What's wrong with hot tubs

[Buck Turgidson]

I am from California and last Feb-March we were on the Cunard Queen Elizabeth going from Los Angeles to the South Pacific and returning to Los Angeles. On our first night at sea we were in the hot tub and a British guy came over with a smile and said "you must be Americans" I said yes, he laughed to himself and walked away. At our first dinner I asked a Adrian, a British man at our table about this and he said " Well you didn't see any Brits in there did you?" he snickered a bit and that was the end of it. Are public hot tubs frowned upon?:eek:

[Dayenu]

If they are installed for public use, why not to use them?

[voyager70]

That's odd. I've chatted with many Brits in the hot tub!

[iheartbda]

Don't know if the Brits have something against them or not but when you hear someone who has just come out say, "look, all my dry skin and scabs are gone", well............:eek:

[Hlitner]

The OP's post really makes me smile. Having had a few very good Brit friends (we have visited and stayed in the homes of several Brit pals) I suspect there might have been some wonderful understated British humor (guess we should say humour) afoot. And just think about it, the man says only a few words and walks away. And here you are 10 months later still talking about it...wondering about it...and still curious. Perhaps a fitting response would be "gotcha."

 

Hank

Edited December 26, 2013 by Hlitner

[mapsmith]

He felt like it was Human Soup, Maybe?

[navybankerteacher]

The OP's post really makes me smile. Having had a few very good Brit friends (we have visited and stayed in the homes of several Brit pals) I suspect there might have been some wonderful understated British humor (guess we should say humour) afoot. And just think about it, the man says only a few words and walks away. And here you are 10 months later still talking about it...wondering about it...and still curious. Perhaps a fitting response would be "gotcha."

 

Hank

 

Hank is right. I know many Brits, and am not aware of any cultural difference regarding hot tubs. However, there is a cheesy type of Brit who gets his jollies by putting down "provincials" with snotty comments and superficial superiority: has anyone ever seen the movie "School for Scoundrels" - or read the books upon which it was based ? A very clever parody on the sort of "humor" which I think was involved.

[YubaSutter]

There could be many reasons, including hot tub folliculitis and legionella. Hot tubs are like warm toilets.

[klauer]

I'm not really a germaphobe, but the thought of getting in a hot tub with a bunch of strangers is not very appealing to me.

[iahawkize]

Think about it I was in Grand turk ar margaritaville one afternoon and the same people were at the swim up pool bar pretty much nonstop ( more than 3 hours) Think about it. No potty break! LOL

[Keith1010]

Remember people are people and I would not read into what country he is from.

 

Keith

[aquilegia]

Hot tubs (we call them jacuzzis) are very popular in the UK. As for navybankteacher's comments about a type of Brit 'putting down ''provincials'' with snotty comments and superficial superiority' I've seen plenty of sneering, belittling remarks on these boards made by US posters!

[fishycomics]

Because it's not a Mineral spring. :D

 

 

 

It is like saying why drink the water on the ship?

Edited December 26, 2013 by fishycomics

[navybankerteacher]

Hot tubs (we call them jacuzzis) are very popular in the UK. As for navybankteacher's comments about a type of Brit 'putting down ''provincials'' with snotty comments and superficial superiority' I've seen plenty of sneering, belittling remarks on these boards made by US posters!

 

Agreed: the put down is a universal tactic employed by insecure people who want to make themselves feel better by trying to make others feel worse - I had not intended to imply that it was only Brits who employed it - it was just that it was so cleverly parodied in the book and movie I mentioned. Although, since Britain remains a bit more class conscious than the US, it is probably just a little more common there.

[SwissDave]

I think the key point in the OPs post is 'our first night at sea'. I take it that means you were using the hotubs at night, which is not something I have seen many, if any at all, Brits doing. I have seem many Americans use the hot tubs at night though. From that i expect that is why the bloke in question said 'you must be Americans'.

[Hlitner]

Come on guys...let's not confuse a "put down" with just good humor (or humour). Yes, it may have been intended as a "put down" but I would be still be willing to bet that it was more of a sophisticated British sense of humor. I can just picture a couple of my dear English friends saying exactly the same thing.

 

Hank

[JustCruiseMe]

Brits in my family, as matter of fact they just left an hour ago after spending the holidays with me. Most I've met do have great sense of dry or understated indirect humor but once you get it...it's halarious! American's, in my opinion, we tend to have a more evident, in your face direct humor. Both funny and fun, and I'd bet that Brit was being humorous. Heck it might have been YOUR accents that gave you away!

 

Want to hear something funny, get a Brit to reenact the home decorator show with the host from Texas.

Edited December 26, 2013 by JustCruiseMe

[momofmeg]

Hot tubs (we call them jacuzzis) are very popular in the UK. As for navybankteacher's comments about a type of Brit 'putting down ''provincials'' with snotty comments and superficial superiority' I've seen plenty of sneering, belittling remarks on these boards made by US posters!

 

Jerks are not one nationality; but I do understand what he means. I have ran into a few Brits (and French, Italians, Canadians, Mexicans, etc. etc. etc.) that plain dislike Americans. I just do not put them in a group and allow such people to make me prejudiced to all Brits or another nationality because of a few jerks.

 

I actually do not hold that against anyone. I dislike a lot of Americans myself. I just ask that you please do not dislike me simply because I am an American or talk with a different accent or use different expressions.

 

If you feel I am a dingbat, dummy, too opinionated, get on your last nerve, whatever; okay dislike me, but please not because I am American and not because I use different expressions or speak with a different accent than you. (something I get from a lot of Brits and also many Americans who are from other parts of the US than me)

 

I really cannot stand people who are plain prejudiced against a whole nationality or region for whatever reason. I have a relative who believes any Mexican she see is an illegal alien on welfare and gets food stamps and medicaid. Lol! Just sad. I do love this person, as she is family. but I do not like her very well at times when she gets on this topic for sure.

 

Bottom line we all know hot tubs are a breeding place for germs. Swimming pools are not that much better either. I occasionally get in them, but I go back to my room and shower and wash out my suit as soon as I get out.

[dsrdsrdsr]

I don't see how you can see an insult in the original comment. OK, it's a generalisation which suggests that Americans and Britons have different cultural backgrounds. Is that really so way out? (Especially as it was, in this case, correct?)

 

Anyway, it works both ways. A friend of mine was at Disneyworld on December day, with a pass for one of the water parks on one of the cooler Florida mornings. So off they went to the waterpark and were virtually the only ones there at opening time. And one of the lifeguards said "I bet you're Brits, right?". My friend thought it was friendly American humour and responded accordingly - should I go and tell him it was condescending abuse and made sweeping gereralisations over the entire British peoples?

[fishycomics]

I guess this is CC and you get what you asked for FREE..:D

[Oshawapilot]

There could be many reasons, including hot tub folliculitis and legionella. Hot tubs are like warm toilets.

 

Properly maintained hot tubs are mostly harmless, and I've never seen a poorly maintained hot tub on any of our cruises. To the contrary the are perhaps TOO well maintained, often drained for water changes or closed for maintenance when people would like to be in them...and I can tell you based on our latest cruise that sanitizer levels are kept quite high.

 

Over all our cruises I've spent countless hours lounging in various hot tubs across all the public areas...without ever a problem.

 

Please don't spread FUD.

Edited December 27, 2013 by Oshawapilot

[YubaSutter]

Properly maintained hot tubs are mostly harmless, and I've never seen a poorly maintained hot tub on any of our cruises. To the contrary the are perhaps TOO well maintained, often drained for water changes or closed for maintenance when people would like to be in them...and I can tell you based on our latest cruise that sanitizer levels are kept quite high.

 

Over all our cruises I've spent countless hours lounging in various hot tubs across all the public areas...without ever a problem.

 

Please don't spread FUD.

 

When I see 9 college kids pound buckets of beer for several hours and nobody leaves to use the restroom. You can be sure they are hot tubbing in a toilet.

[Oshawapilot]

When I see 9 college kids pound buckets of beer for several hours and nobody leaves to use the restroom. You can be sure they are hot tubbing in a toilet.

 

Urine is sterile. It may be displeasing, but again, it's not going to hurt you or make you sick. The worst case is that chloramine levels rise ( leading to that stereotypical "chlorine" smell which is the sanitizer working, not overly high chlorine levels as it's commonly mistaken for) because the sanitizer are working , but that's no less likely to happen with the sanitizers fighting other things like sweat.

 

I'm in no way condoning urinating in a pool or a hot tub, just stating facts (not misinformation and FUD) about the realities that it's not going to hurt you in reality.

[fishycomics]

hot tub forums may be a better place to get a better answer, to many guesses here.

[Oshawapilot]

Anybody who owns a pool or a hot tub and comprehends water chemistry knows that there's a great number of misconceptions and unnecessary fears when it comes to both – I have both in my backyard and a thorough comprehension of water chemistry...hence why I don't buy virtually all of these stories about germ-trap pools and hot tubs on ships.

 

If they were somehow poorly maintained or neglected I would feel differently, trust me, however that is most certainly not the case on Royal Caribbean at least – as I have said, they seem to go over the top when it comes to maintenance.