Thermal pool

[labgalbella]

I can't find a lot of info on the 7

 day pass for the thermal pool relaxation area. Do you have to pick a certain time or can you go at different times? There is a lot of conflicting info about how this works. Thanks so much

[sevenseasnomad]

With the pass, you can go anytime the spa is open, usually from 8 a.m. until 10 p.m.  You may stay as long as you desire, although if that area is especially busy at certain times of the day, particularly on sea days, the staff will suggest you limit your time on the heated loungers.  You may go multiple times a day if you wish.  

 

Wait until you board the ship to purchase the pass.  Every HAL ship we've sailed has always had a "special" on embarkation day.  Make sure you go to the spa after you board the ship or immediately after lunch to buy the pass.  You don't need to take the tour, which is primarily a sales pitch.  Simply tell the attendant that you want to purchase the pass.  

 

We've bought the pass on several cruises and love the relaxation these two spa areas provide.  Enjoy.

[Taters]

Now that the pass is available on line, we found it less expensive than on the ship the first day.  For instance, our 16 night cruise on Zuiderdam in April/May, 2019 - Online the 14 + day pass was $429.  On board they were charging $515.  We have another 16 night cruise coming up and are definitely going to pre-purchase the pass.  It is listed again as $429 for 14+ days.  This is on Westerdam.

[FlaMariner]

We've always bought the pass on day 1 but is the consensus now that it's cheaper to buy pre-boarding?

[DougK]

It was cheaper pre-boarding on a 7-day cruise on the NA in July. I made the mistake of waiting in expectation of an embarkation day special, but it ended up being significantly more expensive.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Don't know which ship you will be on, but some ships do not have the real thermo pool -- they have just a whirl pool.

[3rdGenCunarder]

38 minutes ago, Krazy Kruizers said:

Don't know which ship you will be on, but some ships do not have the real thermo pool -- they have just a whirl pool.

 

Good point. I like the S and R classes but they don't have the real thermal pool, so I don't book a spa pass on those. 

[Jammu2]

Dont worry about the time. The purchase interface forces you to choose a time just to move ahead to the next screen. Choose whatever then ignore it.

 

Our last 7 day pass (May 2019) was cheaper online before the cruise. 

 

It has been reported that if they do, in fact, sell a cheaper pass on board day 1 you will automatically be credited the difference. I have no personal experience with this 

Edited September 21, 2019 by Jammu2

[Ineke]

Wish I’d read this yesterday.  This morning I went to check the cost on-line and order the package but we are only 3 days out so can’t do that anymore. Lesson learned.

[Petronillus]

DW & I have just gotten back (alas!) from a glorious 14-day Rotterdam cruise of the Baltic Sea. I have enjoyed the thermal suite in the past on cooler-weather cruises, but have learned to forgo that pleasure in warm weather; I just found myself not using it. I was looking forward to it this time, booked it ahead of time @ $349, and found the price quoted @ $249 on embarkation day. No problem. The nice lady at the desk refunded my $349 and entered a new charge for $249, without a hitch.

Only once did I have to wait for a thermal lounge to open up, and that was a mere 10 minutes. 

I was unpleasantly surprised to find that the hydrotherapy pool I had previously enjoyed on R-class (Zaandam) and Pinnacle-class (Oosterdam) ships was not present. All we had was a hot-water spa in the same room as the thermal lounges (as was previously the case on the Zaandam). I didn't actually use the hydrotherapy pool all that much, compared to the thermal lounges, but I felt its absence.

In the end, I'm not sure I will continue to pay the upcharge for the thermal suites in the future, at least not on an R-class ship that lacks the hydrotherapy pool.

[FlorenceItaly]

1 hour ago, Petronillus said:

DW & I have just gotten back (alas!) from a glorious 14-day Rotterdam cruise of the Baltic Sea. I have enjoyed the thermal suite in the past on cooler-weather cruises, but have learned to forgo that pleasure in warm weather; I just found myself not using it. I was looking forward to it this time, booked it ahead of time @ $349, and found the price quoted @ $249 on embarkation day. No problem. The nice lady at the desk refunded my $349 and entered a new charge for $249, without a hitch.

Only once did I have to wait for a thermal lounge to open up, and that was a mere 10 minutes. 

I was unpleasantly surprised to find that the hydrotherapy pool I had previously enjoyed on R-class (Zaandam) and Pinnacle-class (Oosterdam) ships was not present. All we had was a hot-water spa in the same room as the thermal lounges (as was previously the case on the Zaandam). I didn't actually use the hydrotherapy pool all that much, compared to the thermal lounges, but I felt its absence.

In the end, I'm not sure I will continue to pay the upcharge for the thermal suites in the future, at least not on an R-class ship that lacks the hydrotherapy pool.

Thank you for the update.  We have prepaid $349 for our upcoming 51 day Amsterdam cruise next month, and am bringing my receipt.  For this particular length of cruise I do no suspect it will be less, but who knows.  Was it refunded to your credit card or refunded as on board credit?  

[hbgroadends]

Honestly, I bet the reason answers are so varied on whether the thermal suite is cheaper pre-cruise or onboard has to do with how many they sell prior to the cruise. If they manage to sell a lot of packages prior to the cruise, then the special when boarding will be higher than online; whereas if they don't sell as many, then the special when boarding will be less expensive.

 

So far, everyone I've read who purchased online but found it cheaper during boarding was able to get refunded the difference, so buying ahead of time seems to be the way to go to cover your bases.

[Vineyard View]

Are you able to buy single day passes, or do you need to purchase the entire cruise length? 

[taxmantoo]

1 hour ago, hbgroadends said:

Honestly, I bet the reason answers are so varied on whether the thermal suite is cheaper pre-cruise or onboard has to do with how many they sell prior to the cruise. If they manage to sell a lot of packages prior to the cruise, then the special when boarding will be higher than online; whereas if they don't sell as many, then the special when boarding will be less expensive.

 

I'll offer that the different answers have more to do with WHEN people experienced the thermal suite. 

Experiences from two years ago have about as much validity as trying to determine in advance what night on a twenty-day cruise will they serve someone's favorite soup. 😉

[3rdGenCunarder]

10 minutes ago, Vineyard View said:

Are you able to buy single day passes, or do you need to purchase the entire cruise length? 

 

Single day passes MAY be available to purchase on board, but there's no guarantee that will happen. It depends on how many full-cruise passes they sell. There is a limit to avoid overcrowding, so it's possible that passes may take up all availability.

 

[Vineyard View]

3 minutes ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

Single day passes MAY be available to purchase on board, but there's no guarantee that will happen. It depends on how many full-cruise passes they sell. There is a limit to avoid overcrowding, so it's possible that passes may take up all availability.

 

Thank you. There are one or two port days that we will likely enjoy the pleasure of an almost empty ship for all or part of those days, so that might be the best opportunities? Does that sound reasonable? 

[3rdGenCunarder]

1 minute ago, Vineyard View said:

Thank you. There are one or two port days that we will likely enjoy the pleasure of an almost empty ship for all or part of those days, so that might be the best opportunities? Does that sound reasonable? 

 

It's worth a try. If there aren't any passes, you can just relax by the pool. Loungers are always available on port days. On a Caribbean cruise, I usually stay on board in St Thomas. It's on nearly every itinerary, so I've been there enough times. I'd rather enjoy a quiet day on board.

 

[Vineyard View]

5 minutes ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

It's worth a try. If there aren't any passes, you can just relax by the pool. Loungers are always available on port days. On a Caribbean cruise, I usually stay on board in St Thomas. It's on nearly every itinerary, so I've been there enough times. I'd rather enjoy a quiet day on board.

 

Thank you. We have enjoyed the experience outside of HAL, but haven’t experienced the Thermal Pool on HAL. Not sure how attractive it might be in a warm climate environment,  but we may  ask to see it before deciding. We will be on the NA. 

[3rdGenCunarder]

Yes, you can ask to see the pool before you buy the pass. I've done that on ships that are new to me. They may try to give you a tour of the whole facility and try to see you a seaweed wrap or a massage, but you can say "I only want to see the pool before I buy the pass."

[Vineyard View]

Perfect. Thank you 

[Petronillus]

6 hours ago, FlorenceItaly said:

Thank you for the update.  We have prepaid $349 for our upcoming 51 day Amsterdam cruise next month, and am bringing my receipt.  For this particular length of cruise I do no suspect it will be less, but who knows.  Was it refunded to your credit card or refunded as on board credit?  

Relatively speaking ($249 for a 14-day cruise versus $349 for a 51-day one ), you seem to be getting a reallllly good deal! As someone already concluded, you can't lose by purchasing on-line ahead of time. If the shipboard price is lower, you are refunded the difference. If it's higher, you've locked in your preferential rate.

In our case the refund was processed as a credit against our on-board account.

[GeezerCouple]

25 minutes ago, Petronillus said:

Relatively speaking ($249 for a 14-day cruise versus $349 for a 51-day one ), you seem to be getting a reallllly good deal! As someone already concluded, you can't lose by purchasing on-line ahead of time. If the shipboard price is lower, you are refunded the difference. If it's higher, you've locked in your preferential rate.

In our case the refund was processed as a credit against our on-board account.

 

Is it written anywhere that HAL will refund/credit back the difference?

 

And how much is the "per visit or day" price IF there is space available?

 

Thanks.

GC

[fusion927]

On 9/22/2019 at 7:46 AM, hbgroadends said:

Honestly, I bet the reason answers are so varied on whether the thermal suite is cheaper pre-cruise or onboard has to do with how many they sell prior to the cruise. If they manage to sell a lot of packages prior to the cruise, then the special when boarding will be higher than online; whereas if they don't sell as many, then the special when boarding will be less expensive.

 

So far, everyone I've read who purchased online but found it cheaper during boarding was able to get refunded the difference, so buying ahead of time seems to be the way to go to cover your bases.

 

Our experience has been 50-50... Half the time it was cheaper when boarding (and had no issues getting the online purchase refunded) and the rest of the time it was the same price.

 

Mark