QM2 Hydrotherapy pool swimmable?Pools usable transatlantic?

[bunny76]

We are considering booking the Canyon Ranch Spa on QM2 for Transatlantic voyage in winter as we wonder if the swimming pools would be open /too cold,? .... but does anyone know if the  Spa hydrotherapy pool is deep enough to actually swim in please? (We wouldn't want any  Spa treatments so won't book if the hydrotherapy pool is not suitable for swimming)

[Host Kat]

20 minutes ago, bunny76 said:

We are considering booking the Canyon Ranch Spa on QM2 for Transatlantic voyage in winter as we wonder if the swimming pools would be open /too cold,? .... but does anyone know if the  Spa hydrotherapy pool is deep enough to actually swim in please? (We wouldn't want any  Spa treatments so won't book if the hydrotherapy pool is not suitable for swimming)

 

@bunny76

 

Howdy & welcome back to posting on the Cruise Critic message boards! I see it has been quite a while since you have posted.  

 

Thank you for starting a new thread on the Ask a Cruise Question forum for general questions regarding cruising. 👍  However since your inquiry concerns a specific cruise line and one of their ships, to help you out I have moved your thread to the Cunard Line forum where it will be on-topic. The majority of your fellow Cruise Critic members that have sailed on QM2 frequent the forum and provide feedback there. Browse through the thread titles on the forum looking for threads of interest. You will find your fellow Cruise Critic members have already posted questions and received answers that will be of interest to you.

 

I sincerely hope this will be helpful and glad to have you back aboard the Cruise Critic message board!  

 

Happy sails,

 

Host Kat 

[ExArkie]

The last QM2 Transatlantic we did was in December 2018. Weather was a bit rough at that time (we have also done winter crossings with smooth sailing all the way), as well as being rather cool. Outdoor pools were generally unusable, but the Pavilion Pool was available, the roof over it being closed for the entire route. It was very popular, so if you are looking to swim laps for exercise, you'd have to work out the best time of day to do that. General use - sort of wading and swimming a bit - didn't appear to be much of a problem with timing, but the hot tubs were in use most of the open hours.

 

We had a crazy amount of OBC on that trip, so booked spa access for the entire week. The hydrotherapy pool is not suited to swimming as a means of exercise, which should be evident from the photos on the Cruise Critic QM2 page

https://www.cruisecritic.com/photos/ships/queen-mary-2-qm2-294/therapy-pool-316504/

 

It is interesting, however, to be in the hydrotherapy pool during rough seas. One tends to float up and down by extreme amounts.

Edited June 16, 2020 by ExArkie
Corrected a mistake

[MCC retired]

We purchase the Spa Pass for every cruise we do on the QM2 .

Swimming? About 4' deep all over . More like walkable . I suppose you could take a few strokes against the current if there are only a few in the pool ?

Found the leastt crowded time  for the pool to be just before and during First Seating.

 

[TheOldBear]

10 hours ago, bunny76 said:

We are considering booking the Canyon Ranch Spa on QM2 for Transatlantic voyage in winter as we wonder if the swimming pools would be open /too cold,? .... but does anyone know if the  Spa hydrotherapy pool is deep enough to actually swim in please? (We wouldn't want any  Spa treatments so won't book if the hydrotherapy pool is not suitable for swimming)

 

The hydrotherapy pool is not really suitable for swimming - there are water jets, aeration & fixed structures (loungers) in the pool.

 

The deck 12 'Pavilion' pool is enclosed and heated. 

 

On a 2017 crossing, a few hardy souls were using the deck 8 hot tubs - despite force 11 winds closing the deck 7 access to the promenade. This of course was much warmer than I would expect for a winter crossing.

[Germancruiser]

I am planing a winter crossing on board QM2- did crossings on QM2 in October, July and April- was always curious about a winter crossing. I am not booked yet- in  these unprecitable times- so I am still hoping the btb crossing Dec. 1 this year is a go!

To be not totaly off topic- does anyone know what the cost of a day in the Spa is?

You have to buy a pass to use the therapy pool? Thanks!

Edited June 17, 2020 by Germancruiser

[TheOldBear]

The spa day pass is mostly for the pool and surrounding ‘thermal suite’ spaces. Pricing is tiered - I recall in 2010 it was actually cheaper for a three day pass than a two day pass.

If you are planning on other spa services (massage) use of the pool is included for the day of the service.

[Germancruiser]

Thanks Old Bear- I only plan the use of the pool. Seems a logical during a winter crossing. A winter crossing that maybe no is to be- LOL.

[MCC retired]

Last time it was $40p/p per day or  $105p/p for 6 days .

 

Rumor has it that the Spa is due to be redone @ Nov 2020  drydock. Really needs it as nothing was done to it during the big drydock a few years ago.

 

Edited June 17, 2020 by MCC retired

[TheOldBear]

5 hours ago, MCC retired said:

Last time it was $40p/p per day or  $105p/p for 6 days .

 

Rumor has it that the Spa is due to be redone @ Nov 2020  drydock. Really needs it as nothing was done to it during the big drydock a few years ago.

 

Hopefully more than just rebranding [canyon ranch is still the concession - but 'Mareel' [or something like that] is the planned brand name].

As far as I could tell there were no updates since my first QM2 sailing in 2008 [another passenger said since 2005 as we were trying to find a working/empty locker].

• This past fall, the normal steam room was out of service - turns out there is another, smaller one via a normally locked door. 
• Back in 2017 there was a pool closure on the westbound crossing while the overhead near the hot tun was replaced.

 

[Covepointcruiser]

I thought the Canyon Ranch space on the QM2 was wonderful.   I hope they don’t change it and ruin the ambiance.   Really enjoyed the Therapy Pool.

[Germancruiser]

I wonder if that dry dock will be going as scheduled in November- would be nice to get rid of those shower curtains in Britannia Cabins. The mighty hull needs a paint job. Other then that.. well that remains to be seen.

[bunny76]

Thank you to all of you who have replied to my topic- helpful answers.

I think the hydrotherapy pool wouldn't be suitable for me for swimming as I like to do 1/4 mile, though I don't mind short pool lengths or swimming for exercise against a current machine - but it might be nice to wallow and relax in.

[AspirationalFlyer]

I brought a seven day spa pass for my transatlantic trip in November 2019 and used the spa daily. 

 

It is in fairly poor condition, which we mentioned to the front desk and was given a complementary meal at the Verandah. It was fairly obvious it was not the first complaint they had received. The main issues were a large piece of broken metal barrier in the pool flapping around, chipped and missing tiling, loose panels and a door in the sauna area that keep opening and closing with the ship’s movement. 

 

The pool is too small to swim in. It’s a pool for relaxation and not swimming. It can also get busy and has strong currents. I swam in one of the outdoor pools twice. Not for the faint hearted but alright once you were in....! Just make sure you have one or more towels immediately ready for when you get out. 

[Covepointcruiser]

That’s too bad as the Spa was in fine shape in the Fall 2018.

[CateW]

I loved the Canyon Ranch Spa on all of our cruises, but we haven't been on Queen Mary for several years now.   I recall that Canyon Ranch was out and it was going to be refurbished but maybe that changed?   I would do it again in a heartbeat once we can get back to cruising again.

[Winchester Ranger]

I used the spa on both TA crossings I have completed, most recently in 2017 and found it to be in a poor state of repair on both occasions.  Tiles were missing on the jacuzzi, a ceiling tile was falling down, one of the showers was broken, and some of the optional settings on the other didn’t work (rainforest, summer shower etc).

 

The hydro pool on the other hand is really nice but definitely not for swimming in.

[Calliope]

With all of the above being said about the Canyon Ranch Spa facilities and the other pools availability during a winter crossing, nothing has been said about the elephant in the room. Will the spa and pools even be open as they present a way for  COVID 19 to be spread?

[BlueRiband]

4 hours ago, Calliope said:

With all of the above being said about the Canyon Ranch Spa facilities and the other pools availability during a winter crossing, nothing has been said about the elephant in the room. Will the spa and pools even be open as they present a way for  COVID 19 to be spread?

Not according to the EU "Healthy Gateways" recommendations if adopted.  The guidelines recommend against the use of any indoor pool, with an exception being made for retractable roof pools.  Given how nasty the North Atlantic can be the Deck 12 roof is rarely opened.  This means that only the aft pools, which are entirely exposed to the elements, would be open. 

 

But all this is speculation.  A lot of the recommendations to make the ship safer also eliminate enjoyable activities.  I wonder what percentage of the cruising public wants to sail under some of those conditions

[eroller]

On 6/17/2020 at 11:00 PM, bunny76 said:

Thank you to all of you who have replied to my topic- helpful answers.

I think the hydrotherapy pool wouldn't be suitable for me for swimming as I like to do 1/4 mile, though I don't mind short pool lengths or swimming for exercise against a current machine - but it might be nice to wallow and relax in.

 

 

No spa pool is not really swimmable, as it has a round stand up section almost in the center with jets spraying out.  

 

All is not lost though.  The Pavilion Pool is swimmable.  It's covered by a glass dome, heated, and often times lightly used.  You will be able to do your laps there.  

[AspirationalFlyer]

I braved the outdoor poor twice during my Transatlantic crossing. It wasn’t too bad when inside!

 

Tip: just make sure you have a towel as close by as possible for when you get out! 

[john watson]

On ‎6‎/‎16‎/‎2020 at 3:06 AM, bunny76 said:

We are considering booking the Canyon Ranch Spa on QM2 for Transatlantic voyage in winter as we wonder if the swimming pools would be open /too cold,? .... but does anyone know if the  Spa hydrotherapy pool is deep enough to actually swim in please? (We wouldn't want any  Spa treatments so won't book if the hydrotherapy pool is not suitable for swimming)

My daughter lived in the pool daily Transatlantic one March.  It was freezing cold and windy if you were not in the pool and the waves in the pool were good.  If it gets too rough they shut the pool for safety reasons.  I think a lot of power is produced by the engines and used to heat everything as appropriate including the pool.

 

Regards John