I am a worry wart for a reason.

[poohbear luvs grumpy]

I read the thread about the sexual assault and now I am wondering if I should even put the cruise magnets I had made on my door. I don't want someone to approach my child and call them by their name and have my child think that it is okay to talk to them. I don't let my kids wonder the ship so that probably won't be a problem with my younger kids. They only go to the clubs for specific activities but now that my oldest is old enough to do the tweens club it is recommended that they be able to check themselves out for activities that happen in other parts of the ship. I know they travel in a group but even that has me concerned. On our first trip we dropped our daughter off for an activity and when my husband went back five minutes before the time they said it would be done they had taken the group of kids to eat. My husband had to search the ship for her because when he asked where she was he was given incorrect info. Help settled my fears so I can relax on my cruise.

 

[TweedleDee/Dum]

I am with you.... May will be our first cruise and the magnets sound like fun but I read an article when my children were younger about a child getting kidnapped from a playground because the kidnapper was calling the child by name. The childs name was on her shirt. Since that day I have never...ever let my children where clothes with their names on them. I want even put their names on their book bags. So, I knew that we would not be participating in the cute magnet door decor. In fact the FE sounds fun but I really don't want any extra attention brought to the location of our room. I want to have a good time and feel safe. Please don't bash me because I am not participating in the FE. More power to those who are doing it. Have fun!

 

[mrssmee]

You are not a worry wart or paranoid. You are smart. Ask any law enforcement official for a list of ways to keep your children safe, and near the top of the list will always be not to advertise your child's name. That is why it is always advised not to have your child's name visible on their backpacks, clothing, etc. It has been proven that some offenders target children whose names they can find out in this manner. I would never advertise any of our names or info about where we are from, etc. on any type of hotel or cruise door. In fact, I am honestly surprised that DCL even allows this. Many will make fun of us who feel this way, but in my mind it is better to be safe than sorry. While the chances of something happening are slim, it could still happen. The parent's of children who have been targeted in this way probably also thought it would never happen to them.

 

[poohbear luvs grumpy]

I even took my trip countdown off of my signature after reading a cruise trips not to do article that says to not let anyone know when you are traveling. I am not saying it is wrong Tweedle dee/dum or mrssmee I noticed both of yours and it does make me wish I could get over it. I am just that paranoid over everything.

 

[disney 2010]

I would not recommending putting a young childs names anywhere "strangers" can see them. ( on your door, on their clothes,shoes backpacks etc) Your tween is old enough to understand that just because someone knows you name doesn't mean someone knows you....but younger children don't understand that!!

 

[DVCconvert]

It's always good to keep things in their proper perspective.
About 200,000 people per year cruise on Disney. DCL has been operating for now more than 10 years. (that's 2 million + guests)

The "odds" of anything like this happening to any one guest is proably less than the odds you'll be killed by a falling meteor.

I'm not throwing common sense out the window, but more often than not being overly worried about things only payouts with ulcers.

 

[poohbear luvs grumpy]

I made cruise magnets for the grandparents also but I think my kids will feel bad if I put some on grandma and grandpa's door but not on our doors.

 

[poohbear luvs grumpy]

No offense DVCconvert but i would rather be killed by a meteor than have my child hurt in anyway.
I have always been overly cautious my daughter is old enough to know not to talk to strangers but I think I will still have to explain to her why I won't let her sign herself out of the clubs. It helps that we have extra people of trust traveling with us but I am always on the cautious side.

 

[DVCconvert]

No offense DVCconvert but i would rather be killed by a meteor than have my child hurt in anyway.

No offense taken

It is a balancing act for sure, but my point was simply that the chances of anything bad happening are extremely remote. The flip-side to the scale is how much one might lose out on in the name of being safe. I'm certainly NOT saying I'd think you would do this, but of course the safest action plan would be not to leave the stateroom or even go on the cruise.

I'm sure it will all go well for you!

 

[shenaniganzz]

There are many other cute images and graphics you can put on your door that will more than make up for it, I'm sure. You have to do what makes you feel comfy. I am sure the parents of the girl that was assaulted maybe thought she had a better chance of being hit by a meteor but when it DOES happen to your child, I'm sure odds/stats, etc. have little meaning at that point.

 

[poohbear luvs grumpy]

Not leave the stateroom. That is the best idea yet. I can do room service the whole time. My husband and kids won't mind. Don't worry I will be leaving the stateroom, with my kids in tow. But thanks DVCconvert that did lighten my mood a little bit.

 

[DVCconvert]

..... Don't worry I will be leaving the stateroom, with my kids in tow.

This MIGHT be the 'perfect solution'!

http://www.handcuffwarehouse.com/amganchain.html

But thanks DVCconvert that did lighten my mood a little bit.

Good! I'm glad! A Disney cruise shouldn't be the source of any stress!

 

[tvguy]

Bottom line, parents need to teach their children to protect themselves, and parents need to monitor their kids.

Nothing is 100%. None of us can guarantee your child's safety. The good news and bad news is, from a purely statistical standpoint, they are many many time more likely to be assaulted in your house, than they are on the ship.

 

[poohbear luvs grumpy]

There are many other cute images and graphics you can put on your door that will more than make up for it, I'm sure. You have to do what makes you feel comfy.

This is a good suggestion. My kids can still have their favorite character without their name but they will know it is theirs still. Thanks

 

[UncleLarry]

I read on another post about a CM following a teenage girl around the upper decks while she was having a late night stroll. When the girl asked the CM if he was following her, he replied that he was "just doing his job."

Point being, Disney takes measures to stop things like this from happening.

 

[shenaniganzz]

This is a good suggestion. My kids can still have their favorite character without their name but they will know it is theirs still. Thanks

Also, a couple of other suggestions..

We went to Home Depot and picked up some of the Disney paint chips, cut them out, attached magnetic tape and put them up. They also have cute adhesive bottle caps (we got Mickey and Tink) at Michael's craft store... attach some of that magentic tape and voila! There are some really good ideas in the graphics thread... you'll find some great stuff! Enjoy your cruise

 

[pjacobi]

My kids can still have their favorite character without their name...

That still is taking a risk. It's much easier for a stalker at a distance to notice someone going in/out of a marked door.

It is safer to disappear behind an anonymous door which is easily confused with your neighbor.

Why take the risk? If you must, decorate the INSIDE of the door.


-Paul

 

[croppincolburn]

I'm not putting names on our magnets. I never have my son's(6) name on anything that leaves our house. A clever person (that leaves me out) might come up with something special to use instead of your real names. I think we plan for safety. We do not worry. Happy cruising!

 

[mmmears]

I would not recommending putting a young childs names anywhere "strangers" can see them. ( on your door, on their clothes,shoes backpacks etc) Your tween is old enough to understand that just because someone knows you name doesn't mean someone knows you....but younger children don't understand that!!

I agree with this. Young children are really easily swayed... Older ones know better (or some of them do...). I've reluctantly decided to take part in the magnets and the F/E things, but then even though I have an older child, we rarely if ever leave her alone and don't plan on letting her wander the ship. That's just the way we are -- it's a family vacation and we want to spend the time together. And this is coming from a very cautious, sometimes labeled "overprotective" parent. We decided we didn't want her to miss out in all the fun, but we'll be talking about what happened and ways to prevent it.

It's so sad that we all need to be so wary of these things. I don't blame anyone for having or not having magnets, F/Es, or anything else. It's a tough choice.

 

[jiminyC_fan]

You can never be too careful. You aren't a worry wart but a great parent!!