Oasis returning to port?

[lobster129]

Please try to have more positive thoughts toward the child's recovery. A "medically drug induced coma" IS the gold standard of treatment for a child following a near-drowning situation. It allows the brain to "rest" and recover over a longer time. The following short article is an easily understood ...

 

http://www.ehow.com/about_6689058_effects-drug_induced-comas-children.html

[Sky616]

The circular "wave pool" is a difficult place to watch any child. The water is 3 ft deep and it is an elevated pool with an obstruction in the center. It is impossible to sit in a spot and watch the entire pool. There are windows on the side but they only go down about half way, so somebody could be on the bottom and it would be difficult to see them. In addition a large part of the pool is blocked by the stairs and loading area.

 

The pool is open today but it does not appear that the moving water is operating.

 

I haven't read all this thread yet only up to post #108 but I totally agree with this post. We were on Oasis a month ago and my son who is 5 loved this circular pool with the current. My wife and I talked it over that if he was going to be in it one of us would also be in it with him. He had a tube on him as well as he can't swim. People looked at us like we were strange that a parent was in there, not swimming but just watching. All the week we were the only adults in there at one time or another. Yes it would be very difficult to see inside this from the outside unless you were also in the pool. Hope he is ok.

[jpolm]

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/broward/fort-lauderdale/fl-oasis-of-the-seas-child-emergency-folo-20150104-story.html

 

 

Very sad but if its that pool or the kid wandered, who knows what really happened.

[cruisingram1]

I feel very badly for all involved and know it only takes a second for a child to wander off, especially with the crowds on the ship. It's possible when she noticed he was gone, which may have only been seconds, he was right next to her, but behind a taller person, a plant, or a chair, but by the time she started looking for him he had truly wandered off and, sadly, ended up in the pool. We may never know what really happened, and it's none of our business anyway, I just hope he somehow manages to make a full recovery.

 

When my son was 2 1/2 (he's 11 now) we were at the beach. It was a very hot day and there were a lot of people there. He was standing next to me eating a sandwich and I turned to answer a friend who asked me if I wanted a water while she had the cooler opened. I turned back and my son was gone. In the amount of time it took me to turn my head and say "yes, please", he was no where to be found. I stood up and scanned the beach, but couldn't see him. I started to get panicked and everyone started looking for him. I just kept thinking, "please don't be in the ocean, please don't be in the ocean." I eventually spotted him about 3-4 minutes later three-quarters of the way down the beach patting a dog and still munching on his sandwich. He had seen the pup and ran after him. When I first realized he was missing, he may have only been a few feet away behind another beachgoer, umbrella, or cooler, but by the time I found him he was just a speck way down on the beach- only spotted by his bright red and yellow bathing suit. I think it was my scariest "Mom moment" ever. I was very lucky, everything turned out okay. I wish the best for this Mom and her little boy.

 

I bet a good number of parents on these boards have had similar experiences.. one second your child is standing next to you.. the next they have wandered off. And for most of us, the ending was not tragic. It does not make you a bad parent.. it makes you human. Unless a parent is holding their child's hand 24/7 this same thing could happent to you. The family was not necessarily sitting at the water's edge, drinking a bucket of beer while ignoring their 4 year old. There are many other areas on Deck 15 they could have been. There are several cafes, the Dunes, the Sports court, and the Arcade. The first reports made it sound like no one was looking for him the 5-10 minutes he was lost, but in reality that is probably why they know he was missing (and now presumed under water) for that long as that is how long they were searching for him.

 

I know I am not alone is sending prayers to this family for a full recovery for their precious son.

[xxHadleyxx]

A normal mother, who noticed that her child had 'wandered away' in the middle of all that water, would have started screaming frantically, getting the attention of all the other mothers, who would then have started checking every teaspoon of that water for the woman's child. This woman seems to simply have been too otherwise occupied to have noticed her child was gone.

I'm sure she's devastated, gripped in guilt, but her regrets will not make up for her lack of attentiveness when in truly mattered. You can blame RCL for the pool, or maybe you should blame God for creating water. In any event, you can save the 'sorry' for the woman whose child may never recover.

 

Really? ON a ship the size of Oasis, I think if that were the normal reaction to happen immediately upon losing sight of a child, then there would be frantic screaming a dozen times a day, or likely more.

 

Most people panic quietly, look frantically, and the vast majority of the time find their child quickly and safely.

 

The article I saw this morning did say the mother was looking for her son and that she did not know he had gone into the water.

 

My guess is these were probably reasonable parents, disoriented on a big new ship, who are not fluent in the main language onboard, who momentarily lost sight of their child and were looking for him. They may well have looked in pools and not seeing him moved on to other areas, or might have been worried about him going over the rails--it sounds like someone IN the pool or at least nearby did not see the child either--and I can well imagine that you would not assume such small pools would have places a child could be caught and not visible.

 

It's a horrible, horrible tragedy and a good reminder to watch kids really, really closely around water and to teach them to never swim alone, but it is not anything that needs to be blamed on anyone really. Sometimes bad things happen, even to good people and caring people and even when nothing really wrong is done by anyone.

 

It's natural to want to find fault in others when tragedy happens, if you can convince yourself that someone did something wrong and you would never do that wrong thing, then you can delude yourself into thinking you will never face a similar tragedy in your own life. It is pretty heartless and cruel not to think of the parents who are suffering at the moment and at least not post awful things about them even if you insist on thinking them.

Edited January 5, 2015 by NHDisneylover

[dz9yvr]

From what I've read, the child was in full cardiac arrest, not breathing, when he was pulled from the water. He is in critical condition, in an induced coma. Quite possibly, he was under water for 5-10 minutes. Technically, he was dead when they pulled him out. His chances of survival are not good but miracles do happen.

 

The 5 - 10 minute estimate was from a BSO spokesperson. I guarantee that RCL has security cameras on the pool and everyone involved knows exactly what happened and how long the child was under water.

[sippican]

Really? ON a ship the size of Oasis, I think if that were the normal reaction to happen immediately upon losing sight of a child, then there would be frantic screaming a dozen times a day, or likely more.

 

Most people panic quietly, look frantically, and the vast majority of the time find their child quickly and safely.

 

The article I saw this morning did say the mother was looking for her son and that she did not know he had gone into the water.

 

My guess is these were probably reasonable parents, disoriented on a big new ship, who are not fluent in the main language onboard, who momentarily lost sight of their child and were looking for him. They may well have looked in pools and not seeing him moved on to other areas, or might have been worried about him going over the rails--it sounds like someone IN the pool or at least nearby did not see the child either--and I can well imagine that you would not assume such small pools would have places a child could be caught and not visible.

 

It's a horrible, horrible tragedy and a good reminder to watch kids really, really closely around water and to teach them to never swim alone, but it is not anything that needs to be blamed on anyone really. Sometimes bad things happen, even to good people and caring people and even when nothing really wrong is done by anyone.

 

It's natural to want to find fault in others when tragedy happens, if you can convince yourself that someone did something wrong and you would never do that wrong thing, then you can delude yourself into thinking you will never face a similar tragedy in your own life. It is pretty heartless and cruel not to think of the parents who are suffering at the moment and at least not post awful things about them even if you insist on thinking them.

 

Well said. Thank you!

[CruiseJunky]

My daughter worked for RCI as an Aerialist, and she said that they would know how long by the security footage.

 

I read the parents do not want any information given regarding the status of the child. I wish they would at least let us know. So many people are praying for him and it would be a relief just to at least have some idea of how he is. I think this is something we will never be updated about. Just pray for all of them, it's a tragedy that just never should have happened, it only takes a second, that is so true.

 

That said, I wish RCI and all other cruise lines would consider life guards at each pool. It's not only the issue of kids getting in the water and drowning but also severe accidents from jumping in the pools and hot tubs. I have seen kids swimming in the hot tubs, jumping in the pools, running, and not a parent in sight. I once reprimanded a kid a few times and a parent who came and told me in no uncertain terms to mind my own business. Yea, well, your kid just jumped on top of me in the water buddy!!! So at least with life guards, that would come from RCI instead and maybe ban them from the pools.

 

I certainly would pay a few extra dollars per cruise to have this feature. It is swim at your own risk, and I get that. Even at the beach the lifeguards can't monitor the entire beach, and accidents happen.

[BecciBoo]

It's natural to want to find fault in others when tragedy happens, if you can convince yourself that someone did something wrong and you would never do that wrong thing, then you can delude yourself into thinking you will never face a similar tragedy in your own life. It is pretty heartless and cruel not to think of the parents who are suffering at the moment and at least not post awful things about them even if you insist on thinking them.

 

Yes, bad things can happen, but but much less if you are vigilant. I would've had eyes on with a 4 yr old on a pool deck, like physical contact, in the pool or next to my child. I had eyes off for 30 seconds as I said in my prior post, but because I was fairly vigilant, I arrived just in time. That was an entirely different situation. I was sitting in a friends living room. Don't think it would've happened at all if we had been sitting around her pool. Put your child in harms way, then be prepared for something to happen.

 

I do grieve for these parents and the guilt/condemnation that will inevitably come, I know that feeling. I just pray that he miraculously recovers with no ill effects. It has happened many times...with even longer times under water. I have read about it.

 

Someone once said, "Do you believe that you will burn your hand if you hold it over a flame? Yes, of course, but when you DO burn your hand, then you KNOW." Caution becomes much more a priority if you know.

[Krazy Kruizers]

I am just catching up on this incident.

Feel very sorry for the parents of the 4 year old boy.

Prayers that he will recover and be all right.

[CptSticky]

Really? ON a ship the size of Oasis, I think if that were the normal reaction to happen immediately upon losing sight of a child, then there would be frantic screaming a dozen times a day, or likely more.

 

Most people panic quietly, look frantically, and the vast majority of the time find their child quickly and safely.

 

The article I saw this morning did say the mother was looking for her son and that she did not know he had gone into the water.

 

My guess is these were probably reasonable parents, disoriented on a big new ship, who are not fluent in the main language onboard, who momentarily lost sight of their child and were looking for him. They may well have looked in pools and not seeing him moved on to other areas, or might have been worried about him going over the rails--it sounds like someone IN the pool or at least nearby did not see the child either--and I can well imagine that you would not assume such small pools would have places a child could be caught and not visible.

 

It's a horrible, horrible tragedy and a good reminder to watch kids really, really closely around water and to teach them to never swim alone, but it is not anything that needs to be blamed on anyone really. Sometimes bad things happen, even to good people and caring people and even when nothing really wrong is done by anyone.

 

It's natural to want to find fault in others when tragedy happens, if you can convince yourself that someone did something wrong and you would never do that wrong thing, then you can delude yourself into thinking you will never face a similar tragedy in your own life. It is pretty heartless and cruel not to think of the parents who are suffering at the moment and at least not post awful things about them even if you insist on thinking them.

I have to agree. As much as I preach pool safety, this apparently turned out to be a different matter. Having raised 5 kids (one of them a real hand full) I understand how easy it is to get separated from one. With one of them we used a leash (not very PC these days was it?).

[cruisingram1]

I have to agree. As much as I preach pool safety, this apparently turned out to be a different matter. Having raised 5 kids (one of them a real hand full) I understand how easy it is to get separated from one. With one of them we used a leash (not very PC these days was it?).

 

Was just thinking about my then two year old daughter who had a "leash" on during outings where there were crowds. I'm sure I got my fair share of dirty looks, but I did not care because safety trumped any of those looks.

 

That said, deck 15 has many other venues besides the pools. For all any of us know, the family was in the arcade playing games when the four year old wandered off. People are making assumptions that the family was near the water and no one was watching. I think people should quit making harsh judgement calls on the parents. We don't know the whole story.

[A&L_Ont]

My daughter worked for RCI as an Aerialist, and she said that they would know how long by the security footage.

 

I read the parents do not want any information given regarding the status of the child. I wish they would at least let us know. So many people are praying for him and it would be a relief just to at least have some idea of how he is. I think this is something we will never be updated about. Just pray for all of them, it's a tragedy that just never should have happened, it only takes a second, that is so true.

 

That said, I wish RCI and all other cruise lines would consider life guards at each pool. It's not only the issue of kids getting in the water and drowning but also severe accidents from jumping in the pools and hot tubs. I have seen kids swimming in the hot tubs, jumping in the pools, running, and not a parent in sight. I once reprimanded a kid a few times and a parent who came and told me in no uncertain terms to mind my own business. Yea, well, your kid just jumped on top of me in the water buddy!!! So at least with life guards, that would come from RCI instead and maybe ban them from the pools.

 

I certainly would pay a few extra dollars per cruise to have this feature. It is swim at your own risk, and I get that. Even at the beach the lifeguards can't monitor the entire beach, and accidents happen.

 

I would pay as well.

 

From our experience we have seen kids climbing on the center pole in the circle pool only to jump off of it. We have also seen a 12 year old supervising his younger brother and cousin for the day at the kids pool with no parents around.

 

I have swum in the circle pool and the current is strong, but I can clearly touch the ground. Our 4'3" son who can touch the ground in it can manage the current rather well, but we stand right at the edge while he is in it. I don't understand why smaller kids who can't safely touch can go in it. Not to mention all the kids being kids, splashing and having fun and pushing off of be another making chaos, a very quick way of a kid accidentally becoming submersed. Perhaps the safest move is what they have done as of now, shut off the current.

 

We are the parents in the kids pool, with our kids. There are many like us, and even with that approach an accident can happen in the blink of an eye. One could imagine what could happen if you didn't watch your kids.

 

As for the parent giving you heck for their misbehaved child, that is where a life guard would come in handy. Let them scold the bad child, and if their parent scolds the lifeguard then they are truly a jerk.

[connes1]

We pay full price for our little ones (same price as adults). The reason rccl explains is that kids are provided services such as the kids club. I don't know why they can't provide lifeguards during daytime hours in the children's pool areas (h2o zone). We should not have to pay extra it should be a service they should provide.

[Duke Mazer]

Our 3.5 year old saw pictures of that pool and wanted to go. Now after reading all this about the current and how strong it is, may not go. I always go in pools with her, she know never to go in by herself, but don't know. Why would they have such a strong current in a kids pool. If it's shallow then kids think it's fun pool and if they are not strong swimmers they can get into trouble quickly. Keeping that boy and his parents in our thoughts.

[dogsambam]

We will be on the Oasis in March with our 9 year old and 6 year old. My daughter's favorite place on the Allure was the little circle pool with the current. It freaked me out then and the thought of it freaks me out now, but I know the kids love it.

 

We were recently on the Disney Fantasy with Life Guards. It was wonderful knowing they were there, but we still were on top of our kids all the time. As much as you may worry about your kids and hover over them, things happen. The Fantasy had an issue 2 years ago with a drowning boy, which prompted them to initiate the life guard. It is a wonderful idea, and I do not understand why all lines haven't followed suit.

 

My heart goes out to this family. I want to cry just thinking of it. Kids will be kids. You may look away for a second, you may be laying out their towel to make sure they are warm the moment they get out of the pool, you may be helping your other child take their shoes off, but how can you prevent a kid from being a kid? Please don't blame the parents. These folks lives may be forever changed!

[reallyitsmema]

Our 3.5 year old saw pictures of that pool and wanted to go. Now after reading all this about the current and how strong it is, may not go. I always go in pools with her, she know never to go in by herself, but don't know. Why would they have such a strong current in a kids pool. If it's shallow then kids think it's fun pool and if they are not strong swimmers they can get into trouble quickly. Keeping that boy and his parents in our thoughts.

 

If you are going into the pool with your child, there shouldn't be any issue. The pool will be over your child's head, but not yours.

 

The H20 zone is for kids of all ages so they need to have things that will appeal to more than just the very little ones that like to splash. The lazy donut fits that need.

[cayugashue]

How sad that there is a small child in the hospital with his parents worried sick and probably full of guilt and there are people on this thread either passing judgment or touting how much better their own parenting skills are. This was a horrible accident and that is why they are called accidents, because you don't expect them to happen. I'm sure, as parents (myself included) if we are honest can think of times when we've done something involving a lack of judgment, that we can say "wow, I'll never do that again" and be thankful the outcome wasn't worse. When my daughter was 4, her father and I along with my parents went to Boston and visited the Children's Museum. 4 of us watching a 4 year old should have been easy... she wondered off. I was convinced she had been abducted. After several excruciating minutes, we finally found her viewing an exhibit.

 

I will continue to keep this child and his family in my prayers.

[Diver2014]

Does anyone know what really happened? The local TV news in West Palm Beach here reported that the child was in the FLOWRIDER.....they specifically said Flowrider. I can't imagine a 4 year old boy being in the Flowrider unless no one saw him climb into it, which is possible. Where does the news media get their facts?

[xpcdoojk]

In the bottom few paragraphs of this article, the author describes "one surfer in the pool with instructors at a time. " As unbelievable as it sounds, I think this occurred on the Flow Rider within an hour of setting sail. That's a very scary thought as I couldn't imagine there not being less than two very alert instructors there soon after the Flow Rider opening.

 

Thoughts and prayers to this child and family.

 

Good lord....

 

jc

[A&L_Ont]

We pay full price for our little ones (same price as adults). The reason rccl explains is that kids are provided services such as the kids club. I don't know why they can't provide lifeguards during daytime hours in the children's pool areas (h2o zone). We should not have to pay extra it should be a service they should provide.

 

I agree, they should provide it. Our son only sails with us for a third of our sailings, but I would pay the extra for all of our sailings if it meant my son or another's child has a better chance to come home safely.

 

We all wish that everyone young and old comes home safely.

[emmy]

Does anyone know what really happened? The local TV news in West Palm Beach here reported that the child was in the FLOWRIDER.....they specifically said Flowrider. I can't imagine a 4 year old boy being in the Flowrider unless no one saw him climb into it, which is possible. Where does the news media get their facts?

 

 

There are two flowriders side by side on OASIS. One flowrider could have had an instructor doing private lessons on one of them.

[CptSticky]

Does anyone know what really happened? The local TV news in West Palm Beach here reported that the child was in the FLOWRIDER.....they specifically said Flowrider. I can't imagine a 4 year old boy being in the Flowrider unless no one saw him climb into it, which is possible. Where does the news media get their facts?

Wait, you just said "facts" and "news media" in the same sentence:eek:

[xxHadleyxx]

Does anyone know what really happened? The local TV news in West Palm Beach here reported that the child was in the FLOWRIDER.....they specifically said Flowrider. I can't imagine a 4 year old boy being in the Flowrider unless no one saw him climb into it, which is possible. Where does the news media get their facts?

 

I was wondering earlier today, with my husband, if it could have been the flow rider---I think a child could fall in the back area and the current might keep them from being able to get up or out, and it wouldn't really be visible if they were laying down back there, unless someone were standing in line up near the top. An instructor at the base would not see.

At the same time, the flow riders do not seem deep, so most people would not think to check inside those for a missing child.

 

The donut pool thing seems more likely, but that just doesn't seem like anything that would be referred to as a "wave pool" IMO

 

 

This happened almost right after sail away, right? There is a good chance the family was up on deck watching the sail out; with no intentions of going in any pool.

 

I hope, hope, hope that this little boy ends up doing much better than most of us expect. An induced coma and being young may help him. For his sake, and that of his family, I hope the long shot works out for him and he is ok. And I can only hope that the family never comes online and sees some of the things being said about them.

Edited January 5, 2015 by NHDisneylover

[xpcdoojk]

I will state the obvious caveat, "anything can happen", but there is almost zero chance this happened on the flowrider. There are always 2 sports staff on the site when the flowrider is operating. There is almost no water in the flowrider when the flowrider is not operating.

 

It seems pretty obvious that it didn't have anything to do with the flowriders, but posters around here rarely worry about the obvious.:rolleyes:

 

I hope the child is ok, but it doesn't sound good considering the probable amount of time. I hope I am wrong.

 

jc