I am starting to freak out about having a balcony...

My Mom is making me paranoid that my 2 yr old son is going to try and go over board. And it is making me nuts. Are the railings high? Are they all the way to the ground?

Thanks in advance:(

I hear you - my mom did the same thing before our first cruise!:rolleyes:

Honestly, it will be fine. Our first cruise, DD (our youngest) was 25 months. Our #1 rule: no kids on the balcony unless mom or dad is ALREADY out there - no going out thinking we are right behind. At 2, it's not likely he'll be able to unlock the deadbolt, which is located at the top of the balcony door. We just kept the door locked at all times, unless we were out there.

We also made a point of making sure both chairs and the table were always at the back of the balcony, right under the cabin window, and climbing was 100% prohibited.

I would also suggest that you bring a bungee cord - we were very surprised to realize DD could open the balcony door. It is very heavy though. In typical 2 year old fashion, DD was in-out-in-out-in-out...you get the drift. So we would use the bungee cord to keep the door open when someone was out on the balcony, to prevent the possibility of her getting her fingers caught. Plus, while she could open the door, she couldn't really control it and it would slam shut - a major nuisance for our neighbors. The bungee cord helped with that, too.

Go, enjoy!:)

I'm pretty sure that no little kid has EVER gone overboard on a cruise. At least, I've been reading "incidents at sea" and all the stories of folks going overboard were either grownups trying to kill themselves, or folks who were way too drunk and balancing on the rail or stuff like that. Never little kids.

As long as your two-year-old isn't a big drinker, you should be fine :).

Even if the deadbolt was not on the door, there is no way a 2yr old could open it. My 5yr old could barely do it last year. Plus the railings are super high. I highly doubt you will let your 2yr old out there without you so rest assured he will be safe.

I will tell you the same thing I said on the other thread...but will cater it to Carnival

As long as you set some ground rules (common sense...lol) then he will be fine. At this point we won't cruise without a balcony.

Carnival has child locks and even I have a hard time getting the door open.

Here are the rules we use

1. No goofing off on the balcony

2. All chairs are moved from the edge

3. Child must be sitting at all times while on balcony

4. No standing on chairs.

5. Child is not allowed on balcony without an adult.

6. If any of the above rules are broken, child will be instantly moved to the inside of the cabin and loses balcony privledges. ;)

This shot is off of web shots. This is what the balcony looks like

http://travel.webshots.com/photo/1283586871062547426epPvAZ

This is my 48" tall 7 year old on a balcony (RCCL) with my 3 year old

We were going to book a balcony and DD-7 requested that not to. She wanted her and her brother 9 to be safe. We honored her request. It was also, a concern for DH.

We were going to book a balcony and DD-7 requested that not to. She wanted her and her brother 9 to be safe. We honored her request. It was also, a concern for DH.

As always my kids are the opposite. ;)

My 8 year old wants a balcony no matter if it's a ship or a hotel. She's an 8 year old balcony snob. :eek:

Has your 7 year old seen how high the balcony walls are? As long as she doesn't plan on scaling them, she would have been fine. Never has a child fallen off a ship balcony. Now if the child was drunk, THEN the odds go up a little. So don't feed her alcohol. :p

It would be extremely difficult for a kid to go overboard from a balcony.

As always my kids are the opposite. ;)

 

My 8 year old wants a balcony no matter if it's a ship or a hotel. She's an 8 year old balcony snob. :eek:

 

Has your 7 year old seen how high the balcony walls are? As long as she doesn't plan on scaling them, she would have been fine. Never has a child fallen off a ship balcony. Now if the child was drunk, THEN the odds go up a little. So don't feed her alcohol. :p

She is very concerned. She has no problem being on deck and never mentions falling overboard. She said that the balcony made her nervous.

My kids don't care where they are as long as they are on a ship. They actually prefer an inside. It is dark and they can sleep all morning. Then, party all night.

It would be extremely difficult for a kid to go overboard from a balcony.

I understand this. But, try explaining to 7 yr old who has her mind set on it.

It just saves me more money for another cruise.

She is very concerned. She has no problem being on deck and never mentions falling overboard. She said that the balcony made her nervous.

My kids don't care where they are as long as they are on a ship. They actually prefer an inside. It is dark and they can sleep all morning. Then, party all night.

No doubt, whatever makes her happy. :D If she has anxiety about it, then stick to an inside. That just means more cruises for you. :D

Your kids like to be out late. Mine hit the bed early. So I need a place to get away without having to go to bed when the toddler does. ;)

I understand this. But, try explaining to 7 yr old who has her mind set on it.

It just saves me more money for another cruise.

My comment was directed to the OP. In your situation, if the child is that adamant about being afraid of having the balcony, I'd probably agree with you. :)

4. No standing on chairs.This is my 48" tall 7 year old on a balcony (RCCL) with my 3 year old

 

It's that big huge hole between the top metal railing and the bottom metal railing that I find a bit disconcerting.

Oh, wait... that is glass :) :)

It's that big huge hole between the top metal railing and the bottom metal railing that I find a bit disconcerting.

 

Oh, wait... that is glass

HAHAHAHAHAHA! :D :D :D

Hey some of the older ships are a little freaky. Look at THIS balcony on Sensation. I let them out there for the picture...and that's it. LOL! :eek: I declared this one an adult only balcony.

We sailed with my grandchildren and had a balcony. I agree with the rules posted above. No children on the balcony alone etc.

One of the things we liked about having a balcony with little ones is that while they napped we could sit out on the balcony. They slept better because we weren't in the room with them and we had "quiet" time on the balcony reading or whatever. It was really nice. Try not to worry and have a wonderful trip!

First cruise next month and I am a little nervous myself.. I have a 12 y.o., 11 y.o. and 17 month old.. I have been giving them so many rules it's not funny. Don't pick up the baby on the balcony or near the sides of the boat, no standing on the chairs, no going out without an adult, etc... I am a little nervous still. I hope our balcony is like the first one cruisinmama posted. We have a cat. 12on Carnival Inspiration. Anyone know what those are like?

Someone posted a while back about some sort of non-permanent child lock you could buy & add to the door...does anyone remember that or have that link?

I booked a 6E family stateroom on Carnival, but rumor has it that they will be changed into balconies & I'll be on the first cruise to find out. My DD6 is a monkey & will most likely wanna peek over the railing for a better look :eek: Of course I'll set some ground rules & have a nice long talk with her....but I'm afraid I won't be able to get a shower without fear of her jumping ship!

First cruise next month and I am a little nervous myself.. I have a 12 y.o., 11 y.o. and 17 month old.. I have been giving them so many rules it's not funny. Don't pick up the baby on the balcony or near the sides of the boat, no standing on the chairs, no going out without an adult, etc... I am a little nervous still. I hope our balcony is like the first one cruisinmama posted. We have a cat. 12on Carnival Inspiration. Anyone know what those are like?

Sorry to have to tell you this but the Inspiration balcony looks EXACTLY like the 2nd set of pictures I posted. The ones from Sensation.

I pulled a picture of Cat 12 Imagination and you can see the same balcony in the background.

http://travel.webshots.com/photo/1057295174036758896wWzMkH

So you will have the same balcony where my 3 year old was tall enough to look over the railing. :eek: Looks like you'll have an "adult only" balcony too. ;)

I took one of those childproof locks for cabinets--the kind that is like a strap that you just put on with adhesive--when I sailed with my three-year old son on the Queen Mary 2. Of course, I also told him that he was not allowed on the balcony without me, but he doesn't always listen 100% and there are somethings I would just rather not take chances with.

As it turned out, I didn't need it--the door was too heavy for him to open on his own. I don't know about the other ships and it might be worthwhile if you are saling with young children. I got it at the one step ahead website, and I don't recall it being very expensive--less than $10. You can probably buy them elsewhere.

By the way, we really enjoyed the balcony on our Carribean Cruise. We had breakfast our their most mornings and looked at the stars an night.

cruisinmama: Oh man, that's a bummer but thanks for the heads up. At least I can be prepared..

cruisinmama: Oh man, that's a bummer but thanks for the heads up. At least I can be prepared..

Your 17mo old won't be able to open the door to the balcony on his own so there should be no worries there. Your 2 older should be fine. I think my strict rule would be no leaving the balcony door open. We tend to do that for the fresh air but with a baby, I would keep it closed all the time unless an adult is also on the balcony.

One other thing to consider is that many balconies do not overhang the ocean! Cruise ships are not perfectly vertical on the side. Many balconies overhang either lifeboat covers or other, lower-level balconies or decks. On these balconies, IF a child were to fall, they would land on either a lifeboat canopy or drop a deck or two onto another balcony. Thus, the worst case might be a few broken bones. When we sail on RCI Radiance-class, for example, booking a deck 8 or 9 forward balcony, or deck 7 midship, is the best of both worlds! We can get a balcony and mommy can relax knowing that it would be nearly impossible for our little kids to fall into the ocean off the balcony! :)

One other thing to consider is that many balconies do not overhang the ocean! Cruise ships are not perfectly vertical on the side. Many balconies overhang either lifeboat covers or other, lower-level balconies or decks. On these balconies, IF a child were to fall, they would land on either a lifeboat canopy or drop a deck or two onto another balcony. Thus, the worst case might be a few broken bones. When we sail on RCI Radiance-class, for example, booking a deck 8 or 9 forward balcony, or deck 7 midship, is the best of both worlds! We can get a balcony and mommy can relax knowing that it would be nearly impossible for our little kids to fall into the ocean off the balcony! :)

We have had balconies on the Golden Princess and Diamond Princess. The balconies on the Princess grand class ships are staggered. We always go for Caribe deck (which has extra large balconies) and I like the fact that in the unlikely event one of my kids fell over the rail, she'd fall onto the balcony of somebody's minisuite on Emerald deck.

--Junglejane

We have had balconies on the Golden Princess and Diamond Princess. The balconies on the Princess grand class ships are staggered. We always go for Caribe deck (which has extra large balconies) and I like the fact that in the unlikely event one of my kids fell over the rail, she'd fall onto the balcony of somebody's minisuite on Emerald deck.

 

--Junglejane

Lots of good information here. Just be careful and have fun on your cruise.