

 

The point is that it's only a locker room that was previously free to use. Would you pay $30 just to use a locker room? Well... maybe you would.

 

Of course, it's not just NCL that's now charging a fee to use something that used to be free, or cutting back on services, or inflating the prices of everything (way beyond the rate of inflation). Again, maybe not an issue for some of you, but for the rest of us, it is.

Justifying the whining by claiming that those who disagree must have different means... that's a funny posture 😂

Entitled consumers are hilarious.. they want the prices to be the same as they always were, yet everything in the world including the insurance, the labor rates, the fuel the cruise ship has to use, food cost etc has gone up. Realistically they should just include everything and raise the rates of the ship to avoid this kind of complaining, but they're trying to make it approachable for those who can't afford it. If they need to raise their bottom line by increasing costs in certain areas, they are sparing those who can't afford a higher fare. Welcome to 2023 👌

2 minutes ago, deepbluediver said:

 

Same on the NCL Sun ship. On this small ship, NCL has no Thermal Spa facility (at least not yet) but there is a large Men's locker room with a sauna and a steam room, and it used to be free. But in the past few years, NCL has started charging USD $30 a day to use the locker room. It's not even a Thermal Spa suite - just a locker room with a sauna and steam room. At that price, it's even more expensive than the Thermal Spa suites on board their other larger ships. Maybe they just don't want anyone to use the locker room except for folks who have a spa treatment appointment.

 

Very disappointed with NCL with their constant search to nickel and dime you every opportunity they can.

NCL is very modestly priced, I don't find paying for some extras unreasonable at all. You could certainly pay 3x for a Silversea fare and not feel nickel and dimed 🤷

14 hours ago, ShipWalker said:

I was on the Noordam last winter. Sauna is behind the ping pong tables in the hallway. If the fire door is closed they are not visible.

 

I've added a picture link to the database with the Noordam Sauna. It's the same as on most of the ships.

Is there a way to make the database a sticky or permanent part of this post? It is often hard to find.

Just booked NCL Pearl Dec 9th out of Miami! Thermal pass secured 👌

On 6/27/2023 at 9:50 AM, CruiseMsclDad said:

Just saw a great deal on two RCCL ships,

the Mariner of the Seas and the Adventure of the Seas. I can't see the sauna spread sheet anymore, is it confirmed recently that these ships still have the same sauna/steam layout?

Thanks,
Mitch

I was on the Mariner in October of 22, everything was as it should be, despite the steam not really functioning. I think it and the explorer were in for rehab this past winter - but I believe the facilities at least on the explorer have been reported intact.

It would be great if the spreadsheet was made into a sticky or was always part of the thread. 

20 minutes ago, natefish95 said:

Those pictures are still accurate. If you look at the deck plan for the Dawn, you can see the thermal suite at the aft on Deck 10. Not free with only a coed area in the center. Sauna and steam room are in the locker rooms, as shown above. 

Thank you, It looks like you are correct  and that is excellent news! 

6 minutes ago, willcan said:

Thanks for the update. Does the Pearl have great free amenities or is an extra fee required to make it worth it? If required, do you know how much the extra fee is?

I bought some sort of a thermal suite pass for the week and it was definitely worth it. Dont recall how much, 150 maybe

7 minutes ago, willcan said:

Damn. I was getting excited.  I guess we'll have to wait to hear from someone who has been on her recently. Do you know if the Jade, Gem or Pearl are still a good choice?

I was on the pearl just a couple months ago and it was still intact and excellent.

The Norwegian Dawn underwent a refurbishment in 2021. I believe these pictures and information are outdated regarding the Dawn.

Just now, CruiseMsclDad said:

My bad! This is in the men's locker room, as far as cost goes I was last aboard 4 years ago and it was free, but not sure if that was because we were in a suite. I did a back to back cruise and utilized this wet area a lot! Met some awesome guys and had some great conversations. Feel free to message me with any questions, CruiseMsclDad@proton.me

Are you saying that these pictures are 4 years old?  If they are current, the spreadsheet should be updated. 

5 minutes ago, CruiseMsclDad said:

Here you go, Mitch

 

 

Is that coed or single sex? You left out the critical detail. Looks pretty nice!

4 hours ago, tonygcharles said:

Hi

Looking at booking Norwegian Dawn 

Great deals atm

Is there a free sauna  in the men's  changing rooms?

I'm pretty sure the dawn is a no-go. Check the spreadsheet..

3 hours 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.

 

Ask him if there was actually steam or if it was just a hot room that was humid? I was on it in October and it was as described, no actual steam. Seemed to be on its last leg..

9 minutes ago, iramack said:

Thanks for that.  Most recently I have been cruising Seabourn so I am quite familiar with this type of cruising/passengers/food etc..........My first cruise was in the Caribbean on the Carla Costa in 1982 maybe?  Done most of the mainstream lines but find the small ships so much more enjoyable so long as they have the "correct" spa facilities on board!! 

You'll love it. We are trying silversea for the first time this coming August cruising through Norway which should be fun. 

1 minute ago, iramack said:

I am on Riviera for 2 weeks this September.  Trying Oceania for the first time mostly based on the recent comments/recommendations here!

 

 

 

 

I cruised oceania in September and most recently this past April and two other times prior. Every single time the staff is awesome. The quality of the food is definitely a step up, and the clientele is a little bit older and relatively quieter than lines like Royal Caribbean etc. I appreciate being able to sleep at night without drunken ruckus in the hallway, and the ratio of cruisers that know not to let their door slam shut compared to the inconsiderate folks who do, is much better on Oceania. It's even in the newsletter on the first day, don't let your door slam!  You'll have a great time!

I should also add to my last sentiments a few weeks ago - the Oceania Riviera was probably the first cruise ship I've been on that has a truly working steam room, where when it kicks on you quite literally cannot see anything 3 ft past your face because it's so steamy . All of the Royal Caribbean and carnival ships I've been on have had crazy hot steam rooms that are humid but barely have any steam at all. Has anyone else found truly good steam rooms aside from the other factors?

On 4/29/2023 at 5:17 PM, mojitos24 said:

Carnival conquest - men’s locker room new look.

This is a very similar setup to the last carnival cruise we were on. Pretty decent setup however everything was in a state of disrepair, typical carnival. It was very hot but little to no steam, very similar to RCL explorer and mariner 'steam rooms'.  How is this one post improvement?

2 hours ago, alexdw said:

On Insignia in September to Bermuda. Will be our first time on Oceania so will be interested to see how utilized the steam room will be.

My last two trips there wasnt a soul in the steam, ever.  This was quite unexpected. The food is incredible on riviera tho..so , so good. 

3 hours ago, Porkpie421 said:

Just to clarify, Riviera and Marina are identical (with steam room and sauna). The smaller ships (Sirena, Nautica, Regatta and Insignia) just have a steam room (larger as you say).

Good to hear the facilities are well used on Riviera. Will be on Marina in September and looking forward to it.

Yes sorry! I was mixing up ships and trips I have been on. You are correct, thank you for clarifying.

On 3/30/2023 at 3:57 PM, ShipWalker said:

A friendly reminder to any first time users to the database...

 

*******

Best viewed on desktop or laptop.

 

Steam/Sauna database

 

As a reminder to all, ANY change you make to the database is auto-saved. There is no temporary change while you are on it. That means if you highlight ships to compare them. It is permanent. If you change the formatting of the data in any way, it stays that way when you exit.

 

The DB then needs to be cleaned up (not that hard to do) but still takes time.

I don't want to mangle the spreadsheet with my phone, but please see my post above regarding Oceania Riviera, and sister ships. They are free to all passengers, and have lockers with keys.

Ahoy from the Oceania Riviera, currently at port in Ibiza !

The spa has separate men's and women's facilities along with some coed features. The steam/sauna/shower areas are totally separate. The steam is ironically smaller at 4persons max capacity than her smaller sister ships Sirena and Marina which seat 6 max. Those two however, do not have a dry sauna at all, and Riviera has a nice big one, probably could seat 8-10.  Surprisingly compared to my prior Oceania trips, this area has been busy every day, didnt see a single person in a suit or even covered. It was definitely chatty..it's like some odd wave of old school sanity washed over our ship 😂 .  

On 3/30/2023 at 9:57 AM, ShipWalker said:

A friendly reminder to any first time users to the database...

 

*******

Best viewed on desktop or laptop.

 

Steam/Sauna database

 

As a reminder to all, ANY change you make to the database is auto-saved. There is no temporary change while you are on it. That means if you highlight ships to compare them. It is permanent. If you change the formatting of the data in any way, it stays that way when you exit.

 

The DB then needs to be cleaned up (not that hard to do) but still takes time.

Thank you so much for the efforts, the database is incredibly helpful.

15 minutes ago, polimb said:

Not to far from me. What’s the name of the place?

http://www.shangrilasauna.com/

Enjoy!

3 minutes ago, STLCRUISIN said:

At my gym a lot of guys use the sauna fully dressed, including shoes. I shake my head everytime I see it....just don't understand it. I think it's become a generational thing.

I agree re generational to some extent, but I think a large part of it is the ever growing distance between fitness/gym pursuits and spa pursuits, and particularly spa etiquette.