Cruising with 6 year old - Balcony Concern?

[weezer64]

I've been reading these boards for the past couple of weeks gathering information for our first cruise. There is a lot of great information here and I'm hoping you can help me.

 

We have decided that our first cruise will be next February on the Navigator of the Seas and we are heading to our TA this week to book it. Now......my concern is this.....I really, REALLY want a balcony room and DH is willing to spend the extra to let me have one. I have one large concern about it though, which is I know DH and I would like to spend some time "alone" and I we would be leaving my 6 year old DD with my 16 year old son in the cabin. My paranoid mind pictures DS falling asleep and DD sneaking off onto the balcony and playing near the railing.

 

Am I a nut??? If I can get some reassurances, I might go ahead and book that balcony. Please reassure me! LOL :D

 

Hoping to learn a lot more in the next year before we go!

 

TIA for your input.....

 

Cheryl

[Toto2Kansas]

You are not a nut in my book, just a careing mother.

I too would be uneasy leaving a young one with his sibling in a balcony cabin.

But then, I have always been like that. Prevention is the key word.

There is no way to permanently lock the balcony door and it is possible that the younger one could unlock it and venture out.

No answer for you, you know the older sibling better than any of us do. If you think you can relax with them alone together then book it, if not, book an outside.

[ckrobyn]

We are first time cruisers leaving on the Radiance Feb 13th. My daughter is 8 years old and I share your fear. You are most certainly NOT nuts! You may want to look at the "family" cruising thread, there is a lot of information about this exact fear on those threads. Many people have written in with stories and information and the main idea was that the railings are high, and have plexi glass, so it would be difficult for anyone, let alone a small child to fall over. We also have a balcony suite and have already set the ground rules for our daughter, she is old enough to understand that she is not allowed on the balcony without an adult. The balcony doors lock.

 

Please don't think you are nuts, you are a concerned, responsible parent....for that you should be PROUD! :)

 

Have a great time on your cruise!

[7nucruzers]

I don't think you're nuts - but if it will worry you that much I would not do it. I know I would want to be watching the child 24-7 - so that could be stressful - don't want to stress out on a cruise! do whatever you think you could be most comfortable with - you'll have time later on when the child is older to book a balcony! happy sailing!

[dad son team]

I will agree with the others that this is not a nutty concern. My now 7yo DS and I have taken 3 cruises, just the 2 of us, and have always had a balcony. He understands the rule that he is not allowed on the balcony without me and he is pretty good about it. There are times when I am in the cabin and cannot see him so I just need to trust that he is not doing something he shouldn't be. I like to have a balcony so that I can sit out there at night while he is sleeping in the cabin.

 

You do have a couple of options here. You can either put you DD to sleep and wait until she is asleep to let your DS babysit, or, bring her to the kids program. It is open to 1am and you can leave her for $5/hour after 10pm. So you are looking at a max of $15 per night. It might be worth the piece of mind.

 

As for the balcony's being high and having plexiglass, that is not something to depend on. There is also 2 chairs and a small table that they could climb onto and easily reach the rail. With a little effort by the kid, tragedy could happen. Thank goodness we have never heard of this happening. I have read the stories of adults going overboard, but I have never heard of a kid doing it.

[Shanafan]

We brought our kids along and had a balcony when my kids were 8 and 9 ( or right around there ) I understand your fear because I too had my concerns even though I had been on 2 cruises prior without the kids. We had no issues at all. I just told my kids not to fart around on the ship period--whether it was in the cabin or in the public areas.

 

The railings are pretty high. I am 5'4" and they came up to my armpits or so. Depending on how you feel about it, I understand the kids programs are wonderful and I know one night they have a "party" later in the evening where the kids can stay out later and have fun and the parents can go do their thing.

 

Have fun---just be sure to explain to the kids what can happen and that you trust they will make you proud. ( always works for me :) )

[Carol Anne]

I think that you are definitely correct in being concerned about this. One alternative would be to let my DS have free time with friends that he is certain to meet onboard (this ship is a teens dream!) and hire a sitter onboard to be with your younger child when you want to go off and have time alone with your husband.

 

I know that the reason we call them accidents is because so one planned or expected it. It sounds like even if you do leave the two alone with the veranda your not going to have really a relaxed time with the hubbie.

[MrsPete]

You'll have no problems with the public areas of the ship, but a private balcony could potentially be a concern with a young child.

 

My suggestions:

1. The most important thing is to lay down the law right away: no going out on the balcony without an adult -- period. Emphasize what could happen; a 6-year old is old enough to grasp the concept of falling into the water, but not necessarily old enough to resist the impulse to climb.

2. Move the chairs inside the room. A 6-year old isn't going to be able to climb the balcony wall without the use of the chairs.

3. Book an aft balcony cabin. These are not "straight above the water", but rather are sort of tiered. If a child fell from one of these balconies (which really is a rather far-fetched thing), he or she would land on the balcony of the person below -- not in the water. Bad, but not tragic.

4. Bring one of those door alarms that people use with toddlers. If the 16-yr old falls asleep, the alarm would waken him.

5. Allow the 6-year old plenty of time for active play (easy on a cruise ship) and no caffeine. Hopefully she'll sleep before the 16-year old.

6. Plan your "alone time" for fairly late hours.

 

Don't worry about this too much. If falling overboard were an everyday occurance, we'd hear more about it. With all the children and all the drunken parents who never think twice, if falling overboard were easy to do, more people would do it. The few people I've heard about who did manage to fall overboard were drunken adults acting foolishly. Oh, and I heard of one teen who jumped overboard while the ship was docked -- I think it was a bet. He swam around the ship and tried to re-board (soaking wet) without his cruise card. I believe his family was put off the boat.

[weezer64]

Thank you all so much! You've all been so helpful....as expected. ;)

 

I think I have decided to go ahead with some cautionary measures, book the balcony room. I LOVE the idea of taking her to the kids program.....what's $5 an hour when my piece of mind is at stake? Sheesh, a no-brainer. I also like the idea of just waiting until she falls asleep to leave them alone........with a day packed full of activity I'm sure she'll be out like a light early enough. But most likely DS will be having fun with any new friends that he meets and I'll cut him some slack and put DD in the kids program.

 

It's funny that the aft balcony was mentioned! I have been reading about that on the boards, wondering what all the fuss was about. In a few of the pictures that I've seen posted, I've noticed that it wasn't a straight drop down. I told DH I would like to try for one of these rooms if they are still available.

 

Also, thanks for the warnings about leaving the chairs on the balcony....whew! THAT didn't even cross my mind!

 

I have a very well-behaved child that I can easily reason with.......by telling her "no adults, no balcony" and the potentials of what could happen, I can with most certainty say that she would listen. But I say with "most" certainty.......not with "100%" certainty. I never want to leave even a fraction of a percentage open to chance.............

 

Thanks for not thinking me a nut........well, in this case anyway! :p

 

Again...thanks everyone!!