Are Cruise Ship Pools Heated? A Line by Line Guide

Are cruise ship pools heated? The truth is that some are and some aren’t, it varies line by line and ship by ship. And it is one of the most important things to know if you are cruising with toddlers or kids, or are traveling to a cold weather destination. Because if you want to use a pool you are going to need it to be heated. In this guide we will give you a line by line overview so you can pick the best ship and line for you. 

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Are Cruise Ship Pools Heated?

If you are traveling by cruise, one of the things you may be most looking forward to doing is relaxing by the pool on the pool deck. However it comes as a surprise to many first time cruisers that not all cruise ships have heated pools. 

In fact you will find that some cruise ship pools are in fact very very cold. The reason for that is because pool water on most cruise ships is collected from the ocean directly. Therefore it you are cruising in a very cold part of the world such as Alaska you will find that the water is very cold unless it is heated. 

So without further ado here is our cruise line guide which tells you exactly which cruise ship pools are heated. 

Note: the below information is guidance and correct at writing however ship features can change during refurbishments etc. For this reason it is always a good idea to check with the line before booking that the ship pool will still be heated for your dates of travel. 

Are Carnival cruise ship pools heated?

Carnival is one of the budget friendly cruise lines that you can travel on. Therefore it should come as no surprise that the Carnival Cruise ship fleet have few heated main ship pools.

For this reason if you are cruising with small children or toddlers, heading somewhere other than to Alaska and want to use a pool then Carnival may not be the best cruise line for you. 

However the following ships that are currently sailing to Alaska during the Alaska season currently have heated midship pools (check the website for most up to date info):

• Carnival Luminosa
• Carnival Miracle
• Carnival Splendour
• Carnival Spirit

Carnival Cruises also do however have some heated pools in the spa areas usually called the Cloud 9 Spa and as is usual on cruise ships there are also hot tubs which are of course heated. 

Are Celebrity Cruise Ships Heated?

Celebrity is a more premium high end cruise line however I was surprised to find that celebrity does not have heated pools as standard. 

Some Celebrity cruise shops do have some thermal spas but this usually comes at an additional cost. 

On top of the thermal spa some celebrity cruise ships also have solariums. Solariums are pools contained within a glass ceiling section of the ship. The pools here are not heated however the ambient temperature and glass ceiling warm the water so it is more comfortable to swim in than the outdoor pools.  

Again solariums are usually reserved as an adults only space. Therefore if you are cruising with kids or are cruising to Alaska or other cold weather destinations then celebrity may not be the best line for you. 

Are Disney cruise pools heated?

In my opinion Disney may have some of the best cruise ship pools for kids. As many people know unpotty trained children and babies are unable to use cruise ship pools and instead are restricted to splash pads. 

Disney has some of the best splash pads for unpotty trained children. On top of this it’s whole fleet has heated pools. Generally speaking the pools are heated to a minimum of 75 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Are Holland America Cruise Ship Pools Heated?

Holland America is another more premium line and offers some interesting itineraries particularly in the Alaska region. And the good news is that Holland America has heated cruise pools. 

For this reason we think Holland America is one of the best lines to cruise to Alaska with. 

Are MSC Cruise ship pools heated?

Generally speaking MSC does heat their pools. 

The new MSC Euribia in fact has 3 heated outdoor pools and one indoor pool. 

GEnerally speaking I would say that MSC is a good pick for those that want to sail on a cruise ship with a heated pool. 

Are Norwegian Cruise Ships Pools Heated?

Norwegian cruise line used to be my favorite but we have had some less than perfect cruises with them recently. However my favorite thing about Norwegian cruise ships are that all the pools in their fleet are heated to between 77 and 98 degrees Fahrenheit. 

In fact when we recently cruised out of New York on the Norwegian Getaway, the temperatures were so cold it was uncomfortable to be out on the deck except for in the pool. You could see the steam rising off the pool and actually it was lovely and warm while you were in the water. 

On top of the heated outdoor pools Norwegian of course offers hot tubs on the decks and some ships have heated indoor spa pools. 

Overall I would say if you are traveling with kids or to a cold weather destination such as New York or Alaska, Norwegian may be the cruise line for you.

Are P&O Cruise Ships Heated?

P and O are an older British Cruise line (now operating in the Carnival group) and they run lots of European and Norway itineraries. As the weather is not guaranteed in these locations P&O cruises have heated pools. 

Generally speaking P&O cruise ship pools are heated to 24°C/75 degrees Fahrenheit which is very comfortable to swim in even in Norway or Alaska. 

Are Princess Cruise Pools Heated?

Princess Cruise are one of the higher end mainstream cruise lines offering a more premium experience. As such you will find that all cruise ship pools on Princess cruises are heated. 

And one of the things I love about Princess Cruise lines is that they usually offer both an indoor and an outdoor pool which are both heated. That means it doesn’t matter whether you are cruising the Caribbean or cruising to Alaska with Princess, you will always be able to use the swimming pool on board. 

In fact I would say if you want to use the swimming pool on an Alaskan Cruise that Princess might be the best line to sail with. 

Also the unusual thing about Princess cruise pools compared to other lines is that they do not use ocean water that has been filtered. Instead their pools use freshwater. 

The only time you will find that pools on Princess are cold are if the water has been entirely changed out.  On these days the water will be cooler as it gets brought up to temperature. 

Are Royal Caribbean Cruise Pools Heated?

It really depends on the ship you are sailing on in the Royal Caribbean cruise fleet as to whether or not the ship pools are heated. 

However generally speaking you should not expect heated pools on Royal Caribbean. Most ships do not have heated pools but the main exception is:

• The Independence of the Seas 

The Independence of the Seas is the only ship in the Royal Caribbean cruise fleet that has heated outdoor pools on the pool deck. In fact the Independence of the Seas has 3 heated pools on the pool deck. 

There are no other main pools heated in the fleet. Some Royal Caribbean ships will also have an indoor heated solarium pools. However these are sometimes adults only so are not useful if you want a heated pool to use with kids on Royal Caribbean. 

There are also of course hot tubs and jacuzzis on board all Royal Caribbean ships however these too are recommended for adult use only. 

Therefore if heated pools are important to you and you aren’t going on Independence of the Seas, then Royal Caribbean may not be the right choice of line for you. 

Are Virgin Cruise Pools Heated?

Virgin is one of the newer cruise lines and is also an adults only cruise line. The pools on virgin cruise line are quite small and surprisingly are unheated. However most of the itineraries that Virgin sail are in hot weather destinations and they do not sail in Alaska which may explain why none of the pools are heated. 

Are pools on cruise ships heated FAQs?

So now you know which cruise lines have heated pools we will answer your other questions about heated cruise ship pools. 

Are Alaska Cruise Ship Pools Heated?

One of the most popular places to take a cruise is Alaska. In fact in my opinion one of the best ways to see Alaska is via c uise ship. So do all Alaska Cruises have heated pools? 

I am afraid they don’t. 

If you want to sail on a ship with a heated pool on a Alaska cruise then you should book with:

• Disney
• Norwegian or 
• Princess

as these are the only lines that will have guaranteed warm pools. 

For more information on Alaska cruises check out our related guides:

• Alaska Cruise with a baby
• Alaska Cruise with a toddler

Are Cruise Ship Pools heated in Winter?

It does not matter whether you are cruising in Winter or Summer, whether a pool is heated or not is dependent on the ship or line rather than the season. 

If you are cruising in Winter and want a heated pool then the best choices are Disney, Norwegian, Princess and certain P and O or MSC ships. 

Do Cruise Ships heading to Norway have heated pools?

Not all cruises that are running Norway cruise itineraries will have heated pools. If you are traveling to Norway or the Baltic and want a heated pool then you need to book with:

• Disney
• Norwegian
• P&O or 
• Princess. 

Do you have any other questions about cruise ship pools? Drop us a comment below and we will do our best to answer.