Mardi Gas - Are the pools really chlorine??

[pfleer]

My kids will be so excited if that is true!  

[ALWAYS CRUZIN]

On 10/21/2021 at 2:22 PM, pfleer said:

My kids will be so excited if that is true!  

I think you mean salt water. Yes!

[pfleer]

50 minutes ago, ALWAYS CRUZIN said:

I think you mean salt water. Yes!

 A reviewer earlier said the pools were chlorine and not saltwater.  I was trying to find someone else to confirm that.  You say they are salt?

[chengkp75]

They are both salt water and chlorinated.  Both salt water and fresh water pools are chlorinated.

Edited October 29, 2021 by chengkp75

[kelkel2]

1 hour ago, pfleer said:

 A reviewer earlier said the pools were chlorine and not saltwater.  I was trying to find someone else to confirm that.  You say they are salt?

I saw the review you were referring to. You’re correct in the statement that a salt water pool still has chlorine, you’re right it does. But FAR less. I’d be really shocked if the MG didn’t have salt water pools, I’d love to have someone confirm for sure. 

[chengkp75]

1 minute ago, kelkel2 said:

But FAR less

Nope.  The CDC requires the exact same chlorination level whether the pool is salt water or fresh.  Sea water can host pathogens just as well as fresh water.

[kelkel2]

1 minute ago, chengkp75 said:

Nope.  The CDC requires the exact same chlorination level whether the pool is salt water or fresh.  Sea water can host pathogens just as well as fresh water.

You’re right, but it’s a naturally occurring chlorine vs. the stinky kind you buy at the store. 

[K_e_short]

Actually the "stinky" smell you are talking about is when the chemicals aren't balanced correctly.

 

If you can actually SMELL chlorine it means that the person in charge of pool chemicals isn't doing their job properly.

 

When done properly salt, chlorine, bromine, and/or UV can be effectively used to kill bacteria in pools.

 

Salt water is a great option when it is only adults using the pool. Salt water pools have a higher incidence of children vomiting as salt water induces vomiting in children (kids are more likely to swallow the water).

 

I would be more concerned about whether the chemicals are being balances properly so that you don't get a rash, ear infection, or something more severe, then the TYPE of chemical used to clean the pools.

[BlerkOne]

3 minutes ago, kelkel2 said:

You’re right, but it’s a naturally occurring chlorine vs. the stinky kind you buy at the store. 

Not so sure about that. US Public Health Service requires chlorine to be between certain levels.

[chengkp75]

1 minute ago, kelkel2 said:

You’re right, but it’s a naturally occurring chlorine vs. the stinky kind you buy at the store. 

Well, a pool at home (which does not have anywhere near the same chlorine level as a ship's pool), that is salt water, generates chlorine from the salt in the water using electricity, it is not "naturally occurring" chlorine, as chlorine in nature is a gas.  The "stinky kind" you buy at the store is made from the natural gaseous chlorine bubbled through a solution of caustic soda.  Ship's salt water pools do not use a chlorine generator like home pools do, they add liquid chlorine just like they do for fresh water pools.

[chengkp75]

2 minutes ago, K_e_short said:

When done properly salt, chlorine, bromine, and/or UV can be effectively used to kill bacteria in pools.

In order to kill bacteria, but not viruses, salt concentrations need to be much higher than naturally occurring sea water.  Salt is used in pools to generate chlorine by electrolysis.

 

4 minutes ago, K_e_short said:

I would be more concerned about whether the chemicals are being balances properly so that you don't get a rash, ear infection, or something more severe, then the TYPE of chemical used to clean the pools.

More so than many land pools, a ship's pools are constantly monitored during recirculation for chlorine and pH.  These monitors then control dosing pumps to meter in chlorine and acid to maintain proper levels at all times.

 

And, actually, the "stink" from chlorine is not from chlorine, it is from chloramines, which are the byproduct of chlorine sanitizing biological matter.

[ALWAYS CRUZIN]

Some ships ahve both. Fresh water and salt water pools. You only smell the chlorine when it is active. If all the chemicals are balanced. No smell at all.

[AmazedByCruising]

1 hour ago, chengkp75 said:

The CDC requires the exact same chlorination level whether the pool is salt water or fresh.  Sea water can host pathogens just as well as fresh water.

 

Even when in "flow through" mode? 

[BlerkOne]

1 hour ago, ALWAYS CRUZIN said:

Some ships ahve both. Fresh water and salt water pools. You only smell the chlorine when it is active. If all the chemicals are balanced. No smell at all.

You smell it when they hyperchlorinate, but they also close the pool/spa then.

[chengkp75]

13 hours ago, AmazedByCruising said:

 

Even when in "flow through" mode? 

You know the answer to this, since you brought it up.  I wasn't going to get into this, since using flow through mode is not all that common.  Typically, a ship will only use flow through when there are several sea days in a row, since each time you switch from flow through to recirculation, you have to close the pool until the chlorine levels stabilize.

[Don Kehote]

15 hours ago, chengkp75 said:

Well, a pool at home (which does not have anywhere near the same chlorine level as a ship's pool), that is salt water, generates chlorine from the salt in the water using electricity.

  

15 hours ago, K_e_short said:

Actually the "stinky" smell you are talking about is when the chemicals aren't balanced correctly.

 

If you can actually SMELL chlorine it means that the person in charge of pool chemicals isn't doing their job properly.

 

When done properly salt, chlorine, bromine, and/or UV can be effectively used to kill bacteria in pools.

Quoted for truth.  Pool guy here. The misinformation is amazing out there in the world.

Edited October 30, 2021 by Don Kehote

[StolidCruiser]

1 hour ago, Don Kehote said:

  

Quoted for truth.  Pool guy here. The misinformation is amazing out there in the world.

….and this forum is the epicenter.

[K_e_short]

37 minutes ago, StolidCruiser said:

….and this forum is the epicenter.

 

The responses to this thread made my week!

 

I love that educated people are actually posting real, researched. correct information 🙂

 

[crewsweeper]

1 hour ago, K_e_short said:

 

 

 

I love that educated people are actually posting real, researched. correct information 🙂

 

And that's why CHENGKP75 has the watch on all these threads.  Learn from him.  👍

[AmazedByCruising]

12 hours ago, chengkp75 said:

You know the answer to this, since you brought it up.  I wasn't going to get into this, since using flow through mode is not all that common.  Typically, a ship will only use flow through when there are several sea days in a row, since each time you switch from flow through to recirculation, you have to close the pool until the chlorine levels stabilize.

 

Yes, of course I brought it up because one of your posts in this thread says "The CDC requires the exact same chlorination level whether the pool is salt water or fresh.  Sea water can host pathogens just as well as fresh water" and a post just months ago is explaining the hoops needed to not use chlorine.  

 

So, if OP wants salt water for the kids, they should look for itineraries with many sea days, and then call the company to make sure they'll use actual sea water. I totally agree with the kids, a pool with actual sea water is much better, not in the least because there's a story to tell.

 

[Don Kehote]

9 hours ago, AmazedByCruising said:

So, if OP wants salt water for the kids, they should look for itineraries with many sea days, and then call the company to make sure they'll use actual sea water.

Do you honestly think that a customer service agent sitting in Fort Lauderdale will know the answer to whether the ship will be using free flow ocean water on any given sailing? I do not. I would not harass the CS rep with this kind of thing. LET ME TALK TO YOUR SUPERVISOR.

[joe/jack]

Very Salty just like the Atlantic Ocean 

[AmazedByCruising]

4 hours ago, Don Kehote said:

Do you honestly think that a customer service agent sitting in Fort Lauderdale will know the answer to whether the ship will be using free flow ocean water on any given sailing? I do not. I would not harass the CS rep with this kind of thing. LET ME TALK TO YOUR SUPERVISOR.

 

The Chief Engineer doesn't wake up and think today is a good day to use seawater, the information is already there long before the ship sails, and should be easy to find next to the spreadsheet that shows what night is formal night, the opening hours of the casino and who will be the Captain. Or, ask the right department in the company wide chat application. IMHO, and I'm not in the cruise business, it's the very job of customer service to seek out answers to unexpected questions or requests. Everything else should be explained in FAQs or requested with forms on the website. 

[chengkp75]

15 minutes ago, AmazedByCruising said:

 

The Chief Engineer doesn't wake up and think today is a good day to use seawater, the information is already there long before the ship sails, and should be easy to find next to the spreadsheet that shows what night is formal night, the opening hours of the casino and who will be the Captain. Or, ask the right department in the company wide chat application. IMHO, and I'm not in the cruise business, it's the very job of customer service to seek out answers to unexpected questions or requests. Everything else should be explained in FAQs or requested with forms on the website. 

Nor does every customer service rep know that pools are flow through on sea days (most corporate executives don't know this detail of information either).  And, it really isn't a corporate decision whether the ship transitions to flow through, or stays on recirculation.  The Chief, along with the HD and Captain, as part of the daily management meeting, can determine if his budget will allow for the chemicals needed to continue recirculation, or whether the HD feels that closing the pool for the required change over would negatively affect the passenger experience.  Your expectations for minute information regarding ship operation is quite extraordinary.

[AmazedByCruising]

5 hours ago, chengkp75 said:

Nor does every customer service rep know that pools are flow through on sea days (most corporate executives don't know this detail of information either).  And, it really isn't a corporate decision whether the ship transitions to flow through, or stays on recirculation.  The Chief, along with the HD and Captain, as part of the daily management meeting, can determine if his budget will allow for the chemicals needed to continue recirculation, or whether the HD feels that closing the pool for the required change over would negatively affect the passenger experience.  Your expectations for minute information regarding ship operation is quite extraordinary.

 

The agent could make a call to find out when a customer wants such information. "It depends on the Chief, the HD, the Captain and the budget and it works like this, so we can't tell" is also a valid answer and a satisfied customer.  Our clients (more than 99% of them) renew their contract every year and there is no other reason than support answering every question, even when it's not remotely connected to our product.  

 

I expected that the pools were on a much tighter schedule than "let's see, how much budget is left and how many guests would start wining about a closed pool". In another thread it was claimed that HQ even handled the AC.

 

Anyway, I'll adjust my expectations 🙂