Rainforest shower question

[cheribelle]

Hi all,

I've been comtemplating ordering the one day pass for the Rainforest Room on our upcoming Fantasy Christmas Cruise.

I'm a mom of three and having some alone time sounds heavenly right about now. Since I know I won't have much time during the day due to activities (last 2 cruises I only made it to serenity falls once and that was just for a few minutes before I was called by one of my kids!), I'm thinking about taking a night off after dinner and just going there to relax.

My questions are this (kind of silly but bear with me). Do I need to get my hair wet in the showers? I have hair that takes so long to dry and style that I don't want to have to spend my night drying it. Is it the kind of shower that I can just clip it up not to get wet?

Also I know you need bathing suits but did you wear them there and then change or did you wear that (and a cover up) to the rainforest. Should I bring anything with me? Will there be lockers? Was thinking of a book to read on the loungers (again did you wear bathing suits on them or should I bring lounge clothes like yoga pants).

Thanks for any advice!

Sincerely,
One stressed out mom who needs to relax!

 

[Sytrace]

I love the Rainforest and have a couple of teens myself who I homeschool so I understand and appreciate needing some time off.

To answer your questions:
The shower heads are directly above you with several settings, so I think you would end up getting your hair quite wet.
I wear my bathing suit and cover up , but keep a change of clothing in a bag in the locker room locker. There are also wonderful large showers that you can use after you are done your Rainforest time. No need to bring any shampoo, conditioner, or body wash...those are right there in the shower stall with you. They also have hairdryers and other amenities right there to use if you are so inclined.
I always buy the length of cruise pass and go up at about 5:30 ( we have second seating) relax and unwind and then shower up and dress for dinner in the locker room. My husband and kids can use the bathrooms in the cabin and we are all set to go with little drama. And on time too!

I wear my bathing suit with one of the provided robes that they have up in the Rainforest to relax on the heated loungers. And a book sounds lovely if you can manage to keep your eyes open. lol They have book lights that you can adjust so you can read as well.

Hope this helps!
Tracey

 

[cheribelle]

I love the Rainforest and have a couple of teens myself who I homeschool so I understand and appreciate needing some time off.

To answer your questions:
The shower heads are directly above you with several settings, so I think you would end up getting your hair quite wet.
I wear my bathing suit and cover up , but keep a change of clothing in a bag in the locker room locker. There are also wonderful large showers that you can use after you are done your Rainforest time. No need to bring any shampoo, conditioner, or body wash...those are right there in the shower stall with you. They also have hairdryers and other amenities right there to use if you are so inclined.
I always buy the length of cruise pass and go up at about 5:30 ( we have second seating) relax and unwind and then shower up and dress for dinner in the locker room. My husband and kids can use the bathrooms in the cabin and we are all set to go with little drama. And on time too!

I wear my bathing suit with one of the provided robes that they have up in the Rainforest to relax on the heated loungers. And a book sounds lovely if you can manage to keep your eyes open. lol They have book lights that you can adjust so you can read as well.

Hope this helps!
Tracey

I need to learn to relax without worrying about my kids, husband or a clock. I can't imagine that I would fit the time in for a length or stay pass but still thinking of the one day.

You have been very helpful and that sounds wonderful. Something about being there alone at night sans kids and husband might make me relax for a little while.

The past cruises and vacations felt like i was always on the go. I actually lost it last year trying to get everyone ready all the time and making sure they were all happy. I forgot about me. Just need to stop and see the ocean once in a while.

 

[Dug720]

I need to learn to relax without worrying about my kids, husband or a clock. I can't imagine that I would fit the time in for a length or stay pass but still thinking of the one day.

You have been very helpful and that sounds wonderful. Something about being there alone at night sans kids and husband might make me relax for a little while.

The past cruises and vacations felt like i was always on the go. I actually lost it last year trying to get everyone ready all the time and making sure they were all happy. I forgot about me. Just need to stop and see the ocean once in a while.

The Rainforest Room IS amazing!!

DO be courteous with the loungers though. I *think* there is a 30 minute limit (I know there is on other lines) if people are waiting. Not that staff enforces it, but it's the kind thing to do if you've been on there that long and see others waiting to give them a chance. They paid for the usage as well.

 

[mathgeek]

They have book lights that you can adjust so you can read as well.

Oh my goodness, I'm so embarrassed to say that I could not for the life of me figure out what those were! I was in the RR on the Dream for the first time this summer, and I was the only one in there as we pulled into port at Nassau and had no idea those were lights. Tracey, thank you so much for helping me figure out that mystery! Lol!

 

[bumbershoot]

There are also wonderful large showers that you can use after you are done your Rainforest time. No need to bring any shampoo, conditioner, or body wash...those are right there in the shower stall with you. They also have hairdryers and other amenities right there to use if you are so inclined.

And to be crystal clear, those are in the locker room not the rainforest room area. (They are closely but not the exact spot) So once you're done in the rainforest you go to the locker room and can get all ready.

The past cruises and vacations felt like i was always on the go.

The sad truth about vacations with little kids!

 

[Sytrace]

I need to learn to relax without worrying about my kids, husband or a clock. I can't imagine that I would fit the time in for a length or stay pass but still thinking of the one day.

You have been very helpful and that sounds wonderful. Something about being there alone at night sans kids and husband might make me relax for a little while.

The past cruises and vacations felt like i was always on the go. I actually lost it last year trying to get everyone ready all the time and making sure they were all happy. I forgot about me. Just need to stop and see the ocean once in a while.

Try the one day pass first and see if it works for you. Or even get a couple of those one day passes and go every couple of days for some downtime.
Learning to relax and take time for yourself is REALLY hard. It is something that I think women have a lot of trouble and anxiety over. But it is so important to just grab time where you can and enjoy it fully.
My daughter is 15 and my son will be 14 very soon (we are taking a cruise in 27 days to celebrate his birthday a bit early) and I have found that as they get older it gets easier to give them some accountability for their own activities and fun. When they were younger, I was (and still am to a smaller degree), the cruise director and program coordinator.
I called summertime events "Camp Mommy" and we would invite their friends over too. lol
Now that we homeschool, I still plan things for the homeschool kids in our circle of friends, but to a much lesser degree. Those are actually geared more to the parents getting out and about and having friends too.
Anyway, I digress... I hope you have an amazing cruise and enjoy every second in the RR!

 

[Sytrace]

Oh my goodness, I'm so embarrassed to say that I could not for the life of me figure out what those were! I was in the RR on the Dream for the first time this summer, and I was the only one in there as we pulled into port at Nassau and had no idea those were lights. Tracey, thank you so much for helping me figure out that mystery! Lol!

Haha...you are welcome.

The Rainforest Room IS amazing!!

DO be courteous with the loungers though. I *think* there is a 30 minute limit (I know there is on other lines) if people are waiting. Not that staff enforces it, but it's the kind thing to do if you've been on there that long and see others waiting to give them a chance. They paid for the usage as well.

That is one of the reasons I love to go during the 5:30 and later time...hardly any other people up there I cannot say for sure that there is a time limit as I have never been asked to move, but one would think there would be some unspoken courtesy for others whether it is enforced or not. I think I counted 12 loungers on the Fantasy and Dream...but not sure about the Wonder and Magic. Maybe there are fewer and there needs to be more enforcement?

 

[MunFam]

If you want to escape without doing the Rainforest, I just went up and used the giant showers in the gym area and also got ready up there every single day. There was a small sitting area (if I am not mistaken). It was so nice to have peace and quiet, good lighting and a lot of space. On the Wonder, I did not need a spa pass to use the locker room portion of the spa. There were slippers and robes waiting in the locker room area as well.

 

[Dug720]

Haha...you are welcome.



That is one of the reasons I love to go during the 5:30 and later time...hardly any other people up there I cannot say for sure that there is a time limit as I have never been asked to move, but one would think there would be some unspoken courtesy for others whether it is enforced or not. I think I counted 12 loungers on the Fantasy and Dream...but not sure about the Wonder and Magic. Maybe there are fewer and there needs to be more enforcement?

It was on the Fantasy that there were people on there for well over half an hour when it was crowded. When I managed to get one i did self-police for 30 minutes and can state that for at least half of them the same people were on them when I left as when I came - and people were clearly waiting. In my head I called it the "mall parking space at Christmas" syndrome.

 

[mathgeek]

I think I counted 12 loungers on the Fantasy and Dream...but not sure about the Wonder and Magic. Maybe there are fewer and there needs to be more enforcement?

I've been in the RR on the Dream and the Wonder, and I think there are fewer loungers on the classic ships. That said, I must have been lucky b/c I was the only one in there on the Dream and I think there might have been 1-2 other people both times I went in on the Wonder. Guess I chose the right time of day b/c I had full choice of loungers!

I've also decided that the RR was a wonderful treat on the Alaska cruise to warm up after a couple of chillier days, but it was really just another place to get hot and sweaty on the Dream in July.

 

[Suttonmama1]

Rainforest room is my favorite place on board. If you didn't want to get your hair wet try standing just to the side and putting your feet/legs under the water. This is amazing in the Arctic shower. Also, these are large showers so you can move around to keep your head out of the water fairly easily