Caribbean Princess lifejackets questions

[JNAL2T]

This might be a crazy question but I thought I would ask anyways. I love to snorkel, I usually take a tour and use their equipment. Recently, I bought my own equipment to use this cruise. (just seems so much cleaner!) However, is it possible to take a life jacket off the boat to use to snorkel? I just don't have room in my luggage for everything. Or is the snorkeling on the ABC islands doable just walking in the water?

Thanks so much.

[-Lew-]

I doubt very much they would allow you to take one off the ship. It would be the wrong type of flotation device for snorkeling as you need one that will allow you to adjust the volume of air to provide proper buoyancy.

 

I suggest to research an inflatable one to bring with you. It shouldn't take up much room at all when deflated.

 

[cb at sea]

No...the lifejackets are only for emergencies...I agree with an inflatable floatation vest. Takes NO space when deflated.

[chengkp75]

Lifejackets on the ship are emergency equipment only, and are not to be used for any other purpose. Even jackets used for training are so marked, and are not counted in the required numbers of lifejackets. Plus, the lifejackets onboard are SOLAS Type I, which is designed to keep an unconscious person face up, so you would have to exert a lot of effort to counteract the 30-40 lbs of flotation in the jacket to get your face into the water.

[ltcal94]

I bought my DW a quality snorkel life vest on Amazon. It was only about the cost of two rentals if. It less and it folds easily into a very small package you could almost stick in a pocket.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[toinoi]

Our first cruise with Princess was 12 mths ago, and neither my wife or I noticed - but recently we were on a Royal Carribean and observed they had children's lifejackets for the pools. My wife is very petite so could have used one of them if she wanted.

 

Perhaps a more experienced Princess cruiser could inform the OP if these are also available on Princess ships?

 

Cheers...

[Colo Cruiser]

That would be a no.

[TracieABD]

That would be a no.

 

Though I have to give the OP two big thumbs up for "Question Creativity"...

 

This is a new one on me!:D

Edited December 29, 2016 by TracieABD

[ar1950]

Though I have to give the OP two big thumbs up for "Question Creativity"...

 

This is a new one on me!:D

 

LOL, that's true. Although I would have thought that anyone who had been snorkeling AND had been through a Princess muster drill would know that those vests would never work for snorkeling.

 

Edit: Just noticed that the OP appears to never have been on Princess before. That would explain it.

Edited December 29, 2016 by ar1950

[antsp]

And here was me hoping to borrow a life boat to go fishing, cruise line cut back ruining my plans.

[Colo Cruiser]

 

Edit: Just noticed that the OP appears to never have been on Princess before. That would explain it.

 

However they have "cruised" before so that leaves it unexplained again.

[Times Prince]

This might be a crazy question but I thought I would ask anyways. I love to snorkel, I usually take a tour and use their equipment. Recently, I bought my own equipment to use this cruise. (just seems so much cleaner!) However, is it possible to take a life jacket off the boat to use to snorkel? I just don't have room in my luggage for everything. Or is the snorkeling on the ABC islands doable just walking in the water?

Thanks so much.

All Princess snorkeling excursions will provide snorkeling vests and require that you wear one (not that you have to inflate it). The ocean provides enough buoyancy you really don't need an inflated vests to snorkel.

 

RE: the life vests onboard are HUGE, not like those one would see in use by the crew during tender operations.

 

If you are visiting Bonaire I highly recommend Woodwind snorkel. Best snorkeling in the Caribbean.

[ar1950]

However they have "cruised" before so that leaves it unexplained again.

 

Possibly. I notice that the only two cruises that the OP appears to have done were both Celebrity. If Celebrity doesn't make people put on life vests during the muster drill then the OP may have never seen or noticed the size and type of life vest that is used. No matter, we both know, and so does the OP by now, that life vests are not going to work out for snorkeling.

 

BTW, thanks to all who posted about the inflatable snorkeling vests. I will look into getting one for my DW next time we do a snorkel excursion.

[easyboy]

Lifejackets on the ship are emergency equipment only, and are not to be used for any other purpose. Even jackets used for training are so marked, and are not counted in the required numbers of lifejackets. Plus, the lifejackets onboard are SOLAS Type I, which is designed to keep an unconscious person face up, so you would have to exert a lot of effort to counteract the 30-40 lbs of flotation in the jacket to get your face into the water.

Nice info.

[RoadTripFanatic]

I agree with getting an inflatable snorkeling jacket. Having just returned from the ABC islands I did not need one for Bonaire or Curacao. I did use one in Aruba because I was in very deep water away from the coast.

[OCruisers]

Good Grief! I can't imagine trying to snorkel in the life vest we take to muster. :confused:

[JNAL2T]

Though I have to give the OP two big thumbs up for "Question Creativity"...

 

This is a new one on me!:D

 

ha made me laugh, it was an original question lol

[JNAL2T]

I have never noticed the life jackets on Celebrity so I had no idea what they are like..guess it seemed like a stupid question to most of the cruisers here online, I will think long and hard before I post again.

[ar1950]

I have never noticed the life jackets on Celebrity so I had no idea what they are like..guess it seemed like a stupid question to most of the cruisers here online, I will think long and hard before I post again.

 

I wouldn't be so quick to say that you would never post again. It wasn't a stupid question if you had never seen a cruise ship life vest before. On the plus side, as well, great suggestions on getting an inflatable vest from one of the online vendors.

 

So, from my perspective, thanks for posting the original question. Some of us learned something from it. :)

Edited December 30, 2016 by ar1950

[Colo Cruiser]

I have never noticed the life jackets on Celebrity so I had no idea what they are like..guess it seemed like a stupid question to most of the cruisers here online, I will think long and hard before I post again.

 

 

I believe they are standard on all cruiselines.

Edited December 30, 2016 by Colo Cruiser

[TracieABD]

ha made me laugh, it was an original question lol

 

I am super grateful you did not ask about formal night, dishes in the hallway, chair hogs, smoking or any of the other continuously recycled topics.

 

Stick around, friend. We can learn a lot from each other.

 

Tracie-Lynn

[caribill]

Our first cruise with Princess was 12 mths ago, and neither my wife or I noticed - but recently we were on a Royal Carribean and observed they had children's lifejackets for the pools. My wife is very petite so could have used one of them if she wanted.

 

Perhaps a more experienced Princess cruiser could inform the OP if these are also available on Princess ships?

 

 

If you mean use a child-size lifejacket in case of an emergency because it would fit better than an adult-sized jacket, then yes. Just ask your cabin steward to have one put in your cabin.

 

If you mean to use in the ship's pool or take off the ship, then no.

[chengkp75]

I have never noticed the life jackets on Celebrity so I had no idea what they are like..guess it seemed like a stupid question to most of the cruisers here online, I will think long and hard before I post again.

 

I don't think it was a stupid question, but it is a bit worrisome that you were so unfamiliar with lifejackets used onboard, since a SOLAS requirement is to either have a demonstration of donning at the passenger muster drill, or to have a demonstration running on the TV available all the time. This shows a lack of safety concern on Celebrity's part that is worrisome to a professional mariner.

[Papa Yoda]

I have never noticed the life jackets on Celebrity so I had no idea what they are like..guess it seemed like a stupid question to most of the cruisers here online, I will think long and hard before I post again.

 

It may be a stupid question... then again maybe not.

 

I think they're all just wishing they were snorkeling the ABC islands!

 

I know I am!

 

Welcome to Cruise Critic!

[shepp]

I don't think it was a stupid question, but it is a bit worrisome that you were so unfamiliar with lifejackets used onboard, since a SOLAS requirement is to either have a demonstration of donning at the passenger muster drill, or to have a demonstration running on the TV available all the time. This shows a lack of safety concern on Celebrity's part that is worrisome to a professional mariner.

 

Worrisome to anyone.

 

And they don't have life vests in the cabins? As in "What's that weird orange thingy on the shelf?"