Fitness Center Questions in General (Enchantment in Particular)

[truck72003]

Hi.

We've been on 3 RCI cruises but I haven't taken advantage of the fitness facilities yet. Big surprise. Thus, I have some questions for our upcoming trip on the Enchantment...

Is the use of the fitness center included in the cruise fare?
What does that include? Lockers, showers, sauna, fitness machines, relaxation room? What is not included that they charge extra for?
What exactly is a relaxation room?
I've heard of people using fitness center shower/changing facilities in lieu of cramped stateroom heads. Has anyone tried that and how does that work?
Is there a difference between fitness center changing rooms and spa changing rooms?
Are there other poolside changing rooms?

Thanks!

[bearing316]

Originally Posted by truck72003

Hi.

We've been on 3 RCI cruises but I haven't taken advantage of the fitness facilities yet. Big surprise. Thus, I have some questions for our upcoming trip on the Enchantment...

Is the use of the fitness center included in the cruise fare?
What does that include? Lockers, showers, sauna, fitness machines, relaxation room? What is not included that they charge extra for?
What exactly is a relaxation room?
I've heard of people using fitness center shower/changing facilities in lieu of cramped stateroom heads. Has anyone tried that and how does that work?
Is there a difference between fitness center changing rooms and spa changing rooms?
Are there other poolside changing rooms?

Thanks!

We will be sailing on Enchatment next week. DH and I try to go to the fitness center every weekday on cruise to keep away all those extra unwanted pounds. Use of the Fitness Center (lockers, showers, exercise equipment, etc.) is included in the cruise fare with exception of certain group exercise classes like Pilates and Spinning which are identified by a dollar sign in the Cruise Compass.

The relaxation room is an area people go prior to spa treatments. On Grandeur of the Seas (same class as Enchatment), they have floor to ceiling windows overlooking the ocean, cucumber water, and relaxing music. I've heard people on Cruise Critic say that anyone can go in and utilize the room but I typically use it as I am filling out my spa treatment paperwork.

The fitness center changing room is the locker room. Where the spa changing room is the room they bring you into to do your treatment. I've never utilized the fitness center bathroom to get ready. I've heard the steam sauna is great for opening your pores for a shave though.

This will be our first time on Enchatment but I was able to find out the information below from other posts on Cruise Critic:

Fitness Center: packs about 12 treadmills, eight recumbent bikes and five ellipticals, with free weights , machines, and a group exercise room, into a small space. The steam/sauna were removed and replaced with spa services when she was lengthened.

[truck72003]

Thanks!!

[TourDeCruise]

We are sailing on the Enchantment on Monday and want to keep up our everyday exercise routine, plus I am undergoing PT for recent arthroscopic knee surgery. In adddition to recumbent bikes, do they also have upright stationary bikes? Is the equipment Life Fitness for the aerobic and resistance equipment like on Jewel of the Seas and Celebrity ships, or another brand? Is the equipment relatively new or should we expect no-name brand, antiquated equipment? We were on the Grandeur a few years ago and are hoping the equipment is newer on the Enchantment or more "state-of-the-art."

This will sound like a stupid question, but I need to practice on steps as part of PT and need a rail on each side of the steps so I can climb down holding onto the rails (I can go up with one set of rails). Does the Enchantment have the narrow set of stairs with rails on the side (or one side with wall close) going up into the fitness center like the Grandeur does? If not, any suggestions for another set of narrow stairs with rails like an aft outside public area or on the promenade deck?

Also, do you know if they have the step bench that one can build higher with plastic blocks that insert into the bottom? Also, do they have a leg press and a leg extension/curl machine?

Dh wants to know if there is a pullup bar to do pullups - especially without hitting his head on the ceiling?

TIA!
Kathy

[sea_la_vie]

I'm curious about the fitness center as well! My husband and I plan on keeping up our workout routines onboard

[warminwintertexas]

So does that mean that the steam room and sauna disappeared on Grandeur or are they still there without payiing for spa services?

[Lysingers]

Originally Posted by truck72003

Hi.

We've been on 3 RCI cruises but I haven't taken advantage of the fitness facilities yet. Big surprise. Thus, I have some questions for our upcoming trip on the Enchantment...

Is the use of the fitness center included in the cruise fare?
What does that include? Lockers, showers, sauna, fitness machines, relaxation room? What is not included that they charge extra for?
What exactly is a relaxation room?
I've heard of people using fitness center shower/changing facilities in lieu of cramped stateroom heads. Has anyone tried that and how does thatwork?
Is there a difference between fitness center changing rooms and spa changing rooms?
Are there other poolside changing rooms?

Thanks!

I've used the Enchantment's fitness center shower facilities more than once both times that I cruised on her. (Never availed myself of the actual fitness equipment, but my husband and son both did--no charge.) It was as simple as walking up to the spa reception desk and asking if I could use them. I think this year they took my sea pass card (not the year before), but I verified that no charges would be incurred. There is a restroom area with two or three stalls, and an adjoining medium-sized room with a wall of lockers, a shelf with abundant, very large plain towels, a single large wooden bench, a doctor's office type scale, one very large shower stall with a curtain (that was missing a few hooks), and an additional stall with a glass door, that had a steam shower and individual pull-down seat in it. The steam controls were very confusing to use, and did not always work right. The room was hardly ever busy, and I was sometimes the only one in there, and stayed as long as I wished. There was some kind of an all-in-one shower gel/shampoo provided in a dispenser on the wall in the showers that was convenient to use. Because of the ability to use this shower room, I have yet to ever even try the teensy shower in our stateroom on either of our cruises. Only problem was that I then had to throw on a cover-up and walk down several floors to go back to our cabin. You could, however, bring your change of clothes, keep them in a locker while you shower, and actually finish dressing before you leave the room if you wished.

[dmdicato]

I also use the showers there exclusively and not the one in the room....much larger shower!

[tracysue]

after a long day in the sun the steam room is great for cleaning out the pores - and the showers are much larger than in the room, so I usually will shower there - as well..... then go back to room for all the prettying up..... the fitness centers are all great!

[terpfan101]

I was on a five day cruise in August 2011 with my girlfriend. We used to fitness center three times I believe, mainly just doing weights and cardio machines. Most of the equipment was in great shape and it was all pretty new. Never too crowded when we went. It was a lot smaller than I recall the Navigator's being though. Also it's great that there are windows going all around and thus you can see outside at the ocean while running on a treadmill

[mcmarya]

We were on the Enchantment in December. At that time there were no upright exercise bikes, just recumbent.

[iamsunnysarah]

Originally Posted by terpfan101

Also it's great that there are windows going all around and thus you can see outside at the ocean while running on a treadmill

One of my fave parts of exercising at sea! A few days, I was up early enough to see us pull into port as I was running- magnicicent!

I would also add that on our Serenade cruise last year, the treadmills registered kilometers per hour instead of miles per hour. Not a big deal for normal people that adjust the treadmill to their workout intensity, but I have a specific routine that I do, and took a minute to figure out why my workout suddenly seemed so much easier!