Balcony Advice

[jenwoist]

I've been considering a balcony room for our next cruise, but unsure if a balcony is a wise choice because I have a five year old. Does anyone know how high the locks are on the doors that lead out to your balcony? Is it safe to stay in a balcony room with a young child? Thanks for any input!:)

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[SelectSys]

I've been considering a balcony room for our next cruise, but unsure if a balcony is a wise choice because I have a five year old. Does anyone know how high the locks are on the doors that lead out to your balcony? Is it safe to stay in a balcony room with a young child? Thanks for any input!:)

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The locks - on RCCL and Disney - seem pretty comparable to sliding door locks on land. They may have a supplemental lock on the door up higher but I have never noticed it. If they do have these secondary locks, someone will answer. A determined child could probably still push a desk chair over to open any upper lock if they truly wanted to get our.

 

If you are really worried about your child getting out, perhaps you can hang a bell, lock the door shut with some kind of bike lock, or get a temporary alarm / electric eye at the hardware store.

 

Good luck! You'll get a good answer from someone.

[jenwoist]

Thank you! I appreciate your advice!!

[Ula]

I have as an adult found the balcony doors heavy to open. But with five year olds, they can amaze you. The dividers are high to the ocean, but there is patio furniture to climb on.

A balcony is very safe, but I would lay down some rules with your child right away. Mommy and daddy must be outside with you and no moving the chairs.

A bell on the balcony door or some such is good. Kids can just do things in the blink of an eye. Just a quick bathroom break for the adult, a kid can find something.

You know your child best. Some kids are very easy going and well some have no fear.

[fllady]

All the newer ships we havebeen on, Celebrity, RCL, Princess all had child locks.

[NoelsCat]

On RCI's Jewel of the Seas, the balcony doors had child locks near the top of the sliding door. We kept all patio furniture pushed back away from the railing. We also had strict rules about climbing up on furniture as well as going on the balcony alone. We had no problems. In fact, a balcony is a necessity for cruising parents (IMHO) as it gives some private space for dh and I during naps/early bedtimes rather than sitting in a dark cabin... :)

 

Here are some pics that might help you see the height of the railings. My son is two and 37 inches tall.

 

[rebeccalouise]

Don't sweat it. The first balcony stateroom I had was on the Norwegian Spirit in 2005 when my son was 4 almost 5. Its perfectly safe. generally they have two chairs and a little table out there. Even if a five year old were to stand on either- they wouldn't fall overboard. The railings are too high.

[AJI2596]

Thank you for this. I just posted something similar. My son will be 2 and is in the independance stage and the balcony thing was starting to freak me out. I am glad to see that they are pretty high up.

[Nebr.cruiser]

We normally don't cruise with kids, so I usually don't pay attention to the door lock situation ; however, the one time we cruised with grandkids (Carnival) there was a bolt lock very high up on the door. The door was also heavy and hard to open, but our four y/o granddaughter managed it. I don't see how kids could have unlocked the high lock, though.

 

 

As long as an adult is on the balcony with a child, it should be perfectly safe.

[crusinmama06]

No worries! 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.

 

And the handles are up high on the newer RCCL ships. 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. ;)

 

And the balconies on RCCL are high!

 

Here is my 48" 7 year old with my 3 year old. I took this picture on RCCL FOS just to reassure the parents here. :D

 

[jenwoist]

I really appreciate everyone's input! The balconies are higher than I thought!