Question Regarding Vibe & Spa

[Daruma]

Hello, folks,

 

Cruising neophyte here, (last cruise was Disney 15 years ago, lol), and first time NCL cruiser.

 

My cruise is a LOOOONNNNGGG way away, (April 13, 2025), but I am of course excited. 

 

My question... your thoughts/opinions regarding The Vibe and the Spa?

 

Do you think they're worth their cost? Did you use them frequently? General thought, opinions, suggestions? 

 

Thank you all very much for your time and help.

[JGmf]

2025 is indeed a LONG way away.  Nonetheless, congratulations on getting a cruise booked!

 

It would help us all to know which ship and what sailing.

 

Essentially, the weather for your cruise will dictate how likely you are to spend a lot of time in either the Vibe or the Thermal Spa.  Vibe is best in warm/hot weather as it's outdoors; and the Spa is popular with a lot of people on cooler weather sailings.

 

The ship matters as some Spa and Vibe amenities are nicer and bigger than others.

 

Given the above, we have enjoyed the Vibe for our warm weather cruises principally b/c the availability of loungers, the private bar, and the elbow room in the hot tubs.  None of that is true in the general public pool deck areas.

 

 

[Daruma]

3 minutes ago, JGmf said:

2025 is indeed a LONG way away.  Nonetheless, congratulations on getting a cruise booked!

 

It would help us all to know which ship and what sailing.

 

Essentially, the weather for your cruise will dictate how likely you are to spend a lot of time in either the Vibe or the Thermal Spa.  Vibe is best in warm/hot weather as it's outdoors; and the Spa is popular with a lot of people on cooler weather sailings.

 

The ship matters as some Spa and Vibe amenities are nicer and bigger than others.

 

Given the above, we have enjoyed the Vibe for our warm weather cruises principally b/c the availability of loungers, the private bar, and the elbow room in the hot tubs.  None of that is true in the general public pool deck areas.

 

 

 

Ah, ok, thank you... and yes it's a LOOOOONNNGGG way off, lol.

 

I'm on the Escape, 7 day that goes to Roatan, Cozumel, Costa Maya, and Harvest Caye.

[vacation44]

We are huge Vibe fans and will not sail a bigger ship without securing Vibe passes.  

[mma__leanne]

I purchased a Vibe pass for the first time last year since I was travelling with a first time cruiser who wanted to go all out.  Well, I will now never travel without the Vibe pass.  The bartending staff there was absolutely amazing and we had a great group of travelers we met and saw every day!  In fact, we started meeting up with them outside of the Vibe after hours for the themed parties.

 

I kind of miss the Carribean music on the deck, but I'll be honest, that band is not usually that good, so I can just bring my Bluetooth earbuds if that's all I'm missing!

[laudergayle]

If it’s early to mid-April you could run into the Spring Break crowds…especially in the Caribbean.  I say the Vibe could be a savings Grace.  We don’t normally do the Vibe…but sure would if traveling at peak time for family/teens/youngsters.  

[SoloAlaska]

Also depend on how port intensive your cruise is. I know some people who say the spa is essential in Alaska but honestly I don’t have that much spare time when visiting Alaska. I am thinking of getting the spa pass for my TA but there are a lot of sea days and the price is really good considering the length of the cruise.

[IAcruising]

11 hours ago, mma__leanne said:

Well, I will now never travel without the Vibe pass. 

 

 

This is why Mrs. IA won't get a Vibe pass even though she knows she'd love it. She'll never want to cruise again without it.

 

[PATRLR]

If you like hanging out at the pool, with the crowds and all the partying that goes on around the pools, and I mean really like it, Vibe may not be fore you.  We enjoy Vibe because we want to get away from that scene.  Vibe is a quiet place, guaranteed to have enough loungers, dedicated bar staff and bar servers, no pool, but does have hot tubs.  Some Vibe's have a water feature to cool off in.  As others have said, we won't sail the bigger ships in warm weather without the vibe.

 

As for the spa, it's indoors.  We don't like being cooped up indoors, especially when the weather is nice outside.  We would never do the spa, but that's just us.

[AndyCapn]

The Vibe's pluses

1) Much faster bar service

2) No children

3) Chair hogs are a non-factor

4) Almost always room in the hot tub

 

The Vibe's cons

1) It costs more

 

For my wife and I, it's been a must-buy every time (except when we had Haven). Despite the Beach Club name, it's much more chill than the pool deck.

 

All that said, my next cruise sailing out of New York in February, I'm trying the spa instead.

[Frogger22]

We love both the Vibe and the Spa, found we were able to get a lot of time in each on the Encore Caribbean itinerary. Booked both for upcoming Bliss Mexican Rivera. Still on the fence for the Viva all port San Juan itinerary. 

[grobma]

For me, cruising is an opportunity to splurge and treat myself right. I now do both the Vibe and the Spa. They are very different experiences, and I love them both. Especially since I tend to sail when there are a lot of kids on board, both are child-free havens. Even when I would sit poolside, I would rarely actually go in the pool, and the hot tubs are always crowded and with lots of kids. The Vibe is a nice respite from that, and a much bigger hot tub. And awesome bar service.