Finally, Cruise Lines Start to See Sense!

I have blogged about this before as there have been an unacceptable number of deaths in Swimming pools on-board cruise ships and yet only Disney Cruise lines employed actual Life guards to monitor their pools.

Well it looks like things are changing. At the end of December Royal Caribbean started advertising for Lifeguards on their ships.

The Post Stated that candidates “will need to perform rescue of Guests in danger of drowning and be vigilant to potential accidents. Will be trained to administer first aid, CPR, Oxygen & AED as required. This position will open, close, monitor and operate aquatic recreational spaces including but not limited to Swimming Pools, H2O Zones and Splashaway Bay and other designated water attractions . . . “

Royal Caribbean was but one of many Cruise lines that have had accidents around the pool. Including the death of a 4-year-old child In January 2015 on oasis of the Seas, an 8-year child in June 2016 on Anthem of the Seas where the cruise line had reported that the boy was found un-responsive in the pool. Followed by the death of another 8-year-old on liberty of the Seas in December, who was pulled from the water by another guest.

In the past, the cruise line has not bowed to pressure and displayed signs around the pool areas stating the guests ‘Swim At Your Own Risk’. Life jackets were provided if requested for children and this was considered sufficient as part of their safety policy.

I have previously posted how this lack of regard for safety amazed me. A company as large as Royal Caribbean, a multi-million-dollar company, trying to save a few pounds by not employing lifeguards.

The Parents and Guardians of these children cannot be left blameless in all this and even though these were indeed tragedies, it does beg the question about what the parents were doing? I know when my son was small I did not take my eyes off him when he was swimming in the pool or the sea? This is something they must live with for the rest of their lives.

However, having trained lifeguards at the pools would have prevented these tragedies from happening.

It should also be remembered that Lifeguards are not just there to pull people from the water when they get into difficulty but also to prevent silly behaviour that can lead to accidents in the first place.

No-one wants to put a dampener on fun but this has to be within reason as I am sure all responsible parents would agree.

I for one will be mentioning this fact to customers who are considering taking children away on a cruise with them.

So Well Done Royal Caribbean for finally doing something about this and let’s hope other cruise Lines decided to follow.