Heated pools on Independence?

[FusionMJM]

Are the pools heated on the Independence? I have read a few articles about it being the first ship in the fleet with heated pools. We're contemplating changing our Dec 26th Nassau/Coco Cay sailing due to the potentially chilly weather. If the pools are truly heated, that would be a game changer. Anyone with recent experience of winter cruising on IOS? Thanks!

[LittleJoefromKokomo]

I don't know about Independence but Voyager of the Seas pools were heated on our June Baltic Cruise. I asked the lifeguard and he said that they were heated to 26 c / 78.8 fahrenheit.

[Surfguyxxx]

In the Solarium, the pools were not heated on our November 2021 cruise or our May 2022 cruise.  Never went into the main pool.

 

[Getting out there]

Bumping this up because I can't find consistent answers. Is Independence pools heated all the time or just where it's departing from 

[twangster]

5 hours ago, Getting out there said:

Bumping this up because I can't find consistent answers. Is Independence pools heated all the time or just where it's departing from 

 

No.  They are heated when they determine it is required. 

[travelberlin]

Don’t they use sea water for the pools? How do they heat them? Doesn’t usually need a couple of days to heat a pool? How often do they change the water on the pools?

[twangster]

2 hours ago, travelberlin said:

Don’t they use sea water for the pools? How do they heat them? Doesn’t usually need a couple of days to heat a pool? How often do they change the water on the pools?

 

They can heat fresh and/or sea water.  Sea water is typically used for guest pools but some ships can produce enough fresh water for a pool if the circumstances warrant it.  On Oasis class for example the Aqua Theater pool is fresh water for the benefit of the eyes of the performers.  

 

When ships are in colder climates such as Alaska the outdoor pools are heated.  That same ship when in a warm climate such as the Caribbean will not typically heat the pools.

 

Recently in a cold climate I saw an outdoor pool being filled.  A few hours later it was open and it felt like warm bath water.  It wasn't as hot as the hot tubs but it was quite pleasant to swim in the pool.  The air temperature was within a few degrees of freezing.