willcan

On 6/11/2023 at 12:24 AM, bejwee said:

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..

On Explorer recently, and these photos are correct. Last renovation saw the wooded sauna door replaced with a solid smoked glass door that is difficult to latch closed.  Steam room seems to have more light than before and there is not much steam. 

My travel companion said the Female steam room is dimly light and has too much steam. 

1 minute ago, CruiseMsclDad said:

Will all the comments that I have received echoed what you said. I was leaning toward the Adventure because it is 7 nights, but if the Mariner is a better ship then maybe I will sacrifice that one night.

Just book both and compare. They are both good but Mariner is more updated. 

5 hours ago, CruiseMsclDad said:

Thank you so much that is awesome news! I was looking at the deck plans and the spa area on both looked identical. Which ship over all did you prefer?

Mitch

I like Mariner the best of the three. I'm impressed that they managed to "amp" this ship without screwing up the sauna. 

I was on both last fall and there had a perfect setup. The same layout at the Explorer.  Photos of Explorer were posted here a few days ago. 

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?

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?

That's great, thanks for posting. Is one of the glass doors a steam room? Is there an extra fee to use this area or is it included?

Good News for Royal Caribbean fans.  Explorer of the seas recently completed a drydock refurbishment. Although they made some upgrades, including twin waterslides there was no change to the sauna, steam room, men's changing room or gym. 

9 minutes ago, natefish95 said:

I'd say it was pretty well used. The hours were 8am-10pm most days except for the first and last day (opened at 5pm the first day and closed at 8pm the last day). I will sometimes go after dinner, but I found the late evenings to be almost completely deserted. 

I'm glad it was well used. Was there a big difference between see and port days? I bet your had an amazing cruise. What port did your sail from and where did you go?

44 minutes ago, natefish95 said:

Just got back from the Norwegian Jewel and the thermal suite was excellent! It's so nice having such a large men's only area to relax in. There was a steam room (can comfortably fit 4-5), a large sauna, a cold plunge, a large jacuzzi, a couple cold rainfall showers, and about 7 comfortable chairs for lounging. The coed areas has the heated tiled loungers and a thalasso pool. For a 7 day cruise, it cost $199 and was well worth it for me. The ship was packed, so it was nice to have a quiet spot to escape to. 

 

Most guys seemed to wear bathing suits, but there was a small group who just went in towels. 

Thanks for the update  Sounds amazing. Was it well used or were you often the only person there?  What are the operating hours?

2 minutes ago, GigglewolfOfTheSeas said:

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

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. 

8 hours ago, twodjs said:

By not altering the single-sex, they are actually denying those with disabilities the same experience we've enjoyed for years! Shame on Princess!

You make an excellent point.  Someone trying too hard to make things "equal" without careful thought.  Rather than make things accessable to everyone,  they make them accessable to no one. Sad. 

2 minutes ago, CntPAcruiser said:

 

Correct, we were on Adventure in October 2022 and these facilities are still there. An early report from someone on board Explorer currently, post-dry dock, indicates they are pretty sure the fitness center was not "amped" out of existence this time around.

 

Sadly, these facilities were already removed on Freedom and Navigator in the so-called amplifications done pre-pandemic.

I was also on Adventure in the fall and can confirm nothing had changed.  I don't think Adventure has been in dry dock since. 

Deck plans for Freedom show the gym still in place with cabins added on either side. Removing the sauna to make space.

I'd be interested to know if this is the same approach taken on Explorer. If you're friend is still on the ship maybe he can verify. Iet's hope Royal decided to leave the sauna in place. 

On 1/24/2023 at 8:08 PM, natefish95 said:

This is incorrect about Brilliance. They removed the coed thermal suite I think, but the locker rooms with the sauna and steam room haven't been touched. Same thing on Jewel, Radiance, and Serenade. 

My apologies. I just confirmed with my friend. He said the Brilliance still has a free sauna. I misunderstood what he told me last time. So sorry. 

I was on Adventure in the Fall and everything was still in place. It was well maintained and well used.  

2 minutes ago, sailerjosh22 said:

Seriously? That sucks. Might have to look at another cruise then. 

Better to know before you book for sure. If you are set on RC they still have ships with great man's areas.  Liberty, Adventure and Mariner for starters. (Unless they have been in drydock in 2023). And most of their older ships too. 

A friend of mine was on the ship. He said the men's only area has been removed and replaced with a paid co-ed thermal suite. 

1 hour ago, kanadakid said:

Thanks for the heads up! Cruiser Dude - Love a nice workout and then to take the steam.

What ship was this about?

19 minutes ago, alexdw said:

I have heard about this facility and would love to try it. I am lucky to live close to a Korean spa here in New Jersey which is  segregated and totally nude.

Any idea why it's only clothing optional for 2 hours a day?

Great photos, thanks for the info. Sorry it was not well used during your cruise. 

On 9/25/2022 at 9:36 AM, iramack said:

And Well Attended??

Yes, it was well used ever day.  Good to see. 

1 hour ago, Ships and Dip said:

Does anyone know if the steam/sauna are open on embarkation day usually? Specifically Royal Caribbean ships that have them still. I’m hoping to use them before/after dinner on embarkation day. 

Yes, they are usually available for use early in the afternoon. However, almost no one uses them before to the ship's departure. I'm my experience very few guests use it on day 1 at all. 

14 minutes ago, bejwee said:

Ahoy from the Mariner of the Seas! Single sex steam n sauna in full effect. Been a bit quiet thus far, but it's clean and feels great sitting naked on a towel!

Thanks for the great pics. 

2 hours ago, natefish95 said:

Back from the Carnival Spirit this morning and had a great time! There is a free sauna and steam room in the men's locker room and 4 individual shower cubicles, each with its own full door. The sauna is pretty small and can hold about 4 comfortably. The steam room is bigger with two benches and can seat about 8 comfortably. The steam room was ungodly hot it was hard to be in there for longer than 5 minutes. 

 

There are lockers (with mirrors on them). You can get a key from the spa desk or just put your stuff in an open locker. The combination locks didn't seem to work. The biggest downside is that there is no water fountain in the locker room, so bring a bottle of water beforehand. 

 

It was a VERY active locker room all week 

Thanks for the detailed update. Good information.  Do they have a good gym as well?  

4 hours ago, bejwee said:

I'll be on the explorer around the 29th of this month. I like to sit nude on a towel, unless the whole room is dominated by clothed, loud, unshowered people in gym clothes..in which case i loosely cover w towel.  🤞 It seems the days of people having spa etiquette are evaporating..

Thinking of booking this as well. Love to chat with you or others that make be on the ship. Feel free to chat by email.  

Littlebro@live.ca