I know this is crazy, but does anyone worry about

[disneyholic family]

You don't need to have a verandah stateroom for kids to do stupid things....on one of our DCL cruises a few years ago a teenage boy, on a dare, jumped off Deck 4 into St. Thomas Harbor while the ship was docked. He was busted when he tried to get back onboard and was dripping wet and when his card was swiped it showed that he was onboard, not off....so the gig was up. The captain was notified and he was lectured by the captain about how dangerous that was....even while in port the ship sometimes have the propellers on for various tests and such.....the teen was then confined to his cabin unless he was accompanied by his parents.

I remember another post about a teen sliding down the back of the ship from Topsiders to one of the balconies below (the back of the ship is on a slant)....I couldn't imagine how dangerous that was.

Teens need to be aware of how dangerous things can be....

I'm willing to bet that the teens who pulled these pranks had done equally stupid things before.

The captain should have thrown the entire family off the ship rather than putting the violating teen under house arrest.

 

[BibbidyBobbidyBoo]

You don't need to have a verandah stateroom for kids to do stupid things....on one of our DCL cruises a few years ago a teenage boy, on a dare, jumped off Deck 4 into St. Thomas Harbor while the ship was docked. He was busted when he tried to get back onboard and was dripping wet and when his card was swiped it showed that he was onboard, not off....so the gig was up. The captain was notified and he was lectured by the captain about how dangerous that was....even while in port the ship sometimes have the propellers on for various tests and such.....the teen was then confined to his cabin unless he was accompanied by his parents.

I remember another post about a teen sliding down the back of the ship from Topsiders to one of the balconies below (the back of the ship is on a slant)....I couldn't imagine how dangerous that was.

Teens need to be aware of how dangerous things can be....

Eek!
Those boys sound like my 8yr old -absolutely has no fear... it's the reason he's the only one of my 3 kids that has ever broken bones or had stitches (and he's not the oldest to have been around longer for it to happen!) He's had stitches in his forehead, broken arm and elbow, broken finger.. I'm sure that's not the last of it either. Hopefully though by the time he's a teenager he'd have more sense than those boys! geesh

I do think DCL handled it appropriately though.

 

[MarcyIn Florida]

I think your worry is understandable and good. Ony you know your children....whether they will listen to your rules. Then you make the right decision for your children.

I think Karen's point is key -- if you think your kids will go on the verandah and act inappropriately, then don't get a verandah.

We took our kids out onto the verandah, set the rules, and explained that if they fell overboard, there was a very good chance that no one would be able to save them. Harsh words, yes, but appropriate for my climbers.

I don't think I would worry about older kids as much -- my concern was my two year old, who still has little concept of harm and deadly consequences. Our five year old does, though, and was a great tattler if her sister even got too close to the rails.