Royal Caribbean Adding Lifeguards, Water Safety Signage to All Cruise Ships

I believe this is a bad idea. It's nannying and the extra costs will be handed down to everyone cruising.

As they said in the announcement, life guards are no substitute for parenting, and children under 12 are still required to have their parents present.

I think this is a wonderful idea. I have no little children so this doesn't affect me, but to have dedicated lifeguards on duty at all the pools just seems like a win-win to me. Parents are still required to be with the children. The lifeguards aren't baby sitters. I hope the parents will use the jackets for their children, which are supplied, but not required.

All have been hired specifically as lifeguards and will not serve in any other role onboard.

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isnt it a bit unusual for someone to only have one job on board.

Disney also has lifeguards around the pools.

Also if it helps people follow the rules thats a plus too.

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After the drowning occurred last year on Anthem, RC had no other choice than to add the life guards. I did not notice them in January on the Anthem but then I could never get a chair pool side because they were always "reserved".

Of course parents and caring adults should be responsible for the children. There were over 20 people in the group with this child and no one was watching.

RC has also added the life vests which should be used by every parent with their child. Again, it is the responsibility of the parent to use these.

I respect RC's decision to add these features.

Having qualified lifeguards is a fantastic idea!! First of all Lifeguards are NOT a substitute for eagle eyed parenting. They are however excellent at preventing accidents happening in the first place by enforcing rules that some may find trivial but in fact prevent so many accidents. Then if the worst does happen they are very well trained to deal with all manner of accidents & incidents.

As a former RLSS qualified lifeguard I can vouch for the training that these guys have to complete. When you think of lifeguards you immediately associate them 'watching over the kids'. However many incidents happen with the older demographic. Heart attacks, Strokes, Epileptic seizures and even Cramp are some of the causes of people getting into difficulties in water and the lifeguards are trained to deal with all of it, as well as vital CPR and AED. (Automated External Defibrillation)

So if this put my cruise fare up a couple of pounds a day I can take that on the chin. Well done RCCL, about time!

Thank You, RCI !

What wonderful news! I apreciate this focus on water safety. Kudos!

NCL has a person 'hanging back' and not really being a lifeguard on the breakaway. but if there was a lot of running or something really obvious, he would step in and correct the kids. its very common to drop the kids off and not be around them anymore. parents think the ship is the babysitter. i was amazed by the amount of younger folk out on their own.

While I applaud this decision I hope that Royal gives the lifeguards the authority to remove children from the water area when it is obvious that the parents are not around. Even having the parent step away for a few minutes to get something they forgot us unacceptable.

Wonderful idea, hopefully they will remove those children or adults that are not following posted rules on horseplay, drinking/eating, etc..

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I have NO problem with this. If it causes my cruise fare to go up $1, it's money well spent. If its YOUR son, daughter, friend or relative that drowns, you would have paid ANY amount of money to have had a lifeguard there to save their life.

NCL has a person 'hanging back' and not really being a lifeguard on the breakaway. but if there was a lot of running or something really obvious, he would step in and correct the kids. its very common to drop the kids off and not be around them anymore. parents think the ship is the babysitter. i was amazed by the amount of younger folk out on their own.

On Harmony in November they had staff watching the hot tubs and pools from a distance. They were dressed in the normal pool deck attire (polo shirt, sorts/pants). Not dressed like lifeguards. They were clearly watching for rule violators and they did ask people to remove drinks/food from the pool when needed.

All have been hired specifically as lifeguards and will not serve in any other role onboard.

 

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isnt it a bit unusual for someone to only have one job on board.

Yes, that was marketing speak to make it sound impressive. I'm sure those folks will do other things, like herding folks during the muster drill.

I love the idea. We are old enough that our son is married and moved away, However, after 15 cruises, I can't tell you how many times we saw parents searching for missing children, which included searching the pools on several occasions.

I hope everyone realizes that these people are lifeguards and not there to worry about the chair hogs or some other issue, that is not directly related to lifeguarding.

Check out the latest Royal Caribbean News from Cruise Critic:

 

Royal Caribbean Adding Lifeguards, Water Safety Signage to All Cruise Ships

This is a fabulous idea!

My only surprise is that it has taken so long for a line catering to children to implement such a necessary program.

They will just become babysitters for irresponsible parents.

I would rather see them monitor the damn chair hogs!

They will just become babysitters for irresponsible parents.

 

I would rather see them monitor the damn chair hogs!

There will always be irresponsible parents, but now their children will be afforded some degree of protection.

Personally, I put a higher priority of children's safety than on getting a chair in a prime location, but that's just me.

I think it is a great idea. In no way should it mean parents / guardian don 't have to watch their own child but it should provide an extra level of protection for all swimmers.

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I liked this idea and that they are certified licensed lifeguards. Plus, they will be easily identifiable wearing their red and white uniforms.

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I think this is great and long overdue. A child drowning is not always a loud splashing ordeal. It can happen very quickly and quietly. I was once sitting on the edge of a pool at the Hershey Lodge in Hershey PA and I saw a child slip quietly under the water. I was able to grab the child and pull them out of the water. The parent was a couple of steps away. Downing is a terrible accident and there's not always someone to blame. Another set of dedicated eyes on the pools is needed. I'd gladly add to my cruise fare for this.

On a less serious note it may also help keep the swim diapers out of the pools and hot tubs. Win win! Great decision RC.

While I applaud this decision I hope that Royal gives the lifeguards the authority to remove children from the water area when it is obvious that the parents are not around. Even having the parent step away for a few minutes to get something they forgot us unacceptable.

A little off subject, but we enjoyed it so much I want to share. When we were snowbirds, we spent our summers in a family campground with many seasonal campers in northern Illinois. Everyone knew the lifeguards had authority to remove children without parents and make children observe the safety rules, but some adults didn't believe the rules applied to them.

One day a man was showing off and breaking every rule he could think of. The teen age lifeguard politely explained the safety rules to him, and in answer he dived into the shallow water. She whistled him to the side of the pool and told him he would have to sit in the "naughty chair" for five minutes before he could go back in the water. He resisted and gave her some lip, but she didn't back down. His acquiescing greatly improved the behavior of obnoxious adults, since the story quickly made the rounds of the campground.

Some parents will abuse the situation and use the lifeguarded pools as daycare. My wife was a lifeguard at a city pool for several years. She has stories of parents dropping their very young children off in the morning and picking up in the evening all summer long. Nobody with any authority would do anything about it.

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this is interesting. On our recent Freedom cruise, i noticed pool staff wearing the yellow "ask me" vest constantly watching the pools. I think recent issues have occurred when nobody noticed somebody having issues. Having someone available to just watch is a big step towards a solution. This is a step closer to the best solution.

Also, for several years now I have seen lifeguards stationed at Barefoot Beach at Labadee, and i would hope the were stationed at all of the beaches there.