DCL Removing Verandah Tables Due to Safety Concerns

Developing Story: Today, we received a tweet from Mikki Fowler, with news DCL removed the table on her verandah. Upon further discussion with her stateroom host, Mikki learned the tables were removed from all balconies aboard the Disney Dream over safety concerns with a high number of kids using them as stools to see over the balcony.

https://twitter.com/mikkiluvsmickey/status/847883363566456832

It is unclear if this is a fleet wide change or just a safety measure taken on the Disney Dream, or just a misunderstanding. I reached out to DCL for comment and clarification the matter and will update this post with any information they choose to share.

A few early twitter replies echoed my thoughts, how long until they remove the chairs?

https://twitter.com/3oclockbeatwrtr/status/847884718938968064

I joke, but frankly the chairs can easily be used in a similar manner, if not easier with the back of the chair as support.

UPDATE

Following the publication of this article, we heard from many of you that the tables have been gone for a few months. However, in contrast I did receive an email from a passenger who debarked the Wonder on earlier this week informing me there was indeed a table on their balcony.

https://twitter.com/auburnrunnermom/status/847965715831414784

Judi reported that she was able to request a table, as the ships have a limited number remaining onboard for guests to request on a first come first serve basis.

https://twitter.com/auburnrunnermom/status/847969217345466368

https://twitter.com/auburnrunnermom/status/848145172277981184

Again, this is a developing story, but feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section below.

UPDATE 2

In a follow up conversation with a guest just off the Dream, I’ve learned onboard staff informed them the tables were removed during dry dock for refurbishment and this takes time to complete and are being returned as the refurbishment is competed. Mind you, the Disney Dream returned from her first dry dock in October 2015. That is not a typo, 2015.

59 Replies to “DCL Removing Verandah Tables Due to Safety Concerns”

      1. DJ

        THIS!!!
        I couldn’t agree more Scott!!

        This is a bummer. We love getting stuff from the buffet, and bringing it out on our balcony. We even ate room service out there. This stinks! I should bring a collapsible table this summer to eat up on the balcony!

        Reply
  1. Brenda Stefanski & Joe

    Sure was nice having that table for your morning coffee. Watch folks just move the round table from inside out to the balcony.

    Reply
    1. DJ

      Brenda,
      I was thinking the same thing! People are going to drag the room table out there. They will reverse this.

      Reply
  2. Chris

    I wonder (no pun intended) that if on a reservation it says child under a certain age, if they are automatically pulled. Just read a report that a family just got off the Dream and the tables were all there, and another that said they watched the sail away and the Dream had tables on concierge balconies. It could be this is the first trip. Or wouldn’t be the first time that a cm got a message mixed up or got lost in translation.

    Reply
    1. Sheila

      Couldn’t agree with you more Lorraine! Its too late after an inquisitve child has climbed and gone over. Thats why we always booked a room with a porthole’ didnt want the stress……

      Reply
  3. Izabela

    I understand where they coming from but its still disappointing that all that happens due to parents not supervising their children! We often travel without the kids and I think we should have an option of being able to call guest services and have a table! You pay more for balcony cause you want to enjoy it! I guess now I’ll have to keep my wine on the floor and no more breakfast on the balcony! Very sad!

    Reply
  4. Janet

    It makes absolutely no sense. If someone is so worried about their child climbing on the furniture they should book an ocean view or inside and leave the balconies (and tables) to the adults and parents who actually supervise their children. We use that table all of the time. We eat meals out there, order wine and and a cheese platter for sail away, morning coffee, etc. etc. And as someone mentioned above, now people will just pull the coffee table out there. Heck, I might be one of them!

    Reply
    1. Scott Sanders Post author

      Seems the issue is more about those that are not watching or simply allowing the behavior. Guests concerned will use the double lock on the door and supervise children. I know we had the discussion that the chairs are for sitting and the tables are for setting things on.

      Reply
  5. Tammi

    My daughter is almost 10. Her first cruise was when she was 8. She won’t let me book a Verandah room because she’s afraid she’ll fall over. It saves me money and if it makes her feel more comfortable, that’s all that matters. I wish more kids and parents would be responsible so everybody else doesn’t have to pay the price for the irresponsible ones.

    Reply
  6. Dorothy

    I hope this doesn’t create more work for the stateroom hosts, having to provide and/or take away tables. I will be very aggravated if my verandah on my next cruise does not have a table.

    Reply
  7. Stacey

    We just booked a verandah room on the Dream and it better have a table. What is next, take away the chairs too? If it is an issue, why not just bolt the tables and chairs down? I don’t think it is fair that I paid a premium to have a verandah room and now may not have a table on the verandah. Maybe parents should teach their kids to not climb on things. Or even better, be a parent and watch your kids when they are on the verandah. They should be supervised on the verandah regardless of if there are chairs and tables on it or not.

    Reply
  8. Pam

    I have read all the comments and think that everyone’s feelings are 100% on the money. (Request a table from housekeeping, don’t get a verandah stateroom, what’s the difference if a kid stands on a table OR chair, etc.) I’ll add to the potential scenarios and wonder what’s to stop a kid from pulling over a chair surrounding the interior of Decks 4 or 5 to look over the railing and down into the atrium? Where does this end? But the most important comment mentioned has been that this issue goes back to parenting. However, I’m going to take it a step further. I believe its these same parents who don’t raise their children with a strong influence of communication within the family. These parents need to talk, teach and educate their children, in this case about their safety while on vacation and onboard the ship. It’s just that important. That’s my two cents.

    Reply
  9. Carin Davis

    We started cruising DCL when our twins were 5, and we somehow managed to use the verandah furniture appropriately. I certainly hope on our next cruise this summer the table is on the verandah. If not I will certainly be asking for it to be replaced.

    Reply
  10. Lauren

    I have to agree with everyone else. Our kids were just shy of 2 and 4 on our first cruise, and we supervised them on the balcony. They are 4 and 6 now, and we still supervise them. Where am I supposed to put my wine glass and cheese plate without a table?

    Reply
  11. miriam weir

    well I certainly hope other lines do not follow suit–our balcony is our favorite part of the cruise-peaceful, quiet, so beautiful–no need to have a balcony room if you cant use it

    Reply
  12. Chris

    Going on the assumption that DCL really are removing the tables, what I would do, is to go to GS and request one. If they get enough requests and nice enough wth are you thinking, they might start putting themback.

    Reply
  13. MizRispee

    I love ordering room service in the morning and taking the tray out on the balcony to enjoy the peace and quite while having cofee & breakfast, but without a table, that means I’m either balancing it on the extra chair,OR set it on the balcony floor (ewwww!), OR last option is leaving the tray and food in the cabin, going back and forth for food/drink (so much for being quiet while my husband sleeps in!).

    I realize that some verandas have the metal balcony (under the railing) while other (higher) categories have the Plexiglas balcony whereby kids of any age shouldn’t have a need to use the tables as stools. But, DCL is taking this proactive stance a bit too far IMO.

    Reply
  14. CG

    We go on the Dream a LOT and I noticed that the table was gone fro our room on our 4 day cruise that departed March 13. I thought maybe just our table was missing so looked on the veranda HS on either side and they were gone too.

    Reply
  15. Brian

    There’s got to be an alternative to keep kids safe and still provide folks with a table. Before bashing parents for not watching their kids or claiming the kids are unruly, take a step back and recognize that even the best behaved kids make some poor choices and even the best parents don’t catch everything. Removing all the tables is extreme, so hopefully smarter heads will come up with a logical solution that manages safety and comfort.

    Reply
  16. Nichole

    I have a brilliant idea… how about parents actually supervise their children. Ridiculous! I can’t even count how many times I was whacked “accidentally” with a light saber during our cruise two weeks ago. How about the little darlings don’t fight with them in the dining rooms. :/

    Reply
  17. ringegl

    I, too, love our balcony furniture and use it all the time. However, I was on one particular cruise where the family next door DID NOT supervise their children, and a little girl was forever climbing on that table and looking over the edge – while we were sailing. It was very disturbing for me, as any one of us could tell what was possible. Then I’d hear a parent yell out from the cabin to the little girl, but was there a parent nearby her… NO! I ended up not even using my balcony that much on that trip because it was just too stressful. Totally agree that the issue is parenting and not the furniture, and that chairs can be used the same way. But Disney is probably trying to be less liable for problems. Ugh.

    Reply
    1. Scott Sanders Post author

      DCL would take a huge PR hit if a kid went over. The more I think about this is that they know there is a rampant issue and are doing something to reduce the liability.

      Reply
      1. John

        I don’t think you can go “out to sea”. Deck 5 (on the Dream/Fantasy) extends further out than other decks. In a worst case scenario, a kid would land on that deck (which still would not be good but the kid would not be lost at sea). This obviously is the result of some event on the ship or another cruise line’s ship, and Disney is being paranoid. I will not be surprised that after dry dock of the Fantasy in May, that the table and chairs are not bolted.

        Reply
  18. Laura thompson

    You can’t have a balcony with no furniture and a chair can do the same as a table for standing on. I would be pulling the chair or stool out of the stateroom to use as a table. We sit outside all of the time and use the table for our books and drinks. Also have our breakfast out there.

    I could see removing it if there are kids in the room or leave it up to the guest if they want it removed.

    People need to be somewhat responsible for themselves.

    Reply
  19. Tony

    From shoreside Concierge today:

    Thank you for reaching out!

    While we are always reevaluating our policies and procedures to ensure the safety of our Guests, at this point in time there has been no change in the standard furnishings on our stateroom verandahs.

    Occasionally, some of the verandah or stateroom furnishings may be removed in order to be upgraded or refurbished. Currently, we are aware that some decks on the Disney Dream have had their verandah tables temporarily removed for resurfacing. Other decks on the ship – including Concierge decks 11 and 12 – still have the standard furnishings in place. Although those furnishings are always subject to change, we have made no major changes to them at this time.

    Please let us know if there’s anything else we can assist you with!

    Reply
    1. Chris

      I was starting to wonder (again no pun intended….) if it was ship specific or something else, since the only stories were seeing is from the Dream. Havent seen or heard anything from the other ships at all.

      Reply
  20. Robin Leininger

    IF the following information is true, then there has been a lot of mistaken blame placed on very innocent families. I just don’t want anyone jumping to conclusions. I will admit that even this explanation doesn’t seem like it would be 100% correct since this is the kind of thing that’s done during dry docks…not in the middle of a sailing. But, again, I’m not going to pass judgment on anyone before all info is confirmed. Just saw this posted on a Facebook fan page: (response to a guest’s question at Shoreside Concierge) “Thank you for reaching out!
    While we are always reevaluating our policies and procedures to ensure the safety of our Guests, at this point in time there has been no change in the standard furnishings on our stateroom verandahs.
    Occasionally, some of the verandah or stateroom furnishings may be removed in order to be upgraded or refurbished. Currently, we are aware that some decks on the Disney Dream have had their verandah tables temporarily removed for resurfacing. Other decks on the ship – including Concierge decks 11 and 12 – still have the standard furnishings in place. Although those furnishings are always subject to change, we have made no major changes to them at this time.
    Please let us know if there’s anything else we can assist you with!”

    Reply
    1. Robin Leininger

      I see that the person who posted this in the Fan page already shared it above…. Still, we can not jump to conclusions about the reasonings or timing of DCL’s actions; nor should we place blame with only speculation. No one wins when you do that.

      Reply
  21. Brenda

    We were on the Dream in a verandah last month, no table. Kept us from enjoying our bottle of wine or coffee in the mornings out there. ? Will be on the Magic next weekend. Really hoping for a table…

    Reply
  22. Kyle

    I have never posted a comment here but had to on this topic since I also have some interesting info on this.

    We sailed on a very merrytime cruise on the Dream in an extended balcony room. We’ve stayed in the same room twice. 4th Disney cruise, 2 on the dream. In April 2016 there WERE tables. In Dec. 2016, there WERE NO TABLES on the verandas for any of the balconies near us.

    We like to cruise to relax and enjoy the privacy of the verandah and tend to eat meals out there, enjoy a night cap, etc. immediately on boarding in December, we noticed there was no table. We called guest services in addition to requesting one from our stateroom host. Both informed us that the tables had been removed due to safety concerns. We expressed that we had one in the past and they told us unfortunately they were no longer available. I searched back then and didn’t see any comments online and assumed it was just a weird scenario and left it at that. Crazy this is just now popping up 4 months later.

    Reply
  23. Pam

    The comments made about the table issue has proven to be a very lively discussion. I have enjoyed reading all the comments. I will also echo Scott with a thanks to Tony for his comments. That said, I never knew so many people order the cheese platter for enjoying quiet time on their verandahs! I’ll have to do that next time!

    Reply

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