Is there really a poop problem in the Mickey pool ??

[extechie rbd/wdt]

LOL! Ok, call me rude or untoward, but I was thinking the same thing for the quiet cove pools!!

Not rude or untoward at all Jaymepops!
Realistic..... Yep!

And appropriate filtering, chemical treatment's and maintenance are in place both on land and especially on all cruise ship's.

A ship out of service due to infection or a bug makes no money and cost's a hell of a lot of money to have sitting there being scrubbed top to bottom!

Ex Techie

 

[fredgirls]

What a GREAT idea about the wading pool!!! If I was next to you, I would have told the cruise staff to let you keep it! I totally get what you are saying about the people who like some rules, but expect others to be bent. I feel the same way! I follow the rules everytime because they are there for a reason. If I don't like it, too bad, I read the cruise contract, and agreed to it by cruising! I also make my kids do so. When they see kids running a muck (a muck, a muck a muck...shout out to Hocus Pocus! ) I tell them that those kids arn't following the rules and their parents don't care, sorry for you that your parents do. What's right is right, what's wrong is wrong. Black and white no grey area! We are all on vacation to enjoy and have fun and everyone following the rules allows that experience.

Very glad to hear that Poo in the Pool hasn't been a part of too many of your cruise experiences. I hope we are as lucky, but being DH is a HUGE germaphobe...and who am I kidding, I guess I am too...we are still gonna skirt the pools and head to the water play areas. I have not been on a Disney cruise yet, so I am speaking from a point of only what I have read on this thread and others. Thank you very much for adding an even keel to this thread!

I say the same thing. Only I turn it around. 'Their parents don't care - and you should feel sorry for those children that their parents don't care'. Works like a charm! Always gets a big hug!

 

[fredgirls]

Just curious...
Where is this written? I know I read it somewhere, so maybe the contract?

I wonder if it should be written on the website as a footnote to the pools page? Like it is for potty training needed for the club.

Maybe people should be informed of this earlier in the booking process. I over heard a disgruntled passenger on our recent cruise. His daughter was sitting on the edge of the pool and dangling her feet in, and was wearing a swim diaper. A cm asked him to take his daughter out of the pool. He was quite cross Daughter screaming. He was shouting something about if he'd known this he would have never come.

Maybe there's a lot of people who don't know these rules before they PIF or even get on board. Definitely NO excuse for breaking rules, but might be considerate to inform people with young children that they won't be allowed in the pools.

It doesn't effect us, as our kids are much older, but when they were 2yrs they loved pools and it would have been very stressful to keep them out, and for us, we would have chosen not to cruise until they were old enough to use them.

There will always be those who think they are above the rules, but maybe there's also a number of parents who would appreciate knowing this rule before they see the contract.

 

[fredgirls]

I beg your pardon everyone. The website clearly states

Young Children at Mickey's Pool
The United States Public Health Service requires that only children who are toilet trained be permitted to enter swimming pools onboard cruise ships.


Hadn't noticed it before. It is written at the end, but is very clear.

 

[keaster]

Just curious...
Where is this written? I know I read it somewhere, so maybe the contract?

I wonder if it should be written on the website as a footnote to the pools page? Like it is for potty training needed for the club.

Maybe people should be informed of this earlier in the booking process. I over heard a disgruntled passenger on our recent cruise. His daughter was sitting on the edge of the pool and dangling her feet in, and was wearing a swim diaper. A cm asked him to take his daughter out of the pool. He was quite cross Daughter screaming. He was shouting something about if he'd known this he would have never come.

Maybe there's a lot of people who don't know these rules before they PIF or even get on board. Definitely NO excuse for breaking rules, but might be considerate to inform people with young children that they won't be allowed in the pools.

It doesn't effect us, as our kids are much older, but when they were 2yrs they loved pools and it would have been very stressful to keep them out, and for us, we would have chosen not to cruise until they were old enough to use them.

There will always be those who think they are above the rules, but maybe there's also a number of parents who would appreciate knowing this rule before they see the contract.

Here is it written on the website:

Young Children at Mickey's Pool

The United States Public Health Service requires that only children who are toilet trained be permitted to enter swimming pools onboard cruise ships. Children under 3 years of age who are not toilet trained can make waves at the Splash Zone next to Mickey's Pool. This special play area has been designed exclusively for the enjoyment of children wearing swim diapers.

There are also signs posted at the pools as well.

There is always the argument that swim diapers are allowed in pools on land...but the cleaning and filtration of a pool at sea is a totally different system. With that many people in an enclosed environment there is so much at risk, including norovirus and other health issues.

 

[fredgirls]

Thanks keaster.

Jaymepops -
Not sure how old your kids are, but ours didn't even miss the pool. I'd warned them beforehand we wouldn't be using them but to be honest there was so many other family activities, plus the aquaduck, we didn't even have time to swim! And with the fantasy's new splash zone who wants to bathe with lots of strangers!

And to the the original OP, fairytalelover, your 6-year-old will have a blast without the pools! The mickey slide was actually very thrilling for our youngest and she loved the aquaduck! And then with swimming in the ocean at CC, he won't miss the pools i'm sure. I just had to mention baby's may have pee'd in them and the kids didn't want to go anywhere near them!

 

[luv2sleep]

Nothing new people break rules all the time and then get ticked off when they get caught. Many people feel the rules only apply to other people not them.

Swim Diapers just don't buldge and fill with water like regular diapers. All swim clubs require plastic pants over the diaper to contain leakage. Parents need to realize that e coli bacteria can make kids and adults sick and even kill.

Our private pool requires plastic pants and we always have to close the pool for accidents. Go figure. Our pool allows babies in the baby pool and T pool. All the kids that swallow water and spit it out. When you get sick in the summer think pool!

So true! My son was taking swimming lessons at a very popular indoor swim facility and every time we went there were lots of kids having lessons at the same time. This place lets unpotty trained kids in the pool with their pants with swim diapers underneath. All kids under 3 had to wear them also. I had to pull him out of those classes because every morning after swim class he was sick with high fever, abdominal pain and vomiting. I called the place and they swore that they disinfected the pool constantly and drained it every Sunday. Whatever, it obviously didn't help. I was so disgusted. Since then we have swam at our neighborhood pool that has a baby pool and large pool (we swim in the large pool) and have had no problems since.

 

[SoCaOC-Mom]

Here's a potential solution... Kids in the Oceaneer's Club have to be PT'd. Don't they all have a bracelet (or they could be given a bracelet if not). Why not have a CM at the Mickey and family pool doing a bracelet check? Small kids without bracelets are not allowed in these pools at all. Ever.

It's not really a viable solution and here is why.

Kids that are 3 and over are registered in the club, kids under 3 are registered in the nursery. However, that doesn't mean that just because they are in the nursery they are not potty trained.

When I sailed my youngest was just shy of her 3'd birthday and fully potty trained. If someone told me she couldn't be in the Mickey Pool because she didn't have a bracelet for the club, I would have told them to kick rocks.

 

[papamouse1]

.....All of the pool's and water slide water is treated and filtered. All of those pool's will have children urinating in them, and some of them with children defecating in them.
Also the Quiet Cove pool will most likely have people urinating in it.

Not much different than any other public pool on land, or maybe your friends or neighbors! (I wonder how often people drain and scrub their pool's after having friends or neighbors round, adult and kids?)

A piece of faeces being visible or color contamination due to the aforementioned will result in any pool being shut down.
The CDC require it, and regularly inspect the filters, the proper amount of chlorine is being added, the pumps to make sure they are functioning properly and are kept working well and hygienically.

Ex Techie

...And appropriate filtering, chemical treatment's and maintenance are in place both on land and especially on all cruise ship's.

A ship out of service due to infection or a bug makes no money and cost's a hell of a lot of money to have sitting there being scrubbed top to bottom!

Ex Techie

I want to be real careful here, not trying to "stir up the water" even more. I think Ex Techie says it well here... this issue isn't a Disney problem, not a cruise problem, it is a public pool problem. These things happen in every public/private pool out there. And it isn't just babies peeing in the pool... well maybe they are babies, just much bigger/older ones
In the end, if you feel you just can't tolerate swimming in any public pool, you should avoid DCL pools. If you don't trust that Disney is doing a good job keeping the water clean or staying on top of problems that arise, stay out of the pool. IMO, if you have no issue in going to public pools at your resort, and if you believe Disney is really serious about dealing with problems that arise for your safety (I think that's clear when you see how many times people say the pool was closed..) then you know what, go swimming! And if you see someone with a child too young to be potty trained, then respectfully, calmly let a CM know... Point being, this isn't some unique DCL problem, this issue is in every public pool, just keep that in mind

Just curious...
Where is this written? I know I read it somewhere, so maybe the contract?

I wonder if it should be written on the website as a footnote to the pools page? Like it is for potty training needed for the club.

Maybe people should be informed of this earlier in the booking process. ....

Maybe there's a lot of people who don't know these rules before they PIF or even get on board. Definitely NO excuse for breaking rules, but might be considerate to inform people with young children that they won't be allowed in the pools....

I beg your pardon everyone. The website clearly states

Young Children at Mickey's Pool
The United States Public Health Service requires that only children who are toilet trained be permitted to enter swimming pools onboard cruise ships.

Hadn't noticed it before. It is written at the end, but is very clear....

It's true this is on the website, but I think you may be onto something. Truth is when it comes to "entitled rule breakers" you can post rules a thousand times and they still think they can do whatever. That is a societal issue that seems to exist everywhere... BUT I think you bring up a good point. Maybe there is something more that Disney could do to make this point more clear. We all get travel docs for our cruise that show specific info for our group... why not include a page in travel docs to anyone with children that might be affected by this rule. Make it bold, remind them again that non PT children will not be allowed in pools for health reasons. We all know this won't solve the problem, but it never hurts to add one more reminder... and I got a sneaky feeling a lot more people read their travel docs than read the website info

as for us, add us to the list of people who have never experienced a pool closure on our cruise and never had anyone get sick after swimming, etc. Not saying it never happens, but for us, we have no worries (even though I KNOW some kid is peeing in the pool on every cruise)

 

[pjacobi]

As part of it's Vessel Sanitation Program, the CDC prohibits diapers in all cruise ship pools that dock in the US. It's really not the solid part you have to worry about. When the water goes through the diaper, it washes EVERYTHING out with it.

http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/vsp/

I believe the CDC concern is that the Noro virus is spread through contact with fecal material (and vomit).


-Paul

 

[999ghostslover]

We have only been on one cruise (the Norwegian Sun) and they drained the pool every night. Because the water was not treated with any chemicals this was standard. Poop is only one thing that you have to worry about. What about staph infections on people's skin, mucous etc. I hope that during our 7 day Fantasy cruise our pools all stay poop-free but regardless I hope that 7 days of people's regular germs are not incubating in the water.

 

[nikkistevej]

On our first Disney cruise a few years ago, my DD was getting ready to get in the pool, and we were walking beside the pool, not looking down. This lady grabs my arm to keep me from walking, and says stop. Well I looked down and there was a huge pile of poop beside the pool. I thanked her profusely, and walked away. It was a huge pile of poop, looked like a grown adult or a large dog did it. It was disgusting. They were starting to rope everything off and all, but I will never forget that.

 

[shmoogrrrl]

I keep reading about people who say that they had to drain the Mickey pool because parents put their little kids in there with inappropriate diapers which causes poop in the pool. That is just plain disgusting and I dont and unsanitary. I am afraid of letting my son play in the pool and end up sick from this. Is this a common thing and should I keep my son away from the Mickey pool? He is 6 years old so is he old enough to go to another pool or is the Mickey pool for his age group??

When my daughter was three (and completely potty trained), we went on a seven day cruise. I think that it was right around then that they changed the rules to keep diapered kids out of the pool, so maybe our experience was because there was ignorance of the rules. I am not exaggerating, we tried to use the Mickey Pool five times that week and all but ONE had a poop problem. We got dressed the first time, got up there to find it closed. The second time, my husband ran up to check before we got ready, and it was closed. The third time we got up there and the kids actually got into the water for about 15 minutes before it was closed. The fourth time was perfect, and they got to play for a very long time before we had to leave for dinner with no poop accidents. and the fifth time the Mickey pool was fine, but the Goofy pool wasn't. Didn't ruin our vacation at all, but still kind of a pain.

We were supposed to sail on the Fantasy this June but we transferred it to August 2013 for a number of reasons. One, because my stubborn three and a half year old is being a pain about potty training, and it is pretty clear that he isn't going to be fully trained by June. Since our sailing next year is six weeks before he will turn five, I am HOPING that he will be trained by then.

Anyway, it does happen and it is a pain, but I've never heard of the pool making people sick.

 

[Weedy]

I don’t think it’s always a poop related closure. I think it throw up. Picture this:
Mom can I have a coke sure it’s free, Mom can I have some French fries sure they’re free, Mom can I have some ice cream sure it’s free. Mom can I swim in the Mickey pool sure, the seas are rolling the kid is swimming and blah

 

[shmoogrrrl]

My GD was the cause for the pool to be closed one time. She had a double ear infection, had no pain just suddenly upchucked in the pool. There were 2 other children in there. My DD told a CM and they had the other children get out and throughly rinse in the showers.
The CM had the Medical people come and examine her.
We were so sorry to have caused that but we would have never knowingly let her swim knowing she was ill.

Now, I think that is different. Sure, if your kid says they have a tummy ache you probably should keep them out of the pool, but sometimes kids don't have much warning before the puking starts. That is a hard one to shield against. It is also something I never thought of happening in the pool!

Your poor GD must have felt horrible. Poor thing.

 

[tvguy]

At the resorts they allow swim diapers. I wonder what the issue is on the ship? It has been my experience that the swim diapers contain solid messes. The occassional accident happens at the resorts also but they just "nuke" the water to bring the chlorine level up, close the pool x number of hours and reopen. So what is the issue on the ships?

To me it's kind of shocking that they are allowed at the resorts since an accident in a pool is a health hazard no matter where it happens.
As has been mentioned, the CDC rules for ships are the issue, but for many of us, those are the exact same local health code rules that apply to hotel/apartment/school/community pools. Only place a swim diaper is legal here in in your own private pool, in your backyard.