List of ships with FREE steam and/or Sauna

[natefish95]

23 hours ago, tobrthompson said:

Does anyone know if the free spas are open during covid?  I was on a ship last fall and it was not open due to covid.  

I believe Royal is the only one with saunas and steam rooms closed right now. Carnival and NCL both have their normal areas open. 

[billybeachboy]

P&O Ventura did not have any sauna/steam facility open this week when I was on board.

Edited February 12, 2022 by billybeachboy

[2cruiseluvrs]

On 3/14/2019 at 11:47 AM, 2cruiseluvrs said:

The full spreadsheet publicly viewable and editable at https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ROCmeNSYj_VwCYs3IUjWbrcEomFeqOrvIDUnXG6GLTg/edit?usp=sharing

 

[HappyCruiser616]

Thanks for the list and all of the comments on this great thread. Cruise saunas (at least the free same sex ones) are a dying breed so it's nice to know there are still a few of us interested. Happy Cruising! 

[HLR]

Hey there!

 

I think the last edit lost the "frozen" top row that lists "size, free entry, co-ed, etc...." I don't know how to fix that myself...maybe someone else does?

I am sailing on RCL Adventure of the Seas end of May and will see if the sauna is indeed still free or if it was redone, which I was told it was not converted yet.

 

Howard

[CntPAcruiser]

10 hours ago, HLR said:

Hey there!

 

I think the last edit lost the "frozen" top row that lists "size, free entry, co-ed, etc...." I don't know how to fix that myself...maybe someone else does?

I am sailing on RCL Adventure of the Seas end of May and will see if the sauna is indeed still free or if it was redone, which I was told it was not converted yet.

 

Howard

 

It's my understanding that the planned "Amplification" for Adventure never happened, due to Covid. We will be on Adventure in September/October and are looking forward to it--she's one of my favorite ships and the first we ever sailed on. Adventure has a full schedule between now and our cruise, so everything should hopefully be intact for your cruise and ours. 

[natefish95]

I was on Adventure in August 2021 and the free sauna/steam was still there. Adventure had a short dry dock last year, but the gym setup wasn't changed. 

[alexdw]

Back on HAL Nieuw Statendam.  Sauna is open but under utilized.

20220227_175424-2-1.heic

[Cruisefish1]

On 9/10/2021 at 1:12 PM, saunaman said:

or for a married guy looking for friends too!!

This is true!

[HLR]

Just updated the google sheet for ADVENTURE OF THE SEAS.

 

Steam and Sauna are STILL FREE. Got off the ship today and enjoyed a full cruise of steaming and sautéing! They were not giving out locker keys however...one left your bathing suit and shoes, etc...by the benches.

 

Howard

[willcan]

Thank you for the update. That is good news. Were there any protocol changes like distancing, capacity restriction, shorts required in the men's area?

[CntPAcruiser]

22 hours ago, HLR said:

Just updated the google sheet for ADVENTURE OF THE SEAS.

 

Steam and Sauna are STILL FREE. Got off the ship today and enjoyed a full cruise of steaming and sautéing! They were not giving out locker keys however...one left your bathing suit and shoes, etc...by the benches.

 

Howard

 

Did they give any reason for not allowing use of the lockers?

[2cruiseluvrs]

I'm sailing Norwegian Bliss for the first time this weekend! Anything I need to know about the Thermal Suite I need to know? I've already bought the pass! 

[HLR]

On 6/5/2022 at 10:36 AM, CntPAcruiser said:

 

Did they give any reason for not allowing use of the lockers?

They said they have not been giving out keys since they started the re-sailing after covid...That was it...

Howard

[HLR]

On 6/4/2022 at 1:31 PM, willcan said:

Thank you for the update. That is good news. Were there any protocol changes like distancing, capacity restriction, shorts required in the men's area?

Nope...no signs or guidance at all....it was fairly quiet....but not empty for sure.

[CntPAcruiser]

1 hour ago, HLR said:

They said they have not been giving out keys since they started the re-sailing after covid...That was it...

Howard

 

Thanks. That is odd, and sounds more like laziness than anything. So many businesses stopped doing certain things doing the pandemic and haven't gone back to doing them. I guess they figure they can get away without these little services, since we made do without them for the duration.

[2cruiseluvrs]

Just a note to confirm that NCL Bliss does NOT have any FREE steam rooms or saunas, including in the gym areas. The Mandara Spa thermal suite is $249 in advance (for the week) or $299 once onboard. It includes separate men's and women's locker rooms with showers, a water and tea bar, thalassotherapy pool, hot tub, snow room, salt room, steam room, sauna, and sanarium. Plus there are the cushioned loungers and heated loungers. 

 

COMPLAINTS: 1) It was always way to light and bright in the entire thermal area and all of the rooms. Even at night in the Alaska northern latitudes, it was bright. I wish they would have turned down the lights and also lowered screens to reduce the incoming sunlight. 2) Despite the entire area being a "quiet zone" it just wasn't that way. There were often conversations in all of the spaces, that could be heard throughout. 3) The attendants often did not keep the fruit-infused water dispenser full. 4) The steam room is not very steamy. 4) The salt room is room temperature and there is simply no sensation of salt, smell of salt, etc. It's hocus pocus. 5) There was no "spa" music playing in any of the rooms, and after 4 days of complaining about it, they finally turned it up... I could finally hear it ever so faintly, but still it was almost non-existent and I gave up asking.

 

PRAISE: 1) It was easy to enter by just flashing your ship card which has a sticker on the back. Often they didn't even look! 2) The spaces were generally clean and kept up. Attendants were constantly drying water off the floor to prevent slips and falls. 3) Locker rooms were kept clean and there were always plenty of towels, available lockers, and showers. 4) While the entire ship temperature was comfortable, it was nice to escape any outdoor chills by visiting the warm sauna, etc.

 

For the Alaska sailing in June 2022, there were a variety of body types and all were welcome. Probably 2/3 were women. Average age was probably 50, and there were a couple newlyweds. Most bathing suits were quite conservative. Guys tended to walk around in board shorts, and women tended to wear their spa robe. A handful wore much less and no questions were asked.

 

The thermal suite is on deck 16 Forward, and immediately adjacent to the main pool area. Simply take the elevator to 16 and you are there, or just walk across the pool area and enter. It is open from 8A to 10P each night.

[willcan]

Wow thanks for the great in-depth review. Have you been on other NCL ships? How does this compare?

[2cruiseluvrs]

Hello Willcan, we visited a much smaller NCL ship many moons ago, but did not enter the spa, so I cannot compare. I want to add that despite my complaints about Bliss' thermal area, I visited at least 15 times during the 7 days! However, I much prefer the darker (almost no windows for sunlight) spa on MSC Seaside; it also has two different steam rooms and many more interesting aromatic showers. 

[willcan]

On 6/20/2022 at 12:21 AM, 2cruiseluvrs said:

Hello Willcan, we visited a much smaller NCL ship many moons ago, but did not enter the spa, so I cannot compare. I want to add that despite my complaints about Bliss' thermal area, I visited at least 15 times during the 7 days! However, I much prefer the darker (almost no windows for sunlight) spa on MSC Seaside; it also has two different steam rooms and many more interesting aromatic showers. 

Thanks for the information. I've never been on MSC, maybe it's worth checking out. Most of my crusing is with Carnival, Royal and Holland.  Love to chat with you directly but the mail feature on here is not working on my account. 

[natefish95]

On 6/19/2022 at 6:06 PM, 2cruiseluvrs said:

Just a note to confirm that NCL Bliss does NOT have any FREE steam rooms or saunas, including in the gym areas. The Mandara Spa thermal suite is $249 in advance (for the week) or $299 once onboard. It includes separate men's and women's locker rooms with showers, a water and tea bar, thalassotherapy pool, hot tub, snow room, salt room, steam room, sauna, and sanarium. Plus there are the cushioned loungers and heated loungers. 

 

COMPLAINTS: 1) It was always way to light and bright in the entire thermal area and all of the rooms. Even at night in the Alaska northern latitudes, it was bright. I wish they would have turned down the lights and also lowered screens to reduce the incoming sunlight. 2) Despite the entire area being a "quiet zone" it just wasn't that way. There were often conversations in all of the spaces, that could be heard throughout. 3) The attendants often did not keep the fruit-infused water dispenser full. 4) The steam room is not very steamy. 4) The salt room is room temperature and there is simply no sensation of salt, smell of salt, etc. It's hocus pocus. 5) There was no "spa" music playing in any of the rooms, and after 4 days of complaining about it, they finally turned it up... I could finally hear it ever so faintly, but still it was almost non-existent and I gave up asking.

 

PRAISE: 1) It was easy to enter by just flashing your ship card which has a sticker on the back. Often they didn't even look! 2) The spaces were generally clean and kept up. Attendants were constantly drying water off the floor to prevent slips and falls. 3) Locker rooms were kept clean and there were always plenty of towels, available lockers, and showers. 4) While the entire ship temperature was comfortable, it was nice to escape any outdoor chills by visiting the warm sauna, etc.

 

For the Alaska sailing in June 2022, there were a variety of body types and all were welcome. Probably 2/3 were women. Average age was probably 50, and there were a couple newlyweds. Most bathing suits were quite conservative. Guys tended to walk around in board shorts, and women tended to wear their spa robe. A handful wore much less and no questions were asked.

 

The thermal suite is on deck 16 Forward, and immediately adjacent to the main pool area. Simply take the elevator to 16 and you are there, or just walk across the pool area and enter. It is open from 8A to 10P each night.

A bit confused by what you said. Isn't everything coed on the Bliss and the locker rooms are just showers and lockers? No men-only sauna/steam room (highlighted that above)

[2cruiseluvrs]

Hi Nate, the Bliss thermal area is entirely coed, with the exception of the men's and women's bathrooms.

 

Each single-sex bathroom includes sink, toilet, showers, lockers, bench, towels, robes, mirror, blow dryer, swabs and cotton balls.

 

The coed area includes the pool, steam, sauna, sanarium, hot tub, cold room, salt room, loungers, and tea/water bar. There is a coed shower outside of each sauna and one adjacent to the pool. 

[foggycat]

I was just on HAL Zuiderdam (Mexico), April 2022, and  NCL Dawn (Tampa to NYC), April 2022, and Emerald Princess (British Isles), May 2022. These are current updates on the  steam/sauna facilities situation in these three ships.

 

The Zuiderdam is an old tub and it has a free male sauna that will hold about 4, maybe,  5 people.  It was mostly unused but I had a couple of pleasant conversations on the 12 day cruise, I hope it improves since I am on it for 45 days in the South Pacific with lots of sea days in October/November. The sauna is a bit tricky to find, and it's out of the way and has a noisy outer door and one shower and some hooks.

 

The NCL Dawn has an amazing setup, one of the best ever: a very nice sauna and excellent steam Both are modern and clean. The only negative is when someone hold the steam door open too long, it sets off a very loud alarm that a crew member has to turn off. Sauna and steam are male only and free and are in an alcove off the male dressing area, there are three showers. They are quite private. Unfortunately during the 11-day cruise, they were very little used. 

 

The Emerald Princess has a free male steam room and sauna. Both are spacious  and are off the male changing room and have 3 showers. Again, they were barely used on the 12-day cruise, but there was some visitors. 

 

[HappyCruiser616]

I was on the NCL Joy last month. There are no thermal suites. There is no men's locker room in the gym. The spa does have a tiny men's locker room (for reference about half the size of the men's locker room in the thermal suites on the NCL Breakaway) that has a decent size sauna and steam room in it. They charged me $60 for the 7 day cruise for use of the sauna and steam room. Just turn in your key card at the desk and walk back to the locker room. The locker room itself is barely big enough for a couple of people. There were two showers. The sauna had a great view of the ocean. I'm not sure anyone knows the sauna is available for use so it wasn't busy at all. 

[HLR]

Hey guys! What's the scoop on Enchantment of the Seas Royal Caribbean? The excel sheet has "Yes"  Free Entry to steam and a "No" Free Entry for the sauna....yet there are notes about the sauna....Hmmm?

 

Howard