NCL Little Girl Drowns on Ship

[com_op_2000]

Checkout this article:
http://touch.orlandosentinel.com/#section/1229/article/p2p-83575060/

 

[bjakmom]

How tragic prayers for this family.

 

[jskacoc]

Such a shame. I can't even imagine.

 

[Hillbeans]

Oh my gosh. She was 10 years old What could have possibly happened? I fully admit I am a helicopter parent when it comes to kids in the pool on the cruise, even my older teen. I make everyone have a swim buddy too. Not that this would have saved this little girl but this is a huge fear of mine.

 

[3Gsandme]

How terribley sad.

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

Prayers to the Family!

 

[lorimay]

So terrible.....

 

[ptcbass]

So sad... prayers for family, friends and all involved.

 

[DCL4LIFE]

So sorry for the family.

I believe DCL put life guards in place after the close-call on the Fantasy a couple years ago, but do other cruise lines have life guards at family/kid pools?

 

[PrincessShmoo]

So sorry for the family.

I believe DCL put life guards in place after the close-call on the Fantasy a couple years ago, but do other cruise lines have life guards at family/kid pools?

I don't believe so. They're much like hotel pools - swim at your own risk.

 

[Iamaplanner]

This breaks my heart. Such a tragedy

 

[AnnaS]

Breaks my heart - awful. I can't even imagine.

 

[Empress Room]

I don't believe so. They're much like hotel pools - swim at your own risk.

Yes, DCL now has lifeguards at the family pool(s), not the adult pool, as well as a rack of swimming life jackets.

 

[bcwife76]

Oh my god.....I can't even imagine. That poor family

 

[lanejudy]

Yes, DCL now has lifeguards at the family pool(s), not the adult pool, as well as a rack of swimming life jackets.

Correct, DCL has lifeguards at the kids/family pools. The question was whether other lines do. I don't believe other cruise lines staff lifeguards. There is no regulation requiring it so as PP said it is much like hotel pools and you swim at your own risk.

Very sad for the NCL family.

 

[lexlaw69]

I was on Royal Caribbean (Liberty of the Seas) and the pool was a war zone with too many people in it, people jumping from all sides, no control and no supervision. I can't tell you how many crying kids were in there due to elbows, being croweded, scared, etc.

 

[IBelieveInTheMagic]

I'm so saddened to read this and I'm praying for the family and the sweet child ~ RIP.

Heather

 

[bumbershoot]

That's so sad.

I was on Royal Caribbean (Liberty of the Seas) and the pool was a war zone with too many people in it, people jumping from all sides, no control and no supervision. I can't tell you how many crying kids were in there due to elbows, being croweded, scared, etc.

That's how Disney Dream's pools look to me, and they are much much smaller than the pool on Freedom class ships.

 

[wendydarling33]

Very, very sad. My scariest swimming moment to date happened on the Wonder when my son was 3. He was playing happily in Mickey's ear (where he could totally touch no problem) and I was right there with him but I went to put down my camera at my chair maybe 20 feet away(with my eyes on him the whole time) and he hopped over to the face and fell and couldn't right himself. I had to run over pull him up and he was coughing up lots of water (event though it must have only been a few seconds). Scared the hell out of me and the bar staff that helped me afterwards. I can't imagine what would have happened if I had been distracted and not watching him. Needless to say, I never left his side while swimming the rest of the cruise and we signed up for some serious swim lessons as soon as we got back.

My prayers go out to this family.

 

[bumbershoot]

Over on the NCL pages on cruise critic, someone has posted these excellent links. They discuss what drowning looks like, and shows a video of a near drowning (the person is saved).

We should all watch and read these every year, just to remind ourselves that drowning doesn't look or sound like drowning.

Read: http://mariovittone.com/2010/05/154/

Watch: http://mariovittone.com/2011/07/video-of-instinctive-drowning-response/
In that link, there is a lady looking right towards the guy...she has no clue.


And, since safety is so important to talk about, little kids should have proper Coast Guard approved life vests, NOT arm floaties. The arm floaties can actually *cause* drowning, if their little arms go up over their head. Once that happens, little ones don't have the strength to pull their arms down, and having the floats on the upper arms causes the mouth and nose to go under the water.

I learned about this when DS was little, learned about it here on the Dis. Scoffed at it. Went to visit my brother, we all went swimming, DS in arm's reach in his arm floaties. I was talking to my brother. My brother looked past me, his face went weird. I turned around, DS's arms were above his head, his mouth and nose were bobbing under the water. He was SILENT. If my brother hadn't noticed my son... I was in arm's reach, just turned the wrong way. I reached out, got him. Made sure he was OK...later, popped the floaties. Next day bought him a proper swim vest.



I post these things as info, as reminders, so just in case we're next to someone in a pool and we notice someone silently struggling...maybe we'll see it for what it is. And the second bit is posted "just in case". I'm sure it had nothing to do with the 10 year old on NCL, but...arm floaties are just not good. I'm so lucky that my brother noticed, so I post about it in hopes that someone else can learn from MY experience, not their own (or, rather, their child's).