Balcony Cruising with kids - Symphony

We will be cruising for our first time WITH kids in September 2019. A 2 year old and a 4 year old.... on the Symphony.

Quick question - my gma has generously booked us in balcony staterooms for this trip but I am a little concerned about the access my boys will have to the balcony. They're adventurous little dudes and while we OBVIOUSLY plan on always being on the balcony when they are out there.... i

Theres still worries about them getting out there on their own. Other than the obvious of locking the door... any advice or tips on extra ways to secure the balcony door? Or is this something I would really need to worry about?!

I have read that the lock can't be reached by the children. My recommendation never leave your kids alone in the cabin.

They will NOT be able to open the door on their own, if you lock the "child lock"...I have trouble with it!!! And, you will never be more than a few feet away from anyone in the cabin...they aren't very large! No worries! Your kids will NOT escape or fall off the balcony!

A balcony is GREAT with small kids...gives you a place "to be" when they're napping or down early for the evening.

The locks are at the top of the doors. I have not done this but I know people have had the furniture removed from the balcony so kids cannot climb. I have also heard of people putting a bell around the handle of the door. We have a 3 year old and we love having a balcony they can sleep and we can relax on the balcony. Enjoy and don't worry!!!!

I don't think you need to worry. Balcony doors are very heavy. There is usually a lock at the top, but just the sheer weight would make it almost impossible for a child to open.

Standard balcony cabins are very small compared to a hotel room. You will never be more than a few feet away from the kids!

I understand your concern. But the doors are very heavy, and even sometimes hard for ME! Someone even mentioned removing the patio furniture out there, so there could be no climbing around...not a bad idea if you’re worried. The rail and the plastic/glass/whatever it is underneath it, would cut off the view from a child’s height. Just my opinion.

Would you feel more comfortable moving your room to something other than a balcony? Would your grandma understand?

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We have traveled with Little’s in balcony rooms in hotels and in ships.

My advice is to explain the rules to your

Children about not going out alone and that it’s important we are all safe out on the balcony because if we are not making safe choices, we could fall all the way down to the water. I would also remind them that it’s not a playground so they should not be running climbing etc. I would encourage them to look at the water thru the class railing assuming you are on a deck with one.

Then I would use the child lock at the top of the door whenever we were not outside. It’s a heavy door and would be difficult to open even if not locked. I like the idea of the bell as well but it depends on it the bell would wake your children up if you used the balcony space when they were sleeping.

I would NOT give up the balcony - it will make your trip more relaxing!

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No balcony, no cruise for us. Just so you know, it takes all of the strength I can muster to open the balcony door, no matter which ship we are sailing. Together, two small children would find it almost impossible to open a balcony door. As many have posted there are child locks on the door. Enjoy your cruise with your family.

Actually I have often commented that people need to be more concerned about the cabin door, and same thing in hotels.

Older kids can open cabin door thinking it's the bathroom or whatever and end up out in the corridor. Door will automatically close and lock them out. I have seen this happen either accidentally or kids just exploring and all those cabins look alike.

Recommend using safety lock, chain, or whatever door has, especially when in for the night.

I recently was on Oasis with our 3 & 5 year old and I had the same concerns pre-cruise. The following is what I wrote on my trip report when we returned-it’s very consistent with the previous responses above:

“BALCONY SAFETY: Side note about balcony safety for all of you neurotic parents with little ones. If you have never been on a cruise and you are waking up having nightmares about your kids sneaking out while you sleep and climbing overboard, you are paranoid and you are not alone. I had this unfortunate nightmare like 800 times before the cruise even though I logically knew that if little kids were falling from cruise ship balconies galore it would be very bad for the industry and it’s just not something that happens. Nonetheless, I was paranoid.

Here were my observations from our balcony:

1) the height of the glass was very high, so there was no way my little guys could climb overboard without a chair (even then I doubt they could do it, though this is a theory I never care to test).

2) The door was HEAVY. Like Hella-Heavy. There is no way either of them could have opened it even if it was unlocked. Even I had to use both hands and some elbow grease to get it open.

3) I would know when the handle lock was unlocked because the door would be slightly ajar and I would hear loud wind, so there really was no “forgetting” to lock the handle.

4) And if all else failed, there was a child lock they could not reach.

All of the above plus some common sense, like making a rule that kids don’t touch the door handles or open doors without mommy and daddy, and are NEVER allowed to climb on chairs on the balcony (even if parents are out there) or be on the balcony without mommy and daddy, and your fears should be alleviated.

The balcony issue never even crossed my mind once we were on the ship and my paranoid dreams thankfully did not join us for the cruise vacation…”

We've sailed with our DD and her family since our older DGS was fourteen months old; the boys are eight and five now. DD shared your anxiety, but there was never a problem because of all the reasons PP's have mentioned.

I do think you'll find the extra room on the balcony to be a very good thing. The boys love to sit on the balcony (with an adult present, of course) and watch us sail into a new port early in the morning, especially If they can see the pilot boat. And they can play with their cars and trucks on balcony floor. The balcony was also a convenient place to stow a stroller.

I think DD would tell you that sitting on the balcony at night and watching the stars while sipping an adult beverage is one of her favorite parts of a cruise. It also made nap time much easier.