Safety question

[KJ1978]

Hi all - I have not cruised in 10 years and never on Holland. I have a possibly silly question, but one that is weighing on me. We are cruising on the Nieuw Amsterdam with our kids who will be 3 and 11 months at the time of sailing. I have suddenly become terribly afraid that they will be able to slip through the railings on the public decks. Can anyone who has sailed on this ship recently advise if they have plexiglass behind or instead of railings?  The pictures I saw of the promenade deck looked like just railings that a small child could easily slide between. Thanks in advance for (hopefully) easing this crazy momma’s mind!

[ski ww]

I have never seen plexiglass behind or instead of railings on any ships.

[0bnxshs]

2 hours ago, ski ww said:

I have never seen plexiglass behind or instead of railings on any ships.

Agreed, with the exception of the blue wind breaks on the Sports Deck above the Crows Nest, where it's rare to find anyone.

[cruisetheworld67]

Don't take this the wrong way....but I really question if you will enjoy this cruise.  YEs...I get it  you are traveling with your family,  but  obviously a 3 yr old and an 11 month  year old will need  constant attention. You and your husband will be  having to constantly hold hands with the 3 year old  and I assume a  stroller for the 11 month old? I  think a  bigger concern is the  3 year old getting away from you....running, falling down  and getting a  boo-boo.  Multiple times.  I do not think there is any plexiglass on the railings of the promenade deck  so be careful there.

 

I  think  you will need a vacation after the vacation cuz you already seem  stressed out.   bring toys,  games that the 3  year old likes to occupy  him.  He will want to use the pool  so spend time there with him.  Good luck.

[DeeniEncinitas]

As others have said, there is no plexiglass on the railings of the promenade decks of HAL.

Denise😊

[KJ1978]

16 minutes ago, cruisetheworld67 said:

Don't take this the wrong way....but I really question if you will enjoy this cruise.  YEs...I get it  you are traveling with your family,  but  obviously a 3 yr old and an 11 month  year old will need  constant attention. You and your husband will be  having to constantly hold hands with the 3 year old  and I assume a  stroller for the 11 month old? I  think a  bigger concern is the  3 year old getting away from you....running, falling down  and getting a  boo-boo.  Multiple times.  I do not think there is any plexiglass on the railings of the promenade deck  so be careful there.

 

I  think  you will need a vacation after the vacation cuz you already seem  stressed out.   bring toys,  games that the 3  year old likes to occupy  him.  He will want to use the pool  so spend time there with him.  Good luck.

Thanks. We actually travel extensively with the kids (even took the older one to Oktoberfest in Munich when she was 10 months!) but for some reason this fear of the railings has gotten in my head. I know people cruise with little ones all the time without incident. There was a thread about this fear on the cruising with families board and people posted a lot of pictures of the plexiglass instead of railings so I thought I’d check with the HAL experts to see if that was the case on their ships. 

[Dulciana8]

8 hours ago, KJ1978 said:

Hi all - I have not cruised in 10 years and never on Holland. I have a possibly silly question, but one that is weighing on me. We are cruising on the Nieuw Amsterdam with our kids who will be 3 and 11 months at the time of sailing. I have suddenly become terribly afraid that they will be able to slip through the railings on the public decks. Can anyone who has sailed on this ship recently advise if they have plexiglass behind or instead of railings?  The pictures I saw of the promenade deck looked like just railings that a small child could easily slide between. Thanks in advance for (hopefully) easing this crazy momma’s mind!

I know this weighs on your mind— and rightly so. You’re a mom! We all worry for the safety of our children. Go and enjoy your cruise. Do your mom thing and remain constantly vigilant while on deck, and anywhere in the ship— even if that means, for your peace of mind, that you need to avoid the promenade. I think once you see the space, and see the ship, you will be reassured. We have cruised on HAL and on Disney with our son (who is now 5), and honestly, I don’t ever recall seeing plexiglass on the promenades... we always hold his hand. Keep him away from the side rails if he is not holding our hands. The usual parent things we would do on a busy street, for example. 

 

You will be fine. Have fun. Your three year old should be old enough for Club HAL, if potty trained! Definitely go and check that out! 

Edited September 9, 2019 by Dulciana8

[RuthC]

A small child broke loose from her father's hand just as they were approaching me---on a scooter---a few cruises ago. She ran, stumbled right in front of me, and fell about one inch from my front wheels. 
We were all fortunate I was able to stop in time, as those scooters don't stop on a dime. 

If you are going to be walking with little ones in hand, please keep them tightly held at all times. 

[Jareds_mommytoo]

The lido deck area

is all closed in so they will be fine there the upper deck no, we to travel with our kids since they were babies

[mcrcruiser]

Be safe &  Have fun & enjoy your cruise with your children .😀

[Ineke]

Our daughter travelled with our active 2 year old grandson several years ago,  She had similar concerns (I really get it!) so for her own peace of mind she bought a special harness with a long strap, and put that on him whenever they went out on the promenade or Lido decks, or when disembarking etc.  The harness was soft and cute (I think his looked like a teddybear backpack). It was great, and after a few days she discovered she needed it very little, as there were many activities to keep busy.  Have a wonderful time,

[kazu]

OP - your 3 year old is old enough for Club HAL.  It’s a great children’s club with a lot of activities.  It’s offered on all ships (except the Maasdam I believe).

It might help give you a break and I’ve have several family and friends who rave about it.  They literally have to “drag their children out” when it’s over.

 

Just in case it is of help.

[fatcat04]

6 hours ago, KJ1978 said:

Thanks. We actually travel extensively with the kids (even took the older one to Oktoberfest in Munich when she was 10 months!) but for some reason this fear of the railings has gotten in my head. I know people cruise with little ones all the time without incident. There was a thread about this fear on the cruising with families board and people posted a lot of pictures of the plexiglass instead of railings so I thought I’d check with the HAL experts to see if that was the case on their ships. 

We were just on NA this past February with our then 16 month old daughter. We had a wonderful time and we are going again this winter. One of her favorite activities was sitting on our balcony floor playing with her block and watching the ocean through the plexiglass, this mesmerized her.

 

Most but not all cabin balconies have plexiglass barriers. Some have solid steel barriers. It is denoted on the deck plans. The promenade deck (3) and panorama deck (10) however do not have plexiglass. They have metal railing barriers. I think they would still be a challenge to maneuver between even for a very fast little one.

 

We did however only ever take our daughter there in a stroller (we didn't even carry her in our arms actually) whereas we let her out of the stroller inside the ship in vacant and low traffic areas. There are also some plexiglassed areas on more top decks. Between that and our balcony plus beach/excursion time she was plenty worn out by bedtime. Come disembarkation day, she did not want to leave the "boat." I know the feeling

 

The mini-review I posted on the Family Cruise forum is linked in my signature.

 

Enjoy your cruise!!

[twodjs]

Just wanted to make clear that the panels below the balcony railings are tempered glass, not plexiglass. 

[sevenseasnomad]

How fortunate your little ones are to have parents willing to expose them to the world of travel.  Many parents would depend upon grandma and granddad to keep the children while they enjoy a 2nd or 3rd honeymoon.  We always took our son with us on various trips and believed he would benefit from seeing other cultures/peoples.

 

This may sound cruel, especially to newer parents, but when my 33 year-old son was a toddler/pre-school age, I used a type of harness with a strap attached.  This way he felt as though he were walking on his own without having to hold onto "mommy's" hand, but he was safe, couldn't wander away from me.  Of course, when using this device, I never took my eyes off him.  If I was shopping and wanted to look at a dress etc., I'd pick him up and hold him for the few seconds my attention would have been diverted from him.  Perhaps something similar would give you piece of mind because your child couldn't run ahead to slip through the railings.  

 

I agree with a previous poster that your 3-year old would also love the kids' club, and this would give you a break too.  Have a wonderful time with your little ones aboard Nieuw Amsterdam.  She is a lovely ship, one we've sailed 3 times.