Toddler Using Pool/Waterworks?

We are going on the Elation in January and the Sunshine in June of 2018. Our son will be 18 months in January and turn 2 during out June cruise. I have read mixed answer on what if any water areas he will be allowed in. It is going to be tough keeping him out of the water, he has been in swim lessons for months already and is a little fish.

Thanks in advance.

If he is not potty trained he is not allowed any any of the water areas. No swim diapers allowed

If he is not potty trained he is not allowed any any of the water areas. No swim diapers allowed

How hard is this enforced?

How hard is this enforced?

Well, if you have a super special snowflake they may look the other way ... or not.?

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Here's a very recent thread on this subject. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2543074

How hard is this enforced?

Regardless of how "hard" it is enforced, it is the rule. It is not arbitrary. Viruses (such as Norovirus) can run rampant through a cruise ship and are transmitted by the fecal-oral route. Swim diapers do not contain viruses (no matter how well they might contain other things). If he should happen to have an accident in the pool, it has to be drained and sanitized, and that takes away from other people who also paid good money to be on the ship. Your little one might be a fish in the water, but please do not allow him to spread germs to other people trying to enjoy their vacations.

How hard is this enforced?

Regardless of how "hard" this is enforced, you might think about what you are teaching your children about circumventing rules just because you don't like them. As soon as the pool has to be emptied and cleaned and people are in an uproar, you can bet it will be enforced.

Rather than the ship, he can certainly enjoy swimming in the ports. Take him for his first ocean experience :)

We took our son on his first cruise when he was 18 months old and were in a similar situation. No swim diapers is a rule and we followed it. However, he had plenty of time in the water at the beach while we were in port, and we took a small inflatable bathtub and filled it up on our balcony to let him have some extra time to splash around. We had no trouble keeping him out of the pool. There are plenty of other things to do on board. Please, as a fellow parent of a toddler, don't try to get around the rule or disregard it. So many people already have a bad opinion of children onboard because of this type of situation. Please don't add more fuel to the fire.

How hard is this enforced?

It isnt enforced at all. I would stick with the kids area and out of the pools/slides obviously.

How hard is this enforced?

It does not matter. I do not want my 10 year old swimming in your child's urine. Please keep him out of the pool until he is potty trained. Thank you

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We took our son on his first cruise when he was 18 months old and were in a similar situation. No swim diapers is a rule and we followed it. However, he had plenty of time in the water at the beach while we were in port, and we took a small inflatable bathtub and filled it up on our balcony to let him have some extra time to splash around. We had no trouble keeping him out of the pool. There are plenty of other things to do on board. Please, as a fellow parent of a toddler, don't try to get around the rule or disregard it. So many people already have a bad opinion of children onboard because of this type of situation. Please don't add more fuel to the fire.

+1 👍

Thanks for being a responsible parent, following the rules, and still enjoying your cruise vacation.

Regardless of how many potty-trained kids have peed in the pool, or how many drunk adults have done so, it is a USPH/CDC requirement that swim diapers are not allowed in ship's pools, hot tubs, or splash areas. The reason for this is the possibility of contamination by fecal matter from a swim diaper. The USPH manual for cruise ship construction requires a completely separate water supply from other pools, a higher turn-over rate (how often the water is filtered and treated), and most importantly, a UV sterilizer that all of the water must pass through, for a water facility to be able to be used by kids in swim diapers. Operationally, there must be no standing water (though this may change), there must be a crew member permanently assigned to the pool, and there must be a changing room nearby and a supply of swim diapers provided.

Now, since the CDC is a world recognized leading organization in regards to infectious diseases, and the epidemiology of how these diseases spread, if they feel that kids in swim diapers need a completely redesigned water area, I would tend to go along with them. This is not something Carnival or any of the cruise lines thought up themselves.

And if you happen to have your little "exception to the rule" in a pool when there is a USPH inspection, it could result in a failing score for the ship, and most definitely a pool closure for many hours, whether there was a fecal accident or not.

How hard is this enforced?

Guests will call GS and they will send a pool supervisor to ask you to leave the pool. Do not be comforted by drink servers who walk by without comment.

It isnt enforced at all. I would stick with the kids area and out of the pools/slides obviously.

It is enforced. Carnival does not want a written complain with photos sent to USPH/CDC. A phone call to GS will bring a immediate response.

How hard is this enforced?

Why do so many people think that they are the exception to every rule?!?!

It is enforced. Carnival does not want a written complain with photos sent to USPH/CDC. A phone call to GS will bring a immediate response.

OP, believe me when I say you will see way more critical comments on these boards about the subject then you will ever hear from actual passengers and crew on actual ships.

Dont got in the pool with swim diapers. Kids area/water park, if you choose to have them there no one is going to say a thing. We went on NCL with our 18 month old last year and had a blast, so enjoy the heck out of your experience. Looks like it will be Disney for us for a few years! :D

two words, Escherichia coli.

please don't share it.

OP, believe me when I say you will see way more critical comments on these boards about the subject then you will ever hear from actual passengers and crew on actual ships.

 

Dont got in the pool with swim diapers. Kids area/water park, if you choose to have them there no one is going to say a thing. We went on NCL with our 18 month old last year and had a blast, so enjoy the heck out of your experience. Looks like it will be Disney for us for a few years! :D

I'm glad that you felt the need to share your experience in flouting the rules. Rules are there for a reason. Please cruise Disney, they actually have facilities for non-potty-trained children. Carnival does not. And yes, if I see a swim diaper, I will be calling GS and, yes, they will respond.

It's the rule...follow it. If your kid is still in swim diapers, he doesn't go in the pool. He will have plenty of time to get in the pool or the ocean at the ports.

OP, believe me when I say you will see way more critical comments on these boards about the subject then you will ever hear from actual passengers and crew on actual ships.

 

Dont got in the pool with swim diapers. Kids area/water park, if you choose to have them there no one is going to say a thing. We went on NCL with our 18 month old last year and had a blast, so enjoy the heck out of your experience. Looks like it will be Disney for us for a few years! :D

Gee, and here I thought I was an actual officer on an actual cruise ship. :rolleyes: Maybe I should go back and check 4 years of paystubs.

OP, believe me when I say you will see way more critical comments on these boards about the subject then you will ever hear from actual passengers and crew on actual ships.

 

Dont got in the pool with swim diapers. Kids area/water park, if you choose to have them there no one is going to say a thing. We went on NCL with our 18 month old last year and had a blast, so enjoy the heck out of your experience. Looks like it will be Disney for us for a few years! :D

Um.... even on DCL, swim diapers are not allowed, except in the kid's splash area. From the DCL website:

Children who are not toilet trained are welcome to enjoy our kids’ wet play areas and splash zones, where they must wear swim diapers. Please note: Swim diapers are not permitted in the pools, whirlpool spas, on the AquaDuck or in the AquaLab.

https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/onboard-activities/aqualab-pool/

Yes, there are crew who will ask you to remove your child if you have him/her in an area that's not allowed. And passengers who will report to staff about such occurrences.

On our last cruise, I took our swim diapered DD to the splash area. I let her walk around on the outside, and splash her feet in the puddled for 5 minutes or so. She was happy with that. Her diaper was still dry (outside and in), as with most of her body. All were happy in the end.

Now 2 of my kids are potty trained, and one in in diapers. We plan on going to the beach for try water play. But the most pool time with be some feet in the water and 'splashy splashy".

Um.... even on DCL, swim diapers are not allowed, except in the kid's splash area. From the DCL website:

Children who are not toilet trained are welcome to enjoy our kids’ wet play areas and splash zones, where they must wear swim diapers. Please note: Swim diapers are not permitted in the pools, whirlpool spas, on the AquaDuck or in the AquaLab.

https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/onboard-activities/aqualab-pool/

Yes, there are crew who will ask you to remove your child if you have him/her in an area that's not allowed. And passengers who will report to staff about such occurrences.

If your read my post, I said NOT IN THE POOL but in the kids area. And yes, that includes the splash area on NCL, some CCL ships, and Disney. Plus beyond the diaper thing, I would just not have an 18 month on in a large swimming pool because I wouldnt feel comfortable with it.

How hard is this enforced?

Your comment helps others understand the nickname WalMart of the Seas. Your child is not special. His poop is not clean and without bacteria. He is not a golden child. Besides the rules, no one wants to see a brown floater pass them.

OP. If you want to be the person responsible for the pool having to be drained and cleaned go ahead and DON'T follow the rules. If you do decide to break the rules I hope someone tells you to take him out. Boy won't that hurt your feelings. Then you will go crying to GS wanting compensation because your feelings got hurt. Grow up. Be an adult. Follow the HEALTH CODE.

Why is it people can't follow the rules because they are "special".

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