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I just returned from a 14 day Norwegian Pearl British Isles cruise and used the thermal spa almost every day to recover from our intense schedule of ports of call. I have used thermal spas on Disney ships in the past more for general relaxation but my purpose this time in buying the pass was because I knew I would be tired and exhausted each night and would need a way to recover to start the next day. The Norwegian Pearl thermal suite pass was $249 per person purchased ahead of sailing. Price varies according to length of cruise. Check out this post for a full review of the Norwegian Pearl.
Overall Impressions
The thermal suite was by far my favorite part of the ship and I often spent hours rotating between the hot tub, Thalassotherapy pool and the heated stone loungers. The large spouting fountains in the Thalassotherapy pool were perfect to work out knots in your shoulders and the bubble loungers in the pool helped my sore legs get back to all that walking the next morning. The views from the regular loungers can’t be beat while pulling out of port.
How It All Works
There was a slight discount to buy the pass prior to the cruise for the entire length. They also sell day passes on the first day of sailing and, I believe, throughout the cruise based on capacity. On this sailing they did a wonderful job managing capacity and there were always loungers available and it never felt crowded. On Day 1 you need to go and have a sticker added to your room key that signifies that you have the pass. This was the most annoying part of the process for me as they insisted on showing me the whole spa and kept trying to upsell me on everything they could. My “tour guide” actually attempted to link arms with me and walk me around like school girls. Um, no thank you. After you have the sticker you can just show up and hand them the card each time. They hold onto it until you leave. There was a very sweet lady, Reobeka, who always took my card and made sure to get to know our names right away. She was a real bright spot here. You can then go and change in your respective locker room or if you are ready, enter the main part of the suite immediately. The main part of the suite is for both men and women and then there are separate amenities in both locker rooms. The pictures and videos I have show the main part and the women’s locker room. My son assured me the mens was quite similar. Many people used the robes to take to their room and return the next day.
Photos of the Norwegian Pearl Thermal Suite
Downfalls
There was always water on the floor as all the water features seemed to overflow constantly. Don’t forget your flip flops which is on my 14 Day British Isles Cruise Packing List. The staff is always trying to upsell massages. There were no real amenities in the locker room beyond a hair dryer, cotton balls and the same body soap and shampoo/conditioner dispensers mounted in the cabin bathrooms. These were all small issues and really didn’t detract from the overall experience but they were negatives in my opinion compared to other cruise ship lines I have experienced.