Thalassotherapy Pool Worth the Bucks?

[bassnoodler]

For non-suite passengers onboard Azamara ships there is an upcharge for access to the Thalassotherapy pool that lasts one's entire cruise. About $200 per cabin.

 

Typically the regular hotubs are full and not that warm. I am curious about what people who have used the Thalassotherapy Pool thought of it and the experience in general? Is their a view from the pool etc. Is it worth it?

[uktog]

Actually the free access is only for Penthouse and Royal Suite guests. No it is not worth the extra- they sell it on the basis that the surrounding area has lots of loungers however they always sell more passes than there is space available

[critterchick]

It depends on what you want to use it for - we were on the Journey Panama Canal crossing and it was always packed during the day, to the point where I had to enlist the help of the spa personnel to clean off a chair hog's belongings. They sold far more passes than they had capacity for, plus they didn't monitor entry, so there was no telling whether everybody who was out there had paid for the privilege. They also tacked on an 18% gratuity for nothing - they didn't even come through to change out the used coverings on the loungers.

 

On the other hand, we tended to go later in the day (DH is not a sunseeker) and it was a lovely way to spend an hour in the late afternoon - very quiet and relaxing. The water could have been a bit hotter for US tastes, but the Scandinavians onboard liked it, so it depends on our preference.

 

And for viewing the entry into the Panama Canal, it couldn't be beat - that was the one day when they did guard the entrance, and the viewing was terrific.

 

So I'm glad we did it on a cruise with a lot of sea days, but I wouldn't pay the upcharge on a port-intensive cruise, which most AZ itineraries are. My verbose two cents!:)

[abenaki]

For us, on a Caribbean voyage, the pool was very worth the $175.00. During the 4 sea days it was more crowded, but the spa ladies did monitor entrance and only once do I remember the loungers to be full.

 

The best part was that we were able to get away from the very crowded main pool with all of its music, noise, and bodies. Around the Thalassotherapy pool it was almost always quiet.

 

It made the trip, as far as we were concerned. The view over the bow of the ship is excellent while traveling. We could move from a sunny to a shady lounger as we wished. Perfect.

 

As for the pool itself, it was hot every day, and there were never more than 2 or 3 people using it.

 

The very first thing we did when getting on the ship was to buy our passes, and if we were to sail another time with Azamara, its the first thing I would do again. There were 24 loungers, and I was told that they sell 30 passes, plus the suite guests.

 

As mentioned, if you intend to leave the ship each and every day, or if you like pool games and being with everyone else in the crowd, it might not be worth it for you. However, it certainly was for us.

[crzrr]

I agree with the previous poster. On our Quest cruise in the Caribbean we purchased the passes and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. It was very quiet and very comfortable out there.

 

On our upcoming Med cruise we will not purchase the passes. It is a very port intensive cruise and I would not expect that we will use the pool area much.

[spanglycruisegirl]

The very first thing we did when getting on the ship was to buy our passes, and if we were to sail another time with Azamara, its the first thing I would do again. There were 24 loungers, and I was told that they sell 30 passes, plus the suite guests.

 

 

Are these passes sold at the spa ?

We didn't buy them for our TA last April but we have even more sea days on our next cruise and,after reading the comments,I'm very tempted.

[Redtravel]

I'm on a 14 day cruise. Do I have to prepurchase for the entire cruise or can I pay per day or visit? IF so, what would it cost? Can you purchase a pass before you cruise or do you have to rush up and pay when you board? Is the pool really worth it? I have a bad back.

[abenaki]

The passes are purchased at the Spa and cannot be pre-purchased. On our cruise, they sold out the first day. I had read somewhere that they were available on a day to day basis but I know that there were people who tried to get a pass and were told that it was sold out.

 

My guess is that with a bad back you would very much enjoy the jets of the pool. You sit on a large bench made of pipes and the jets come up from below and behind you.

 

As I said, I think the best benefit was the quiet and solitude, if that appeals to you.

[uktog]

The passes are purchased at the Spa and cannot be pre-purchased. On our cruise, they sold out the first day. I had read somewhere that they were available on a day to day basis but I know that there were people who tried to get a pass and were told that it was sold out.

 

My guess is that with a bad back you would very much enjoy the jets of the pool. You sit on a large bench made of pipes and the jets come up from below and behind you.

 

As I said, I think the best benefit was the quiet and solitude, if that appeals to you.

 

Unfortunately given that they sell up to 15 couples passes, the Penthouse and Royal Suites have free access (10 couples) and anyone having treatments can use the area for the hour before and after a treatmemetn (4 treatment rooms) this can mean over 50 people are trying to access the area which on our last trip had space for 20 people to sit or lie (there are in fact only 12 loungers). I would not recommend buying a pass if you are hoping to be able to get somewhere guaranteed to lie. In the end they refunded the cost of some passes on our trip to people as they were often coming up and could find nowhere to sit or lie

[JennAngel9]

Having now read this thread, I would add it to the list of things to complain to Azamara about... I mean, to suggest as an area of improvement. We love thalasso and plan to pay for the passes, but we will be pretty cross if a collective $400 does not secure us lounger availability upon arrival-- the overselling is a bit rediculous.

[KnoxvilleSam]

Having now read this thread, I would add it to the list of things to complain to Azamara about... I mean, to suggest as an area of improvement. We love thalasso and plan to pay for the passes, but we will be pretty cross if a collective $400 does not secure us lounger availability upon arrival-- the overselling is a bit rediculous.

 

I think the price is no more than $200 per cabin, not $200 per person. And I actually thought it was $175 per cabin (at least on our cruise in the Baltics a month ago). On our cruise, I don't think I ever saw more than 3-4 other people using the T-pool area when I was there (4-5 times, generally sea days or late afternoon of a port day). I'm sure other itineraries have heavier usage.

 

Sam

[JennAngel9]

Oops, thanks for the clarification Sam-- though I believe the overselling is still a bad business idea for a "semi-luxury" brand. We did the Tahitian's equivalent in the South Pacific and used it every day w/o availability problems.

 

I would expect the Baltic itineraries to get the least usage, we are sailing around the Western edge of Europe, so hopefully the usage won't be as heavy as say, an Italian/Caribbean cruise.

 

Can any other recent AZ cruisers report on the lounger availability in the thalasso area?

Thanks!

[uktog]

It does work at $200 per couple (not sure what would happen if you had 3 in a room) The reason is they add an 18% service charge (but there is no service) you can access flavoured water that any walking through the spa can and you can use changing rooms that anyone using the gym can use. Never once was any service given during the day (ie tidying away dirty glasses people had left around)

I would agree this is something Azamara really need to look at again as it was clearly a spa money making activity however if the T pool is something that you really want (and it is a small pool, more like a big hot tub) then manybe it is worth purchasing a pass

[KnoxvilleSam]

In contrast to uktog's experience, on our recent Journey cruise, an attendant was out by the T-pool cleaning up every time I was there - admittedly there wasn't a lot to clean up since there was very little use, but he was there - rolling and putting out towels, refilling the flavored water when needed, etc. as well as picking up any debris left behind by those using the T-pool.

 

Sam

[uktog]

Thats good to hear Sam, hope that is the standard and what we experienced was the exception for those who pay up in the future, still unsure if we will pay on our next trip or not

[JennAngel9]

On the Tahitian Princess, they had people come around with frozen fruit skewers and (less frequently) complimentary sparkling wine. I believe there was also a regular "for order" drink server circulating, but we didn't pay too much attention to that.

[uktog]

Certainly nothing like that on Azamara - unless it has changed in the last few months

[critterchick]

In contrast to uktog's experience, on our recent Journey cruise, an attendant was out by the T-pool cleaning up every time I was there - admittedly there wasn't a lot to clean up since there was very little use, but he was there - rolling and putting out towels, refilling the flavored water when needed, etc. as well as picking up any debris left behind by those using the T-pool.

 

Sam

 

It's a start, but still less than what the attendants at the main pool do - did he every bring by a rolling cart with cold towels, spritzer water, cucumber slices (for your eyes or to eat depending on your preference;)), carrot juice, etc? After what I saw on Quest at the main pool, I wouldn't bother with the T-pool again.:)

[JennAngel9]

Thanks Jean! That is important information when deciding where to spend our non t-pool time.

 

Does anybody know the hours of the T-pool itself? I know on the big celebrity ships, it closes at either 10 or 11.

 

Also, as long as we are discussing the main pool area-- how easy is it to get 2 lounge chairs together in the sun (pool proximity not necessary)? Does AZ have any anti-chairhog policies?

[Ex-Airbalancer]

how easy is it to get 2 lounge chairs together in the sun (pool proximity not necessary)? Does AZ have any anti-chairhog policies?

it was not bad the week we were on, but the ship keep on moving so at times it was hard to stay in the sun:rolleyes:

[critterchick]

Thanks Jean! That is important information when deciding where to spend our non t-pool time.

 

Does anybody know the hours of the T-pool itself? I know on the big celebrity ships, it closes at either 10 or 11.

 

Also, as long as we are discussing the main pool area-- how easy is it to get 2 lounge chairs together in the sun (pool proximity not necessary)? Does AZ have any anti-chairhog policies?

 

It closed when the spa did, as I recall, which on Journey was 8:00 on sea days and 10:00 on port days. The main pool area closed really early, maybe even by 8:00 every night. But I confess that I don't remember.

 

On Quest there was no problem finding a lounger - we only had 2 sea days in 14, so many people were busy with ship activities, doing laundry or resting up from lots of strenuous port activities. On Journey we had 9 sea days and not much time in most of the ports, so it was very busy by the pool and I did notice that the loungers filled up. There were quite a few with just towels on them whenever I passed by, and given how few people were in the pool, I don't think that the people holding them were anywhere near by. For the first few days they posted the "no reserving loungers" rule in the Pursuits. When we filled out our mid-cruise survey I asked why they bothered publishing the rule if they weren't going to enforce it. So they stopped publishing it.:rolleyes:

[JennAngel9]

Thanks! 8pm is a very early closure time, 10pm is a bit better.. I will have to look at our itinerary again and give this some thought. I've always considered the t-pool a substitute for having a proper bubble bath at home (for relaxation, not cleanliness purposes), and I'm not sure if I like the idea of a pre-dinner soak or if we're even likely to have time for it most evenings.

 

As far as staying in the sun goes, I've never found it to be much of a problem-- are the loungers nailed down or something?

[karolm]

On the Journey in June the T-Pool closed at 8pm everyday. That was 2 hours before the spa closed. You were able to drag the very heavy wood lounge chairs around.

[KnoxvilleSam]

It's a start, but still less than what the attendants at the main pool do - did he every bring by a rolling cart with cold towels, spritzer water, cucumber slices (for your eyes or to eat depending on your preference;)), carrot juice, etc? After what I saw on Quest at the main pool, I wouldn't bother with the T-pool again.:)

 

Hi Jean -

 

No, the attendant didn't bring by all those goodies. And, if I'd had to pay extra for the T-pool, I wouldn't have, particularly on a port-intensive cruise. But since it was "free" to penthouse/royal suites (which we upgraded to for an extra $140 over our sky suite reservation), we (three of us) certainly took advantage of it.

 

Sam

[JennAngel9]

8PM everyday!? I hope they will at least leave it open as late as the spa. :/

 

That's definitely going on my mid-cruise comment card. ;)