Tub or Shower?

[cb at sea]

I am in NO way a "germaphobe"....but I don't do jetted tubs in hotels or ships...they do NOT run bleach thru the lines after every guest.....so any manor of nasty stuff could be in those lines.

Pools, I have no problem with...they are full of chlorine...even the salt-water pools don't grow bacteria....and I bathe after swimming...and I don't get my face wet. Not a fan of "hot tubs"....either public or private...just doesn't "float my boat"....I get wet to "cool off"...not to warm up!

[Robin7]

Volendam has a retracrtale roof over Lido pool hat they open and close per the weather. Don't rule out the chance that you may be able to swim. :)

 

I forgot about that! Thanks. We are also thinking about snorkeling in Ketchikan. (I know. It's crazy.) Adding swimsuit to my list before I forget!

 

~Robin

[3rdGenCunarder]

Well, I always book insides on S Class and R Class ships because I'm only 5' tall. The older ships have the European-style tubs with very high sides. It's only the insides that have the showers....OK, some of NSs and now some of the forward OVs too. Anyway, I'm really afraid of taking a tumble while getting into or out of those tubs, particularly if the sea is rough. But that's just me.

 

Placement of grab bars in HAL tubs is not good. In cabins we've had with a tub, there has been one one at the very end of the tub, which helps with getting in. But there isn't one near the middle that you can grab if you slip (or the ship moves suddenly) while you're showering. I have to say the grab bar in our shower on K'dam was very sturdy and large. (Too bad the shower was miniscule...)

[Queen of Adventure]

I am a private tubbie girl;p I love the feeling of reduced gravity that floating (like a little orca) in my tubbie provides.

 

I generally leave public hot tubs and pools alone. Not a fan of chlorine myself.

[Hlitner]

For some strange reason, as long as we can remember, HAL fans would always talk about how the old HAL ships had tubs...and they loved it. Now that DW and I are seniors (and also long term HAL cruisers) we will admit to hating tubs! For one thing, the tubs on HAL ships were just too darn small. And as one ages, while it might be possible to get into a tub....getting out can be a major exercise of frustration :).

 

Showers are easier to enter and exit (you do not have to climb over the side of a tub and generally pose less of a slipping/falling risk. And as a guy who is just over 6 feet tall, the tub'shower combinations often have my head bumping into the ceiling...whereas showers usually give me some clearance.

 

Hank

[kazu]

I am in NO way a "germaphobe"....but I don't do jetted tubs in hotels or ships...they do NOT run bleach thru the lines after every guest.....so any manor of nasty stuff could be in those lines.

Pools, I have no problem with...they are full of chlorine...even the salt-water pools don't grow bacteria....and I bathe after swimming...and I don't get my face wet. Not a fan of "hot tubs"....either public or private...just doesn't "float my boat"....I get wet to "cool off"...not to warm up!

 

Sorry, but as to the cleaning of the jets you are wrong.

 

Now, even though I often have jets, I rarely use them, but I have been in the room when the tubs were cleaned and definitely the jets are cleaned. Guaranteed.

 

They did that on my turnaround day even though I was on a Collectors cruise. Out of curiosity, I asked the steward and he told me they always do it by no later than turnaround day and while I was away, they had done it during the week too ;)

 

For sure, I saw it being done. For sure, they do it.

 

I used the hydrotherapy pool on the Westerdam which was really helpful on my elbow surgery at the time and it was worth every penny. They also clean that too ;). As I went early in the morning to do my first set of exercises.

 

Can't comment on the hot tubs. Don't use them and but I did see them emptied early in the morning.

[feathersandnananose]

How I would love to soak in a nice hot bath---be it at home, in a hotel, or on a cruise. But I am no longer able to get down and (especially) back up again.

The hot tubs are too dangerous for me because of my heart, but I used to use them, and would again if the cardiologist said it was all right.

I love to use the hydrotherapy pools on the ships that have them, and the swimming pools, too.

Maybe I'm reckless, but I trust in my immune system to deal with the germs of life. Like the old saying goes---Ya gotta eat a pound of dirt before ya die!

 

Ruth, my mom always said "A peck of dirt before you're two"..... and I know that a peck (half of bushel, for those wondering) is a hell of a lot more than a pound..... but Mom was a farmer's kid..... And I ate mud as a child. I got my dirt ingested early....

 

For what it's worth, living in Southern California where water is ALWAYS an issue, I CAN NOT take a bath, no matter where. It uses way too much water. Even traveling in the UK with ample water, I worry about the costs of heating that amount of water. Ever the energy conservationist.....

[lenquixote66]

Good Morning All,

 

With all the talk about hot tubs and whirlpool tubs on a thread lately, I was wondering how people feel about tubs in general.

I am a little wary of germs and for me, I always take showers on cruise ships and in hotels. Really don't want to put my fanny in that tub when I am not sure of its cleanliness. Especially whirlpool tubs. I read on here that they run bleach thru the (whirlpool) tubs but for some reason I still can't get into one. Same with hot tubs as I stated in another thread. I'm fussy about outdoor pools too....worry about cleanliness of the water. They had an expose on one of the networks about the nasty stuff they found in public pools, and high end hotels at that.

 

So, that being said.........wondering how folks out there feel about tubs (bath or hot) on ships (or hotels). Do you use them? Or do you only take showers? And what about those pools.....:confused:

 

Curious as to how everyone feels.

 

 

I have not been in a tub since I was a baby .I stay out of pools . The last time I was in a pool was 1986.

[RuthC]

Ruth, my mom always said "A peck of dirt before you're two"..... and I know that a peck (half of bushel, for those wondering) is a hell of a lot more than a pound..... but Mom was a farmer's kid..... And I ate mud as a child. I got my dirt ingested early....

I think your mom was on to something. If you make germs your playmates at a very young age your immune system develops enough to fight them off most of your life. ;)

[SetAnOpenCourse]

Ruth, my mom always said "A peck of dirt before you're two"..... and I know that a peck (half of bushel, for those wondering) is a hell of a lot more than a pound..... but Mom was a farmer's kid..... And I ate mud as a child. I got my dirt ingested early....

 

For what it's worth, living in Southern California where water is ALWAYS an issue, I CAN NOT take a bath, no matter where. It uses way too much water. Even traveling in the UK with ample water, I worry about the costs of heating that amount of water. Ever the energy conservationist.....

 

Treat yourself to the bath someday. The heating of the water may use heat already produced by the ship, anyway.

[Irish Eyes Are Sailing]

Thanks for all the responses!

Showers seem to be very popular, but there is a sizeable group of bath lovers too...I am surprised there are that many.

As others have said, as we age it gets harder to get out of the tub...getting in is usually okay...at least for me (screwy back condition! ). It is good we have choice and can book the stateroom that has a tub if that is what you want. I love shower stalls, for ease of entry and exit, but that's just me (and some other posters). (Dont like the germ factor in tubs either) Sometimes I get a shower stall at certain hotels but most of the time it's a tub/shower combo. No matter, it is all good!:)

[3rdGenCunarder]

I think your mom was on to something. If you make germs your playmates at a very young age your immune system develops enough to fight them off most of your life. ;)

 

I believe in the "peck of dirt," too. Doctors are beginning to say their own version of this. The rise of allergies is being tied to excessive sanitation of a child's life. I say let 'em get dirty! It's good for the immune system and good for the soul.

 

I'm having a bathroom remodeled to take out a jacuzzi. I rarely use it, and DH objects to the amount of water it holds, so he won't use it. I think I fill it more often to clean it than to soak in it, which really is a waste. A nice big shower will be better for us, and easier to clean!

[sail7seas]

I took the tub out of my bathroom some years ag o and am happy I did.

[Irish Eyes Are Sailing]

I took the tub out of my bathroom some years ag o and am happy I did.

 

We took the tub out of the hall bath about 7 years ago and had a large fiberglass/glass doored shower stall put in for DH...easier for him to get in and out. He loves it. It is larger than the master bath shower stall and more comfortable for him.

 

I have a smaller glass shower in the master bath and a "garden tub". I think I used the tub a few times 27 years ago when the house was new. It is really useless. Some day want to tear it out and get one larger glass shower. Used Bath Fitter for the hall bath and they did a great job...it was a complete tear out of the tub/shower and they built a new fiberglass shower stall with glass doors. It really is easy to keep clean, that is a plus for me!

[jenp123]

Even before I could no longer use a tub, whenever we were in hotels or on a ship, we used only showers.

For a couple of years (back in the 80's) we did use the pools. Then after watching a woman put her child into the pool -- diapers on -- that ended our using the pools.

 

 

I am more concerned about the adults floating in a pool for hours on end rather then the pee from one child. Especially pools with swim up bars and drunk adults sitting there for hours on end drinking.

 

And swimming diapers are designed to let the pew through and hold solids....

[Nanner]

While I was never a fan of bathing in the tubs on HAL (or in hotels), the tubs did provide a convenient spot to put feet for shaving one's legs. Our last cruise was on the Koningsdam, and while I like the big shower, it was a pain to shave in there. The foot rest was so low I'd get a bit dizzy while shaving. Men are lucky not to have to deal with that.

 

I did an RCI cruise with a couple female friends last year and the shower was tiny, with a sticky plastic curtain. I discovered larger stalls in the spa area, with glass doors. I would hit those early in the AM when I needed a shave. No foot rest, so I really had to watch not keeping my head down too long. What a pain that was! So while I don't use the HAL tub for bathing, they are nice for other grooming issues.

[Hlitner]

If anyone noticed recent pictures of Hillary Clinton you would see that she has a cast on one of her wrists. It was fractured in India....as she was getting in or out of her bathtub.

Hank

[sail7seas]

I saw a video of her this week and noticed she had a cast on her right arm. I think she may have done that in India.

I wasn' t aware it was a bathrub fall. but they are oh, so common.

 

,Hank b I just noticed you mentioned India in your post.

[Irish Eyes Are Sailing]

If anyone noticed recent pictures of Hillary Clinton you would see that she has a cast on one of her wrists. It was fractured in India....as she was getting in or out of her bathtub.

Hank

God Bless her, it could happen to any of us....why I increasingly dislike bathtubs vs. showers...it seems showers are safer to get in an out of when you are older (ie: 60+).

[lazey1]

Showers for me always and preferably a stand alone shower with no tub to climb into and out of. It would be nice if someone would do a poll (not asking for any reasons at all) who prefers a shower only v. who prefers a combo shower/tub v who would prefer a tub only. After poll completed the results could be sent to HAL.

[Sue from Canada]

Shower for us, too. And with severe osteoporosis, I am always afraid of falling. I usually take a mat for the shower made of that sticky stuff you use to line drawers and keep things from sliding around. Doesn't take up much room in the suitcase!:cool:

 

Edited to say: Actually the mat is more for hotels than ships - I find hotels can have really slippery tubs.

 

I'm also a shower only person. I always take half of a rubber mat with me. Sometimes I'll wear my Crocs in the shower for traction.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Shower only.

[Irish Eyes Are Sailing]

FYI to those interested:

 

Went to get the rubber shelf liner today at Walmart. Just for a hoot I went over to the bath department and looked at non-skid bath mats. The one I have at home is rubber and weighs too much for travel. I found a cushioned shower mat made of VERY lightweight rubberized material - 21'X21"square - it weighs next to nothing and provides a no-slip surface. Has little holes in it, like a waffle-weave and it will air dry in no time. It was $6.98 and it was Walmart's Mainstay brand. Looks like it will be a good solution to the "slippery tub/shower problem" when travelling. Thought I would let everyone here know. They had the heavier rubber mats of yesteryear, but this one seems perfect for travel. I would post a picture of it on this forum but I don't know how to (sorry, I am no computer geek :o) If you go to the bath mat section in Walmart you will see it. Mine is beige in color.

[Vict0riann]

Thanks for that. We are in Washington state for a quick shopping trip and I will check out Walmart! Sounds better than the shelf paper and made for the purpose.

 

 

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[Irish Eyes Are Sailing]

Thanks for that. We are in Washington state for a quick shopping trip and I will check out Walmart! Sounds better than the shelf paper and made for the purpose.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

You are most welcome....didn't know they made lightweight square ones like that.....I only knew about the old fashioned Rubbermaid heavy ones. Yes, and it seems it won't float up like you said the shelf liner would try to do.....glad I went and checked it out...and glad to pass the information on!