No more kids under 3 allowed in the Pool!

[MAHA]

Pee can be addressed with chlorine but fecal bacteria is the real problem...requires.automatic closure, draining cleaning/ sanitizing and refilling..spray park area is cleaner

 

I am a nurse. Urine is sterile (no bacteria) when it comes out of a person's body unless they have a bladder or kidney infection. Bowel movements contain E.coli, which can cause people to become sick. This is what they are afraid of when a small child is in the pool and not toilet trained. Same with any adult who may have diarrhea or be bowel incontinent.

[Ma Bell]

I am a nurse. Urine is sterile (no bacteria) when it comes out of a person's body unless they have a bladder or kidney infection. Bowel movements contain E.coli, which can cause people to become sick. This is what they are afraid of when a small child is in the pool and not toilet trained. Same with any adult who may have diarrhea or be bowel incontinent.

 

Continuing education

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/turns-out-urine-isnt-actually-sterile-180954809/

 

https://www.sciencenews.org/blog/gory-details/urine-not-sterile-and-neither-rest-you

[Spf12]

Considering the potential health risks, I'm glad to see this implemented. I don't buy the "But my child IS potty trained" routine.

What about the adults that use the pool as their toilet?

[PoppyandNana]

Yeah! I've seen pax in Costa Maya stay in that pool bar for hours & never move.

 

We were at a resort in Jamaica with a swim up bar. By the middle of the afternoon the water was so cloudy you couldn't see the bottom. People were pounding down Red Stripe for hours with nary a bathroom break.

[Marelaine]

Mine were both trained by 1.5. I'm from Midwest USA and had them 18 months apart. I didn't want to live changing diapers all the time. My kids are special to me![/quote

 

Also from the U.S. my daughter, late 30's now, was trained by the time she was 1.5, too. I bought her some cute, ruffled panties and told her she was old enough to use the toilet. The boys were not as motivated, but finally agreed to use the toilet, by the time they were 3 in exchange for m&m's ;) Back then, most of their friends were trained too. They had to be trained in order to go to nursery school or the public beaches and pools. This has changed.

 

I love kids, have never experienced terrible kids on cruises, but I'm thankful that X has enacted the no kids under 3 in the pool. This isn't a punishment for the trained kids, it's a safety precaution.

Edited August 17, 2017 by Marelaine

[Marelaine]

What about the adults that use the pool as their toilet?

 

They should put some of this in the pools :D

[donaldsc]

It may helps others:

My friend is currently cruising in the Penthouse on the Equinox in the Caribbean. Yesterday her 2 year old and other kids under the age of 3 (even in swim diapers) got pulled out of the pool and they stated NO KIDS under the age of 3 are allowed anymore in the pool. My friend had a chat last night with the Hotel Director and he stated it is a new overnight implemented rule.

Good for some, not so good for others.

 

It may changes again!

 

Everybody knows that swim diapers are never allowed ever in a pool without exception. Did your friend actually think that kids wearing swim diapers were going to be allowed in the pool???

 

DON

[Sailingkidswine]

1 year old trained??? Impossible. That is the average age of learning to walk. Even a 2 year old to be completely toilet trained is not common....still wearing overnites and pull-ups.

 

Actually, my daughter was dry overnight at a year and fully trained by 18 mo. My son was a little slower...fully trained by 2. They also are very tiny so they've always looked younger than they are. I get that there needs to be a certain standard though.

[RealNorwegianCruiser]

Read what I said, THIS generalisation.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

I did. Just had to get it confirmed. So as long the generalisation hits you, you are against it. In other cased, generalisation is okay?

[villauk]

Mine were both trained by 1.5. I'm from Midwest USA and had them 18 months apart. I didn't want to live changing diapers all the time. My kids are special to me![/quote

 

Also from the U.S. my daughter, late 30's now, was trained by the time she was 1.5, too. I bought her some cute, ruffled panties and told her she was old enough to use the toilet. The boys were not as motivated, but finally agreed to use the toilet, by the time they were 3 in exchange for m&m's ;) Back then, most of their friends were trained too. They had to be trained in order to go to nursery school or the public beaches and pools. This has changed.

 

I love kids, have never experienced terrible kids on cruises, but I'm thankful that X has enacted the no kids under 3 in the pool. This isn't a punishment for the trained kids, it's a safety precaution.

 

You are correct, years ago, kids did have to be potty trained to attend nursery etc. My kids were also very young when they were trained, but as you say, nowadays it's completely different. We have children coming to school that are still not potty trained at 5, and it's becoming far more frequent :o.

[chengkp75]

It may helps others:

My friend is currently cruising in the Penthouse on the Equinox in the Caribbean. Yesterday her 2 year old and other kids under the age of 3 (even in swim diapers) got pulled out of the pool and they stated NO KIDS under the age of 3 are allowed anymore in the pool. My friend had a chat last night with the Hotel Director and he stated it is a new overnight implemented rule.

Good for some, not so good for others.

 

It may changes again!

 

I've been trying to decide whether to weigh in on this thread or not, but here goes. Given the sudden nature of the implementation of the policy (if correct), I would expect that one of Celebrity's ships was either reported to the CDC/USPH for allowing children in swim diapers in the pools, or they were caught with it during a USPH inspection. The point deductions for a blatant violation of USPH requirements could have resulted in a failed, or nearly failed score. Celebrity simply took the simplest solution to the problem, and set an age limit.

 

As noted by others, unlike municipal and private pools on land, swim diapers are not allowed on cruise ships calling at US ports, per the USPH. You can argue all you want about sterile urine, and fecal contamination, and incontinent drunks, but the recognized world experts on contagious diseases and epidemiology, the CDC, has set specific guidelines for both the construction and operation of water facilities that allow infants in swim diapers. These include, no standing water, higher turn-over rate of the water, separate water supply from other water facilities, a UV sterilizer that can handle the full turn-over of water, a dedicated crew member assigned to monitor the water facility, and a changing facility with a supply of swim diapers. The CDC feels that these measures are required to ensure the health and safety of people using a water facility where children are using swim diapers.

 

For these reasons, on two cruise lines have decided to include water facilities that allow swim diapers: Disney on all their ships, and RCI on their Freedom, Oasis, and Quantum classes.

 

USPH requirements for cruise ship pools and water facilities are stricter for general pools than land pools, and they want the infant water facilities to have even more safety.

 

As an example, the CDC studied hundreds of municipal pools across the US, and found that if these pools were under CDC/USPH requirements, that 80% of them would be shut down immediately for violations. And the numbers would be even higher if you considered only those municipal pools that allowed swim diapers.

 

As for the presence of high levels of chlorine smell indicating the presence of excess urine, that's not quite right. First off, cruise ship pools are required to maintain a higher level of chlorine, and monitor and dose it continuously, than land pools. But as to the smell, that is caused when there are excessive sanitation by-products (in other words, the substances left over after the chlorine sanitizes the organic substances introduced into the water (urine, sweat, skin), so the chlorine has actually done its job in sanitizing the water. The reason the ship's pools are drained frequently is because those pools are salt water, and therefore the water supply is free and abundant, and frequent draining eliminates the need for more chemicals to deal with the sanitizing by-products, that land pools have to deal with. Ship pool chemistry is far simpler than land pool chemistry since we drain and refill frequently.

 

And for those who say, "get out and use the facilities", while this is completely correct, how many of you use the required showers at the pool to rinse off before entering the pool, as the signage says? This removes loose skin and body oils that use up chlorine in sanitizing, and also removes the sunscreen oil that frequently causes a film on the pool water surface which interferes with the chlorine's ability to sanitize.

[Adammara]

 

You are correct, years ago, kids did have to be potty trained to attend nursery etc. My kids were also very young when they were trained, but as you say, nowadays it's completely different. We have children coming to school that are still not potty trained at 5, and it's becoming far more frequent :o.

 

Our daughter was a headmistress in a deprived area, and has told us the same fact, and sadly children who do not even know how to use a knife and fork, and eat with their fingers.

[DirtyDawg]

... And for those who say, "get out and use the facilities", while this is completely correct, how many of you use the required showers at the pool to rinse off before entering the pool, as the signage says? This removes loose skin and body oils that use up chlorine in sanitizing, and also removes the sunscreen oil that frequently causes a film on the pool water surface which interferes with the chlorine's ability to sanitize.

 

Thank you for your insights.

 

I guess I'll have to expand my ban.....

 

:D Perhaps Celebrity needs a new rule that states that incontinent people are not allowed in the pools or hot tubs.

 

Or no one under 3 or over 70 allowed .........or people with the drinks package!;)

 

.....or people who don't shower before entering the pools...... or........

 

:D

[hcat]

I've been trying to decide whether to weigh in on this thread or not, but here goes. Given the sudden nature of the implementation of the policy (if correct), I would expect that one of Celebrity's ships was either reported to the CDC/USPH for allowing children in swim diapers in the pools, or they were caught with it during a USPH inspection. The point deductions for a blatant violation of USPH requirements could have resulted in a failed, or nearly failed score. Celebrity simply took the simplest solution to the problem, and set an age limit.

 

As noted by others, unlike municipal and private pools on land, swim diapers are not allowed on cruise ships calling at US ports, per the USPH. You can argue all you want about sterile urine, and fecal contamination, and incontinent drunks, but the recognized world experts on contagious diseases and epidemiology, the CDC, has set specific guidelines for both the construction and operation of water facilities that allow infants in swim diapers. These include, no standing water, higher turn-over rate of the water, separate water supply from other water facilities, a UV sterilizer that can handle the full turn-over of water, a dedicated crew member assigned to monitor the water facility, and a changing facility with a supply of swim diapers. The CDC feels that these measures are required to ensure the health and safety of people using a water facility where children are using swim diapers.

 

For these reasons, on two cruise lines have decided to include water facilities that allow swim diapers: Disney on all their ships, and RCI on their Freedom, Oasis, and Quantum classes.

 

USPH requirements for cruise ship pools and water facilities are stricter for general pools than land pools, and they want the infant water facilities to have even more safety.

 

As an example, the CDC studied hundreds of municipal pools across the US, and found that if these pools were under CDC/USPH requirements, that 80% of them would be shut down immediately for violations. And the numbers would be even higher if you considered only those municipal pools that allowed swim diapers.

 

As for the presence of high levels of chlorine smell indicating the presence of excess urine, that's not quite right. First off, cruise ship pools are required to maintain a higher level of chlorine, and monitor and dose it continuously, than land pools. But as to the smell, that is caused when there are excessive sanitation by-products (in other words, the substances left over after the chlorine sanitizes the organic substances introduced into the water (urine, sweat, skin), so the chlorine has actually done its job in sanitizing the water. The reason the ship's pools are drained frequently is because those pools are salt water, and therefore the water supply is free and abundant, and frequent draining eliminates the need for more chemicals to deal with the sanitizing by-products, that land pools have to deal with. Ship pool chemistry is far simpler than land pool chemistry since we drain and refill frequently.

 

And for those who say, "get out and use the facilities", while this is completely correct, how many of you use the required showers at the pool to rinse off before entering the pool, as the signage says? This removes loose skin and body oils that use up chlorine in sanitizing, and also removes the sunscreen oil that frequently causes a film on the pool water surface which interferes with the chlorine's ability to sanitize.

 

Thank you for a full rational explanation with good info for all who use the pools on board. Glad you posted.

[norwegianwood57]

Definitely a very thorough explanation. Thank you.

[jacen]

I'm reading all these loftily posts , wonderfull,great,the only problem,in my mind,is that a lot of people just don't give a damm what a sign says,there kids are better than others,they paid money for a cruise,screw you,if my kid wants to go into a adult pool and craps,well there is always some flunky to clean it up,why should I worry about other people.These are jerks,when at home,throw garbage around,park cars in your spot,make a lot of noise at nite and complain about everything.PS,cabin att.is no good,doesn't make up the cabin fast enough,food on board is not to there liking,etc,etc.l've seen a lot of these jerks in all my years of cruising,( 26+ ) and will see more !

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[awhcruiser]

Where is the like button?

I'm reading all these loftily posts , wonderfull,great,the only problem,in my mind,is that a lot of people just don't give a damm what a sign says,there kids are better than others,they paid money for a cruise,screw you,if my kid wants to go into a adult pool and craps,well there is always some flunky to clean it up,why should I worry about other people.These are jerks,when at home,throw garbage around,park cars in your spot,make a lot of noise at nite and complain about everything.PS,cabin att.is no good,doesn't make up the cabin fast enough,food on board is not to there liking,etc,etc.l've seen a lot of these jerks in all my years of cruising,( 26+ ) and will see more !

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[mitz18]

This rule is unfair. MY little darling was potty trained AT BIRTH - we know this as before the doctor could spank his perfectly shaped bottom he asked for directions to the toilet. Of course at two weeks he was also performing Beethoven's 5th by making sucking noises on his pacifier and by two months the dear was assisting in other births and was in line for the next "most interesting man in the world". So surely my PERFECT little dear should have a place in the big pool - agree?

[donaldsc]

I don't have young kids, but agree that decision should be based not on age, but if a child is trained or not. 1-2 yo should not be punished if they are trained.

 

And how do you plan to validate the claim by the parent that their child is trained.

 

DON

[phoenix_dream]

I respectfully disagree with Phoenix Dream. We took our kids from age 5 up to adults on Celebrity and they have wonderful childrens programs for the younger kids. If they have a downside it is for the older children but then most teens tend to go off by themselves in groups. The younger kids programs are great, sorry but that's my experience from actually taking kids on Celebrity and that has been backed up by numerous people on this board.

 

I agree totally about the policy with the diapers but tend to think the employee mentioned by the OP made a spur of the moment decision that may not last beyond that cruise.

 

Also, if anyone out there thinks Adults are not peeing in the pools, I have a bridge in Brooklyn you can buy.

I actually don't think we totally disagree. I have brought my son since he was 3 (he is now 31) and he always enjoyed Celebrity. They do a good job with what they have. But I guess I was comparing them more to other, more kid oriented lines like RCI or Carnival or Disney. Those lines offer a lot more options of things to do for kids. Most everyone knows what those options are so no need to list. I think in my mind there is a difference between treating children well (which Celebrity does) and being geared towards families with children (which in my mind Celebrity is not). I can tell you that while my son enjoyed every Celebrity cruise, he much preferred the cruises on RCI where there was more for him to do. We certainly don't disagree that kids can, and do, have a good time on Celebrity. But I'd be willing to bet that if you took a group of kids and showed them what RCI, Carnival, or Disney had to offer versus Celebrity, Celebrity would rarely be their first choice (I'm sure there are exceptions).

[blackwing]

I actually don't think we totally disagree. I have brought my son since he was 3 (he is now 31) and he always enjoyed Celebrity. They do a good job with what they have. But I guess I was comparing them more to other, more kid oriented lines like RCI or Carnival or Disney. Those lines offer a lot more options of things to do for kids. Most everyone knows what those options are so no need to list. I think in my mind there is a difference between treating children well (which Celebrity does) and being geared towards families with children (which in my mind Celebrity is not). I can tell you that while my son enjoyed every Celebrity cruise, he much preferred the cruises on RCI where there was more for him to do. We certainly don't disagree that kids can, and do, have a good time on Celebrity. But I'd be willing to bet that if you took a group of kids and showed them what RCI, Carnival, or Disney had to offer versus Celebrity, Celebrity would rarely be their first choice (I'm sure there are exceptions).

 

I agree with you... I'm not sure why parents with younger (4 and under) children would choose Celebrity vs. the other lines, if they are thinking about the kids. Other lines have water slides, ropes courses, carousels, mini golf, splash parks. I agree with you that Celebrity does a good job with children but they aren't geared towards families like Norwegian, Disney, Carnival, RCI. I asked one friend who has been bringing his toddler on Celebrity why he didn't choose some of the more kid-oriented lines, and he said, "well, we like the food and the elegance". So the decision is more about the parents than the kids.

 

On our recent Solstice cruise, because we were going to Alaska, the Solarium had family hours from 4 to 7. There was one older lady (55ish) in there that arrived around 4:30 and she actually was attempting to swim laps. I was in the pool with my kids and she looked at my kids and then at me and sighed loudly and said "when did this become a kids pool, it's supposed to be adults only". I told her that it was currently family hours, pointed out the sign, and she still said "that doesn't mean that kids should be playing and splashing people trying to swim laps".

 

I noticed more than a few kids in swim diapers on various days throughout the cruise. But I never said anything. There was one disagreeable couple that told the pool attendant about one child and he said it was family hours. They pointed out the "no swim diapers" line on the sign and he still wouldn't do anything about it. I do think that the swim diapers rule should be enforced. Which brings me back to wondering why parents of really young children would go on Celebrity. I'm guessing it's more about ignorance of the rule (or rather ignorance about swim diapers in the first place, they probably think "well that's the whole point, they are safe") as opposed to a "it's MY cruise and I paid money to be here" mentality.

[delondin]

 

Our daughter was a headmistress in a deprived area, and has told us the same fact, and sadly children who do not even know how to use a knife and fork, and eat with their fingers.

I had read that it is quite common for children from 'middle class' families (uk) to be late potty trained as the family can afford nappies and is too busy with reading in the library than such mundane jobs as potty training.

[gold1953]

and I will file this with ..all those little kids who swim in the hot tubs!!!

[blackwing]

and I will file this with ..all those little kids who swim in the hot tubs!!!

 

I think that's allowed though? In the Solarium the hot tub says it's for 16 and up but the hot tubs by the main pools it says something like children allowed when supervised by adult.

[chengkp75]

I think that's allowed though? In the Solarium the hot tub says it's for 16 and up but the hot tubs by the main pools it says something like children allowed when supervised by adult.

 

While it is not prohibited, USPH requires signage at hot tubs that say the following:

 

Include, at a minimum, cautions against use by the following:• Individuals who are immunocompromised.• Individuals on medication or who have underlying medicalconditions such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, or highor low blood pressure.• Pregnant women, elderly persons, and children. Additionally, caution against exceeding 15 minutes of exposure.

 

(Bolding, mine)

 

So, the CDC does not recommend use of a hot tub by any children under the age of 16.