Men's Spa Facilities on Cruise ships: Which ones do you think are the best?

[GigglewolfOfTheSeas]

Casually researching Celebrity ships that still have non-coed sauna or steam facilities and discovered this older video (from May, 2018) which provides an excellent visual tour of the men’s locker room facilities on Celebrity Silhouette.

 

 

Granted, it IS an older video…however, the current (as of early 2023) deck plans available for this ship appear to still reflect a layout for the spa/fitness area that aligns with what’s shown on this video. I also seem to recall others mentioning the Solstice-class ships had the good sauna location shown in this video (note: no steam room in locker room), if not the wonderful saunas on the Millennium-class ships overlooking the ocean (which I believe Celebrity may be starting to replace with cabins; like RCI did with Royal Caribbean ships 😖).

 

If anyone has more-recent updates or vids on the status of sauna & steam rooms on Celebrity ships, feel free to reply here. Cheers, gents!! 😉

[GigglewolfOfTheSeas]

On 3/6/2023 at 7:13 PM, coldhendricksmartini said:

Thanks for your input.  I'd prefer going without a swim suit, but don't want to deal with strange looks or make people feel uncomfortable.

As long as there’s no signage explicitly stating shorts must be worn, entering with just a towel on should be totally ok. It’s the j*rks who go into the sauna and steam with shoes on that really “get my goat”, lol. 😏

[GigglewolfOfTheSeas]

On 3/2/2023 at 3:18 PM, STLCRUISIN said:

On Celebrity ships, when the refurbishments begin again sometime in the future, the saunas on the remaining M class ships will be moved from their current location starboard with the windows facing the sea to a sauna on the portside with a glass wall facing the locker room. The saunas on the S class ships will remain the same when refurbishments are made. Of course, that is the plan now but it's subject to change.

Glad to read this, STLCRUISIN, but may I inquire about your source for this information? I’d luv it to be true and completely understand it’s subject to change. 😌 I’m eyeing the Silhouette myself for a cruise next year. Cheers!

[alexdw]

57 minutes ago, twodjs said:

I'm on there May 1. They wouldn't dare touch it! Maybe just spiff it up a bit 😬 I hope........

I am sure that will be the case. We are on it for 35 days next Feb and with a lot of sea days it os a must have for us.

Fingers crossed and please let us know what alterations to the ship they make.

[GigglewolfOfTheSeas]

On 3/13/2023 at 5:28 AM, tonygcharles said:

Thanks  for info 

due on Explorer in May 23

So that sounds good 

But not on Adventure till October 24

So hopefully nothing  changes 

Bad there giving out the wrong info 

Please report-back once you’ve sailed the Adventure & Explorer, mister. Wish I was joining your sailing on the Silhouette. 😉

[twodjs]

Welcome back Gigglewolf! Have missed your posts. Ha! Locally-sourced are the best!

Happy to report any changes on K.

 

[tonygcharles]

11 minutes ago, GigglewolfOfTheSeas said:

Please report-back once you’ve sailed the Adventure & Explorer, mister. Wish I was joining your sailing on the Silhouette. 😉

Will update the thread when I'm  back from each trip

I'm  on Arvia for 2 weeks in April 

Unfortunately there's  no facilities on there except a an expensive coed area

[GigglewolfOfTheSeas]

Just now, twodjs said:

Welcome back Gigglewolf! Have missed your posts. Ha! Locally-sourced are the best!

Happy to report any changes on K.

 

On “K” do you mean via Kik or related to Koningsdam, lol?

[GigglewolfOfTheSeas]

1 minute ago, tonygcharles said:

Will update the thread when I'm  back from each trip

I'm  on Arvia for 2 weeks in April 

Unfortunately there's  no facilities on there except a an expensive coed area

That’s too bad about Arvia. Hope you find the ideal set-up & “circumstances” on your Adventure or Explorer sailings. 😈

[willcan]

2 minutes ago, GigglewolfOfTheSeas said:

Please report-back once you’ve sailed the Adventure & Explorer, mister. Wish I was joining your sailing on the Silhouette. 😉

I'm on Explorer in July.  I checked the floor plan and it does not show any changes to the gym/sauna area (deck 11), after the dry dock. But sometimes the floor plans are incorrect. 

Today I spent some time making mock bookings for almost every cabin type.  I didn't find any cabins on deck 11.  So maybe RC will not make the same changes they have to similar ships. Such as replacing the sauna space with cabins. 

 

[twodjs]

Sorry - Koningsdam 😁

[GigglewolfOfTheSeas]

Just now, twodjs said:

Sorry - Koningsdam 😁

Noted. 😉 I haven’t sailed HAL (I go way-bc, with RCCL/Celebrity), but open to try HAL on a short cruise in/out of Seattle…especially if the sauna/steam room set-up are good and oppty to meet other cool gents from the PNW might exist.

[GigglewolfOfTheSeas]

3 minutes ago, willcan said:

I'm on Explorer in July.  I checked the floor plan and it does not show any changes to the gym/sauna area (deck 11), after the dry dock. But sometimes the floor plans are incorrect. 

Today I spent some time making mock bookings for almost every cabin type.  I didn't find any cabins on deck 11.  So maybe RC will not make the same changes they have to similar ships. Such as replacing the sauna space with cabins. 

 

Let’s hope so. 🤞🏻

[twodjs]

7 minutes ago, GigglewolfOfTheSeas said:

Noted. 😉 I haven’t sailed HAL (I go way-bc, with RCCL/Celebrity), but open to try HAL on a short cruise in/out of Seattle…especially if the sauna/steam room set-up are good and oppty to meet other cool gents from the PNW might exist.

Koningsdam has a nice free medium-sized single-sex sauna with floor-to-ceiling windows out to the sea. HAL doesn't have any free single-sex steam. Only co-ed steam in their paid spa suite area. May 1-6 in/out of Vancouver. 

[GigglewolfOfTheSeas]

2 minutes ago, twodjs said:

Koningsdam has a nice free medium-sized single-sex sauna with floor-to-ceiling windows out to the sea. HAL doesn't have any free single-sex steam. Only co-ed steam in their paid spa suite area. May 1-6 in/out of Vancouver. 

And is that nice sauna on the Koningsdam located in the men’s locker room? Any other HAL ships with saunas in the men’s locker room?

[twodjs]

3 minutes ago, GigglewolfOfTheSeas said:

And is that nice sauna on the Koningsdam located in the men’s locker room? Any other HAL ships with saunas in the men’s locker room?

No HAL ships have the saunas in the locker area - all are kinda hidden down the hall. A little odd. But there are a couple of showers in the sauna area. The locker room has two larger walk-in showers.

[GigglewolfOfTheSeas]

I realize this topic has appeared often in this thread, but after researching the matter via VTG’s deck plans for RCI’s Voyager-class ships just now, it appears that as of early 2023 only the Freedom, Voyager & Navigator might’ve had their sauna & steam facilities removed from the port side of Deck 11 (where such facilities were/are located on all the Voyager class ships). I’m not 💯% certain of this and would welcome the firsthand input of others who’ve recently sailed the Adventure, Explorer, Independence, Liberty or Mariner.

 

Having sailed often on the Voyager-class ships in the early 2000’s, I’m certain the men’s locker rooms on those ships were always on the port side and recall the saunas had windows with fixed wood slat blinds because there was a narrow outdoor walkway just outside. I believe the locker rooms were on Deck 11, because the much-wider outdoor walkway on Deck 12 wrapped around the main gym area and included the jogging track (and Deck 12 is where all of the Voyager-class ships have had cabins added).

 

Thoughts or actual firsthand accounts, gents??

 

And while we’re at it: What’s the latest on RCI’s Radiance-class ships as of early 2023: Radiance, Brilliance, Serenade & Jewel?? These ships also had excellent dedicated (if slightly smaller) steam and sauna facilities in the men’s locker rooms located on their Deck 11. According to VTG’s current deck plans for these ships, only Jewel appears to have had cabins added to the starboard, ocean-facing side of the spa; yet even on this ship, where the men‘s/women’s locker rooms (rectangular -shaped sections running parallel to each other along the center of the ship on Deck 11) might be appear to be intact (??).

 

The group’s input will be much appreciated. 😌

 

[GigglewolfOfTheSeas]

24 minutes ago, twodjs said:

No HAL ships have the saunas in the locker area - all are kinda hidden down the hall. A little odd. But there are a couple of showers in the sauna area. The locker room has two larger walk-in showers.

Understood. Odd set-up, but as long as the door to the sauna down the hall read’s “Men” on it, that should maintain privacy, lol.

 

Feel-free to message me directly at Steamcruiser at gmail, twodjs.

Edited March 18, 2023 by GigglewolfOfTheSeas

[GigglewolfOfTheSeas]

1 hour ago, tonygcharles said:

Will update the thread when I'm  back from each trip

I'm  on Arvia for 2 weeks in April 

Unfortunately there's  no facilities on there except a an expensive coed area

If you like feel-free to message me directly at Steamcruiser at gmail, tonygcharles.

[bejwee]

1 hour ago, willcan said:

I'm on Explorer in July.  I checked the floor plan and it does not show any changes to the gym/sauna area (deck 11), after the dry dock. But sometimes the floor plans are incorrect. 

Today I spent some time making mock bookings for almost every cabin type.  I didn't find any cabins on deck 11.  So maybe RC will not make the same changes they have to similar ships. Such as replacing the sauna space with cabins. 

 

I hope that the refurbishments included some work on the spa area. I was on the explorer just a few months ago before refurbishment and while it was hot in there, it was absolutely zero steam. You could tell they were nursing along old equipment. The ice cream in the main courtyard was melting constantly, their freezers could not maintain temperature. The whole ship had a bit of a last leg feel.  I'm excited to hear the reports back after you go.

[Spurs Fans]

17 hours ago, GigglewolfOfTheSeas said:

Casually researching Celebrity ships that still have non-coed sauna or steam facilities and discovered this older video (from May, 2018) which provides an excellent visual tour of the men’s locker room facilities on Celebrity Silhouette.

 

 

Granted, it IS an older video…however, the current (as of early 2023) deck plans available for this ship appear to still reflect a layout for the spa/fitness area that aligns with what’s shown on this video. I also seem to recall others mentioning the Solstice-class ships had the good sauna location shown in this video (note: no steam room in locker room), if not the wonderful saunas on the Millennium-class ships overlooking the ocean (which I believe Celebrity may be starting to replace with cabins; like RCI did with Royal Caribbean ships 😖).

 

If anyone has more-recent updates or vids on the status of sauna & steam rooms on Celebrity ships, feel free to reply here. Cheers, gents!! 😉

Thanks for the video!  Glad you are back - we both go way back on Cruise Critic. Getting older but still enjoying the sauna on cruises when they are free. 

[LEESRE]

On Silhouette last July and it was the same as the video, will be sailing in two weeks so will check it out.

[alexdw]

17 hours ago, GigglewolfOfTheSeas said:

Noted. 😉 I haven’t sailed HAL (I go way-bc, with RCCL/Celebrity), but open to try HAL on a short cruise in/out of Seattle…especially if the sauna/steam room set-up are good and oppty to meet other cool gents from the PNW might exist.

HAL Pinacle class ships Koningsdam, Rotterdam and Nieuw Statendam are my favorite as free sauna has huge window and always meet some very nice guys.

[STLCRUISIN]

18 hours ago, GigglewolfOfTheSeas said:

Glad to read this, STLCRUISIN, but may I inquire about your source for this information? I’d luv it to be true and completely understand it’s subject to change. 😌 I’m eyeing the Silhouette myself for a cruise next year. Cheers!

Hi Gigglewolf, Over the past year I've been on the Silhouette, Equinox and Reflection. They have not touched any of the saunas. The Silhouette was refurbished pre-covid with no changes to the men's sauna. The changing rooms with the sauna and showers are pretty much incorporated into the Spa and fitness areas and none of that has been touched. Whatever ship you decide to sail on have a great time.

[STLCRUISIN]

18 hours ago, GigglewolfOfTheSeas said:

As long as there’s no signage explicitly stating shorts must be worn, entering with just a towel on should be totally ok. It’s the j*rks who go into the sauna and steam with shoes on that really “get my goat”, lol. 😏

At my gym a lot of guys use the sauna fully dressed, including shoes. I shake my head everytime I see it....just don't understand it. I think it's become a generational thing.