Outdoor pool on norweigan fjord cruise - too cold to swim?

Hi there

I am considering a cruise to the Norweigan Fjords (first time cruise) next summer. The Celebrity Eclipse only has outdoor pools for children. They advise that the temperature of the pool is between 60 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit which seems very cool.

Does anyone have any comments on the use of outdoor pools on the Fjords cruise - ie does anyone actually use them? Also does anyone have any specific experience of this issue on celebrity Eclipse?

Thank you for any replies.

CJ

Our friend went swimming as were were nearing the Arctic circle in Aug one year

The pool was heated though

The air was in the mid 30's F

I cannot imagine the pool being 60F BRRR

If it's THAT cold, why would you WANT to swim????? If that ship has an enclosed pool, they may use it for "family swim" at certain times. Otherwise, if it's cold, don't worry about the pool!

Hi there

I am considering a cruise to the Norweigan Fjords (first time cruise) next summer. The Celebrity Eclipse only has outdoor pools for children. They advise that the temperature of the pool is between 60 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit which seems very cool.

Does anyone have any comments on the use of outdoor pools on the Fjords cruise - ie does anyone actually use them? Also does anyone have any specific experience of this issue on celebrity Eclipse?

 

Thank you for any replies.

 

CJ

I have read on the Celebrity forum (where you might post this question) that on cold weather cruises children have been permitted to use the covered Solarium pool at specific times. This is not gospel, just sayin':confused:

As far as the temperature of the outdoor pool, those temps do seem frigid! Again, ask your question on the Celeb forum for more definitive responses. As far as using the pools on fjords cruises, I am sure that folks do- I know that on my Alaska cruise, the pool was occupied- mostly by kids who didn't mind the cold!

I've frequently used heated pools on Norway cruises, even once or twice on the Hurtigruten in february (air temperature below zero Fahrenheit). the air temperature is no problem at all once you're in. When you want to get out, that's a different matter:eek:.

I've never been with Celebrity, but all the lines I wnet with that had heated pools, had them heated enough to be normal swimming pool temperatures.

I never saw a child in the childrens' area on Independence this May, but the Norwegian weather wasn't very warm (think Northern Scotland). On the warmest day, there were several people in the main pool, including children- perhaps around 12 or so. As said, it was the getting out that seemed to be the problem; two children were wanting to go to something in the kid's club, but were reluctant to hoist themselves out of the water....:D

I believe Eclipse has an indoor pool, so it should be available to all.

As a similar comparison I was sailing round the Baltics in August with similar air and water temps and was absolutely fine.

The trick is to go straight in (non of this pausing to get your shoulders under) and stay swimming and walking around the water...its rather quite pleasurable. You then finish it off with a trip to a nearby hot tub. I have also swam in the North sea in April and been in hot tub in December when it was -3 Celsius.

I have circulation problems but I am a swimming addict so I bear all temperatures (being European and young may help this though).

However I do not understand why people leave the water/pools when it rains. On our PC cruise this summer the older adults left the pool and it was just us, some germans and a couple from Seattle that remained having pool and hot tub fun.

Enjoy water in all weathers people. :)

Thank you all so much for your replies. Still trying to decide whether a cruise if for us! Very helpful to know the pool situation.

CJ

Hi there

I am considering a cruise to the Norweigan Fjords (first time cruise) next summer. The Celebrity Eclipse only has outdoor pools for children. They advise that the temperature of the pool is between 60 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit which seems very cool.

Does anyone have any comments on the use of outdoor pools on the Fjords cruise - ie does anyone actually use them? Also does anyone have any specific experience of this issue on celebrity Eclipse?

 

Thank you for any replies.

 

CJ

I have been many times and the pools are heated.

Thank you all so much for your replies. Still trying to decide whether a cruise if for us! Very helpful to know the pool situation.

CJ

Hello,

Just to add a couple points, since you say you haven't decided on a cruise !

First, yes, as stated by another poster, Celebrity will usually open the indoor Solarium pool to accompanied children, during inclement weather, for several hours on those days. In fact, here is the quoted info from the Celebrity website:

* During inclement weather and select hours, the ship may permit the Solarium Pool (if covered) to be used by persons under age sixteen (16) provided they are directly supervised by a parent or guardian.

Secondly, the Eclipse is a wonderful ship, with superb staff, great food, a myriad of activities for young and old alike, and Norway looks like it would be wonderful (on my bucket-list) !

Hope the above info might help you decide !! :D

BBL

Chrissiejames: With young children who love to swim, I don't think a Fjords cruise on the Celebrity Eclipse is really the best choice for your first family cruise. I say that having been on the Eclipse in the Med, my husband and I got lots of extra attention from the crew because we were among the youngest on the cruise - at ages 51 and 52. We actually experienced one of those "What has been seen cannot be unseen" moments when we passed by the main pool and saw everyone there was at minimum 20+ years older than us. The entire 10 days on that cruise, I saw only one child. One. And she appeared to be about 3 and was in a stroller with extended family including parents and grandparents. Sometimes there are younger people on Celebrity, it's dependent on the cruise - especially the date of the cruise - for instance in the Caribbean they tend to have much more of a mix of ages, but on this Med cruise in May, there was not a lot of fun family stuff to do on the Eclipse and most especially not much of anything I could see geared to young ones. If it were me, I would hate to bring my child on a cruise like that. The other issue is how much babysitting do you need? Do you plan to take your children off the ship on all day shore excursions? Do you plan to have your children sit through 2 hour long formal dinners? Do you prefer informal dining? Do you want your kids to spend lots of time in a kids club or no time there? Do you plan to try to spend some private time with your spouse or just intend to have your kids with your 24x7 for the duration of the cruise? Some ships offer you babysitting, others do not and that may be an important part of your decision process and something you should check out ahead of time if you plan to utilize this service. My impression is Celebrity does not offer extended services.

So what are the alternatives? Please consider a Caribbean cruise or a Panama Canal Cruise on lines such as Carnival, RCCL, Disney and NCL. It's a totally different experience than the rather staid, formal and elegant experience on Celebrity which can be boring for young ones. Consider a RCCL or Disney Cruise or NCL Epic cruise in Europe which should be a far better match for your family demographics. The other thing about these lines is that some offer Freestyle (NCL) or Dynamic Dining (RCCL) which means you eat when you feel like it at various restaurants and you don't have to wait - something that is a huge bonus when you are trying to accommodate children. Of course, Disney has all sorts of things for the young ones. It is a bit more expensive, but there are character meet and greets and family oriented parties and - you'll have to google this to understand "fish extenders". Disney does so much to make this such a positive experience for families and I've heard nothing but good things from families who did Disney cruises. My thought is I want ALL to have a wonderful time on vacation and for there to be appropriate options for everyone in your group. The food on the Eclipse is wonderful, but most children are not into sitting through a 2 hour dinner nor do they care about going to the coffee shop. The casino is off limits, which leaves stuff like glass blowing - a snoozefest for most kids. Cruising can be wonderful with children on the RIGHT ship. Read up on lines such as Disney (as upscale as Celebrity but more family friendly) and those which are just a price point less - such as NCL and RCCL.

Wishing you and your family all the best!

Way too cold to swim. The heated pools aren't that warm! :eek:

LuLu