How easy/hard is it to go Overboard??

[Babs66]

In light of the recent missing honeymooner, and going on my first cruise, how easy / hard is it to go overboard. Not that this will prevent me from going and I am not naive nor do I do stupid things (for the most part). We are bringing my 5yr DD and we have a balcony cabin. Are the railings pretty high, I am hearing 4ft.

[KKeeganS]

I'm 5' 6" and the railings hit me about mid-chest. Also, all of the railings I've seen are solid metal or plexiglass to at least 3 1/2 feet high. They don't have rungs that intrepid kids could climb up on the get a better look. There are obviously ways that people can go overboard, since people have, but from reports I've seen it is usually someone intending to go overboard, someone being a daredevil and walking on the railings or trying to jump to an adjoining balcony and/or someone who is pretty intoxicated. Use common sense, keep an eye on your kids, of course, and you won't have a thing to worry about.

 

Have a great trip!

[MarciaL]

There are also safety locks on the sliding doors, higher up that you might want to use when you are not right with her. But I would say it is pretty safe. I'm the same, at 5' 2", the rail hits me mid chest. You would have to climb up on something to go over.

[ckrobyn]

One of my biggest fears before our first cruise was the possibility of going overboard - not for me, but for my 8 year old DD. We had a balcony cabin and we made sure she understood the "rules" even before we got on the ship. It was made clear that she was NOT to open the balcony door without one of us with her - she was not allowed to go onto the balcony without one of us with her - she was not allowed to stand on anything except the floor when she was on the balcony! I believe the balcony railing height is 4' - my DD is 4'7" - yes she's tall for 8 years old! Once I realized that she understood the rules, I relaxed a little.

 

I can only speak for my daughter and she's 8 - I don't know about younger kids, I would think they would need constant supervision. If you are worried about the balcony, you might want to consider an ocean view cabin without a balcony?

[Desertbelle]

In every balcony cabin we have had the balcony door has not been that easy to open. They have a large lever-like handle that has to be lifted and swung around to latch and unlatch....because of the need for being somewhat water tight (and rather airtight too), the door sets deep in the track, and the latch actually lifts the door up before it can be opened. Not that difficult for an adult once you get used to it, but I would think a child under 5 or 6, maybe even older, would have a very hard time doing it, and might actually be too short to swing it completely around.

 

Of course, some children are more clever (read: devious) than others and you know who's children those are!! :D

[Babs66]

Thank you - I am not as concerned now about my daughter as the top of the railing will most likely be at the top of her head, she is only 3'7" now by April she may be 4ft at the most. She follows the rules like any 5 year old and we are very diligent on her safety (DH is a firefighter so he's more anal than most) we will drill into her all the precautions, I would hate not to have a balconey as my DH used to be an offshore diver and loves the tranquility of looking out over the ocean by himself, plus the added space.

[Seapup]

I don’t think the stories are different but the more that comes out the story is updated.

 

As it stands now, they think the wife was slipped a "roofie" in her cocktail. There was lots of partying going on and not just this couple. They also think the husband may also have. If she was assaulted they don’t know, by the time the FBI got involved it was too late for tests. Often times people who are given this drug have zero memory of anything. The wife was too small to throw him over, but a group of six men from Brooklyn with Russian accents were thrown off the ship at a port soon after. These were the same men seen by two passengers carrying the husband near the Solarium late that night.

 

Just for an added tidbit, my best friends were honeymooning at a very “posh” (which I wont name or it will be pulled) all inclusive resort in Jamaica and she had the same thing done to her. Luckily her husband had been not feeling well and was not drinking. He noticed she was acting very odd and started getting very sick then passed out and could not be woken up. She was taking to the hospital and they stated this was getting more prevalent. College campuses in the US have had a very hard time with this.

 

Don’t leave a cocktail unattended no matter where you are….

[NormanW]

I will say this though:

 

Once you go over getting back is *MUCH* harder.

 

- Stuck out in thunderstorm - check

- Engine stop due to fuel filter stoppage - check

- Shocked by sparks jumping from mast - check

- Soaked to the bone from rain - check

- Fell off pier into drink - check

- Capsized tender - check

- Bitten by shark - check

- Overboard from cruise ship - negatory.

 

:)

 

Cheers,

 

Norman

[mgcoiso]

My DH and I just returned from a cruise with a 5, 8 and 11 y/o. We had a balcony cabin and never had a problem. You really aren't in the room that often and when you are you will be supervising your child anyway. We told the kids that if we saw their feet on railings at any point during the cruise they would be confined to the room...they followed directions very well :)

 

Definitely stay with the balcony cabin!!!!

[maggieworkman]

I just booked our first balcony cabin and this thought has been worrying me too. My kids will be 14 and 11 when we cruise. I just have a fear of them falling over. My only fear is that since they can check themselves into and out of the kids club, they will go back to the room when we aren't there and fall over. I will just make sure they understand the rules, like stated above - don't go out on balcony with out one of us.

 

Maggie

[beautifulbc2]

Maggie

I am with you there. I have just booked a balcony (first time) on Navigator for next year and my kids are also 11 and 14. I am sure we will have lots of fireside chats about balcony rules before we depart. I have already spoken to my 11 year daughter about balcony staterooms, the dangers of man overboard, she assures me she will behave and not fool around on the balcony.

I work on BC Ferries (the ferry between Vancouver and Victoria in BC, Canada) and we have pax who do jump overboard. Sometimes we manage to retrieve them , sometimes not!!!

:)