Any lines that don't charge for an infant?

[gtaylor]

That's my basic question. Are there any lines that don't charge for an infant?

 

Just talked with Carnival and they are considered the third person in a cabin, only cabins that can sleep three are bookable and full gratuities are charged unless you go down to the customer service desk and cancel them.

 

Are other lines the same?

 

gary

[cb at sea]

Most of them do charge per person...whether you're an adult or child...some have "specials" where kids under 2 don't pay a full rate...and occassionally, there will be "babies cruise free"...but you really have to search them out....doesn't apply to every sailing. Disney and NCL come to mind. Even if you don't have to pay a fare for the child, tips should be offered for ALL "souls" in your party....you'll find that the staff will bend over backwards to make your child feel comfortable and happy....and babies do require a bit of work from both your room attendant (diapers, bedding, etc...) and the restaurant staff!

[Essiesmom]

Here's a recent thread about this:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1331608

And another:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1414004

[Sparkygirl]

We are taking 10 month old on a cruise and have settled on RCCL even though we pay for her. They offer infant play group each morning on our cruise, a fisher price toy exchange, open parent child playtime in the kids club and royal babies and tots bedtime story time each evening. Pack n plays are provided in the cabin, etc. Given all of these options paying for her doesn't seem to be a waste of money.

[SadieN]

Most of them do charge per person...whether you're an adult or child...some have "specials" where kids under 2 don't pay a full rate...and occassionally, there will be "babies cruise free"...but you really have to search them out....doesn't apply to every sailing. ...................................

 

 

Another fare to look for is "3 & 4 passengers sail for free" (or $99). Seen that offer on HAL many times.

[DiploTraveler]

I just recently went through the search. I am cruising with my 1-yr-old in November. Bottom line is that NCL charges the least for infants, then Disney, and then everyone else (they charge full price). The exception to this are the specials that have been mentioned. We decided on HAL and took advantage of their free 3rd & 4th passengers (itineraries are limited).

 

Another fare to look for is "3 & 4 passengers sail for free" (or $99). Seen that offer on HAL many times.

 

Of course, you should price out all the lines that you are interested in and compare final prices. Don't overlook gratuities. Every line handles them slightly differently. For example, NCL does not charge tips for infants. HAL does. The HAL lady that booked my cruise told me that's "just how the system is set up" and to "just remove the charges for your baby at the end of the trip". Be warned however: if you do this, you'll look like a jerk.

 

That's my basic question. Are there any lines that don't charge for an infant?

 

Just talked with Carnival and they are considered the third person in a cabin, only cabins that can sleep three are bookable and full gratuities are charged unless you go down to the customer service desk and cancel them.

 

Are other lines the same?

 

gary

 

 

Good luck and have fun!

[gtaylor]

Thanks for the information about HAL, I'll look for those.

 

And thanks for the tip re: TIPS. Hadn't really thought about that.

 

Thanks,

 

gary

[ata1976]

I don't think Carnival charges gratuities for under age 2 either. It has been a while since I cruised with a kid under 2 but for some reason I am thinking we were only charged for 2 adults on our S&S card. Then of course you can leave cash for the baby if you want to.

[globalwife]

We added our little one to our reservation without any charge for a Pullmantur Cruise. The allow kids up to two years old to travel free (no taxes, no tips, nada!) on all sailings.

[Camlott]

MSC does not charge for children.

 

But when I priced them out, it worked out to the same or more since I would have to fly to Florida vs. drive to Galveston but pay for the children.

[globalhoneymooning]

We sailed on NCL last year and they did not charge cruise fare or tips for our 9 month old, though we did give a nice tip to our room steward as the service was wonderful for our young ones. We only had to pay taxes and fuel charges for him.

 

I just booked on Cunard and they don't charge cruise fare for children up to 2 years of age. Again, I was only required to pay taxes and fuel charges. They also accept children starting at 1 years old for their kids club which is a nice perk compared to other lines. I heard they are changing the age minimum to 2 years old for 2012 sailings.

[DiploTraveler]

NCL does charge a partial cruise fare for infants. I'm not sure when it started, but it's no longer just taxes and fees.

[B_Mc]

We are taking 10 month old on a cruise and have settled on RCCL even though we pay for her. They offer infant play group each morning on our cruise, a fisher price toy exchange, open parent child playtime in the kids club and royal babies and tots bedtime story time each evening. Pack n plays are provided in the cabin, etc. Given all of these options paying for her doesn't seem to be a waste of money.

 

We also brought a 10-month old and thought the same thing as pp....but we got a great deal, only paid $75 cruise fare plus full taxes for him.

[lucigo]

You really have to look at the whole picture to compare prices. On our HAL cruise our kids were only $99, however the total cost was still more than what we have paid for some Carnival cruises. On one strange occasion it was actually cheaper for us to get three cabins with 2 people in each cabin, than to get 2 cabins with 3 each! (It was a post-Katrina thing). Look at all of the discounts available to you and go for total price to compare. :)