Toddler Overboard?

[9-11mommy]

How easy is it for a child to fall overboard on the Disney Magic? We will be cruising for the 1st time in April and my little boy (recently turned 4) is a WILD man! He is a climber and I am starting to have safety anxiety... I know there are tons and tons of small children who sail accident free every day, but I would like to know anything specific that I need to watch out for. Thanks!

 

[julia & nicks mom]

MOM - is that you??

whenever I talk about wanting to take my kids 1 & 3 on a cruise in a few years my mom voices this same concern. if my memory serves me correctly - I think but am not sure - that there is plexiglass around the railings so it isn't really open -

here is the answer from cruisemates:

Q: I'm concerned that my child might fall overboard. What are the railings on the ships like?

A: Most modern cruise ships have plexiglass covering the rails so that it would not be easy for your child to fall overboard. Most railings are waist or chest high on an adult, so a child would have to climb to that height to try to jump overboard! Of course, as when traveling anywhere, you must keep a watchful eye on your child while at sea, but falling overboard is not a major concern aboard most conventional ships today.

 

[jel0511]

All the railings are covered with plexiglass on the inside, so children can't climb the rails. Also, deck 9 is completely enclosed (with the exception of Topsiders) so there are no worries around the Mickey Pool. On Decks 4 and 10, as I said before there is plexiglass on the inside, so the bars are unavailable for climbing. Even the verandas in the cabins are the same way, there is really no way for a child to fall overboard, unless a parent allows them to stand up on a chair near the railing.

 

[crisi]

Or another way of looking at it.

700 kids per cruise. 150 cruises per year (50 Magic 100 Wonder - approximatley). 105,000 kids. Ten years. 1,050,000 kids. One teen intentionally jumping off a docked ship.

If it were easy, it would have happened by now. Which isn't to say it couldn't happen. Don't leave a small child on a veranda unattended. I'd keep a "wild" four year old off deck ten, where the plexiglass is shorter.

 

[DrCavin]

Just keep him off of deck 4 & you will have no problems.... Heated thread about deck 4 currently underway...

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=701709

 

[DancingBear]

I have one of those wild 4 yo boys also, and was comforted by the responses to my question about the doors to the verandahs:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=697811

 

[9-11mommy]

Thanks... My friend says it's hard to understand until you've been there, but once you board the trepidation will fade away- I sure hope that's true! If anyone has any safety tips or thinks of something I should watch out for, please let me know! We sure are excited to go, I just want to make sure that my wild man stays safe! We did book an inside room so that there wouldn't be any worries with a verandah!

 

[Mike320]

Just keep him off of deck 4 & you will have no problems.... Heated thread about deck 4 currently underway...

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=701709

You aren't kidding about a heated discussion! Wow.....