Thermal suite worth the cost?

[1Texansgo]

Boarding Allure in December which will be first time on Oasis class. I have always frequented the complimentary steam/sauna areas and usually use the facilities around 5 times on a 7 night cruise. I have read less than sterling reviews about the coed thermal suites and am really torn about paying the up charge. My wife will not go near a sauna or steam so it would just be me getting the pass. It was a bit over a hundred bucks last time I checked. Welcome any thoughts and opinions.

[CntPAcruiser]

When Oasis and Allure first came out, we had to try them, and we were disappointed in the thermal suite overall. It's a completely interior area, no windows, tiled, which means it can have a bit of an echo, and it's small, especially if more than a few people are in there at one time. Worse yet if they decide to talk nonstop. It's mixed men and women, so bathing suits are required, which is just plain gross when you're sitting in a sauna or steam room. They are small rooms with odd angles, so it gets crowded quickly, and you have to watch for the steam jets in the steam room or your legs can get sizzled. The "specialty" showers in the thermal suite are nice, with rainstorm effects, waterfall, etc.

 

The men's locker room is down the hall from the thermal suite and has a single toilet, urinals, and several showers. It's a bit cramped, but serviceable. It's a little annoying having to walk down to the thermal suite from there. All that having been said, if we were to cruise on these ships again (and we typically avoid them in favor of the sadly dwindling number of Royal's ships with complimentary facilities), we would get the thermal suite pass anyway, because it is a big part of the cruise experience for us. It's like having a spa vacation, and we would typically visit these facilities several times a day if possible. 

 

It will all depend on your sailing and who else is interested, as well as what time you go down to use it, how crowded and noisy it may be. But to get the most out of it, you'd want to go at least daily, if not morning and afternoon, or something like that.

[Jerseygirl1416]

I’m pretty sure you can purchase it in the cruise planner so you can probably see the price there. The one on Oasis isn’t very nice. Nothing like the NCL thermal spa. Even Carnival’s is nicer.

[Deeliteful]

Do the Radiance Class ships have the Thermal Spas?

[CntPAcruiser]

8 hours ago, Deeliteful said:

Do the Radiance Class ships have the Thermal Spas?

 

These ships have complimentary facilities in the fitness center locker rooms and also have thermal spas, from what I could find on Royal's blog. The thermal spas incur a fee, of course.

[Stealthdog]

We did a tour of the spa on the Symphony and were surprised at how basic the thermal space was.  We normally get passes on NCL and Celebrity, but Oasis class ships dont seem to be worth it for us.  If you are on the fence still before the cruise, just wait until you are on and check it out.  It will probably be a bit more expensive to buy passes on board, but you will at least be able to see it to make that decision.

Edited September 28, 2022 by Stealthdog

[Oceansaway17]

Nope, nada.

Best thermal spa is on NCL class ships built in the last 7-8 years.  Really nice with lots of variety.

Other ships do not compare.

[BirdTravels]

On 9/27/2022 at 9:16 PM, 1Texansgo said:

Boarding Allure in December which will be first time on Oasis class. I have always frequented the complimentary steam/sauna areas and usually use the facilities around 5 times on a 7 night cruise. I have read less than sterling reviews about the coed thermal suites and am really torn about paying the up charge. My wife will not go near a sauna or steam so it would just be me getting the pass. It was a bit over a hundred bucks last time I checked. Welcome any thoughts and opinions.

A total waste of money. A half dozen stone loungers and a sauna and steamroom. The "relaxation" area is overrun with people waiting for treatments. Doesn't meet even a minimum expectation. If you want a nice thermal suite, sail on NCL on one of their bigger ships.

 

 

[blueslily]

Not to me. As shared by others, NCL has better options for sure. MSC does as well. I do not waste my money on it on Royal ships. There isn't enough variety and they are tiny.