Is it normal to he terrified of a balcony room?

[aes74]

I have three children, my youngest is a 4 year old boy. He is a climber, and likes to figure out how things work. He has managed to get childproof bottles open, and how to climb up cabinets to get something he has had his eye on. He is not hyper at all, or even really disobedient, he just likes to climb and figure out how to solve problems. My husband would like a balcony room, but the idea terrifies me. I know he can figure out how to unlock doors, and I can see him climbing over the railing. I dont know if he would, but thats what I picture in my nightmares. I would rather not have a balcony.

We have never cruised with children, and never with Disney. I know this is a ridiculous question, but how do they keep kids from falling over the railing on all the parts of the ship? I am sure you are laughing at me, but I've never done this before! I'm so paranoid!

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I have three children, my youngest is a 4 year old boy. He is a climber, and likes to figure out how things work. He has managed to get childproof bottles open, and how to climb up cabinets to get something he has had his eye on. He is not hyper at all, or even really disobedient, he just likes to climb and figure out how to solve problems. My husband would like a balcony room, but the idea terrifies me. I know he can figure out how to unlock doors, and I can see him climbing over the railing. I dont know if he would, but thats what I picture in my nightmares. I would rather not have a balcony.

We have never cruised with children, and never with Disney. I know this is a ridiculous question, but how do they keep kids from falling over the railing on all the parts of the ship? I am sure you are laughing at me, but I've never done this before! I'm so paranoid!

The railing are actually quite high. I'm 5'4" and the hit me above my waist. The doors in the verandah room have a lock that's quite high up and you must be able to unlock and open (the very heavy) door at the same time. A little tricky for little hands. I've read that you can ask your room host to remove the furniture from the verandah if you're worried about him climbing up on it.

There has never been a report of a child "falling" overboard. They would have to work very hard to get over that rail.

 

[Jammy93]

I think it's perfectly normal to worry for the safety of your child. You could always get an ocean view room. We had a family ocean view room on the Dream and there was a huge porthole. Didn't miss the verandah at all.

 

[aes74]

The railing are actually quite high. I'm 5'4" and the hit me above my waist. The doors in the verandah room have a lock that's quite high up and you must be able to unlock and open (the very heavy) door at the same time. A little tricky for little hands. I've read that you can ask your room host to remove the furniture from the verandah if you're worried about him climbing up on it.

There has never been a report of a child "falling" overboard. They would have to work very hard to get over that rail.

Ok, I'm 5'4, so that gives me a good visual! Thanks for this. I just am not sure what to expect.

 

[ibcrazie4dizney]

I think you are normal for worrying, cause we did too. we are taking our first cruise with dgd7. I always dreamed of a Disney cruise and definitely wanted a balcony. well, after all these years, finally booked an oceanview room. we were afraid too. we have requested no upgrades, hoping not to get moved to one. but I just keep thinking, tons of families on Disney cruise and I am sure they are safe.

just a thought, since we keep such a good eye on her, probably the most nervous would be while we were sleeping. what about taking a suction cup and hang a few bells on the door. that way you could hear if it were being opened?

 

[mmouse37]

All railings on balconies and public decks) are lined with plexi glass so children (or adults) can't get a foothold on the railings.

Of course adult supervision should be maintained whenever a child is out on a balcony and public decks....but it would be pretty hard to just fall over....DCL has literally had tens of thousands of children in the balcony cabins over the years and none have fallen overboard.

MJ

 

[4butlers]

The locks on the balcony door are up near the ceiling and would be very difficult for a 4 yo to reach, even if he climbed up on a chair. And honestly, they were even a little tricky for me to open! And PPs are correct, I am 5'6" and I remember the railing to be well above my waist.

 

[tinkerone]

is it probable that your son would go overboard, no. is it normal to worry about this, hell yes! that's the mother instinct.
if your dh wants a balcony and you can't talk him out of it, don't let that ruin your vacation with a lot of worry. as pp have suggested, there are lots of ways to prevent his going out alone and if he were to get out there then there are ways to help insure his curiosity stays in check.
see if you can get your dh talked into a ocean view room. the windows are HUGE and there are seating areas for everyone to enjoy the ocean swirl by. your dh can always enjoy the verandas on deck 4 or the upper decks. maybe put it to him in the form of $'s saved??
no matter what you do try to enjoy and not to let your imagination run wild.

 

[WanderlustNZ]

is it probable that your son would go overboard, no. is it normal to worry about this, hell yes! that's the mother instinct.

Well said.

OP, if it's going to worry you enough that you will struggle to relax, push for an oceanview cabin. I can see how having a balcony might appeal with 3 kids, as it gives your husband and you a place to go chat while the kids are sleeping. However, I also think that balconies are too expensive to pay extra for unless you really want one.

Good luck with your decision.

 

[DBBN]

As other posters have mentioned the balconies are quite safe but since your child is a climber don't forget about the balcony furniture. If he decides to climb on it he may be closer to the top of the railing than you'd feel confortable with. If you believe the furniture would be a concern your room steward could remove it for you.

 

[bumbershoot]

I never even noticed the lock towards the top of the door, as the regular latch was nearly impossible for me to work. And then the door was really heavy and required a lot of work to get it open.

My son figured out child locks, was a climber, etc etc, but I wouldn't have worried at all (if I had the firsthand knowledge of the balcony doors) about him on the ship, because no matter how strong he was "for an X year old", he's not THAT strong.

 

[PizzieDuster]

From a trip report....here...over at the trip report threads...I read it just now...

"So one story that is pretty funny in hind-sight is how we lost our daughter on the verandah. On three separate occasions, she crawled into one of our neighbors verandahs. The first time we panicked when we looked out at the veranda and she was gone. We found it odd to hear the neighbors rearranging their deck furniture so we peeked over and saw our little girl playing next door. She is a toddler who walks primarily but her world is only 2 feet off of the ground. She must have seen something that caught her eye and crawled right under the divider. The first two times we lured her back with a toy and then pulled her under the wall again. The third time, our neighbors were on the verandah so they were kind enough to deliver her to us out in the hallway. Again, it is pretty funny now since no-one plummeted off the side of the ship. We also had to tell our son (multiple times) to never-ever-ever stand on the furniture on the verandah."


They got to 3 OP, just don't get to 1

 

[ccsmith312]

We ended up with a porthole room rather than a veranda room for this very reason. My children are rambunctious and I don't trust them out on balconies. We watch them very closely at hotels, but on the cruise, I just don't think I could relax, so porthole room it is!

 

[sambycat]

Normal to worry? Yes! Be "terrified"? I'm going to say no. Do yourself a favor and go inside or ocean view cabin. While I don't think your kid can get out to the verandah unsupervised, why not cut down all the areas of unnecessary stress both before and during the trip? There's enough to be excited and worried about wirhout anything like kids flying off the verandah

 

[darkwing818]

I think it's perfectly normal to worry for the safety of your child. You could always get an ocean view room. We had a family ocean view room on the Dream and there was a huge porthole. Didn't miss the verandah at all.

We did Ocean View cabins on the Magic & the Wonder on our first 3 cruises when our DDs were younger.

 

[JnDRader]

I worried about it a little bit. My son's not a climber but he is a boy so who knows what he'd do. I know when I was 5yo and up there wasn't much of anything I wouldn't try no matter how stupid it seemed later. It's a wonder that any of us make it to adulthood.

In the end my fears were unfounded. We went onto the verandah, had him look over the edge, and I told him if he feel over he died . He just said ok and never did anything more than look over. Of course, key thing with the little ones is to keep a close eye. We never left the door open and he wasn't strong enough, even at 7, to really open the door.

 

[iadizfans]

Yes.. You are completely "normal" for being afraid. As mentioned above, ships design balconies with safety in mind. The likelihood of your child getting over is pretty remote. However, if he was motivated to get above the railing for a better view and figured out a way to do that (like push an empty suitcase through the sliding door) the results could be catastrophic.

You are right to at least consider this danger.

All that said, I would still not rule out a balcony room.

If you talk to him about the danger and importance of being with an adult while on the balcony and strongly stress the message, are you confident he will respond?

 

[MaleficentRN]

Here is a photo I found on another thread of how high up the veranda door lock is:

Just to put things in perspective, it would take less effort for a small child to unlock, open and climb out of a standard window in your home than to climb up to the veranda door safety latch, unlock it, open the door, and manage to climb over the rail on the veranda.

 

[WeLoveDisneyAlways]

My DD was 6 when we cruised and I was terrified shes not a climber, I stay with her always she knows the rules, she never wonders out of bed at home other then to go straight to me. Well I was so terrified she might get up in the night and wonder off I had her sleep with me and poor DH on the couch. It was the only way I could have peace of mind.

 

[TDC Nala]

Not sure if you are asking if it's reasonable to be so concerned, but that doesn't change the fact that you are concerned. There are definitely parents who are not so concerned, and are fine with verandah staterooms.

If it concerns you to the extent that you would not be able to have an enjoyable cruise in a verandah stateroom, there are plenty of options for staterooms without verandahs.