Is cruising safe for kids? The tragic February death of a child in a cruise ship’s pool has probably added more anxiety to the shoulders of the potential cruise parent. I can only share my experiences and what I saw on our one, rather lovely, cruise read more about it here , but maybe I can help worried parents in forming their own opinions on their child’s safety.
Before We Took Our Cruise, I Was Worried About Child Safety
I was convinced the kids would find a way to fall over the side. It is for you, fellow worrier, that I am writing this post. I know I’m not the only one to get stressed out about these things.
Stupid, I know, but I suffer from anxiety and I have the sort of boys who will always find a way to do what you least expect. These things include climbing on railings, slipping, tripping and falling at every opportunity.
I needn’t have worried. On our cruise ship we were mostly encased by glass walls. On the pool deck they were floor to ceiling, on some of the promenade decks they were so high that even I couldn’t worry. These were level with my 9 year old’s chin and totally uninviting to climbing toddlers or kids.
Are Swimming Pools Safe For Children on Cruise Ships?
I don’t worry about swimming pools. My boys, at 9 and 7, are reasonable swimmers and we have a pool in the back garden, but still I would never allow them near water without close supervision from me or my husband. If one of us is there I’m perfectly happy that they are safe.
On our cruise there were no lifeguards, no pool fences and the water was deep and moving fairly violently with the swaying of the ship. We had loads of fun in the pools, the moving water added an extra dimension of enjoyment, but it could be an issue for weak swimmers and certainly for wandering toddlers.
The lack of lifeguards on cruises seems to be something of an industry standard and has been brought up in the media. I have read that Disney Cruises have now introduced lifeguards.
I think that all this is totally fair enough. Lifeguards would be nice, but we parents are always the first layer of child protection. If kids are on the pool deck at all, they need family supervision. We would consider the whole pool deck to be the pool area, equivalent to our fenced pool areas back home. As such, it is an area that unsupervised children don’t enter.
We were very happy with safety on our cruise, the top bunks had railings and a fall would have been hard to achieve. The feared deck plummet was an impossibility and I really couldn’t find anything else to worry about. Well, other than my husband when he did this.
There is no traffic, they can’t get lost, there are plenty of well-trained staff around and we all had a wonderful time. So much so that we just booked another Atlantic crossing.
Save me to Pinterest
Did that help? I hope so. Anybody who asks me ” Is cruising safe for kids?” will be given a big yes, for that is my impression. Even with my two balls of energy. Now if you’re convinced, go check out my tips on Finding a Cheap Cruise, our latest is costing us under $30/day, really! Once on your cruise we also have tips on maximising your budget. Enjoy your ship!
Hope
Friday 15th of June 2018
Thank you for this! I am going on my first cruise in September with my 4 year old and almost 2 year old. I have been having horrible nightmares of one of my boys somehow climbing a railing and falling off the ship. Im glad Im not the only anxiety ridden crazy mom lol.
Alyson Long for World Travel Family
Friday 15th of June 2018
You are SO not alone!
Victoria
Monday 24th of March 2014
Thanks for this Alyson. Even though my boy is now 12 (two days ago), I still worry but it's good to know.
Sharon
Monday 24th of March 2014
PS I want to keep adding comments so i can catch butterflies on your new comment spam catcher - love it!!
Sharon
Monday 24th of March 2014
I had a few people question whether our cruise was safe with kids, but I can't say I did at all. It was fine, far safer than any other trip we have taken I would say, as I most paranoid about cars and traffic when it comes to my kids safety. They are only 2 and 3 though (1 and 3 when we did the cruise).
I couldn't see anywhere they could fall off. Our kids are too young to go in the pools alone, and my son wasn't allowed in them anyway (although that is a sore point for us!). They were never full on our ship either, and I think our ship was close to full.
Anita
Sunday 23rd of March 2014
We love cruising but the pools are a very scary place! If I remember rightly, your cruise was pretty light on kids. Both our cruises have had thousands of children on board and the pools are a nightmare - I can easily see how children could have an accident, even being watched.
I stand at the side of the kids pool and watch my youngest daughter. But when the pools are packed, and you can often only see the tops of heads, it is SO hard to keep track of her! There were numerous times where I lost sight of her for long enough for her to get in trouble. So, we have adapted our pool play for safety: We let them stay up later and go to the pools at night when there's less kids. We swim on port days. We know before we go that there's so much to do, swimming in the pools will not be a priority. Cruising is definitely safe for kids but just have a plan for a busy pool. :-)
alyson@worldtravelfamily
Sunday 23rd of March 2014
That's an interesting point Anita. Yes our ship was 2/3 empty. There wasn't a particular kids pool, there was a kids play area with water jets and a paddling pool, too young for our kids, but no designated kids pool. 2 deep pools plus hot tubs on the pool deck plus an over 18s only area with pool on another deck. We're always in the water with ours so a packed kids pool sounds pretty unappealing! We'd probably just avoid it, none of us is that keen on being in pools that you can't really swim in. But they adored the slides, same there, one of us always went up with them, one was at the bottom.