bringing an inflatable pool on board???

[CruisingCatherine]

 

This is exactly the kind of pool I am referring to. I am a very respectful person and I teach my children to be respectful. I would never allow my 10 month old to be splashing water from this little pool into another cabana. I am sure some giggles and laughs would not disturb others (at least I hope not) I am sorry but I don't see or understand how a little baby making a few splashes in a private cabana next to a MUCH LARGER POOL with people splashing and having fun is such a problem. I would think that if someone would be disturbed by this then they are disturbed by children in general. I would think that adults would understand that a family wants all members of the family to enjoy their cruise including an infant. On a hot day, I would want my baby to enjoy the water as much as anyone else.

 

I usually do not get upset by posts or threads. Lord knows I am a very laid back individual. However, the tone of this thread does bother me. It reminds me of the old saying children are to be seen but not heard. As a mother I find this upsetting.

 

I apologize to the original poster if you feel I have hijacked your thread. I certainly did not intend to do so.

[Travalerie]

Go to the family board and you will get your answer there. It is fairly common to do this, maybe not on HAL, but you are not crazy for this idea. Cruisinmama answered the same question for me. I forget exactly what she said about where to dump the water but it was not a big deal-I remember think that. A lot of people use it on the balcony too. A baby will not splash enough to send water flooding to the cabana next to you. Sorry you are getting all these negative responses. I ended up not bringing the pool, we had a lido cabana and our 12 month old just went in the water on the beach.

[Old As Dirt Mom]

......

 

I usually do not get upset by posts or threads. Lord knows I am a very laid back individual. However, the tone of this thread does bother me. It reminds me of the old saying children are to be seen but not heard. As a mother I find this upsetting.

 

I apologize to the original poster if you feel I have hijacked your thread. I certainly did not intend to do so.

 

Dear Catherine:

 

You haven't hijacked this thread, you've contributed towards it. I think you are trying very hard to be conscientious about the other passengers. I think your idea will work. This is a cruise forum, a virtual reality, not real life. You will find on a real, actual HAL ship that HAL passengers are some of the most pleasant, laid back, accommodating, nice people you will ever meet. I have traveled with my children on HAL, and I've had positive experiences. With your thoughtful and sensitive attitude, I know you will, too.:)

[mafig]

I've seen this little pool discussed on other cruiseline boards but this was the first time I've seen a picture. I cannot see why this would cause any problem at all. I believe people empty the water down the pool's drain.

[English_in_Spain]

Never mind what the others say - just do it - sounds like a lovely idea.

 

If I were there next to you and I heard your baby enjoying his/her little pool I would think how wonderful it was.

 

I sometimes think that people forget that vacations are about the whole family enjoying themselves. As long as it is innocent family fun and not children running riot I am all for it.

 

Enjoy your cruise

[Boytjie]

We took one for our 1 year old great niece and it was great. We had it on our veranda, and used the ice bucket to fill it. It was never more than 3-4 inches of water and very easily dumped down the drain. I know there are people that take them up by the pools but we never did that. It looks like a possibility if you have a private cabana though. It is a really nice way to let the little ones cool off and have some fun. Not every day is a beach day on most cruises.

 

Have fun, Cherie

 

Hopefully the ice bucket was just used to fill - and not empty - the kiddy pool. :eek:

[kyriecat]

I believe people empty the water down the pool's drain.

I would check on where the pool drain goes before doing that. If it is recycled through the filters back into the pool, the staff may have to drain the pool for hygenic reasons to verify no fecal matter has entered the pool water. It would be better to drain it into a toilet or down the sink or tub so it goes through the ship sewer filtration system.

 

I've never seen an inflatable pool on a cruise so I'm not certain how they are drained. We had a problem on one sailing because someone put their diapered baby in the pool - TWICE! Both times, the staff had to evacuate the pool, drain it, and clean it before refilling it. It was closed for over 2 days of the trip for this. We were told it was to prevent fecal contamination. Nobody actually SAW any fecal matter, but it was done anyway as a precautionary measure against diseases. I guess the staff thought it would be better to have the pool cleaned than risk having e.coli or something similar passed around and getting sick, irate passengers.

 

The pool drain might not be an issue for a baby pool, but I personally I would verify that before doing something that will cause the pool to be closed and anger many passengers.

[9876]

I have been on both Carnival and Royal Caribbean which have many children and I have never seen anything like this done. I am not saying it hasn't been done but I have not seen it. I would suggest calling HAL's guest services in advance of the cruise for their feedback.

[cccole]

I was talking about using the drain on our balcony, not at the pool. And I am really hopeful that all of the "stuff" washed down the verandah drains does not go into the pool. Taking a small blowup pool for children in diapers is a responsible way for parents to make sure their children do not cause the pool to be closed and drained. Cherie

[cccole]

Also....I know I mentioned this before...but I purchased a life vest at a marine supply store before our cruise. Savannah was just one year old and petite and we were told that the life vests may be too big. We used her life vest for beach, river tubing, tenders, and other water activities. Her parents also took it for a beach vacation in Italy. We had it in the cabin in case of emergency, because the child life vests were too big. Cherie

[babyher]

I admit that I was concerned where they would dump the water from an inflatable pool.

My kids are all older and I didn't know they made lttle pools like that for infants ...looks like a lot of fun :)

 

Something that small wouldn't be so bad, and if it keeps the little ones happy so much the better.

 

If I was in the cabana next to you , I would be having a ball watching your little one having a good time.

 

Ok, I admit I am still a big kid *LOL*

[our turn]

Only my opinion, but, I thought the lido cabanas made for a chaotic mess. I hardly think a giggling, happy baby would possibly disturb anyone. My kids never did well in a crowded situation for some reason but the idea of a little pool on the verandah would have worked well for us. Enjoy your cruise and take lots of pictures - those babies will be in high school before you know it!

 

Kim

[CruisingCatherine]

Dear Catherine:

 

You haven't hijacked this thread, you've contributed towards it. I think you are trying very hard to be conscientious about the other passengers. I think your idea will work. This is a cruise forum, a virtual reality, not real life. You will find on a real, actual HAL ship that HAL passengers are some of the most pleasant, laid back, accommodating, nice people you will ever meet. I have traveled with my children on HAL, and I've had positive experiences. With your thoughtful and sensitive attitude, I know you will, too.:)

 

Thank you so much for your kind words. We are hoping to really enjoy our first cruise on HAL.

[kryos]

My first thought is where are you going to dump the water when you are done?

You probably don't notice ... because you don't look for it ... but there are drains set in the floor at several points on the Lido deck. The pool would just get dumped out into one of those drains. Simple.

 

What is complicated, however, is where you would set this thing up. The Lido deck could get crowded and it would seem like a blow up pool would be in the way and someone could easily trip over the baby if they weren't watching where they were going. If you do decide to bring this, I would ask a staff member where would be a good place to set it up. If they've set up a small pool for young children before, they must have a place where it is convenient to do so.

 

I think it is precisely to address this problem that the new Retreat area is being planned. The facilities there are not actually a pool; some parts of it only contain six inches of water. Perhaps HAL will set aside a section of this specifically for diapered babies.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[babyher]

You probably don't notice ... because you don't look for it ... but there are drains set in the floor at several points on the Lido deck. The pool would just get dumped out into one of those drains. Simple.

 

What is complicated, however, is where you would set this thing up. The Lido deck could get crowded and it would seem like a blow up pool would be in the way and someone could easily trip over the baby if they weren't watching where they were going. If you do decide to bring this, I would ask a staff member where would be a good place to set it up. If they've set up a small pool for young children before, they must have a place where it is convenient to do so.

 

I think it is precisely to address this problem that the new Retreat area is being planned. The facilities there are not actually a pool; some parts of it only contain six inches of water. Perhaps HAL will set aside a section of this specifically for diapered babies.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

 

You are right, I never noticed or looked for the drains , well that woudl eb easy enough.

 

I could see a little pool getting in the way when the Lido gets too crowded , I would imagine some little space could be afforded for a pool for a the little ones

[sapper1]

This is exactly the kind of pool I am referring to. I am a very respectful person and I teach my children to be respectful. I would never allow my 10 month old to be splashing water from this little pool into another cabana. I am sure some giggles and laughs would not disturb others (at least I hope not) I am sorry but I don't see or understand how a little baby making a few splashes in a private cabana next to a MUCH LARGER POOL with people splashing and having fun is such a problem. I would think that if someone would be disturbed by this then they are disturbed by children in general. I would think that adults would understand that a family wants all members of the family to enjoy their cruise including an infant. On a hot day, I would want my baby to enjoy the water as much as anyone else.

 

I usually do not get upset by posts or threads. Lord knows I am a very laid back individual. However, the tone of this thread does bother me. It reminds me of the old saying children are to be seen but not heard. As a mother I find this upsetting.

 

I apologize to the original poster if you feel I have hijacked your thread. I certainly did not intend to do so.

Having toured the Eurodam I can tell you that the pool is far enough away from the cabanas to prevent any users from being splashed by swimmers. There are a lot of lounge chairs between the cabanas and the pool so your argument that the cabana users would be splashed anyway does not hold water. (Sorry--couldn't resist that:))

Having raised two respectful children, I can tell you that there is no way a 10 month old baby is not going to splash in a pool. Let's get real here. It is instinctive and they have not reached the age of reason yet. I think that spending the day in a cabana with a splashing baby right next to me would be most annoying----and that does not make me disturbed by children---I would be equally disturbed by an adult sending water my way all day.

[Travalerie]

I could see a little pool getting in the way when the Lido gets too crowded , I would imagine some little space could be afforded for a pool for a the little ones

 

There was plenty of open space for a little pool by a lounge chair on my cruise!

[CruisingCatherine]

Having toured the Eurodam I can tell you that the pool is far enough away from the cabanas to prevent any users from being splashed by swimmers. There are a lot of lounge chairs between the cabanas and the pool so your argument that the cabana users would be splashed anyway does not hold water. (Sorry--couldn't resist that:))

Having raised two respectful children, I can tell you that there is no way a 10 month old baby is not going to splash in a pool. Let's get real here. It is instinctive and they have not reached the age of reason yet. I think that spending the day in a cabana with a splashing baby right next to me would be most annoying----and that does not make me disturbed by children---I would be equally disturbed by an adult sending water my way all day.

 

I did not mean that a person would get splashed by those in the lido pool. I simply meant that pool on the floor of the Lido deck is to be expected. Either from splashing or from people walking by in wet suits. A 10 month old is not going to splash two inches of water more than a foot so the only water in question would be that water that ended up on the floor of the pool deck with everyone elses. By being respectful I meant that I would place the baby in the center of our cabana or possilby request a cabana at the end and put the baby on the opposite side of other cabanas. I would not be so rude as to put the baby and pool right next to the curtain and up next to those in another cabana. If I noticed the baby was splashing to the point that others could be affected, as a respectful person I would never allow that to continue. I realize that a 10 month old could not be respectful but my 12 and 9 year old can and do.

[sapper1]

I did not mean that a person would get splashed by those in the lido pool. I simply meant that pool on the floor of the Lido deck is to be expected. Either from splashing or from people walking by in wet suits. A 10 month old is not going to splash two inches of water more than a foot so the only water in question would be that water that ended up on the floor of the pool deck with everyone elses. By being respectful I meant that I would place the baby in the center of our cabana or possilby request a cabana at the end and put the baby on the opposite side of other cabanas. I would not be so rude as to put the baby and pool right next to the curtain and up next to those in another cabana. If I noticed the baby was splashing to the point that others could be affected, as a respectful person I would never allow that to continue. I realize that a 10 month old could not be respectful but my 12 and 9 year old can and do.

Thanks for the clarification---I see your point of view.

[CruisingCatherine]

Thanks for the clarification---I see your point of view.

 

 

As the island people say..."no worries"!!:D

[TedC]

We've been on a HAL ship, can't remember which, where a family cavorted in the pool with a diapered child. They were speaking a foreign language, possibly Dutch. I stayed out of the pool that day.

 

The tiny inflated pool depicted on link in post #17 would be far better than having a child in the pool - anything larger would be a problem.

 

I bet it'd be a photo op for grandparents missing their grandkids.

[kryos]

I usually do not get upset by posts or threads. Lord knows I am a very laid back individual. However, the tone of this thread does bother me. It reminds me of the old saying children are to be seen but not heard. As a mother I find this upsetting.

Frankly, I would wonder just how much a baby that young could splash. If she's playing in her little pool like the one in the photo, and she's happy and giggling instead of crying, she will be less a bother to other passengers than she would be if she was wailing because she was hot and uncomfortable.

 

And, even if on occasion another passenger were splashed, what's the big whoop? They are out by the pool ... in most cases in their bathing suits. A little splashed water on occasion is going to be that big a deal?

 

I think the pool pictured in that photo would be perfect for a little one. It won't take up much room, and I am sure if you ask the staff, they will be more than happy to help you set it up in an out-of-the-way place where it won't cause a tripping hazard.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[lstrong]

Please don't put a small pool out on your veranda - we had the unfortunate experience of a neighbor who did just that, and we always had water on our veranda.

[cruisingjon]

Having toured the Eurodam I can tell you that the pool is far enough away from the cabanas to prevent any users from being splashed by swimmers. There are a lot of lounge chairs between the cabanas and the pool so your argument that the cabana users would be splashed anyway does not hold water. (Sorry--couldn't resist that:))

Having raised two respectful children, I can tell you that there is no way a 10 month old baby is not going to splash in a pool. Let's get real here. It is instinctive and they have not reached the age of reason yet. I think that spending the day in a cabana with a splashing baby right next to me would be most annoying----and that does not make me disturbed by children---I would be equally disturbed by an adult sending water my way all day.

 

Firstly, and this is totally real...I have been on some cruises where the grouchy, cranky old people, who could not find a nice thing to say to anyone, and treated the staff and other cruisers like garbage far outnumbered any misbehaving children, or for that matter, not misbehaving children.

 

I am having a really hard time understanding this whole arguement. There are people on cruises who get up at 5am just to run to the pool deck to throw a towl on 15 deck chairs just so they can claim the chairs are saved, then drag a VERY large bag full of everything they own, which they leave thrown out in the isle for everyone to trip over, and your worried about a tiny little pool that is well out of the way of anyone.

 

Pardon me, but YOU should get real. Your on a cruise ship, near a pool in the middle of the Ocean, your going to get wet one way or another.

 

I have been on many cruises, and I can say this, I haven't had half the trouble with kids as I have those I described above.

[sapper1]

Firstly, and this is totally real...I have been on some cruises where the grouchy, cranky old people, who could not find a nice thing to say to anyone, and treated the staff and other cruisers like garbage far outnumbered any misbehaving children, or for that matter, not misbehaving children.

 

I am having a really hard time understanding this whole arguement. There are people on cruises who get up at 5am just to run to the pool deck to throw a towl on 15 deck chairs just so they can claim the chairs are saved, then drag a VERY large bag full of everything they own, which they leave thrown out in the isle for everyone to trip over, and your worried about a tiny little pool that is well out of the way of anyone.

 

Pardon me, but YOU should get real. Your on a cruise ship, near a pool in the middle of the Ocean, your going to get wet one way or another.

 

I have been on many cruises, and I can say this, I haven't had half the trouble with kids as I have those I described above.

And your point is???????:confused: