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

[rockbock]

What do you think, will the prices go up or down during the month?

 

There's usually no way of ever predicting what's going to happen with prices. I had a hunch that prices were going to drop about a month ago due to all of the bad press Carnival was getting. Sure enough, there were some tremendous price drops and I was able to book my husband and myself on the Liberty 10 days before it sailed at an AMAZING rate. But it also may have just been coincidence that the prices fell, since prices frequently drop very close to sail dates.

 

I've found that the best price "insurance" you can give yourself is to book Early Saver for a price that you're willing to accept if no drops occue, then watch the prices every single day. It's especially important to check prices a few times a day during the month before you sail. Lots of changes are going on during that time. If you get lucky, you'll end up with a price adjustment or OBC (or maybe even an upgrade to a 6S for less than $1 per person lol).

Edited April 11, 2013 by rockbock

[cruise luvr]

Thanks for the great review and pictures! After reading this I looked into pricing. Went from an interior on deck 7 to an interior spa cabin for $10 each. Originally I couldn't decide if we (my sister and I) would use the spa enough to pay for the passes. For only $10 each it makes it worth it even if we just use the spa for a day. I'm pretty sure we will get our money's worth!

[rockbock]

Thanks for the great review and pictures! After reading this I looked into pricing. Went from an interior on deck 7 to an interior spa cabin for $10 each. Originally I couldn't decide if we (my sister and I) would use the spa enough to pay for the passes. For only $10 each it makes it worth it even if we just use the spa for a day. I'm pretty sure we will get our money's worth!

 

Just having a cabin on the quiet spa decks is worth $10 IMO. But you will love all of the extras!

[GirlsClub4]

This sounds like a dumb question, but I have to ask.... If one is hanging out in the spa area/rooms, I presume electronics are a bad idea, but does anyone bring a book? Or is it really meant for people who can relax enough to just sit and do nothing (ha)? And in that case, is there more chatting/hanging out as opposed to just relaxing quietly? I have been to spas on both ends of that spectrum!

 

And I would really like to get a better idea of whether folks are showing up in their spa robe, towel only, swimsuit only, shorts & tee...? Maybe depends on the time of day?

[marimojo]

GirlsClub4, Excellent question - I would love the answer as well.

 

True Story - About 20 years ago we were staying at the Golden Nugget in Las Vegas. I went to the Ladies spa one day and all the ladies in the hot tub were nude, I had on a bathing suit. The next day I went back to the spa and decided to be adventurous, so I strut to the hot tub in the nude. There were all these gasps, there were a group of ladies (maybe Church ladies?), all hiding their eyes. I was mortified but tried not to show it. I enjoyed the tub and sashayed out of there. But, it was a little traumatic for me.

[Notaworryintheworld]

This sounds like a dumb question, but I have to ask.... If one is hanging out in the spa area/rooms, I presume electronics are a bad idea, but does anyone bring a book? Or is it really meant for people who can relax enough to just sit and do nothing (ha)? And in that case, is there more chatting/hanging out as opposed to just relaxing quietly? I have been to spas on both ends of that spectrum!

 

And I would really like to get a better idea of whether folks are showing up in their spa robe, towel only, swimsuit only, shorts & tee...? Maybe depends on the time of day?

 

When we were on the dream everyone wore swimsuits inside the thalasso pool and the steam rooms and stuff. Some wore their robes as cover ups others just wore shorts or whatever. But definitely didn't see anyone not wearing a swimsuit.

 

And there were definitely people reading books. Other people chatted quietly in the thermal suite. But it was always pretty quiet in there. In the thalasso pool, everyone pretty much just talked normally.

[rockbock]

This sounds like a dumb question, but I have to ask.... If one is hanging out in the spa area/rooms, I presume electronics are a bad idea, but does anyone bring a book? Or is it really meant for people who can relax enough to just sit and do nothing (ha)? And in that case, is there more chatting/hanging out as opposed to just relaxing quietly? I have been to spas on both ends of that spectrum!

 

And I would really like to get a better idea of whether folks are showing up in their spa robe, towel only, swimsuit only, shorts & tee...? Maybe depends on the time of day?

 

 

In the steam rooms and saunas, some people were reading books and many were just relaxing quietly. A couple of times there were some louder, more talkative people in the rooms, but I think you could always find a quiet room if you tried. Sometimes the thalasso pool was quiet or empty. Other times, there were talkers. Hit or miss, just like any hot tub...

 

I didn't see anybody in the spa area without a swimsuit. It gets kind of wet in most areas, so a swimsuit is kind of important. The first day of the cruise, most people (my husband and myself included) showed up in the spa robes, spa slippers, and towels provided in the cabins. We quickly realized that cloth slippers and the wet spa area do not mix well. We also found the robes to be kind of bulky to carry from room to room. And towels are provided in the spa area itself, so there's no need to bring your own unless you want to.

 

By the second day, most people were just walking to the spa in a bathing suit and cover up or towel, with flip flops. There are hooks outside of the "wet" rooms where you can hang your cover ups and towels so that they stay dry while you are in the rooms.

[GirlsClub4]

marimojo: My point exactly! That was an awful story, but I had to laugh.

 

Thanks for the comments, everyone. I tend to be pretty comfortable with whatever when it's other women, but have a much different standard when it's coed, so I was debating...

 

Good comment about the slippers. Weird. I hope the robes had pockets to stuff them in. So, no rules about going barefoot I would guess. Most spas I have been to have pretty strict guidelines about some kind of footwear. I have leeetle feet, so the spa sandals sometimes seem a bit clownish.

[ichigohime]

On the Magic, there is about a 10 step staircase to enter the pool area in the spa, so he would have to be able to climb those stairs and then there is about a 3-4 step down into the bottom of the pool in order to move to a seating area.

 

Hmm, that is a little bit concerning to me. I don't know if he could do 10 stairs (maybe on a good day for him). It makes me think it is strange that they would sell handicap accessible SPA Cabins, but not make the SPA ammenities handicap accessible.

[YumYumSweetiePie]

For the spa steam/dry/wet rooms I just went in a towel, no swimsuit, like you would at any other spa. But, if you feel more comfortable in a swimsuit then do that. When I was there (and this was on the Splendor, they're twin ships) I saw more people in just towels but really no one cares what you're wearing so long as you're not obnoxious or obscene. Obviously if I went to the pool I put on a swimsuit.

Edited April 12, 2013 by YumYumSweetiePie

[YumYumSweetiePie]

And I would really like to get a better idea of whether folks are showing up in their spa robe, towel only, swimsuit only, shorts & tee...? Maybe depends on the time of day?

 

To be clear: towel only was for the spa areas. As far as how I showed up to the spa center counter it was either in a spa robe (spa cabin one floor down, feeling lazy), in workout gear (because I planned on working out and then using the spa facilities), or in a swimsuit with a coverup dress or something. Anything goes though, they don't care. Remember that they have locker rooms in the spa so no worries about storing whatever you don't need in the actual spa areas.

[rockbock]

For the spa steam/dry/wet rooms I just went in a towel, no swimsuit, like you would at any other spa. But, if you feel more comfortable in a swimsuit then do that. When I was there (and this was on the Splendor, they're twin ships) I saw more people in just towels but really no one cares what you're wearing so long as you're not obnoxious or obscene. Obviously if I went to the pool I put on a swimsuit.

 

I've got to admit, I'm glad that I didn't see even one person in only a towel all week, because it sure would have made me uncomfortable if I saw that! Totally inappropriate in my opinion, especially in a coed setting!

[Athankfulheart]

I am not the OP but I can answer with my experience

 

What a wonderful and comprehensive review! We're doing an interior spa room on the Dream in February and I'm really looking forward to this. Hubby wasn't sure it would be worth the $$ but I think he will be pleasantly surprised.

 

A few questions for you:

 

How crowded were the sauna rooms and T-pool throughout the week?

My husband and I went to the spa ALOT during our March 2012 cruise on the Dream. The ship was at the highest capacity. The most people we encountered in any given room, and it was prob the sauna was 3-4 others and this wasn't the usual. We bought a spa pass.

 

Were there a lot of children in the area? Not a child in sight. I can't speak for the spa room hallways, but can answer that next January because we booked on the spa level.

 

Did you find good times to go when things were less crowded? We went all times of day and never found the spa to be crowded. We only encountered noisy people once. I dropped a silent clue and they didn't stay long. I folded one of my towels longways a couple times and wrapped it over the top of my head, over my ears and then put my arms up there with hands clasped to squish it against my ears as a muffler. I never said a word or even looked at the people. :p

 

What were the opening and closing hours like for the facilities?

 

I cannot remember the spa hours. I do remember wishing that it was opened a bit later on a couple of nights. All in all I was happy with the hours.

[DpTxQt31]

(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.

 

Last year on the Magic we stayed in an interior spa room we were given the bracelets but never wore them (as they never checked) also our S&S cards were programed to open the doors to the private areas so we did not have to give up our S&S cards for a special card.

 

We loved the Cloud 9 spa. Even though my husband complained at the cost for the interior just because it was a spa room last year when it came time to book our room for this year he told me to book the same one. :rolleyes: Guess sometimes one can over look the price for 7 days of relaxation. :)

 

Enjoyed your review.

[ocholoco]

For the person inquiring about books and electronics:

 

I had no trouble with a book in the pool (just hung on the edge and kept the book up) or in the Tepidarium (dry enough). When I went to the other rooms I just stuck the corner of my book into my robe pocket, secured it with the belt and hung it up on the hooks which saved a trip to the locker if I was taking a short jaunt into the wetter sauna areas. I also had no humidity problems with my phone for use as an MP3 player in the Tepidarium. It also went into the pocket and was left in the Tepidarium for wet room trips. I never found the spa to be crowded enough for me to prefer safety of my things over convenience of leaving them unsupervised. The locker rooms are very close if you prefer to lock it all up before heading into the steam. Hope that helps!

[GirlsClub4]

Thank you! Relaxing to me usually has included books/music, so that is very helpful.

[marimojo]

I had a spa cabin on the Magic the week of April 21st. We LOVED the spa and used it every day. It was never crowded, there were always seats available for us in the sauna, the hot rooms and the pool. Two of my sisters had to buy the weekly spa passes. The staff did check our bracelets and the two sisters had to have a different bracelet each day. Some people did read books or listen to music through headphones while on the hot seats. Most of the rooms are kind of wet. Mostly everyone we saw came to the spa wearing their robes. However, once those robes get wet, they weigh a ton and take a long time to dry. Our cabin steward did replace the robes with dry robes about 3 times during the course of the cruise. My nephew is in a wheelchair and my son helped him up the steps to get into the thalasso pool. I am partially disabled and was able to get up and down the steps as there are railings on both sides.

 

a big THANK YOU to Rockbock for starting this thread. I studied everything before boarding and knew exactly what to expect. I love the videos you posted. I felt like I knew about everything and it was so helpful to me. You did an outstanding job.

 

In short, we loved the spa. I booked a spa balcony for my September cruise. On this past cruise, I had one of those huge window walkaway view cabins, 11201. We loved the location. It was very quiet and convenient to everything. There were 3 of us in the room and it was so big and roomy, we loved it. The outside deck at the front of deck 11 was great, I was out there all the time, especially at sailaway.

 

We had an awesome cruise, the spa was great, the cabin was great and I really appreciate all of the great information in this thread.

[rockbock]

I had a spa cabin on the Magic the week of April 21st. We LOVED the spa and used it every day. It was never crowded, there were always seats available for us in the sauna, the hot rooms and the pool. Two of my sisters had to buy the weekly spa passes. The staff did check our bracelets and the two sisters had to have a different bracelet each day. Some people did read books or listen to music through headphones while on the hot seats. Most of the rooms are kind of wet. Mostly everyone we saw came to the spa wearing their robes. However, once those robes get wet, they weigh a ton and take a long time to dry. Our cabin steward did replace the robes with dry robes about 3 times during the course of the cruise. My nephew is in a wheelchair and my son helped him up the steps to get into the thalasso pool. I am partially disabled and was able to get up and down the steps as there are railings on both sides.

 

a big THANK YOU to Rockbock for starting this thread. I studied everything before boarding and knew exactly what to expect. I love the videos you posted. I felt like I knew about everything and it was so helpful to me. You did an outstanding job.

 

In short, we loved the spa. I booked a spa balcony for my September cruise. On this past cruise, I had one of those huge window walkaway view cabins, 11201. We loved the location. It was very quiet and convenient to everything. There were 3 of us in the room and it was so big and roomy, we loved it. The outside deck at the front of deck 11 was great, I was out there all the time, especially at sailaway.

 

We had an awesome cruise, the spa was great, the cabin was great and I really appreciate all of the great information in this thread.

 

I'm so glad you were able to book one of these awesome cabins after reading my review! It sounds like you had as great a vacation as we did. I cruised last month in an oversized 4J on the Liberty and it was nice, but NOTHING like the cabin we had on the Dream (not to mention, no spa lol). The Dream definitely spoiled me!

[LibratPDX]

Thanks for such a comprehensive review!

 

I just booked a Spa OV on the Magic for September 2014, your review showed me I made the right decision!:D

[YumYumSweetiePie]

Thanks for such a comprehensive review!

 

I just booked a Spa OV on the Magic for September 2014, your review showed me I made the right decision!:D

 

Oh, you definitely made the right decision. The only problem is you won't want to cruise on non-spa ships in the future hahaha

[LibratPDX]

Oh, you definitely made the right decision. The only problem is you won't want to cruise on non-spa ships in the future hahaha

 

I know what you mean!! ;) I've gotten spoiled by ships with steakhouses and reaaaallly missed it when I sailed on the Victory last year!

[dvdisney]

I was so glad to have seen this thread and videos before our May cruise. We also had a spa balcony and we LOVED the T-pool. Very relaxing and not a lot of people at all. We were the only two a couple times and my hubby was alone a couple nights as well. Definately made us Dream/Spa9 fans! :p

[dvdisney]

Oh and to let ya'll know. I was on Dream May4 2013, and they gave us white "rubberband type" bracelets. Kind of like the Livestrong bracelets? We were able to take them off and only wear them to the spa. We also had to turn in our S&S card for a white access card.

 

I didn't try taking in books or electronics, and I wish I had. I was worried about humidity. The only room it would have been ok would have been the tepidation and the room with water/tea.

 

We couldn't bear the aromatherapy room...way to hot and steamy for my tastes.

I'll answer any questions I can....

[Sh1035]

Yea my gf talked me into wearing that robe once and I felt stupid walking to the spa from our lido deck cabin only to arrive and see tje other captive males with no robes!

 

She loved it but I could pass, last thing I need after all day in the hot sun is more heat. But was cool for one visit for me..same look on most guys faces there under 50.

[toby #1]

Next, I want to show you the AMAZING walk-in open showers. My husband and I saw these showers the first day of the cruise, but we never used them because we didn't think they were anything special, and why bother using an "open" shower if you can use the private ones in the locker room or our cabin? Let's just say that all showers are not created equal and I WISH I had tried these showers on the first day of the cruise!

 

By choice, I chose to shower in the spa locker room every day. Despite having an oversized bathroom in my cabin, it was worth the few extra steps for me to shower in the spa locker room and enjoy a nice, comfortable shower. However, if I had tried one of these open showers on the first day of the cruise, I would have taken EVERY shower for the entire trip in my bathsuit, just so I could enjoy this shower. It has enough privacy that I could have easily found a way to discretely wash the parts of my body covered by my swimsuit.

 

Throughout the duration of the cruise, I NEVER saw another passenger using one of these showers. I guess we all really missed out on something amazing.

 

In the photo below, which was taken from the end of the hallway with the four rooms, you can see the entry to one of the two open showers. It's the area on the left with the purplish glow.

 

 

 

When you first enter one of the showers, it looks like the first photo below. Then the "room" kind of turns direction a bit and creates a semi-private area in the back of the shower, which you can see in the second photo below. The best way to describe it is that nobody who passes the shower when you are using it can actually see you showering; however, since it is open in the front, anybody who wanted to walk into it could see you. For that reason, you kind of need to wear a swimsuit in these showers.

 

 

 

 

 

They are not showers for cleaning yourself :D, it's for showerig before or after the pool and steam rooms with your suit ON.:)