Icon Pool Closed

[CanHardlyWait]

Well, day 1 and a pool has been closed for cleaning till tomorrow.

It's the strangest thing. The lifeguards don't tell the kids to not dive in, jump in, splash, don't run, etc. None of it. They just walk back and forth looking for floating stool. Then every 10 minutes another lifeguard will come by and the two will walk past each other looking down left to right, right to left. Then from opposite ends when no poop is found they give each other a thumbs up. 10 minutes later, it starts all over again. Zero actual lifeguard duties. I have never seen anything like it on any other ship. A kid could dive in and break there neck in shallow water and all the lifeguards do is look for floaters. 

Royal Caribbean does not handle the children thing like Disney Cruise line does. Day 2 will be interesting. 

[Southern Dan]

The pool being closed constantly would annoy the shit out of me...pun intended.

[CanHardlyWait]

Aqua show from the handicap seats. The one's with no backs are hard and painful. 

[Heymarco]

@CanHardlyWait For every negative thing, you have to write 3 positive things going forward. 

[CanHardlyWait]

2 minutes ago, Heymarco said:

@CanHardlyWait For every negative thing, you have to write 3 positive things going forward. 

Oh, you are new to me I see. LOL. I'll try, but it's going to hurt. LOL.

[Jill]

We were on 2 weeks ago and every single day at least one pool was closed due to vomit or poop

[CanHardlyWait]

Day 2: Kids pool at back of ship closed. LOL. (And possibly more, haven't seen them all today). 

[Southern Dan]

This legit blows my mind that this is an everyday occurrence.  If you have an upset stomach stay out of the freaking pools ya dingbats! 

[CanHardlyWait]

21 hours ago, Heymarco said:

@CanHardlyWait For every negative thing, you have to write 3 positive things going forward. 

MDR Food was exceptionally good night one. Beef quality has improved. No tough as nails steak. 

Aqua show was awesome. 

Aqua dome at night. Nice place to just sit and relax. Very Star Trek / Star Ship kinda feel. 

That's 3. LOL. 

(It's a beautiful ship)

Oh, one more major plus. Natural light from windows behind Pearl Cafe opens up the promenade. Not everything faces inward anymore. 

[CanHardlyWait]

Ok, Update!

It was 2 pools today.

The kids pool and the swim and tonic bar pool. 

Why they even allow kids in a pool that's a bar is beyond me. 

Royal Caribbean needs to rethink age policies on pools on this ship. It's really getting ridiculous. Lots of paying customers are MAD!

[Heymarco]

I think first question to ask is it really issue with passengers or do lifeguards just not want to work? Maybe getting some "false positives?". In my local subdivision, the young lifeguards look for all sorts of reasons to shut pool down to not work as hard (lightening ridiculously far away, not enough staff, burnt feet, friends, etc.).

Second, what's a realistic time to sanitize a pool? Waterparks can do it in about 1/2 an hour but I know Royal has higher standards. Even with that, I was under impression they could fully drain and refill pool fairly quickly, maybe not true anymore on newer ships?

@Matt This would be an entertaining story at the very least.

 

[Southern Dan]

Maybe it's just a Baby Ruth candy bar?

[CanHardlyWait]

14 minutes ago, Heymarco said:

I think first question to ask is it really issue with passengers or do lifeguards just not want to work? Maybe getting some "false positives?". In my local subdivision, the young lifeguards look for all sorts of reasons to shut pool down to not work as hard (lightening ridiculously far away, not enough staff, burnt feet, friends, etc.).

Second, what's a realistic time to sanitize a pool? Waterparks can do it in about 1/2 an hour but I know Royal has higher standards. Even with that, I was under impression they could fully drain and refill pool fairly quickly, maybe not true anymore on newer ships?

@Matt This would be an entertaining story at the very least.

 

I was told 4 hours minimum to clean a pool and refill. Lots of scrubbing with brush/stick mops. Lots of chemicals. I watched them clean the kid pool from up over in the Hideaway Pool. After cleaning it has to sit awhile. Long process. 

Royal needs to implement a 5 years and younger area. And not allow the little ones in every pool. It's not working at all. Don't get me started on the swim up bar. Kids allowed, why?

[Southern Dan]

Kids 1000% shouldn't be allowed to lay turds at the Swim and Tonic.  

[CyclingVa]

Every ship I have been on, the life guards have been fairly strict.  No jumping, diving, running, they even told some 10ish year old kids they couldnt play catch with a ball in the pool.  I felt that was a little excessive since it wasnt busy at the time.  Its Strange the lifeguards are acting this way on Icon.  

[CanHardlyWait]

13 minutes ago, CyclingVa said:

Every ship I have been on, the life guards have been fairly strict.  No jumping, diving, running, they even told some 10ish year old kids they couldnt play catch with a ball in the pool.  I felt that was a little excessive since it wasnt busy at the time.  Its Strange the lifeguards are acting this way on Icon.  

Every second is spent searching for poop. 

[Southern Dan]

Instead of “Lifeguard” their shirts should say “Turd Hunter” on the back!

[CanHardlyWait]

2 minutes ago, Southern Dan said:

Instead of “Lifeguard” their shirts should say “Turd Hunter” on the back!

Exactly. It's so odd to watch. I swear someone could actually be drowning and if they haven't pooped themselves the lifeguards wouldn't notice. 

Royal Caribbean does not handle children as well as Disney Cruise line. Kids on there like the indoor activities so much they go home with less color than how they arrived. Here 6 yr olds are splashing around a swim up bar. Makes zero sense to allow them in a swim up bar. Royal Caribbean gave this ZERO thought. 

[jeffmw]

There has to be more to this story or some reason why Icon pools are more likely to be shut down. This is the second post about pools being closed on Icon for these "issues", but there's no way suddenly there's this much more pooping in the pool.

I've never even seen a pool closed on a Royal ship for poop or vomit (although I have seen it on Disney) and all we do is go on cruises during school breaks with thousands of kids. Of course I realize Icon is likely to have more kids and perhaps more first-time cruisers than other ships, but it's not such a higher percentage from Oasis ships during school vacation times that there'd suddenly be this massive uptick in incidents.

[CanHardlyWait]

1 hour ago, jeffmw said:

There has to be more to this story or some reason why Icon pools are more likely to be shut down. This is the second post about pools being closed on Icon for these "issues", but there's no way suddenly there's this much more pooping in the pool.

I've never even seen a pool closed on a Royal ship for poop or vomit (although I have seen it on Disney) and all we do is go on cruises during school breaks with thousands of kids. Of course I realize Icon is likely to have more kids and perhaps more first-time cruisers than other ships, but it's not such a higher percentage from Oasis ships during school vacation times that there'd suddenly be this massive uptick in incidents.

There is no more to this story. Icon has a million times more children than any other ship. Is it not obvious to you that's why this is going on?

Oh, and you are wrong. Way more kids on Icon than on any Oasis class ship ever. I'm living this. It's all happening in real time. 

It's like Carnival only without the class.

[CanHardlyWait]

The no swim diapers rule doesn't seem to exist. Even though it's in writing everywhere. Lifeguards and security don't a flying fig. They spend all there time on poop hunt.

Kids diving into hot tubs. Just waiting for one to break there neck.

Kids who cam barley walk allowed in pools. Parents who disappear. 

On land a 55 plus yr old adult in a tub of hot water with a bunch of 10 year old boys is a felony. Here the parents are not even around to notice or care. Apparently unlimited drinks package makes there children safe and no longer requires their supervision. 

[Heymarco]

7 minutes ago, CanHardlyWait said:

It's like Carnival only without the class.

You can't be comparing to the cruise line that had an actual "Poop Cruise" according to the media? Surely that was a typo and you meant to say Seaborn or something real?

[SplashOfWater]

21 minutes ago, CanHardlyWait said:

There is no more to this story. Icon has a million times more children than any other ship. Is it not obvious to you that's why this is going on?

Oh, and you are wrong. Way more kids on Icon than on any Oasis class ship ever. I'm living this. It's all happening in real time. 

It's like Carnival only without the class.

We'll be on Icon next month. If the same situation exists, Icon may be a "one and done" for us. 

[PeloAl]

44 minutes ago, CanHardlyWait said:

 

On land a 55 plus yr old adult in a tub of hot water with a bunch of 10 year old boys is a felony. Here the parents are not even around to notice or care. Apparently unlimited drinks package makes there children safe and no longer requires their supervision. 

 

44 minutes ago, CanHardlyWait said:

On land a 55 plus yr old adult in a tub of hot water with a bunch of 10 year old boys is a felony. Here the parents are not even around to notice or care. Apparently unlimited drinks package makes there children safe and no longer requires their supervision. 

This had me cackling

[tingtang]

On 5/4/2024 at 7:05 PM, CanHardlyWait said:

Aqua show from the handicap seats. The one's with no backs are hard and painful. 

Yeah I thought whoever thought these were a good seat idea should be fired.  Or made to sit in them for 3-4 hours straight! 

[CanHardlyWait]

10 minutes ago, tingtang said:

Yeah I thought whoever thought these were a good seat idea should be fired.  Or made to sit in them for 3-4 hours straight! 

They really just plane hurt. LOL.

[CanHardlyWait]

2 hours ago, SplashOfWater said:

We'll be on Icon next month. If the same situation exists, Icon may be a "one and done" for us. 

Have deposit on next May. However, debating. Literally using "One and done" as our catch phrase.

It's hard because it's an amazing ship. Aqua Dome/Overlook etc is a wow factor. 

It's the pool deck and handling of rules regarding children. It's non existent.

More kids in the swim and tonic the past 2 hour's then adults. And they keep diving under the water and swimming around concrete barstools. Lifeguard says nothing. How a kid hasn't cracked his head open yet is beyond me. It's a bar. Nobody under 21 needs to be in it. I don't drink, so it doesn't effect me as much. Spent 10 minutes with a dIet coke and a splash of pool water. Disney Cruises is super mega strict on adult only areas. Children only too. Royal needs to draw a few lines in the sand, when it comes to the pool deck. It's a (you know what) show. Literally. LOL.

[Gilley]

21 hours ago, CanHardlyWait said:

I was told 4 hours minimum to clean a pool and refill. Lots of scrubbing with brush/stick mops. Lots of chemicals. I watched them clean the kid pool from up over in the Hideaway Pool. After cleaning it has to sit awhile. Long process. 

Royal needs to implement a 5 years and younger area. And not allow the little ones in every pool. It's not working at all. Don't get me started on the swim up bar. Kids allowed, why?

I totally agree!

[RCIfan1912]

Hilarious!

[ZBrady]

Saw on reddit (I know ) that they were issuing FCC for the pools being closed so much? 

[Marlena]

We were on the April 20th-27th sailing on ICON. We had 3 sea day. EVERY sea day the main pool was closed. We were told 2X vomit and 1 code brown situation. Also the kids splash area in surfside was closed for the same at one point. I also expressed annoyance with guest services and was told I would receive a FCC. Have not seen it yet.

As amazing as the ship is, having only 1 large pool is a definite fault.

[drjohn4]

On 5/5/2024 at 5:59 PM, Heymarco said:

I think first question to ask is it really issue with passengers or do lifeguards just not want to work? Maybe getting some "false positives?". In my local subdivision, the young lifeguards look for all sorts of reasons to shut pool down to not work as hard (lightening ridiculously far away, not enough staff, burnt feet, friends, etc.).

Second, what's a realistic time to sanitize a pool? Waterparks can do it in about 1/2 an hour but I know Royal has higher standards. Even with that, I was under impression they could fully drain and refill pool fairly quickly, maybe not true anymore on newer ships?

@Matt This would be an entertaining story at the very least.

 

The CDC vessel sanitation program does have much higher standards.  First, they have to remove the contamination. Then the chlorine must be brought up to a certain level for a minimum of 25 minutes (3 hours for loose stool).  Then the filters must be backwashed or filter cartridges changed.  Then the pool has to be drained and the pool surfaces cleaned, but you must be 12 miles from land to discharge the water.  Then the pool has to be refilled and the chlorine and pH brought back into balance.  So yes, that takes the pool out of commission for a long time.

(source: CDC vessel sanitation operations manual Vessel Sanitation Program 2018 Operations Manual (cdc.gov))

[ZBrady]

12 minutes ago, drjohn4 said:

(source: CDC vessel sanitation operations manual Vessel Sanitation Program 2018 Operations Manual (cdc.gov))

Incredible, thank you for sharing! Fascinating to read this kind of thing.

[Geezer Of The Seas]

The Code Brown we witnessed on Mariner last November was good for 2 mojitos and one cigar for me, then  got bored and left in search of other entertainment. The casino I believe, no one poops in there......................I think.

[ZBrady]

More eye-witness reports from this sailing's Roll Call Facebook group:

• Allegedly the same kid had an accident two days in a row and one Code Brown was an adult.
• Someone is claiming they had their entire cruise refunded after contacting someone high up in the company.
• On this same port day nearly all excursions were cancelled due to storms, so a lot of unhappy people to begin with.

Could be an interesting outcome!

[PhantomWolf]

On 5/4/2024 at 4:30 PM, CanHardlyWait said:

Zero actual lifeguard duties. I have never seen anything like it on any other ship. A kid could dive in and break there neck in shallow water and all the lifeguards do is look for floaters. 

Would be a different kind of floater at that point... I'll see myself out now.

[USCG Teacher]

3 hours ago, Geezer Of The Seas said:

The casino I believe, no one poops in there......................I think.

You have clearly never worked in a casino.  

[Tink]

On 5/4/2024 at 7:50 PM, Southern Dan said:

The pool being closed constantly would annoy the shit out of me...pun intended.

I am currently on the Icon and I have to say this is an issue.  Pools are constantly being closed and not just the Kiddie pool. In my opinion royal made a mistake changing the boardwalk into a family area. What I observed is that the kids are not hanging out in that area or that pool area.  Rather they occupy every other pool that us adults would like to get in. If kids are going to monopolize  all the other pools why not just reimagine the boardwalk area for everyone to use. 

[Heymarco]

44 minutes ago, Tink said:

I am currently on the Icon and I have to say this is an issue.  Pools are constantly being closed and not just the Kiddie pool. In my opinion royal made a mistake changing the boardwalk into a family area. What I observed is that the kids are not hanging out in that area or that pool area.  Rather they occupy every other pool that us adults would like to get in. If kids are going to monopolize  all the other pools why not just reimagine the boardwalk area for everyone to use. 

I've read in other posts that it's too split up for multigenerational families so they gravitate towards the bigger pools upstairs. The separate smaller kid pool idea is nice but in practice weird having pools that split up. Hopefully they can make some adjustments before next ship rolls out.

[WAYNO]

Not just on a ship, but everywhere... I just cannot put myself in a public pool.

I believe this is not unique to Royal, but fortunately for us, Royal addresses it seriously and immediately.  Your local hotel pool or public park pool, maybe not so much...