Feedback Needed! Are the Disney Magic Verandah Balconies Safe for a 2 yr Old?

Hi all! First time cruiser here, will be traveling with family in December 2019 to celebrate my parents’s 50th:) Going to book 3 rooms but I will have a 2 yr old nephew along. Any opinions on the safety of the Magic Verandah balcony rooms? Are the plexiglass walls high enough? Should they just book an inside stateroom to be safe and visit our balcony rooms for a view? Thank you!

The walls are high, but I would never let my child out on the balcony by himself at age 2. There is a high lock on the door so he shouldn’t be able to open it on his own, plus the door is heavy. But caution is always important if he is on the balcony.

Unless your child is superman, there is no way he can open the balcony door. There are two locks on the door. One is at about my shoulder height and the other is on the handle. The door is very heavy. The balcony railing is probably about 42 inches high; the support is on the outside of the plexiglass so that there is no way a kid can climb on the balcony itself. To go overboard, a kid would have to move furniture over to the railing and then climb on it..even if he moved the table, a 2 year old would be unlikely to be able to go over.

Keep in mind that NO child has accidentally gone overboard in the almost 20 years that DCL has been in existence. A teen did intentionally go overboard while the ship was in port, and there remains an issue of a missing crew member. There area that the teen jumped from was on deck 4 and has since been walled off so there is no guest access in that area.

I truly believe that it is physically impossible for a 2 year old to unlock 2 locks and open the balcony door....and where were the parents during the time he was attempting it?

I concur. We have taken young children on 3 Disney cruises and in a week will be taking 11 people onto the Dream, including five grandchildren, ages 2-15. I am actually more worried about teens than toddlers.

I am actually more worried about teens than toddlers.

Definitely--in many regards. The 2 year old should be always under supervision. The teens can be "on their own." I always said that one teen brain + one teen brain = no common sense at all.

I know....I totally trusted my kid when on her own. And I'm sure your grands are great kids. The problem is that not all kids on the ship are safe and reliable when no adults are watching.

Thank you all for the replies! Yes my mom is the nervous grandmother who will be booking the rooms. She doesn’t want my brother and his family to “miss out” by not getting a balcony but also doesn’t want them to be overly anxious every time they are in their room. I’m just the aunt with no kids who is along for a good time that does all the planning. I said I would be more worried about the 5 and 9 year old actually but I don’t know much about kids...Thank you Moki’s Mommy for the detailed measurements and descriptions too!

An additional question regarding the Magic balconies. Does anyone know if the partitions can be removed to conjoin balconies if getting adjoining rooms with family? Thanks again!

An additional question regarding the Magic balconies. Does anyone know if the partitions can be removed to conjoin balconies if getting adjoining rooms with family? Thanks again!

In some rooms they can be removed. Sorry, but I don't know any way to determine which rooms other than calling DCL--Shmoo might know of a deck plan that shows this.

At the "reimagination" dry dock, more connecting rooms were added and some movable balcony dividers were put in place.

Without being rude, think carefully about whether you want to remove the divider. Privacy can be a nice thing...but so can the larger balcony.

Haha thank you! Yeah there’s not much privacy in my family but I think that would be my parents room adjoining with my brother and wife and the grandkids. Not my room! I will probably just have my mom call DCL directly to ask then, just wondering if possible. They’ve used NCL and HA and said it was done on their ships. Thanks again!

It's common sense. Never let your child alone on the balcony. One can't expect Disney to save people from their own negligence.

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you should be safe. the patio doors are heavy . Most balcony have a Plexiglas covering so a toddler cant escape. However to be safer the navigators veranda is solid and about 36 in high check Disney web site for visuals navigators veranda is cheaper as well.

The concern is If toddlers climb onto the balcony furniture.

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The concern is If toddlers climb onto the balcony furniture.

 

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It MIGHT be possible for a toddler to get on the furniture and fall/jump overboard, but that would have to be one tall toddler.

However, before the toddler can climb onto the furniture, they'd have to be out on the balcony. How did they get there and where are the parents? You cannot leave your toddler without supervision, not even for one second! If you need to go inside for any reason, even just a quick "answer the phone," take the child with you!

DCL has one its part in making all areas of the cabin safe, but they can't compensate for parental negligence.