Anyone who’s been on a cruise ship will recall the safety precautions that the crew tells you about.
You may occasionally glance at the lifeboats and hope that you’ll never have to get in one!
But one of the biggest safety hazards you should look out for are the cruise ship pools. This is especially dangerous for children who can slip and sustain serious injuries.
So how do you make sure that your kids are safe on a cruise ship? How do they avoid any hazards around the cruise ship pool?
Here’s what you need to know.
Focus on Pool Safety First
Before heading for the cruise, you want to teach your kids how to be safe in a swimming pool. Train them in your pool or in a community pool.
Make sure that they can swim without floatation aids. If they are smaller, you want to make sure you are with them in the pool at all times.
Next, you want to teach them the protocol of entering and exiting a cruise pool. Make sure that they wear waterproof slippers as they approach the cruise pool.
Once they exit the cruise pool, they have to wear the slippers and dry themselves in place.
You can show them how to use the railings and other aids to navigate away from the pool area.
Be Their Lifeguard
You want to expect that most cruise ships won’t have lifeguards watching over the swimming pools. Even when there are lifeguards present, you don’t want to depend on them.
Make sure you always watch over your children when they’re swimming. Let them know that you are their lifeguard. They should know how to alert you if they’re feeling uncomfortable.
You can choose to remain in the cruise pool at all times with them while they swim.
As some cruise pools are made for kids, adults won’t be able to enter them. The alternative is to walk around the cruise pool as they swim. Make sure to always be around the corner where they are.
Always Have Adult Supervision
No matter how many cruise ship pools there are, you can’t expect others to watch your child. In the large crowds and cacophony of a cruise ship, it’s easy to not notice a potential accident.
Make sure that your kids always have adult supervision at the cruise ship pools. At best, there should be two adults watching the kids. If one has to get up, the other can keep an eye out.
It’s also best to not have an older child be responsible for younger children. You have to expect that the older child will be more focused on their own fun.
Don’t choose an adult who also gets distracted easily. Even if you look at your phone for one second, you might fail in preventing a serious accident.
Tell your kids which adults will watch over them on the cruise ship. Make sure your children never go out to the cruise pool without alerting these adults first.
Responding to an Emergency
As protective as you’d like to be, you have to expect that an accident will happen.
The first step is to designate which of the two adults will alert a crew member. If a child gets injured, one adult has to immediately tell a crew member who’ll reach out to the medic.
The second adult should be able to grab the child out of the cruise pool. They should comfort the child while the medic arrives. This adult should also know CPR in case they’ll have to use it as the medic arrives.
If you feel that the accident was due to the cruise ship company’s negligence, then you have to know about your legal rights. Make sure you check out more information to see if a lawsuit is appropriate.
Befriend Cruise Personnel
It’s always wise that you befriend cruise personnel once you get on the cruise. You’ll find that most cruise personnel will go out of their way to please a passenger.
If you let them know that you have young children, they can be your port of call if there’s an issue. They can help connect you to a medic or senior crew member if there’s ever a problem.
They can advocate on your behalf if they witness an accident. They can point out any gross negligence on the part of the cruise.
Once you befriend cruise personnel, you’ll have an assistant who’ll look out for your needs for the entire duration of the cruise!
Research the Cruise Line
Finally, you have to make sure you research the cruise line before booking your trip.
Almost all cruise lines have experienced accidents on deck. If you can find ones that haven’t, then you should always opt for these cruise lines.
Otherwise, you want to learn about how each company handled a cruise ship accident. Many of them try to dismiss a passenger’s complaint.
Others have admitted their mistakes and worked to improve safety on deck. These are the cruise lines you should travel with.
Make sure you also research the quality of staff and customer service of each cruise line. This ensures that the personnel is committed to helping you no matter what.
Before you book your trip, you might want to call the cruise line to express your safety concerns. Ask them if they have lifeguards for the cruise ship pools. Ask them about their protocol if a cruise ship accident does happen.
Make sure you inquire about how kid-friendly they are. If they allow kids but don’t take special precautions for kids, avoid them altogether!
Watch Out for the Cruise Ship Pool
Now that you know the dangers of a cruise ship pool, you’ll be better prepared for your upcoming cruise!
While you might be frightened for your children, you want them to have fun on the cruise. Let them have as much fun as they want, as long as they know how to be safe.
Keep an eye on them so that they can be focused on fun while you watch over them. If you follow the steps in this guide, you won’t have to worry about the cruise ship pools!
If you want more tips for your next cruise, we’ve got more great content on our website.