Balcony or No Balcony?

[gbce08]

We have cruised before having children, but now we are taking our first cruise with our two children. We are planning to take a Royal Caribbean cruise on Enchantment of the Seas. Our son will be 3 and our baby will be 6 months.

 

We are trying to decide between an ocean view room and an ocean room with balcony. We like the idea of having a space to go to when the kids are napping or after they go to bed. However, I'm not sure how safe the balcony will be for my 3 year old when he's awake. Are the doors easy to unlock for a 3 year old? Are the rails and safety glass secure enough to keep him safely inside? Will I be worried about it the whole time? Your advice and experience is appreciated!

[elmom]

I am wondering too. We wanted a window (our kids will be 3 and 2 at the time and one is a climber) but we didnt have a choice and we had to book a veranda (disney magic). I am nervous too!!!

[khm1]

. Are the doors easy to unlock for a 3 year old? Are the rails and safety glass secure enough to keep him safely inside? Will I be worried about it the whole time? Your advice and experience is appreciated!

We have cruised 3 times with our 2 boys on RCCL and once on Princess. I sincerely doubt that a 3yo could open the balcony door. It is a sliding glass door with a lever you have to turn, with some force, 90 degrees. One of my boys did slam his fingers in the door though, so be careful about that. The glass on the balcony is secure. However, I wouldn't let a 3yo be out there unsupervised. I think that a balcony will be invaluable for naps and late night relaxing with your SO. On our last cruise, our balcony was an aft cabin and had rails instead of glass. My boys were 11 and 9 at the time and knew not to climb. I would have been more nervous with a younger child. Our balcony overlooked the one below. A fall would have been nasty, but not into water. I would watch your 3yo so that there is no furniture climbling. All in all, if I were in your shoes, I would go for the balcony.;)

[crusinmama06]

BALCONY!!!! NO DOUBT!!!!! :D

 

I see this question alot because we all have the same fear. The kids will get out on the balcony and go over.

 

But - those locks are high. The doors are VERY tough to open, even for me. And they have a sort of pressure on them so it tough to move them.

 

We have some balcony rules when the kids are out there.

 

--Move chairs away from balcony

--No child allowed on balcony unless parent is there

--No standing on chairs

--No goofing around

--If any of the above mentioned rules are broken then the child is immediatly returned to the inside of the cabin and balcony priviledges are lost ;)

 

I seriously have a very hard time cruising with the kids unless we have a balcony. We had an ocean view a year ago and I won't do it again. We had to sleep when they slept. We had to tip toe around the cabin. It was a pain, so never again (if I can help it).

 

That balcony is our oasis to relax from the kids and just be adults for once.

 

The Enchantment has glass balconies. This is a picture of MY kids (ages 3 and 7 at the time) on a RCCL glass balcony (this is Freedom)

 

[cruisnmom3]

Michele-cute pic! Glad to see this thread -we are cruising in about a month and have a balcony room. The first time we took them they were 3 y old and 8 months old and we had an interior cabin. The nighttime was a pain for just the reasons Michele said-we basically had to sit in the dark, or go to bed when they went to bed-around 8 or sometimes 9pm if we kept them up. This time we got a balcony adjoining with an interior cabin so the kids can go to bed and we can stay up, plus we have extra closets and an extra bathroom-it was actually cheaper than getting a suite...

[NoelsCat]

Another balcony vote here! As a matter of fact, with kids I don't even think it's optional...

 

As PPs already stated, it is difficult to open the doors. In addition, at least on our last cruise, there was a safety lock at the top of the door that we could use making it nearly impossible to open (for a toddler).

 

The balcony gave us adult alone time during naps and bedtime.

 

In addition, my son loved the balcony. He loved to watch the ocean -- and play with his cars. We had the same rules as Cruisin Mama.

 

Here are some pics so you can see the glass and the height -- He is two and 37 inches tall:

 

[gbce08]

Thank you all for your input. We just booked today with a balcony!

[megnsamsgracie]

Thanks for the pics everyone! We havent been able to afford a balcony before but in December, it was cheaper to do a D2 with an inside across the hall than 2 OV or the FOV! The kids have the inside and mine are older (almost 12, 10, 7.5 and 5.5 when we sail) but I was still worried even though they would only be in the room and on the balcony when we were!

[megnsamsgracie]

Thanks for the pics everyone! We havent been able to afford a balcony before but in December, it was cheaper to do a D2 with an inside across the hall than 2 OV or the FOV! The kids have the inside and mine are older (almost 12, 10, 7.5 and 5.5 when we sail) but I was still worried even though they would only be in the room and on the balcony when we were!

[Jsipes]

I think a balcony would be a good escape from the kids, but dont let them out there alone....

[RArnold7769]

Balcony is a must have when traveling with kids. It definitely gives you a separate place to relax. Also the cool breeze, fresh air, and breakfast on the balcony in the morning is well worth it.

[leighuf]

We used our balcony more on our most recent cruise (first cruise with baby) than we EVER have as a couple without baby. It's a MUST have! We got a hump balcony on the Radiance so it was extra large which was extra nice. We used the outdoor space for relaxing during baby's nap, bathing him in his blowup pool, and feeding him in his stroller (since there isn't a highchair, obviously, in the room). There was a drain on our balcony making it easy to drain the pool. We needed more space in our room so if we can afford it next time, we'll get a Jr. Suite. The pack n play thing is huge and takes up all the extra space in the cabin.

 

[gazingm42]

I would not worry about the balcony. You will really enjoy having it during kids

naps or late at night. If $$ is not a issue I would go for it.

[Dr_DNA]

I vote for balcony too. We had an ocean view with our 3 1/2 year old and it would have been REALLY nice to have a balcony. That way, we had someplace to go while he was sleeping. Its more, but I think that it will be well worth it.