Is this right...pool water?

[Barbmouse63]

My dd and her bff (best friend forever) are having a debate about pool water aboard cruise ships. Bff has sailed RCCL and said the water is salt and we agree. I told my dd I thought the water on DCL is fresh/regular pool water. Is this right? Just curious! TIA!

 

[PatricenPete]

I just sailed RCCL in November and I didn't notice that the pool was salt water. It seemed like regular water to me......

 

[kat3668]

Yup its regular chlorinated water....

 

[abca]

A lot of cruise ships (especially the older ones) pump sea water into their pools once they are underway. The Disney ships use regular chlorinated water in their pools.

 

[ohiominnie]

A lot of cruise ships (especially the older ones) pump sea water into their pools once they are underway. The Disney ships use regular chlorinated water in their pools.

which they get from desalinating the sea water, btw.
they create all of their fresh water onboard this way.

 

[BigRed1]

There is nothing regular about it.....It's COLD chlorinated water!

 

[tvguy]

There is nothing regular about it.....It's COLD chlorinated water!

It was 82 degrees most of our cruise. That's bathwater!!!

Most ships built in recent years use fresh water in the pools. I think the Soverign of the Seas was the last ship I was on that used salt water, and that was way back in 1988, and it may have been converted to fresh water since then.
We cruised the Amsterdam, and it had fresh water pools also....but it was built in 2000, so it's newer than the Magic and Wonder.

 

[BigRed1]

It was 82 degrees most of our cruise. That's bathwater!!!.....

I don't know why it was cold. Both times, October '04 Magic and '05 Wonder, it was more like 75 degrees. 75 degree water is cold. Bathwater for me is a 103 degree hot tub. You would think the pool water would still be warm in October...maybe its just me.

 

[aprilgail2]

I don't know why it was cold. Both times, October '04 Magic and '05 Wonder, it was more like 75 degrees. 75 degree water is cold. Bathwater for me is a 103 degree hot tub. You would think the pool water would still be warm in October...maybe its just me.

I am not happy when my pool is under 90 degrees... Anything colder than that is to cold for me to swim in! I like baths to be over 100 degrees!

 

[LasseKjus]

I've been on five cruises (Disney Magic, Norwegian Norway, Carnival Paradise, Holland America Zuiderdam, MSC Opera) and all were salt water EXCEPT the Disney Magic. Granted, the Disney was five years ago, but it shocked me when on the Norway, I tasted salty water. Then on the Paradise, I figured that was the norm and on the Disney it's the exception. I also noted on the Mickey pool that it was nearly empty of water by the end of the cruise. I'm sure that isn't the case anymore, but it was something I noticed.

 

[emmabelle]

Sailed RCI twice last year, the Sovereign was salt water in April 2005, the Empress was salt water in July 2005, the pool on the Empress still wasn't filled even by 9:00pm on the day of sailing which was bad since it was July and very hot, they must have had a problem with it.

 

[tvguy]

HAL's Amsterdam is fresh water.

 

[rtphokie]

I've been on five cruises (Disney Magic, Norwegian Norway, Carnival Paradise, Holland America Zuiderdam, MSC Opera) and all were salt water EXCEPT the Disney Magic. Granted, the Disney was five years ago, but it shocked me when on the Norway, I tasted salty water. Then on the Paradise, I figured that was the norm and on the Disney it's the exception. I also noted on the Mickey pool that it was nearly empty of water by the end of the cruise. I'm sure that isn't the case anymore, but it was something I noticed.

I've been on 2 carnival and 1 Royal Carribean cruise. Each had salt water in the pool, each was unheated.

On our first cruise the seas were very rough, the pools were drained on the first night due to the water sloshing out onto the deck.

 

[logan1_2000]

Just got off the Radiance last week, they have salt water pools. Yes, by and large, Disney's ships are the exception in that they are filled with deslinated water. The Amsterdam is mentioned as another--I have no knowledge by which to confirm or deny.

Radiance was launched, by the way, in 2001 as the first of its class, so it is not a new vs. old issue.

Having first cruised on the Empress in '01 and being surprised when I got in the pool on board to find salt water, I cautioned DS that he would find saltwater in the pools when we sailed on the wonder the next year. And I was wrong, I found, as DCL was using de-salinated water in the pools.

Mom is on the Celebrity Infinity next month, so I'll let you know.

 

[tecdavidt]

Cruised on Carnival, salt water, cruised on Princess (Dawn) salt water, and on Celebrity (Milli & Galaxy) salt water & COLD. Disney, fresh water and heated! I would say, based on our experience, Disney is the exception not the rule. Kathy

 

[DisneyDiva4ever]

I am considering joining my friends for a RCCL trip on the new Freedom of the Seas. I have only cruised Disney in the past and am reluctant to try a ship with salt water pools. I have some sensitivity to salt water and can't stay in the ocean for long periods of time. Anyone who has cruised with salty pools, did you notice the salt? I like to spend a lot of time in the pool and hot tubs & I don't want to be disappointed. I don't want to skip the FOTS cruise on RCCL just because of my problem with salt water. However, it's a lot of money to spend on a cruise where I can't even enjoy the pools. I think the whole salt water pool concept is so backwards! Freedom is going to have so many amenities, why have salty pools? Any advice?

Thanks in advance!

 

[sdaniel105]

We have been on the Carnival Paradise (Old), Majasty of the Sea (RCCL Older) and my inlaws just got off the Mariner of the Sea (RCCL New) and all of them had salt water. I think this goes to the fact that Disney caters to families and kids hate getting saltwater in their eyes, as do most of us. So they use saltwater. I am really surprised that more of the newer ships are not doing the same. To please their guests as well reduced the the areas/ equipment to the salts deterorating effects.

BTW, on our 3 previous trips on the Magic the Goofy and Quiet cove pools had always been around 81-82. Which I don't consider bathwater as one person said. This past November they both were in the mid-80's. Disney must be listening to us commenting on the cold pools.

Sean

 

[matchtrader]

Could it be that the Disney pools are actually fresh water (or at least desalinated ocean water) that are salt-water chlorinated? For those of you that have a pool, you probably know what I am talking about, but the process is rather simple and involves adding a small amount of salt to raise the salinity to about 3ppm (ocean water is much much saltier than this). Rather than adding chlorine to the pool, the water is run through a machine that eletrically separates the pure chlorine (CL) from the salt (NaCL). Most new private pools are now installed with this system and many public pools are being converted to "salt water". If the pool water on the ships tastes slightly salty, my bet is that this is why. Of course, I could be way off base here, but that wouldn't be the first time.

 

[TheWog]

I don't know why it was cold. Both times, October '04 Magic and '05 Wonder, it was more like 75 degrees. 75 degree water is cold. Bathwater for me is a 103 degree hot tub. You would think the pool water would still be warm in October...maybe its just me.

Then you would certainly hate swimming up here in the lakes and ocean of the northeast.

Disney uses water from the ocean, but processes it to remove the salt before filling the pools.

Disneydiva -

if you are sensitive to salt you may notice the salt in the RCI pools. for some reason though I think they have an outdoor shower near some of the pools to rinse off with. I could be wrong. You may want to ask them.

 

[mmouse37]

The Disney ships definately use desalinated salt water for their pools....they run it through their special machines onboard and purify and desalinate....they also use this same water for most of the onboard drinking water....they do carry a significant amount of freshwater onboard but they definately desalinate sea water when more water is needed....and you could never tell the difference.

We have sat though several of the Captain and Senior Officer Q&A talks that they hold onboard and this was explained the same way time and again.

The result is fresh water in the pools but it definately started out as sea water.

Most other cruise lines (even the newer ships) use salt water in their pools. We recently sailed on Carnival's Legend (new ship) and the pools were salt water but it did not bother us at all....we did not come out with salt drying on us like we do sometimes when we come out of the ocean.