Toddler on pontoon boat ?

[eellis88]

Has anyone taken a toddler (mine is going to be 2+) on a pontoon boat, such as for Illumination cruise or fireworks cruise. I am worried because he doesn't like to sit for any amount of time. Do they have seatbelts or any other way to restrain a little one ?

Thanks much !

 

[BevS97]

Could you get some reins (I think you might call them leashes) like a harness with a strap so your son can have a little freedom and you don't have to worry that he's going to go overboard.

Bev

 

[Chuck S]

I don't know about the specific boats you're asking about, but OKW has a pontoon boat that goes from OKW to DtD. Anyone under a certain age (6 I think) has to wear a life vest (provided by Disney). I think it is a Florida law. I agree that in addition to the vest, a wrist leash seems like it might be a good idea.

 

[Desnik]

We have rented a pontoon boat in the past. Our daughter was 3. She wore a life vest and walked around the boat a bit. When we were moving(we rented one on our own at the GF)she just sat still. You might not have to worry, your toddler might just be alittle intimadated by the moving boat and sit still. I would take the harness if it will ease your mind a bit.

 

[BuzzLightYear3]

My kids have done fine on the boats once they were 2+. I had more trouble when they were 12-18 months.....they always wanted to be walking at that age and couldn't understand that they had to be held at least while the boat was moving. One of them also had a fit on one particular boat ride when she was 15 months old because she did not like having to wear the vest......screemed as if we were torturing her from OKW to Downtown Disney all because she didn't want the vest on. It wasn't hurting her in any way....just one of those toddler things. I felt terrible since there were others with us on that boat. I imagine they couldn't wait to get away from us! Even though 2 year olds have reputations for, well, being 2, they at least understand what you're saying, e.g., you can get up and walk when the boat stops. I worried given some of our earlier experiences but never had a problem with a 2+ year old. It's certainly a lot of effort to keep a hand on them at every minute, but the good part is that he'll probably really enjoy the ride, and it's fun to see the world through the eyes of a 2 year old.

 

[eellis88]

Thanks for all the comments and suggestions.
As usual you got me feeling much less concerned & excited to go !

 

[dcedwards]

We did the illuminations cruise with our son when he was little over 2 years old. The thing that bothered him the most was that he had to wear the lifejacket and no one else had to. While the boat was running the captain requests that everyone stayed seated. There were times when he sat on the floor and other times when he sat on the seat. Once we arrived at our destination he was up and about. I just kept a close eye on him. But it wasn't really a problem. The boat does not have any "seat belts" or places where you can belt him in. If you are very concerned then the harness might be the best idea. On our cruise there were 6 adults and one child. We didn't have a problem, at all.

 

[mickeyfanz]

I just want to advise everyone who is thinking of using harnesses on their kids on a pontoon boat to rethink that idea. You do not want any kind of long strap hanging from a little one. If they did go over the side, the strap could get caught around something and cause them to drown. They should be fine with the life jacket and some old fashioned adult supervision. Have fun!