ALL THINGS CLOUD 9 SPA - A Detailed Photo/Video Review Of Carnival Dream Spa

[rockbock]

Question, are there no more "free" saunas? Just wondering if there was another small sauna area that you could use without having to pay for it.

 

The public locker rooms (not the private ones in the Cloud 9 area), each have a small sauna. They are not co-ed...just one in the Men's locker room and one in the Ladies locker room. The public sauna was small and not at all attractive looking. It was turned off the one time I went into the locker room just to check it out. I assume you can turn it on/off yourself each time you want to use it? I would never use it.

[familycruzinnewbie]

I will be in a similar cabin on the Breeze but on the floor below, so it is a 4J and no spa access. I thought if you were offered some kind of upgrade to a spa cabin, you do not get free spa access, or is that just the people that end up there on a guarantee cabin. The next upgrade from a 4J is a 4S Spa Inside which might not work for us. And it looks like your cabin is the only spa Oceanview for 4, so chances of ending up there are small.

 

When we were on the Liberty we stayed on the spa deck in the family OV, which became a family balcony before sailing. I regularly used the accessible shower in the Spa area. If we are not in a Spa cabin, are there similar Spa showers available to the public?

[rockbock]

I will be in a similar cabin on the Breeze but on the floor below, so it is a 4J and no spa access. I thought if you were offered some kind of upgrade to a spa cabin, you do not get free spa access, or is that just the people that end up there on a guarantee cabin. The next upgrade from a 4J is a 4S Spa Inside which might not work for us. And it looks like your cabin is the only spa Oceanview for 4, so chances of ending up there are small.

 

When we were on the Liberty we stayed on the spa deck in the family OV, which became a family balcony before sailing. I regularly used the accessible shower in the Spa area. If we are not in a Spa cabin, are there similar Spa showers available to the public?

 

 

People on CC love to thread crap and offer advice that they *think* is factual based on something that they read somewhere else. Before you know it, everybody believes what they've seen posted previously and the real truth is lost.

 

When I paid for this upgrade (the whole $3.60 lol), I knew I was entitled to spa access. I was very excited and posted here about it. People immediately started telling me that I didn't qualify for spa access because I was upgraded via my Early Saver rate. Even though I knew I was correct, it was still a little scary seeing so many people try to convince me I was wrong. So I called Carnival back to verify that I was entitled to spa privileges. The rep confirmed that the only time spa access is not included is if a spa cabin is assigned via a Guarantee rate. After more comments from CC know-it-alls, I called Carnival back again and made the rep make notes on my account that I would receive spa access. It's kind of crazy that I'm a TA and I knew I was right, but it's easy to let the CC know-it-alls make you second guess yourself.

 

You are almost correct about the Spa Oceanview cabins on the Dream. There are only four of them, so they sell out quickly. Two of them (11201 and 11202) are quads. The other two (11203 and 11204) are triples. The triples are slightly larger rooms than the quads, but all four of them are enormous.

 

Most of the 4J cabins on the Dream class ships are standard size cabins, but they have the window and semi-private deck access. A few of the 4J cabins are larger cabins like the one I was in. You need to look at the deck plans and it will be obvious which 4J cabins are the enormous ones versus the standard-size cabins.

 

I made it a point to shower in the Cloud 9 showers each day, and they were very nice. However, on one of our early port mornings I needed the shower before the Cloud 9 Spa opened at 8am. I went into the public locker room. The showers in there were nicer than the cabin showers, but not as nice as the Cloud 9 showers. The problem I experienced, however, is that the shower had NO hot water. It was dry when I got in there, so I was the first person to use the shower. I never got hot. I don't know if it was just a malfunctioning morning or if they were always that way.

Edited October 14, 2012 by rockbock

[rockbock]

Now we'll move on to the Relaxation Room and the Cloud 9 Locker Room. The last time I posted the photo below, we entered the "private" area on the left to get to the steam baths and saunas. This time, we'll enter the private area on the right:

 

 

 

 

Once we get through that door, we'll pass the locker rooms on our right:

 

 

 

 

 

 

And the Relaxation Room will be at the end of the hallway, also marked as Private:

 

 

Edited October 14, 2012 by rockbock

[rockbock]

The Relaxation Room is maintained at a cool temperature. It has cloth-covered chairs with ottomans, all of which overlook the ocean. There is a table in the back of the room which has a selection of hot teas, as well as two types of iced fruit water (orange and lemon). Previous Cloud 9 Spa reviews mentioned that fresh fruit and yogurt were available in this room; however, there were never any food products provided in this room during the week that I was on the ship.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[jwilloughby46]

and all the cloud 9 saunas are coed? I assume bathing suits are required then? ;)

[rockbock]

and all the cloud 9 saunas are coed? I assume bathing suits are required then? ;)

 

 

Correct...The Cloud 9 rooms are all co-ed, except for the locker rooms.

 

I never saw any signs requiring bathing suits, but everyone wore them and, quite honestly, I would have felt very uncomfortable if I had entered a room and saw somebody without one! :eek:

Edited October 14, 2012 by rockbock

[rockbock]

When leaving the Relaxation Room, the Cloud 9 Locker rooms are on your left. It's important to note that these locker rooms are private and only available to Cloud 9 Spa passengers. There are separate lockers rooms available to the general public.

 

 

 

 

 

I didn't ask my husband to photograph the Mens Locker Room; however, I'm assuming it is very similar to the Ladies Locker Room.

 

The locker room has a double-door entry. After you walk through the first door, you will be in a tiny area and you'll have to go through a second door.

 

 

 

 

Upon entering the locker room, you'll be in a large open area with four sinks, each with its own mirror and hair dryer. The hair dryers are nicer than the ones in the cabins. There are two walls of lockers available. The good news is that they are free to use. The bad news is that they BEEP nonstop. The beeping noise was present every time I entered the locker room for the entire week. It was definitely the most annoying thing about the entire Cloud 9 Spa. The large room also has a nice bench (would have been nice if there were 2 or 3 of them, since there was room), fresh towels, and access to 3 restrooms and two showers. One of the restrooms is handicapped accessible, as is one of the showers. The handicap shower is double the size of the other shower; however, the standard shower was large and I preferred it since it had a nice bench and glass doors. It was easier to keep my bags and clothes dry in this one, since the hadicapped-accessible shower was completely open. The handicap shower also did not have a tile bench. The showers were very nice, with rainfall shower head, handheld showerhead, and powerful side jets.

 

PHOTOS OF MAIN LOCKER ROOM AREA:

 

 

 

 

Edited October 14, 2012 by rockbock

[rockbock]

MORE PHOTOS OF MAIN LOCKER ROOM AREA:

 

 

 

 

Edited October 14, 2012 by rockbock

[rockbock]

PHOTOS OF HANDICAPPED-ACCESSIBLE RESTROOM:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PHOTO OF REGULAR RESTROOM:

 

 

[rockbock]

PHOTOS OF HANDICAPPED-ACCESSIBLE SHOWER:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[rockbock]

PHOTOS OF REGULAR SHOWER:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 14, 2012 by rockbock

[rockbock]

Upon leaving the area with the Relaxation Room and Locker Rooms, you'll pass the entry to the steam baths/saunas on your right and the Thalasso Pool is straight ahead at the end of the hallway. Also on your right are the spiral staircase up to the 14th and 15th floors (Serenity Decks!!!), the glass elevator, and the spiral staircase down to the 11th floor. Like most hotels, this ship does not have a 13th floor.

 

[familycruzinnewbie]

Thanks. It would currently be $500 more for me to upgrade to Spa OV, so I will wait, I have 18 months yet. The quad 4Js 10201, 10202, 10203 and 10204 look similar, though maybe a little bit smaller than what you had. The 2 person 10205 and 10206 look much smaller than the 3 person ones above. There are more 2 person 4Js on 6, 7 and 9 and they also look smaller with the exception of the accessible ones on 7.

Edited October 14, 2012 by familycruzinnewbie

[rockbock]

Well, that's all folks! I've finally completed this extensive review of the Cloud 9 Spa facilities on the Carnival Dream. I hope I've been able to answer a lot of the questions that I was unable to find answers to before my own cruise. Please feel free to ask questions or post your own experiences here.

 

 

Gotta answer this one last question for everyone...

 

WAS THE CLOUD 9 SPA PACKAGE WORTH IT?

I'm going to answer this question as honestly and extensively as I possibly can, since the answer isn't completely black and white for me. FOR MY SITUATION, this was unquestionably the absolute best bargain of an upgrade I could have found. I basically paid $3.60 to upgrade my family of 5 from a Deluxe OV to this enormous Spa OV cabin, with semi-private deck, spa access, quiet location, amazing forward views, etc..

 

I am generally satisfied with an inside cabin, so I book the cheapest cabin I can find. On previous cruises, I have turned down upgrades to an OV cabin (from inside) when it would have cost $40 total for my family of 5. That's how cheap I am! I would never pay more than about $150 total to upgrade my family from an inside to a balcony...just isn't worth it to me. Keeping that in mind, here's what I'd be willing to pay for a Spa cabin:

 

Assuming I was booked in an inside cabin or porthole cabin, I would probably be willing to pay as much as $400 extra (total for the entire family) to move into one of the Spa OV cabins. This is because of the entire package deal (great room, great location, great deck, spa access, etc.). I would NOT pay that much to move from an inside cabin or porthole cabin to a Spa Balcony cabin. I know that sounds CRAZY, but I'm not nearly as impressed with the Spa Balcony cabins as I was with the Spa OV cabins. The Spa Balcony cabins are small (standard size) and the location of them isn't quite as amazing or convenient as the Spa OV cabins (which face out the front of the ship). I'd probably pay as much as $250 to $300 extra to upgrade my family to a Spa Balcony cabin from an inside or porthole cabin. I don't think I would pay more than $150 total for the family to upgrade from an inside or porthole cabin to a Spa Inside cabin. To me, the ONLY "upgrade" there is to a Spa inside cabin is the spa access itself, since the cabins themselves are no different than any other inside cabin on the ship.

 

So as you can see, I personally value the Spa Access at about $150 for the week (per couple). Based on our actual use, I would NOT pay the $250/couple to purchase access for the week. The Cloud 9 Spa is available from 5pm Saturday until 10pm Friday...That's more than $35 per day, per couple. On port days, we used the spa for about an hour. On the two sea days, it was closer to two hours per day. On one day, we never made it to the spa. I figure we were in the spa area for a total of 7-8 hours over the course of the cruise. That works out to about $30 to $35 per hour for a couple. To me, that's a VERY steep price to pay for a private hot tub and use of the steam baths/saunas. I guess I might reconsider the value if I were planning to stay on the ship during some of the port days, but I just didn't use the spa area enough to justify the cost of purchasing it without a spa cabin.

 

That being said, I did LOVE the Cloud 9 Spa package and I will seek out future deals on Spa OV cabins. The cabin itself is what truly made this an amazing value for my family.

 

Aside from cost, since everybody has their own ideas of what's a good value, or whether value even matters, I'd rate the Cloud Spa a 9.5/10.

 

The only things I can say would really improve the spa area would be:

(1) Eliminate the annoying doors which require you to use two hands to open them (one to turn a little knob and the other hand to turn the door handle itself)

(2) Eliminate the need for brancelets and the need to turn in S&S cards in exchange for the VIP card by programming the S&S cards for Spa Guests to open the spa room doors. I know it isn't done this way because of the potential abuse of giving your S&S card away to non-spa guests, but there are very easy ways to circumvent the current system too if you really want to, so why not just simplify the process?

(3) The floor are always wet in the hallways and rooms. Most people went to the spa on the first day wearing their robes and slippers, because it seemed like "the thing to do." It was quickly realized by everybody that slippers and the spa area don't mix! Nor does lugging around a robe, even though there are hooks. Most people, after the first day, walked to the spa using the private staircase/elevator, wearing only flip flops and a swimsuit.

(4) Add some fruit and/or other healthy snacks to the relaxation room.

Edited October 14, 2012 by rockbock

[nik23]

Thanks for the wonderful review and awesome pics.:)

 

We are booked in a spa balcony on the Breeze in January and have been looking for some information, your review came at the perfect time. Now I am really excited !!! Our cruise has 3 sea days, so I believe we will have a lot of time to explore these wonderful spaces.:)

 

Thanks again.

 

Question: our cabin is closer to the front elevators rather than the private staircase (cabin 11244)...are we able to access the private areas from there as well?

Edited October 14, 2012 by nik23

[rockbock]

Question: our cabin is closer to the front elevators rather than the private staircase (cabin 11244)...are we able to access the private areas from there as well?

 

Assuming this section of the Breeze is set up identical to the Dream, you should be able to use either set of stairs. If you choose to use the front stairs/elevators, you would approach the Spa Desk from the opposite side than the view you see in my photos. You would basically be looking at the spiral staircase as you approach the Spa Desk and the Spa Desk would be on your left.

[deborahjo]

Thank you for the great review. We will be on the Splendor in December in a Spa Cabin. I love the thermolassas pool and all the steam rooms. Can hardly wait. Again thanks for your time.

 

 

PS I know where I will be spending my time.

Edited October 14, 2012 by deborahjo

[justjim312]

People on CC love to thread crap and offer advice that they *think* is factual based on something that they read somewhere else. Before you know it, everybody believes what they've seen posted previously and the real truth is lost.

 

When I paid for this upgrade (the whole $3.60 lol), I knew I was entitled to spa access. I was very excited and posted here about it. People immediately started telling me that I didn't qualify for spa access because I was upgraded via my Early Saver rate. Even though I knew I was correct, it was still a little scary seeing so many people try to convince me I was wrong. So I called Carnival back to verify that I was entitled to spa privileges. The rep confirmed that the only time spa access is not included is if a spa cabin is assigned via a Guarantee rate. After more comments from CC know-it-alls, I called Carnival back again and made the rep make notes on my account that I would receive spa access. It's kind of crazy that I'm a TA and I knew I was right, but it's easy to let the CC know-it-alls make you second guess yourself.

 

You are almost correct about the Spa Oceanview cabins on the Dream. There are only four of them, so they sell out quickly. Two of them (11201 and 11202) are quads. The other two (11203 and 11204) are triples. The triples are slightly larger rooms than the quads, but all four of them are enormous.

 

Most of the 4J cabins on the Dream class ships are standard size cabins, but they have the window and semi-private deck access. A few of the 4J cabins are larger cabins like the one I was in. You need to look at the deck plans and it will be obvious which 4J cabins are the enormous ones versus the standard-size cabins.

 

I made it a point to shower in the Cloud 9 showers each day, and they were very nice. However, on one of our early port mornings I needed the shower before the Cloud 9 Spa opened at 8am. I went into the public locker room. The showers in there were nicer than the cabin showers, but not as nice as the Cloud 9 showers. The problem I experienced, however, is that the shower had NO hot water. It was dry when I got in there, so I was the first person to use the shower. I never got hot. I don't know if it was just a malfunctioning morning or if they were always that way.

 

 

How do shower every day, with your swim suit on? Doesn't sound that hygienic to me. But what an awesome review nonetheless.

[wrcjr98]

It is mentioned that you can purchase a weekly spa pass for about $150 - do you buy that before you board the ship, or is this something that you purchase from the spa directly once you are on board? Thank you for your awesome review and pictures rockbock!

[rockbock]

How do shower every day, with your swim suit on? Doesn't sound that hygienic to me. But what an awesome review nonetheless.

 

I didn't shower in my swimsuit. I used the showers in the Cloud 9 locker room. However, if I ever use this spa again, I will shower in my swimsuit using the semi-open showers. They have shampoo and body wash in them just like all of the other showers and there's enough privacy that I could adequately wash my private areas without having to actually remove my bikini. Admittedly, it would be a bit harder to wash my entire body if I wore a one-piece swimsuit, but it would be very easy to accomplish in a bikini.

[rockbock]

It is mentioned that you can purchase a weekly spa pass for about $150 - do you buy that before you board the ship, or is this something that you purchase from the spa directly once you are on board? Thank you for your awesome review and pictures rockbock!

 

You have to purchase it after you board the ship. You just go up to the spa on embarkation day and ask for a free tour. If you like what you see, you can buy the weekly pass for $149 (or $249 for two people).

[Lorriepie]

Again great job. Loved the photos. The photos of the Thalasso pool helped show size better than video. Your cabin was huge and the spa access put the upgrade over the top. Best $3.60 I have heard anybody spend.

[gertiesmom]

Love the spa review! My mom and I booked a spa cabin on the breeze and now I am even more excited!! Thanks so much!

[Crazykat945]

Thank you for the great review. Now I know where I need to spend my next vacation. :)