Royal Caribbean is adding licensed lifeguards to their cruise ships starting this weekend and this new program will be rolled out to every ship in their fleet over the next few months.
The first Royal Caribbean cruise ship to receive lifeguards will be Oasis of the Seas this weekend. This program will be rolled out to all Royal Caribbean cruise ships with Vision of the Seas being the last to receive lifeguards in June.
Cruise Critic said that this is part of a new water safety program by Royal Caribbean that includes water safety instruction and signage through the ship.
There will be one lifeguard stationed at every pool including the Solarium during all open hours. The licensed lifeguards will be trained by StarGuard Elite, a water risk prevention and training consulting company based in Florida. They will be hired specifically for this duty and will not serve in any other role on the ship.
The cruise line will continue to offer swim vests for children and at least one parent or guardian must be present anytime a child 12 years or younger is in a pool.
Royal Caribbean is joining Disney Cruise Line as the only cruise lines to offer lifeguards at the swimming pools on their ships.