Young Children and Balconies

[Frenzee77]

Obviously I would never leave my 5 year old and 3 year old on the balcony unattended but I am just curious. How high are the balcony railings? I am hoping at least 4 feet tall. My son is a mover so I can see him running out onto the balcony if we have the door open for the breeze. I am hoping it is high enough or constructed in a way (angled and no foot holds) that would make it very difficult for a 5 year old to climb. He is not generally a climber but my kids never stop surprising me.

 

Please don't use this as a reason to call me a bad parent. God bless you if you had kids that weren't adventurous. My kid starting walking at about 8 months old and its been non-stop since then.

[NengEuis]

I totally understand... My 16 month doubles as a spider monkey.

 

The railings are quite high. I would guess at least 4 feet. I am almost 6 feet talk and I'd say the railing was right at my elbow if I stood next to it.

 

While we were on the ship (without our kids) we both commented that the railing looked high enough to keep everyone safe.

 

I actually worry about intoxicated people falling off of ships more than kids.

[russianmom]

My son was 4 and 5 on his last few cruises.

 

He also can and will climb anything. We just pushed the chairs etc back again the wall and there was no way that he would be able to climb over the railing.

 

See if this works....

[camz]

The railings have to be at least 4 foot because I am 5' 2" (short) and I need to lean my arms upward to rest them on the railings. However, you can't be too careful with toddlers on the balconies. In fact, not just the balcony, all over the ship. We were on the Majesty and a teenager fell down an inside stairway from sitting on the railings with the ship rocking. He fell down a gap between stairways at least 3 or 4 flights. The ship wound up redirecting to Nassau where he stayed the rest of the cruise in the hospital with neck injuries. After seeing that, you can never be too careful with children, of all ages, on cruise ships.

[Frenzee77]

Thanks everyone. From the picture it doesn't look like I have much to worry about on my next cruise.

[ZoneHPH]

My DD (18mts in photos) on the balcony. I leaned the camera out to get this view. Cabin 11542 on the Jewel - Dec 2011

 

 

And another pic with her grandpa. Smaller glass section separating the next balcony.

 

[laxlove6]

The balcony railings are very high and even an adult would have trouble getting over it. The only dangerous part about them is that there are chairs and a table that could be pushed up against them by someone looking to get up on them.

[chezbo99]

I was on the Gem last week and saw a girl 2 cabins down standing on a chair or the table, leaning over. She was about 8 years old. It scared me a lot. I motioned for her to get down and gave my teacher "look" but she ignored me. I was about to go knock on their door when I heard the grandma screaming at her. The girl ignored her, kind of taunting...it made me nervous.

[gerryl12]

I would be very nervous to leave the balcony door open unless I had a very steady eye on my kids. The balcony is quite high but there are a table and chairs on the balcony to climb on.

[Frenzee77]

Great info and pictures everyone. I appreciate it.

[fergusonvt]

You could always flip the tables and chairs upside down when you aren't out there. There is no way a child could have opened our balcony door on the two NCL ships we have been on. I could barely do it.

[Medtech2]

Obviously I would never leave my 5 year old and 3 year old on the balcony unattended but I am just curious. How high are the balcony railings? I am hoping at least 4 feet tall. My son is a mover so I can see him running out onto the balcony if we have the door open for the breeze. I am hoping it is high enough or constructed in a way (angled and no foot holds) that would make it very difficult for a 5 year old to climb. He is not generally a climber but my kids never stop surprising me.

 

Please don't use this as a reason to call me a bad parent. God bless you if you had kids that weren't adventurous. My kid starting walking at about 8 months old and its been non-stop since then.

My son is now 21 and was also in the 8 month club! He is graduating from college after having a full scholarship so enjoy the adventure!

 

As to the railing, most adults can stand comfortably and lean with their elbows at the railing so it is average height.

 

Be mindful that it is small and there are chairs, so THOSE are what he could climb on. Just make certain both children know the chairs are for sitting, not standing, at any time!

 

You sound like a great parent who thinks ahead!

 

ENJOY!

[knitlady037]

Please do not leave your door open. It affects the airconditionig for the rooms around you.

[dwjoe]

We took our daughters (now 12 and 10) on several cruises when they were little. In general, the balcony railings are high enough to keep a child out of trouble who has both feet on the floor. But it's not a substitute for close supervision. Our rule to the children was, "Never go on the balcony unless an adult is with you".

[rjm11]

Also, the balcony doors have safety locks up high, so you can always lock the door if you are worried about a kid getting out there while you are showering (for example). But the doors are so darn heavy that it's tough to do for an adult, let alone a kid.

 

I don't think you have anything to worry about regarding the balcony, but one thing that we didn't anticipate, was the kids opening the room door, and going out into the hall, only to have it slam shut behind them (and lock). This happened a few times with our 3 year old.... on the next cruise we brought a small door "alarm"- it's about the size of a chapstick and has a magnet closure that makes a sound when broken. We put it on at night in case one of the kids got out of bed, got confused and walked out the door to the hallway. We were in a suite, so the kids were in a separate room that was actually closer to the hallway door.

 

here's a link to the alarm...

http://www.amazon.com/Safety-Technology-Magnet-Door-Alarm/dp/B000BR2DZW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1329323701&sr=8-1

[katyjeka]

We've been on several cruises with our first 3 daughters. They were very young at the time. We had balconies and felt very comfortable. This year we are cruising with our kids, and have added a fourth daughter. She will be just over 2, and is a MAJOR climber. For this reason, we opted for a SJ on the Star. She is so quick, that I just did not feel comfortable in a balcony cabin with her. Have a great time. Janice

[Laszlo]

Their is no way the railings are 4 feet tall. At least not in an aft cabin on the Gem. I'm 6'3 and the top of the railing was at my waist. Maybe 38-40 inches tall