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Why are Royal Caribbean pools freezing and Princess ships pools warm?

SKAGGS1234

By SKAGGS1234,
in Royal Caribbean International

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momto2js

momto2js

Posted
Posted

I don't have an answer but I was SHOCKED at how cold the pool was last week!! It was too cold for my 4 and 7 year old boys, and that is saying some thing. I never saw an adult with more than a toe in the water.

 

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Forums mobile app

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leaveitallbehind

leaveitallbehind

Posted
Posted (edited)

Even though the itineraries are the same, maybe the air temperature was hotter on one cruise compared to the other during the time you experienced the pool? Maybe one pool was heated and the other not? Generally in warmer region cruises - in particular the Caribbean - there is no need to heat the water as the air temperature is usually quite hot.

 

As a rule we have never found the RCI pools to be "freezing" in the warmer climate itineraries as the water temperature would correspond with the air temperature at the time.

Edited by leaveitallbehind
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Tyler80

Tyler80

Posted
Posted

It is winter in the northern hemisphere, ocean temperatures are cooler and since cruise ship pool water is drawn from the ocean, it reflects the same temperature.

 

Pool water during the summer can be considerably warmer due to higher air temperatures and warmer ocean temperatures.

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SKAGGS1234

SKAGGS1234

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No, the cruises were the same time each year for the past 10 years. All 10 times we were on RCCL out of Galveston. This was our first cruise on Princess out of Texas and the pools were delightful!

We were shocked and so pleased at how warm and inviting they were:)!

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leaveitallbehind

leaveitallbehind

Posted
Posted
No, the cruises were the same time each year for the past 10 years. All 10 times we were on RCCL out of Galveston. This was our first cruise on Princess out of Texas and the pools were delightful!

We were shocked and so pleased at how warm and inviting they were:)!

 

....then maybe they were heated.

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tahqa

tahqa

Posted
Posted (edited)

Apparently Princess ship's pools are typically freshwater and may or may not be heated.

 

The ships that Royal has had out of Galveston all have saltwater pools that are refreshed out of the ocean so they will tend to be whatever temperature the ocean is.

Edited by tahqa
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PSCruiser

PSCruiser

Posted
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Pool temperature is a big deal to me as we love to swim. If the pools are too cold, I find the officer in charge of the pool deck and complain, this often helps. One problem with saltwater pools is they start at ambient ocean temperature and may take a while to heat.

A big negative to my one cruise on Carnival was that the pools were so cold that even kids would not use them, so they crowded into the hot tubs, making them useless also. When I complained to their deck officer, he claimed he didn't even know if his pools had heaters!

On any ship, there would be plenty of complaints if pools were empty the entire cruise, so why not complain if they are so cold as to be useless.

However, don't think that RC ships are especially bad in this regard.

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coasterjan

coasterjan

Posted
Posted

In my experience, the pools on the Princess ship we sailed were filled with fresh water and were chemically treated (much like a public pool or my swimming pool at home) and the water was *wonderful* - very warm and just a delight. Since the water is treated, the same water stays in the pool and gets warm. I contrast that with all my Carnival cruises where the pools have been filled each morning with sea water - not only salty, but also much colder since they are refilled each morning. Also, the water isn't treated (no chlorine, etc), just dumped at the end of each day.

Janis

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mjldvlks

mjldvlks

Posted
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More kids on the Princess cruise that week? ;)

 

Perhaps the Princess pool water was of a more yellow color ?

 

There are so many possibilities. I was going to suggest that if they found the RCI pools "freezing" perhaps they had inadvertently wandered into the ice arena.

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willing292

willing292

Posted
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We were told it's up to the Captain. A few years ago, on the Radiance from Vancouver to Hawaii, the pool was heated every day while we were at sea. It was so nice, as starting out, the air was on the cool side.

 

 

Shirley, Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

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LetsGetWet!

LetsGetWet!

Posted
Posted
Pool temperature is a big deal to me as we love to swim. If the pools are too cold, I find the officer in charge of the pool deck and complain, this often helps. One problem with saltwater pools is they start at ambient ocean temperature and may take a while to heat.

A big negative to my one cruise on Carnival was that the pools were so cold that even kids would not use them, so they crowded into the hot tubs, making them useless also. When I complained to their deck officer, he claimed he didn't even know if his pools had heaters!

On any ship, there would be plenty of complaints if pools were empty the entire cruise, so why not complain if they are so cold as to be useless.

However, don't think that RC ships are especially bad in this regard.

Like you, we want to be able to enjoy the pools during the cruise - not only during the heat of the day, but also for quiet & peaceful moonlight swims in the late evenings. One of the things we like about RCI - their pools are generally open 24/7, while many other lines close theirs as early as 9PM or so.

 

So if they're freezing cold, we'll be unhappy also. How did you find "the officer in charge of the pool deck?"

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time4u2go

time4u2go

Posted
Posted
Pool temperature is a big deal to me as we love to swim. If the pools are too cold, I find the officer in charge of the pool deck and complain, this often helps. One problem with saltwater pools is they start at ambient ocean temperature and may take a while to heat.

A big negative to my one cruise on Carnival was that the pools were so cold that even kids would not use them, so they crowded into the hot tubs, making them useless also. When I complained to their deck officer, he claimed he didn't even know if his pools had heaters!

On any ship, there would be plenty of complaints if pools were empty the entire cruise, so why not complain if they are so cold as to be useless.

However, don't think that RC ships are especially bad in this regard.

I'm curious. If you complain to this person, do they actually turn on pool heaters?

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F27TW

F27TW

Posted
Posted (edited)
We were told it's up to the Captain. A few years ago, on the Radiance from Vancouver to Hawaii, the pool was heated every day while we were at sea. It was so nice, as starting out, the air was on the cool side.

 

 

Shirley, Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

 

 

And if so, that's TOTAL BS. Something of this nature should be a corporate decision (and policy) .. not something the Captain decides.

 

The captain is in charge of operating the ship safely .. the comfort of the guests (for something like whether or not pools get heated) should not be up to him totally.

 

That's like saying "the Captain doesn't like Coca-Cola, so he wont let it be served on board".

Edited by F27TW
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LetsGetWet!

LetsGetWet!

Posted
Posted
And if so, that's TOTAL BS. Something of this nature should be a corporate decision (and policy) .. not something the Captain decides.

 

The captain is in charge of operating the ship safely .. the comfort of the guests (for something like whether or not pools get heated) should not be up to him totally.

 

That's like saying "the Captain doesn't like Coca-Cola, so he wont let it be served on board".

Agreed, that should be under the domain of the Hotel Director onboard, not the Captain - unless it somehow affects the propulsion/operations capability of the ship itself, which seems unlikely. I'm sure they were told this, but I doubt its actually the case.

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