Bringing Blow Up Pool on Ship

[Onessa]

I think many people get upset with the attitude of "entitlement". No, your child is not entitled to all of the same amenties. People in general will welcome a well behaved, polite child. If your child causes a disruption, for instance at dinner, remove them and quiet them down. Some parents are pretty oblivious to other passengers. It makes it difficult for parents who try to do the right thing.

 

Anyway, have a great trip!

 

I think these people who get upset that kids are passengers too, need to get a clue. Cruise lines actively court families with children. When a family pays a third/fourth pax fare OR pays full price for their kids to be in their own cabin, the kids are passengers.

 

There may be guidelines that prohibit the child from certain venues, but there are guidelines that prohibit other pax from certain venues as well (there are age restrictions for use of the kiddy pools, the kids program areas, purchase of alchol, etc.) Just because a child is not allowed to play craps in the casino does not mean that the child should be barred from the dining room, or from a deck chair, or from a seat in the theatre (if the show is age appropriate).

 

Kids are passengers - kids are people. If a child pax is poorly behaved, it should be treated no differently than when a adult pax is poorly behaved.

 

While I fully support the ban on non-potty trained children in the pools for the regulatory, sanitary, and liability reasons that the cruise lines cite in defending their rules; there is no reason for children to be treated like steerage-class passengers (and they are not).

 

If a passenger chooses to bring a small blow up pool for their toddler - takes responsiblity for the pool (it's inflation, deflation and storage), strategically places the pool so that it is not impeding flow of pedestrians, and responsibly fills and empties said pool - there in no reason why the pax should be prohibited from doing so.

 

I've seen adult pax set up for games or event just for visiting in such a way as to 'misuse' deck space (making it impossible to get past the group, using extra tables or deck chairs as "barriers", spilling food and drinks, etc.). Why go picking on a 2YO?

[crusinmama06]

Here Here Onessa! :D

 

BTW, I decided to plan a cruise this August to go with JUST the moms and the kids, leaving the hubbies at home. Three moms, 6 kids (all 6 kids under 7). I hope we get our own table or we'll have major stares. HAHAHAHAHAHA! ;)

[cvrap]

When we were on the Fantasy this past summer, we placed our one-ring, small blow-up pool kind of under the slide. It worked great and no one said a word. Everyone thought it was a great idea. It definitely wasn't in the way as people can't walk under the slide. We used water from the shower and dumped it down the drain after use.

[bmgaritty]

Why go picking on a 2YO?

 

 

 

Who was picking on a 2 year old????????

[1alexcartermom]

We took a small inflatable $4 pool from Wal-mart and set it up on our balcony. My husband & I spent the entire time on our balcony reading with our feet in the pool while our kids splashed happily. We drained it into the drain in our balcony, no problems! The biggest problem was filling the pool up, but we are definitely taking a blow-up pool for our balcony again this April as it MADE the trip for the kids and allowed us to enjoy the quiet of our balcony without having to be in the constant wall to wall crowds.

[New2Cruisin'07]

I'm just reading these posts, and I'm noticing that everyone seems to be quite divided on the idea of a small 'inflatable pool'.

 

We booked a family cruise for this May. Everyone we ran the idea by told us that it would be an amazing vacation for our family. My children are 12months, 6yrs, and 8yrs. Obviously our (just turned) 12month old isn't potty trained. We've always used swim pants for him in public pools.---I had absolutely no idea that our little guy would have to sit out, and not be able to swim with the rest of the family. Anyways, having read about it, I completely understand the reasons for it aboard the ship.

 

I'm noticing that there seems to be a concern about finding space for an inflatable pool on the deck.

 

I do plan to take an inflatable pool for him. He has paid the same rate as my 6yr and 8yr old. He isn't eating as much as them, or participating in camp carnival. On the deck, isn't he at least entitled to the same space as a chair would occupy??? Can't he enjoy some spashing around on the ship??? I would have every expectation to position it as out of the way as possible, and I would expect to empty it by a drain. Am I being unreasonable?????

 

Please give me some feedback!!

[wentworth]

I'm just reading these posts' date=' and I'm noticing that everyone seems to be quite divided on the idea of a small 'inflatable pool'.

 

We booked a family cruise for this May. Everyone we ran the idea by told us that it would be an amazing vacation for our family. My children are 12months, 6yrs, and 8yrs. Obviously our (just turned) 12month old isn't potty trained. We've always used swim pants for him in public pools.---I had absolutely no idea that our little guy would have to sit out, and not be able to swim with the rest of the family. Anyways, having read about it, I completely understand the reasons for it aboard the ship.

 

I'm noticing that there seems to be a concern about finding space for an inflatable pool on the deck.

 

I do plan to take an inflatable pool for him. He has paid the same rate as my 6yr and 8yr old. He isn't eating as much as them, or participating in camp carnival. On the deck, isn't he at least entitled to the same space as a chair would occupy??? Can't he enjoy some spashing around on the ship??? I would have every expectation to position it as out of the way as possible, and I would expect to empty it by a drain. Am I being unreasonable?????

 

Please give me some feedback!![/quote']

 

You are not being unreasonable. As long as you place the pool where

it is not in the way of people walking by you will be fine. As I mentioned

back several posts in this thread, we brought the pool for our granddaughter, the room steward was happy to blow it up for us and we

filled it with the small pails she was playing with.....it was not a lot of

water. She had two other toddlers join her to play. The pool was emptied into the drain by the pool. No one complained as they had no

reason to.

 

Have a great cruise!!!

[sas80]

Hi

 

Thought I had read somewhere that people have brought small blow up

pools on the ship for toddlers who are not potty trained to use.

 

Can someone verify this and tell me how they were able to get the pool

blown up?

 

 

Thank for any suggestions.

 

 

I'm not sure if I was "the original" poster on the subject but I know that I have posted that I was thinking of doing this and asked the same question - "has anyone ever done it?"

 

I pretty much got the same answers you got. The biggest one I didnt think of was "where would I empty it/how would I be considerate of my neighbors when I did"

 

My (internal) answer to this question was only to fill the pool with an inch or two of water so that, when you drain it, the water is not overwhelming.

 

As well, drain it slowly, bit by bit, giving the water plenty of time to run down the gutters (yes, there are built in gutters on every ship) so as not to overwhelm the gutters.

 

Also, consider draining it on port days, as these are the days that they typically wash the ship (balconies and windows) anyways.

 

Who cares if there is enough balcony space - it's your balcony, do what you want with it!

 

We are cruising soon but our 6 month old isnt really "into" his baths yet so we are not going o bring the inflatable pool this time. but we are cruising again in august when the baby is 10 months old. We will probably bring a pool that time.

 

happy sailing!

[sas80]

We took a small inflatable $4 pool from Wal-mart and set it up on our balcony. My husband & I spent the entire time on our balcony reading with our feet in the pool while our kids splashed happily. We drained it into the drain in our balcony, no problems! The biggest problem was filling the pool up, but we are definitely taking a blow-up pool for our balcony again this April as it MADE the trip for the kids and allowed us to enjoy the quiet of our balcony without having to be in the constant wall to wall crowds.

 

We have the wrap around balcony on the rhapsody in august and I expect that most of our time will be spent in quiet solitude, watching the ocean drift by as we read and relax on our balcony while our 10 month old splashes around in the blow up pool we bring!

[sas80]

You are not being unreasonable. As long as you place the pool where

it is not in the way of people walking by you will be fine. As I mentioned

back several posts in this thread, we brought the pool for our granddaughter, the room steward was happy to blow it up for us and we

filled it with the small pails she was playing with.....it was not a lot of

water. She had two other toddlers join her to play. The pool was emptied into the drain by the pool. No one complained as they had no

reason to.

 

Have a great cruise!!!

 

Now THAT is a nice, sociable idea too!

[TropicalSnowflake]

We bought a small inflatable bathtub for our then 8 m/o son on the NCL Dawn in Nov. 2004. We had 5 days at sea, though, and really needed something to do on deck all that time.

 

We had no problems using it near the main pool area. It was never in the way and the staff gave us to use a plastic bucket to help fill it up. Since he was 8mo, he only needed an inch or two to have fun splashing. It was easy for us to pick it up and pour the water into the shower drains on deck near the pools.

 

We never had negative comments or stares. As a matter of fact, many people said "great idea" and loved watching our son squeal with delight. One woman even took a picture (kind of strange...).

 

Here is a picture of him on deck:

[crusinmama06]

Awww what a great picture! And I am wondering if the woman taking your picture wasn't a CC person trying to bring it back to the boards. :rolleyes:

[sas80]

AW! that picture gets my vote for CUTEST picture of the dAY!!!

 

Thanks for posting - I didnt even know the pools came that small & putting it on the pool deck is a GREAT idea!

[TropicalSnowflake]

Sorry it takes up so much space, I have not figured out how to do a picture thumbnail yet. (anyone know how?) And what's up with that Advertisement? It was not there last night when I posted. :confused:

 

FYI...it was an inflatable BATHTUB found at Toys R Us for $12. I'll bring it again for my second son (who will be 14mos on our next cruise) because any kid under the age of two just wants to splash around, no need to have lots of room to swim. :cool:

[imacruzinma]

That is an adorable photo and a wonderful size. I think the inflatable bathtub was invented after my baby-era.

[lostie]

This thread is awesome! I agree that the guys/girls should be allowed to splash around also. I am going on NCL Spirit (8/12 to 8/26), anyone out there going and want to share a baby pool with us? I have 2y/o DS who is not potty trained yet. I am going to try this summer, but great idea just in case.

 

[goodml]

My kids are teens now but I can honestly say it would never bother me to see a child in one of these on deck. As one poster pointed out, it would take up no more room than a deck chair (actually less.) That beautiful happy baby smiling in the picture would be a joy to watch playing around in the pool. As long as it's emptied properly down the drain I've got no issues whatsoever.

[dnj1]

You guys have really pumped me up. Not only am I going to go ahead a take my 1 yo on the cruise, But I am also going to bring a pool with me. The previous picture was adorable. I see no harm in it at all. As moms, I think we all have good sense to know not to put a pool in walking area. And to me that is all that matters. What do they expect us to do. Not cruise with our kids. Oh...take the 4 yo but leave that baby at home. HECK NO!!! We should continue to stand up for our babies. And yes, they do have entitlements.

To whoever is against the babies....Lighten up! Live abit! Think about your kids? Think about your grand babies? That is a problem with our society in general. Parents not spending time with their kids and giving them positive experiences. Every child derserves that. I think that it is great that parents are doing family vacations. When you see a baby in the dining room, smile...when you see a baby in the hall, smile...when you see a baby in a blow up pool , smile.... Know that baby is LOVED . Quit being a party pooper and enjoy your vacation....because we will enjoy ours.

 

Sorry for rambling....but I had a lot on my mind. I am a mom of a 7 yo and a 17 mo. Party at the blow-up pool!!!

[Onessa]

. . . To whoever is against the babies....Lighten up! Live abit! Think about your kids? Think about your grand babies? That is a problem with our society in general. Parents not spending time with their kids and giving them positive experiences. Every child derserves that. I think that it is great that parents are doing family vacations. When you see a baby in the dining room, smile...when you see a baby in the hall, smile...when you see a baby in a blow up pool , smile.... Know that baby is LOVED . Quit being a party pooper and enjoy your vacation....because we will enjoy ours. . . .

 

If you follow many of the "kids/babies on board" posts, you will find many of the same folks making a fuss about any family related topic. If you follow the boards much at all, you'll also discover that many of these folks are childless (not all!) and seem to take all of the cruise "rules" far too seriously.

 

There does seem to be a subgroup of people in society who are so absorbed in themselves that they cannot tolerate anything even a little different. If all of the kids on board disappeared tomorrow, these are the same glass-half-full sort of folks who would need to find someone else to beat up upon.

 

95% of the cruising public are perfectly cool with families cruising (take a look at how many "adults-only" cruise ships and/or cruise lines are either now allowing families or have gone belly up!). Don't let the small (mean spirited) minority out there get you down -go, have fun! Best yet, practice good parenting so that these prunes have NOTHING about which to complain!!! It will drive them nuts!:D

[hhlahabra]

I have never heard of that, or seen that on any ship.

I would think it would be dangerous and the cruise lines would not allow that.

[hhlahabra]

: I have never heard of that, or seen that on any ship.

I would think it would be dangerous and the cruise lines would not allow that.

[wentworth]

: I have never heard of that, or seen that on any ship.

I would think it would be dangerous and the cruise lines would not allow that.

 

 

 

Have not heard of what?

[crusinmama06]

: I have never heard of that, or seen that on any ship.

I would think it would be dangerous and the cruise lines would not allow that.

 

Sorry, they DO allow it. Many parents have pics to prove it.

[bmgaritty]

Sorry, they DO allow it. Many parents have pics to prove it.

 

Just because people haven't been stopped from setting up blow up pools, doesn't mean it's "allowed". It just hasn't caused problems with passenger movement, etc. As soon as too many people start bringing blow up pools, or ones that are too large, and passenger movement is restricted, I'm sure we will be hearing things about fire and safety codes etc.

[Kerry's Girls]

It IS allowed on Princess and Carnival. I called and asked beforehand.

 

Best,

Mia