Pools big enough for swimmimg?

[bjbecks]

Never been with NCL before but liked the sound of Epic until I read some reviews that said that the size of the pools for swimming had been compromised to allow for the childrens splash/slide area. Can anyone comment further or recommend an NCL ship with a decent sized pool for swimming? We like to use the gym every day followed by a swim so both facilities are important in our choice of cruise ship yet it is difficult to get much information about pool sizes short of reading all the reviews. Am I missing a source of information in this respect?

[bakerintn]

I think that the normal pools on cruise ships, including NCL, are not really intended for swimming laps. They will be full of other passengers who will almost always be in your way. No lap lanes are established.

 

However, some of the NCL ships have lap pools in the spa area or the type that have a current running in them that you swim against.

 

Sorry, can't tell you which ships would be best for the spa pools.

 

The spa is an extra cost option. but gets you away from children entirely.

[BruceMuzz]

Stability of a cruise ship is extremely important.

It keeps the ship upright (the opposite of capsizing), and makes for a comfortable ride.

 

To keep a ship stable, most of it's weight (engines, machinery, fuel, ballast, provisions) is located below the waterline. This lowers the ship's center of gravity, making it easier to sail smoothly in an upright position.

 

But cruise ship passengers want outdoor swimming pools on their cruise. So the cruise lines must build several pools higher up on the ship, where they can be outdoors.

 

A cubic meter of water weighs one ton. Even a small swimming pool holds 80 to 100 cubic meters of water. If your ship has 4 small small swimming pools on top, that's 400 tons of weight that can move unpredictably when the ship is bouncing around. This is dangerous enough.

 

But a single pool large enough for lap swimming would require around 300-400 tons of water. Then you need additional pools for those who do not swim laps.

The result would be a dangerously top-heavy ship.