 As a regular cruiser, I like to explore every corner of the ship. I love the idea of having a spa at sea where you can indulge in beauty and health treatments but often find them to be very overpriced. P&O cruise ships Eden and Aria offer an area on the ship called the Thermal Suites, other cruise ships offer similar such areas. The Suites on the Eden and Aria offer, for a price, access to a sauna, 2 x steam rooms, mineral spa, heated relaxation lounges and a relaxation room with comfortable day beds and refreshments. On a recent 12 night cruise the ship was offering a limited number (they said 20 - but I think they may have sold a few more than that) of all access passes for the entirety of the cruise for $199 for a single $299 for a couple. So I decided to try them out! But was it worth it ? Here are the pros and cons - you decide…….. Pros of Thermal Suites 1. A Hot Tub with No Children The Aria and Eden offer an adults only area - Oasis - however there is no hot tub, only a pool, in this space. I like to refer to the main pool deck hot tubs as bowls of children soup! Don’t get me wrong, I like children - I even have two under 10 of my own - but in a hot tub I would rather not indulge in children’s soup. The Thermal Suite pass gave access to a mineral bath that nine times out of ten I got to use on my own. With only a limited number of people allowed access to this area, it made for a nice way to relax at the end of the day. The Suites were open from 8am to 8pm every day. 2. Peace and Quiet The last cruise we did was a NYE cruise which meant there was a pretty lively crowd on board and many late nights to be had. It was nice to have a semi-private space to simply chill and relax away from the crowds and the masses. With only a limited number of passes on sale it meant many times there was not even anyone else in the area. It was like a private oasis. The relaxation room offered inviting day lounges with wall to ceiling windows to sit and watch the sea roll by. Couple that with a herbal tea or a fruit infused ice cold water and it made for an inviting quiet space. 3. Steam and Sauna With all the calories consumed on a cruise the steam and sauna gave easy access to sweat some of them out. A dry sauna was always my first point of call followed by an aromatherapy sauna. Great way to sweat out the alcohol!  CONS
Whilst I would have loved to spend hours in the Thermal Suites, the reality is I never quite got around to it. With port days and fun filled activities on sea-days I barely managed to squeeze in an hour a day. However I did make a point of visiting every day - even if for a quick 30 minute thermal bath. 2. No Products to Use When the Suites are shown on the first day of the cruise there were lovely scrubs on display near the showers. Many of us got the impression that they would be made available for the duration of the cruise - however that was not the case. You do however receive a take-home pack of the scrubs when you sign up - which of course you could make use of during the cruise. Of the 12 night cruise, only on one day were any beauty products/scrubs made available for use - which of course I took full advantage of. 3. I Felt Lazy Laying on a thermal tiled lounge for any length of time made me just want to go to sleep! If you want to completely wind down, switch off and relax this is the place for you. I am generally a bit more active on my holidays so I felt a bit lazy spending time just relaxing. (ok this is not really a con - I just could not think of a third one to balance the article!). Have you ever used Thermal Suites - or Private Spa areas on a cruise ship? What did you think? Would you indulge again….. Penny - Itchy Feet Family
5 Comments
Jennifer
3/5/2017 10:59:29 pm
I recently bought myself a thermal suite pass on Norwegian Escape and I agree it was nice but for the money wish I used it more. I have adult children and really enjoy hanging out with them when there home so I had a hard time ginger by myself. Also our steam sauna wasn't working, but we had an intense jetted tub that doesn't sound relaxing but was. The loungers were never available when I went so I had to sit in a chair to watch the waves go by not fun. For the money wish I would have gotten a massage or facial instead. My 2 cents!
Fay
3/6/2017 08:45:54 pm
Had my first taste of the thermal pool and hot rock bed on the Eden when my family member won a pass for 2 people on a 3 night cruise. It was so helpful in reducing sciatic pain I was experiencing at the time that I did get for the full pass for the 7 day cruise we did later that year but I had to juggle things to make sure I spent quality time and got the full benefit, especially when I knew it was something I would not be able to do when I got home. First day of cruise usually have a discounted or special deal but yes it is still quite costly.
Steve
1/27/2018 11:09:29 pm
The limited number of passes are at the discounted rate. Access is also included with most spa treatments. If it is 'sold out' you can pay the 'normal' amount to gain access, but it is quite high.
Julie
9/2/2018 06:54:25 am
I went to a mini spa pamper show and at the end they offered me a massage/facial/hot rocks package and a day pass to the thermal suite as above the lady talked me into doing it on a sea day second last day of cruise first thing in morning so I got to have use thermal spas all day and it was perfect cost around $130 but for me it made my cruise the children were happy as they were doing there things they wanted and I came and went from the spa as I pleased....each pamper show offered a different package my friend got one with no thermal suite access but something else included Leave a Reply. |
AuthorPenny, an avid Trip Advisor Reviewer, is the author of ITCHY FEET FAMILY. A family of 4 living in Adelaide, Australia, and taking every opportunity to travel and explore the world. Archives
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