Pool Water

[WhiteRockCruiser01]

Quick question, would anyone know if the pool water on the Eurodam contains chlorine or is salt water.

[Boatdrill]

Fresh water. I wear goggles though so my eyes don't sting too much from the chlorine.

[blizzardboy]

Quick question, would anyone know if the pool water on the Eurodam contains chlorine or is salt water.

 

We've had fresh water pools on HAL ships. I'm not sure whether they use chlorine or bromine. Bromine is more stable in bright sun and doesn't have the strong smell of chlorine.

[chengkp75]

Quick question, would anyone know if the pool water on the Eurodam contains chlorine or is salt water.

 

All pools, whether salt or fresh water will be chlorinated, with one exception. If the ship is more than 12 miles from shore, it can be switched to "flow through" mode, where fresh sea water is continuously pumped into the pool, and the excess goes back overboard. These pools, since there is no recirculation of the water, do not need to be chlorinated. However, when the ship is within 12 miles of shore, all pools, salt or fresh, must be in recirculation mode, and they all must be chlorinated, and to the same level of chlorine. Since the pool must be closed for the hour or two when they switch from flow through to recirculation until the chlorine level is correct, unless a ship has more than one sea day in a row, they will generally leave a salt water pool on recirculation even at sea.

[blizzardboy]

All pools, whether salt or fresh water will be chlorinated, with one exception. If the ship is more than 12 miles from shore, it can be switched to "flow through" mode, where fresh sea water is continuously pumped into the pool, and the excess goes back overboard. These pools, since there is no recirculation of the water, do not need to be chlorinated. However, when the ship is within 12 miles of shore, all pools, salt or fresh, must be in recirculation mode, and they all must be chlorinated, and to the same level of chlorine. Since the pool must be closed for the hour or two when they switch from flow through to recirculation until the chlorine level is correct, unless a ship has more than one sea day in a row, they will generally leave a salt water pool on recirculation even at sea.

 

On our 11-day Eastern Caribbean Oo'dam cruise last January, the aft pool was never filled with salt water. I didn't smell chlorine at the pool or on my swim trunks in the room which led me to suspect bromine. I can't speak for the mid-ship pool, other than the lack of chlorine odor.

[chengkp75]

On our 11-day Eastern Caribbean Oo'dam cruise last January, the aft pool was never filled with salt water. I didn't smell chlorine at the pool or on my swim trunks in the room which led me to suspect bromine. I can't speak for the mid-ship pool, other than the lack of chlorine odor.

 

Bromine can be used as an acceptable alternate halogen for pool sanitation in its liquid form, given the strictures on monitoring and dosing. However, I'm not sure it meets requirements for potable water sanitation, so this would mean carrying two chemicals to do the same job. I haven't heard of bromine being used extensively onboard ships.

[frankc98376]

Was told that the Hydrotherapy Pools aer sea water. Never tasted the water to verify :).

I did notice that sometimes was a chlorine smell (especially in Alaska) so the 12 mile rule makes sense. They alwsys say that minerals are added- hoping they don't mean chlorine.

[chengkp75]

Was told that the Hydrotherapy Pools aer sea water. Never tasted the water to verify :).

I did notice that sometimes was a chlorine smell (especially in Alaska) so the 12 mile rule makes sense. They alwsys say that minerals are added- hoping they don't mean chlorine.

 

Minerals may be added to hydrotherapy pools and tubs, that depends a lot on the Spa onboard. But all public pools will be chlorinated. If they are adding minerals to a therapy pool, they wouldn't have it on flow through, as this would mean a constant addition of minerals, so if they do add anything, it would be recirculation, and chlorinated.

[blizzardboy]

Bromine can be used as an acceptable alternate halogen for pool sanitation in its liquid form, given the strictures on monitoring and dosing. However, I'm not sure it meets requirements for potable water sanitation, so this would mean carrying two chemicals to do the same job. I haven't heard of bromine being used extensively onboard ships.

 

I was curious about HAL pool purification so I emailed them regarding our cruise next January. Reply: "Dear Mr. B******, Thank you for your recent correspondence with Holland America Line concerning your ms Eurodam January 14, 2016 voyage. The pools are bromine treated. "

 

I got a very memorable snoot full of chlorine the first time I treated a vacationing neighbor's pool as a kid. I didn't think my well developed proboscis had smelled it in the HAL swimming pools.

Check out this article. I found it informative: http://aquamagazine.com/service/bromine-in-swimming-pools.html

Edited July 12, 2016 by blizzardboy

[Neferteria]

Does anyone know if the therapy pools that contain minerals include the small whirlpools in the pubic pool areas? I specifically would like to know about the pools on the Prinsendam next to the aft pool and the Lido pool. Are these pools heated?

 

Thanks so much!

[chengkp75]

I was curious about HAL pool purification so I emailed them regarding our cruise next January. Reply: "Dear Mr. B******, Thank you for your recent correspondence with Holland America Line concerning your ms Eurodam January 14, 2016 voyage. The pools are bromine treated. "

 

I got a very memorable snoot full of chlorine the first time I treated a vacationing neighbor's pool as a kid. I didn't think my well developed proboscis had smelled it in the HAL swimming pools.

Check out this article. I found it informative: http://aquamagazine.com/service/bromine-in-swimming-pools.html

 

Interesting point in the article that bromine is more susceptible to decay from UV than chlorine, so they say that brominating an outdoor pool would be more expensive than chlorine.

[chengkp75]

Does anyone know if the therapy pools that contain minerals include the small whirlpools in the pubic pool areas? I specifically would like to know about the pools on the Prinsendam next to the aft pool and the Lido pool. Are these pools heated?

 

Thanks so much!

 

Those hot tubs are not therapy pools, so I don't believe they contain anything other than water (and sweat and sunscreen :D). The hot tubs are heated, but generally not as much as home tubs. Most folks report them as being "warm".

[Neferteria]

Those hot tubs are not therapy pools, so I don't believe they contain anything other than water (and sweat and sunscreen :D). The hot tubs are heated, but generally not as much as home tubs. Most folks report them as being "warm".

 

Thanks so much. I do hope that the aft pool will contain sea water.

[blizzardboy]

Interesting point in the article that bromine is more susceptible to decay from UV than chlorine, so they say that brominating an outdoor pool would be more expensive than chlorine.

With the frequency of the pools being drained and refilled, I wonder how much of a factor the UV breakdown becomes. As cold as the Seaview Pool is every morning, even in the Caribbean, they must drain and refill them nightly.

[kevingastreich]

Those hot tubs are not therapy pools, so I don't believe they contain anything other than water (and sweat and sunscreen :D). The hot tubs are heated, but generally not as much as home tubs. Most folks report them as being "warm".

 

Definitely warm...not even close to being hot.

[chengkp75]

With the frequency of the pools being drained and refilled, I wonder how much of a factor the UV breakdown becomes. As cold as the Seaview Pool is every morning, even in the Caribbean, they must drain and refill them nightly.

 

Even with "free" sea water, I would doubt they drain the pools nightly, as the amount of bromine needed to originally bring the pool to the proper level is much more than what is needed to continually make up the proper level.

[blizzardboy]

I've always wondered why in the morning the pool is colder than a northern Minnesota lake in April? With a pool averaging 4 ft deep, sitting in the Caribbean sun for 12 hours, how does the water drop to such a low temp over night? That's what made me wonder if they recycled the pool water to non-potable uses and started fresh each morning.

[chengkp75]

I've always wondered why in the morning the pool is colder than a northern Minnesota lake in April? With a pool averaging 4 ft deep, sitting in the Caribbean sun for 12 hours, how does the water drop to such a low temp over night? That's what made me wonder if they recycled the pool water to non-potable uses and started fresh each morning.

 

Well, with steel sides and bottom, and then air space, having better heat transfer characteristics than gunnite and soil, and being surrounded by air conditioned space, the pool is going to give up a lot of heat.