You will must be a bit of bit older to entry the adults-only pool in your subsequent Royal Caribbean cruise.
It seems like Royal Caribbean has modified the minimal age to entry the Solarium space on its cruise ships.
In an replace despatched through e-mail, the cruise line indicated it’s responding to visitor suggestions by altering the minimal age.
Going ahead, friends will must be 18 years outdated or older to entry the Solarium. Previous to this modification, friends needed to be at the very least 16 years outdated.
“At Royal Caribbean, our friends’ suggestions issues. That is why now we have determined to maintain our ‘adults-only’ areas constant, and replace the Solarium age restriction from 16+ to 18+ years outdated.”
The replace was despatched to journey brokers.
Whereas the age restrict has modified, children are nonetheless allowed to stroll by means of the Solarium, similar to to entry the Solarium Bistro restaurant. The distinction is they can’t cease and spend time within the venue or its swimming pools.
Traditionally, a ship will waive the minimal age for chilly climate cruises when the general public pool for all friends is just too chilly, similar to on Alaska cruises.
Why make the change?
The minimal age of 16 years outdated to entry the Solarium has been in place for a few years.
The topic of adjusting the minimal age has been a scorching button matter for years, and it often comes up as a query to Royal Caribbean executives on a Presidents Cruise occasion.
Maybe associated is the very fact the change comes just some months after the 2023 President’s Cruise, when some friends voiced their concern relating to the minimal age within the Solarium.
It isn’t clear precisely why the change was made now after so a few years with 16 being the minimal, apart from “visitor suggestions”.
One profit of creating the Solarium solely accessible for 18 12 months olds or older is that aligns higher with different adult-only areas.
Some friends expressed frustration in that the Solarium allowed 16 and 17-year-olds, however the minimal age for adults on the new Hideaway Seashore space of Excellent Day at CocoCay is eighteen and above.
What’s the Solarium?
The precise choices rely on the ship, however contained in the Solarium you’ll typically discover a pool, scorching tub, seating space and a bar. Some ships have meals contained in the Solarium at a Park Cafe or Solarium Bistro location.
One other distinction between the Solarium and the primary pool are the loungers are usually padded.
Some ships have a completely glass-enclosed Solarium space, whereas different ships are open-air. The glass retains the warmth in, and infrequently, the Solarium is among the warmest spots onboard.
On Royal Caribbean’s newer cruise ships, you may discover a larger number of seating, included padded couches and different comfy seating.
There is no such thing as a extra value to entry the Solarium.
Reader response
With a subject like age restrictions, there is no scarcity of opinions on Royal Caribbean’s coverage change.
Pippa Madden wrote, “I actually had no concept it was such a difficulty.”
Many readers celebrated the information, however questioned how efficient it could be when it comes to the principles being enforced. Tom Thomasson exemplified many feedback, “About time. Now if they may implement it.”
There are a number of well-known visitor conduct insurance policies which are coverage on paper, however not often enforced. The so-called “chair hog” drawback of friends reserving pool loungers, costume code in the primary eating room, and curfew guidelines at choose venues are examples of such long-standing gripes cruisers have with an absence of rule enforcement.
Learn extra: How one can beat the chair hogs in your cruise ship
Ryan Longo thought the cruise line ought to have gone additional, “Needs to be 21 however 18 is nice sufficient.”