how busy is the Thermal Spa in Alaska?

[ginjer2911]

Hello, dh and I are going on our first cruise on the Volendam to Alaska in May. I am really excited about the thermal spa and thinks it sounds wonderful especially in Alaska. But I was wondering how busy that it could be and would love to hear from some people who have used the thermal spa on their Alaskan cruise.

 

Thanks.

[Old As Dirt Mom]

I have used the Thermal Spa on an Alaskan cruise on the Zaandam, sister ship to the Volendam. It was never crowded; we were always able to find a vacant heated ceramic tile lounger:). It's my understanding that HAL limits the number of Thermal Spa passes. There are certain times of the day or cruise that work better than others, in my experience. If you are a spa addict:), I would recommend checking out the spa on glacier viewing days, when everyone is up on deck, during port stops when everyone is in town, and in the late afternoon/early evening, when everyone is getting ready for dinner.

[gordons4]

We used the thermal suite on the Oosterdam on our Alaska cruise out of Seattle last year. Those heated tile loungers were the hit of our cruise--well, not entirely, but they were the hit of the cruise ship for us.

 

We had early seating for dinner, and used the heated loungers EVERY NIGHT after dinner. (We aren't really show people.) We usually were the only ones in there, so we stayed and stayed...didn't have to worry about the 20 minute limit.

 

We also used it other times during sea days. A couple of times it was crowded--the first evening being one of those times. I can't remember the other specific times it was crowded, but we would just visit the hydrotherapy pool for a bit, or one of the saunas, and chairs would always open up.

 

We can hardly wait to go on another Alaska cruise to use those again!

 

Sheri

 

P.S. We're planning our next cruise to the Panama Canal. Somehow, the heated ceramic tile loungers just don't hold the same appeal in that climate. :rolleyes:

[ginjer2911]

P.S. We're planning our next cruise to the Panama Canal. Somehow, the heated ceramic tile loungers just don't hold the same appeal in that climate. :rolleyes:

 

I totally understand that. Which is one of the reasons I'm so worried about it being busy in Alaska. :)