By Tom Stieghorst From Travel Weekly

Royal Caribbean International has become the second major cruise line to staff lifeguards at its pools, a significant change in the cruise industry.

Starting this week with the Oasis of the Seas, Royal Caribbean is rolling out a water-safety program that includes a lifeguard stationed at each pool during its hours of operation.

In a statement, Royal Caribbean said all lifeguards have been trained and certified by StarGuard Elite, “an industry-leading International Aquatic Risk Prevention and Lifeguard program.”

An indication that Royal Caribbean was preparing to adopt lifeguards came several months ago when StarGuard began advertising for lifeguard supervisors on behalf of Royal Caribbean.

To date, only Disney Cruise Line has hired shipboard lifeguards. Other cruise lines say they follow the policy seen at many land resorts where no lifeguards are provided and guests swim at their own risk.

Royal Caribbean said its program is a comprehensive one “to raise awareness amongst our guests about the importance of vigilance while enjoying water features on our ships.” In addition to lifeguards, swim vests will be offered to children ages 4-12 and a water safety presentation will be made in the Adventure Ocean kids program as well as a separate session on water safety for teens.

StarGuard is an Orlando company that provides lifeguard training, certification and other services to theme parks and water attractions, among other clients.

Royal Caribbean said its water-safety program will be implemented fleetwide by June.

For more on this story go to: http://www.travelweekly.com/Cruise-Travel/Royal-Caribbean-staffing-pools-with-lifeguards

IMAGE: Royal Caribbean Blog