robinbtigger Posted January 4, 2013 #1 Share Posted January 4, 2013 My 13-year old DD is a competitive swimmer and has a big meet the week after we are thinking about sailing. I see that the Dawn has a 20-yard lap pool which would work fine for training. I just called NCL and they said that (1) there was no minimum age to use the pool and that I just had to be in the pool area with her and (2) there is no additional charge. That just didn't smell right to me from my reading here and I'm not sure she really knew what she was talking about since she didn't even know the ship had a lap pool! So, I thought I would ask folks on Cruise Critic since you know more than the employees of the cruise lines do! So, can my DD use the pool and do I have to pay extra for it? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jame_g Posted January 4, 2013 #2 Share Posted January 4, 2013 The lap pool on the Dawn is part of the spa thermal suite. It is an adult only area and there is a fee to use it. That said, the lap pool is small and probably wouldn't be that good for training. Better than nothing. But get more than two people in the pool and trying to swim laps becomes difficult. Sometimes it would be just me or one other person in the pool, but other times there would be 3 or 4 of us and you couldn't really swim anymore. This pool is one of the reasons I prefer the spa on the Dawn and Star over the other ships though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zqvol Posted January 4, 2013 #3 Share Posted January 4, 2013 My 13-year old DD is a competitive swimmer and has a big meet the week after we are thinking about sailing. I see that the Dawn has a 20-yard lap pool which would work fine for training. I just called NCL and they said that (1) there was no minimum age to use the pool and that I just had to be in the pool area with her and (2) there is no additional charge. That just didn't smell right to me from my reading here and I'm not sure she really knew what she was talking about since she didn't even know the ship had a lap pool! So, I thought I would ask folks on Cruise Critic since you know more than the employees of the cruise lines do! So, can my DD use the pool and do I have to pay extra for it? Thanks! We just sailed the dawn at Thanksgiving, and were in the spa daily. Even if your daughter could use the pool (others have explained why she can't) she would not get more than about two or three strokes before it was time to turn. It is not close to 20 yards long, closer to 25 feet. It is simply not big enough for a workout. I do feel her pain, as years ago we always had to stay somewhere with a big enough pool for my brothers and I to get our workouts in for meets when we got back home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
time2cruise1 Posted January 5, 2013 #4 Share Posted January 5, 2013 As posted there is a fee and the pool is very small. She would be better off using the main pool early in the morning or late in the evening. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdvmd Posted January 5, 2013 #5 Share Posted January 5, 2013 You know there was a thread a while back where the underage child ( age 13) that was a competitive weight lifter and he was given clearance by NCL to do weight training before a competitive meet following his cruise. His parents supplied a letter from coach, doctor etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Medtech2 Posted January 5, 2013 #6 Share Posted January 5, 2013 My 13-year old DD is a competitive swimmer and has a big meet the week after we are thinking about sailing. I see that the Dawn has a 20-yard lap pool which would work fine for training. I just called NCL and they said that (1) there was no minimum age to use the pool and that I just had to be in the pool area with her and (2) there is no additional charge. That just didn't smell right to me from my reading here and I'm not sure she really knew what she was talking about since she didn't even know the ship had a lap pool! So, I thought I would ask folks on Cruise Critic since you know more than the employees of the cruise lines do! So, can my DD use the pool and do I have to pay extra for it? Thanks! If you do any snorkelling or beach excursions she could get some good swimming in then... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CPT Trips Posted January 5, 2013 #7 Share Posted January 5, 2013 It's going to be turn, pull out, turn, repeat and sneak in a breath every now and then. She will be much better off doing "dry land" on board and some long open water workouts on shore days. If it's a shave and taper meet, disregard this advice. It's tough to take family vacations during swim season. Good luck to her at the meet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robinbtigger Posted January 5, 2013 Author #8 Share Posted January 5, 2013 Thanks everyone. I thought the pool looked shorter the 20 yards. I guess you can't believe everything you read, LOL. I guess I'll have to rethink a cruise and keep our WDW reservations. I'll be able to find a place for her to train near Orlando. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Love my butler Posted January 5, 2013 #9 Share Posted January 5, 2013 Sounds about right. Talk to five different people at NCL and you will get five different answers. As has been mentioned, the spa area is adults only and the pool is maybe 30 feet by 12 feet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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