Safety for rooms with verandah

[scribega]

Sorry if this has been posted before, but I couldn't find any info on it.

We plan to cruise next year and we are DW does not want a room with a verandah on it because we have a 7yo and a 4yo and is concerned about them out on the verandah. All I have seen regarding this is that they do have child locks on the door, but would about the deck itself? How safe is the verandah?

I don't see at any point the kids being in the room without us in there, but my DW thinks one of them will wake up in the middle of the night and just wander out there.

 

[disneyfaninaz]

We took our daughter when she was 7 and 8 and had a verandah room. At 7 years old, your daughter may or may not be able to open the door on her own. You need to make sure that they know that they can't go out on the verandah without a parent with them. The rails on the verandah are covered with plexiglass so they can't be climbed on. They are also relatively high on an adult, so you can't learn too far over them either.

Furthermore, you can have your room steward remove the table from your stateroom if you are concerned about your kids climbing on it to get outside.

You have to do what you're comfortable with, but Disney hasn't lost anybody over their verandahs yet! Safety is their first concern.

 

[skylynx]

Additionally, the sliding doors on the verandah are really heavy and can be hard to open even for an adult. The child lock is high and out of reach and can easily be shut at night to prevent night wanderers. The lock is a bit tricky to use, too, probably easily confounding as many adults as children!

 

[mmouse37]

Many have that concern before they cruise and as a parent it is always wise to question the safety of our children... but as mentioned....DCL takes safety very seriously and literally thousands of people with small children have stayed in and used verandahs safely on DCL.

Common sense dictates that a child should never be left alone on a verandah and the likelihood of a child just being able to wander out onto the verandah in the middle of the night is slim, but you know your own children and if you feel uncomfortable then don't book a verandah. Why spend that money if you are going to worry each night before bed.

Good luck with your decision.

MJ

 

[Bekkilin]

We cruised last September with DS (6) and DD(3) - they stepped onto the verandah, took a look at the ocean (an intimidating 7 stories above the ocean's surface) and never stepped close to the rail again. But I agree with the PP, if you have daredevil kids, I would think twice. The verandahs aren't the problem... it's how your kids react to them that makes them safe or dangerous.

We loved having the verandah as the kids took naps or crashed dead asleep sometimes right after our early dinner seating; the sun and salt air seemed to knock them out! We would have been miserable if we were stuck in an inside or window stateroom with the lights on low and having to talk quietly. The verandah allowed us to turn the lights off (practically), sit on the deck chairs and sip some wine and talk normally until a more "adult" bedtime.

 

[MelissaE1]

This is understandably a common concern. On our first DCL cruise my kids were 4 and 8 and my DH was very nervous about booking a verandah. We decided to go ahead with it, and we were pleasantly surprised at how safe we felt once we were on the ship. As mentioned, the railings are covered with a piece of seamless clear plexiglass, and the top was well over DD4's head. Even at 7, it was somewhere around her forehead height. The doors are a bit hard to open anyway, and the child lock is at the top of the door -- pretty sure a child would have to work hard moving and stacking furniture, etc. to escape in the middle of the night.

Agreed that if you have "daredevil" kids that might climb up the furniture and immediately throw a leg over, you might think twice, but the staterooms are relatively small and I can't imagine them being unsupervised for even that amount of time. We were so glad we had the verandah to relax on when they were asleep, and just in general.

Good luck deciding, you'll have a great time no matter which cabin you are in!

 

[tynkerbell]

On the 2 cruises we've been on the verandah doors were not easily opened. They don't glide open like a normal sliding glass door, there takes a lot of pulling to get it open and I don't imagine that a young child would be able to do that by themselves and get out on the verandah while you are sleeping. There is also a safety lock at the top of the door that a child can't reach. The railing is covered so that it can not be stepped upon to climb over and is relatively high. Worrying about your children is completely normal, but rest assured that Disney doesn't want anyone falling overboard and does their best to ensure everyone's safety.

 

[ColoradoDisneyFreaks]

The locks to the verandah are definitely adult-proofed. All kidding aside, as stated above the sliding glass doors are quite heavy and you will certainly hear them if the kids start to open the slider.