Swimming in salt water pools on a cruise ship can be an incredibly relaxing experience, but many are left wondering which cruises have saltwater pools. Salt water pools on cruise ships may be more common than you think. After all, you’re on a ship in the middle of the ocean! Whether you are looking for salt water pools or freshwater pools, there are plenty of options available for each. Keep reading to find out which cruise lines and which cruise ships have salt water pools!
Are Royal Caribbean Pools Salt Water?
Technically most of the pools on your Royal Caribbean cruise are saltwater, but you can only notice the saltwater in a few pools! Most of the water used for the pools on Royal Caribbean is actually ocean water, whether you notice it or not! While many of the pools on Royal Caribbean are filled with salt water from the ocean, most pools are treated to the point where you may not even notice. That being said, there are still freshwater pools on many Royal Caribbean ships.
If you are specifically looking for a saltwater pool on Royal Caribbean that actually seems like a saltwater pool, you may be in luck. Royal Caribbeans ships exclusively with saltwater pools include ships like Voyager of the Seas, Radiance of the Seas, Enchantment of the Seas, and Explorer of the Seas. Some Royal Caribbean ships only have freshwater pools and do not offer saltwater pools, such as Freedom of the Seas, Anthem of the Seas, Quantum of the Seas, and Ovation of the Seas.
If you are looking for both freshwater and saltwater pools on your next Royal Caribbean cruise, there are ships that offer both! Oasis of the Seas, Majesty of the Seas, Symphony of the Seas, and Adventure of the Seas are some of the Royal Caribbean ships with both freshwater and saltwater pools.
Are Disney Cruise Pools Salt Water?
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There are no saltwater pools on any Disney Cruise, all of the pools on Disney Cruises are freshwater. In fact, the water in the pools on your Disney Cruise was actually made on board through processes like reverse osmosis, evaporation, and condensation! Every pool on your Disney Cruise is going to be freshwater, from the swimming pools to the hot tubs and even the water slides. Like with the pools on most cruise lines, the pools on your Disney Cruise will still be treated with chlorine.
Are Carnival Cruise Pools Salt Water?
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Like with Royal Caribbean, many of the pools on Carnival Cruise ships are technically salt water but seem like freshwater. All of the pools on your Carnival Cruise are actually filled with the same seawater that your cruise is sailing in! This allows for the pools on your Carnival Cruise to be emptied, cleaned, and refilled easily. However, it may be tough to tell saltwater pools on your next Carnival Cruise apart from freshwater pools. This is because all of the salt water in the pools on Carnival are treated the same way as freshwater pools.
You may find the salt water in the pools on your Carnival Cruise to be more obvious at certain times. On continuous sea days on Carnival where the ship is more than 12 miles away from any nearby coastline, pools may operate in a special flow through mode. This special flow through mode allows for seawater to be constantly added to the pools without the usual chemical treatment. Flow through mode is usually only enabled when you have multiple sea days in a row, so the salt water pools may not be obviously apparent on your next Carnival Cruise.
Are Norwegian Cruise Pools Salt Water?
Continuing the trend shown by cruise lines like Royal Caribbean and Carnival, all of the pools on your next Norwegian Cruise are salt water but may seem like freshwater. The water in the pool on your next Norwegian Cruise is likely the same seawater that you’re sailing on but has been treated with chlorine. Unlike the pools, the hot tubs and waterslides on Norwegian Cruises are typically freshwater.
Princess Cruise Pools
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Unlike most of the cruise ship pools listed in this article, pools on Princess Cruises are almost all freshwater with one exception. In fact, all of the water available on your Princess Cruise is actually made on board! Like with other cruise ships, the water in the pools is made from seawater. However, Princess Cruise ships differs from other cruise ships by desalinating the seawater to fill the pools with freshwater.
The Pacific Princess is the only Princess Cruise ship that has salt water pools available. Pools on the Pacific Princess are the only salt water pools on any Princess Cruise ship because the Pacific Princess was originally owned by the defunct cruise line Renaissance Cruises.
Conclusion
Salt water pools are very common on cruise ships but many do not even notice. Many cruise lines have salt water pools as it’s just easier to fill a pool with salt water than freshwater when you’re in the middle of the ocean! Cruises with salt water pools that seem like freshwater include cruise lines like Carnival and Norwegian Cruises. If you’re looking for cruises with salt water pools that seem like salt water, you may want to consider certain Royal Caribbean ships like the Voyager of the Seas. Cruises with freshwater pools include most Princess Cruises as well as all Disney Cruises. Some cruise lines like Royal Caribbean offer both salt water pools and freshwater pools! If there are salt water pools on your next cruise, we recommend packing a pair of goggles!
