Full fare prices for infant of 5 months

[madelinerose]

I just posted this on another thread, because I'd really like to understand.

 

Please do not be offended, but, I've always wondered: :confused:

 

Why do people express their concerns/complain about the cost of a cruise and still book a cruise? Why not find another way to vacation where the price is agreeable to you? When there are options, would you purchase anything else in your daily life if you didn't agree with the cost?

 

Just very curious, thank you. ;)

[spookwife]

I have often wondered that myself..

 

For us, we REALLY wanted to cruise Alaska for our first cruise. However, time and logistical constraints gave a us a choice.. a 7 day Alaska cruise for over $5 grand including air and hotel, or a 7 day Mexcian Riviera for under $3,000 with no worries about flying.

 

Since it's our first cruise, we really didn't want to spend every penny of our vacation fund..just in case we get hooked and need to book another cruise right away for the Christmas standdown...;)

[Casshew]

Why do people express their concerns/complain about the cost of a cruise and still book a cruise?

 

That is a very good question :D

[Happy ks]

Read what you are paying for in your contract the baby takes none of that up. Except for maybe sheets.

 

A baby doesn't even come close to the consumption of resources that an adult does and it is preposterous to charge them the same $$ as it would cost for a full sized adult or even a child.

 

But, they are a part of the "head count" and the ship is only allowed to hold so many souls. Your child and any child, no matter the age, counts. If it were a consumption issue (I've stated this many times), there would be plenty of passengers who should really be paying 2-3 times the amount of others onboard.

 

I have absolutely no negative feelings about bringing babies, toddlers, adolescents, teens, senior citizens or all in the middle of those ages on a cruise ship. There is something for all of us and we should all try to get along. But, sorry, I've always paid my kids way and you should pay for yours. If you object and see no value in it, a different kind of vacation may work out better for you for a few years.

 

We didn't take our kids on their first cruise until they were 6 and 9 years old, when we felt like they would definitely have a memory of the trip. It was just too much money for us to be spending, when all the kids really wanted to do was go swimming. We stayed close to home travelling no more than 2 hours by car, to keep the kids from getting too bored. We had a great time with them just vegging by the pool for a few days, going to museums, going to see a few movies. Kids are very easy to entertain, they don't need the luxury of a cruise vacation to be happy.

[michmike]

Just stayed at the Hyatt in Ft Lauderdale for a couple of days prior to a cruise. A hamburger at the bar was $14 and the bfast buffet was $20. That's the cost of staying at the Hyatt. If I don't want to deal with that I can go to McDonalds or Waffle House and stay at Motel 6.

 

The cost is what the cost is. If the cruise line wants to (and can get away with) charge full price or something near it for kids then your choices are to ante up or do something different for vacation.

 

As one who purposely books cruises on a line that has fewer kids aboard and who books 10 day or longer cruises as another buffer against kids I'm just as happy that my line isn't encouraging kids and families. Not anti-kid. Had one of my own. Just don't want to spend my vacation with yours.

 

Now if I turn around and book a cruise on Disney or Royal Caribbean, well shame on me. I should have known what I was getting into and have no right to complain when 300 of those "well-behaved and well-supervised" urchins make my life miserable for a week.

 

Fire away. And please keep little johnny and susie out of the pool and hot tubs until they are potty trained.

[cuccicruisers]

Why do these threads always turn anti-kid ? It was originally a mom frustrated with the price for an infant not about can she put her poopy, screaming, knocking waiter over child in the pool.

 

With that said...

 

I have traveled extensively with my kids for business and pleasure purposes. The advice I can give you is to do your homework...you can find deals on land and sea based vacations at most times of the year if you do your research. Of course the family reunion part changes the dynamics as you are planning for a much larger group of people.

 

Good luck and have a nice trip.

[Garrick]

I don't think it's so much being anti-kid as being anti-bad parenting. I think different people have different standards when it comes to "well behaved". I love and am loved by all kids and animals, even if I'm not trying to be.

 

To adress the point made by the OP, I just don't think it's realistic to expect a huge break in price simply because a person is a toddler. I for one choose a cruise vacation because it is just about all inclusive. I don't want to nitpick about what different people consume. If one wants to save money based upon consumption, well there's easy-cruise or a land based vacation.

 

The cruiselines mostly price based upon an average, and what the market will bear. An infant, true, does not cost the cruise line as much to feed, entertain, etc. Then again that infant doesn't generate the extra revenue for them of alcoholic drinks, casino gambling, purchases in the shops, spa treatments, and maybe shore excursions.

I've been on more than a few cruises that I got so cheap that I KNOW I could not have eaten for 7 days in a resort area as cheaply as I did the cruise, much less hotel costs. I know that with fuel, salaries, food costs, upkeep etc. the cruiseline would have lost money on me if not for the extras, actually I'm a very light drinker, so they probably still lost money on me.

 

I also don't remember the OP ever coming back to the thread to clarify if the infant would be the 2nd person in the cabin or a 3rd... Their whole complaint is moot if the infant is a 2nd, since they'd pay the same total price if the infant travels, or if the OP travels alone, due to single supplement.

 

After all single supplement is more unfair, but charged for the same reasons. One person will consume less than two, but then again the ship is likely to make less on all the above extras.

[ecto04]

Garrick, I think they specified at some point that the infant would be the 3rd in the cabin. It is a bummer that it costs so much to take an infant along, but that's how it is.

 

Interestingly, when we took our Disney cruise back in 2001 (I think) kids under 12 paid a lower rate than the adult 3rd passenger fare when sharing a room with 2 adults. The following year, that changed and there was no difference between 3rd passenger child and adult. I was surprised that it was ever less for children on Disney given all the children's programming activities. It probably cost more per child for activities than per adult. Given that food for adults probably costs the line more than for children, I suppose it would even out if they were all charged the same.

 

I do find it kind of sad that there is so much child "bashing" and child "defending" on the thread. Actually, it goes on a lot on the site. No one on the thread is going to convince anyone that they should change their opinion on kids, parenting, etc. Maybe we should just let it go...

 

That being said, I can't wait until my upcoming cruise in April!!!! :D

[madelinerose]

Thanks, Casshew....hmmm...wonder if I'll get an answer? :D

 

That is a very good question :D

[Hoyaheel]

Kids are a hot button topic on every travel website I've ever visited (I'm a moderator on a Vegas website--you think the issue's hot here, you should see it there!) I typically try to keep my opinions to myself and plan my vacations according to my own priorities.

 

Which leads to MadilineRose's question--I won't take a vacation I can't afford. Do I wish everything was as cheap as driving to the beach for the weekend? Heck yes. That said, there are vacation options at almost ALL price points, and once you figure out your budget, it shouldn't be too hard to find something that will work for you. That's what I, personally, try to do. That said--I don't want to overpay for anything, so I'm somewhat obsessive about finding the best travel values:p

[musicmansmom]

I think that it is a great idea to charge full fare for children of all ages. It will keept down the amount of children on board.

 

im with you.

 

dont get me wrong, i love kids to death, especially babies, but not on a cruise. this is a time when i want to relax and enjoy myself and i have also paid alot of money for it.. to be honest, it is beyond me why parents cant leave such young ones ( under a few years old ) at home with a grandparent or other relative. there is a time and a place to take little babies and a ship is not one of them and im sure i am not the only cruiser who feels the same way. i am amazed that parents bring them on their cruise and think they are having a good time :eek: . i was very over-protective of my son when he was a baby and i only left him occasionally for any period of time, but there was always someone in the family who would love to take care of him for me for a week so i could enjoy myself for a relaxing vacation.

 

for all the inconveinences for yourself, the staff and the other passengers, how can you complain about having to pay for their passage :mad:

 

now i will go put on my '''flame-resistant suit''' ;) .

[Bluenose Sandy]

Why not shop around for a cruise that offers a reduced fare for kids/3rd occupants? As someone said, if the cruise line knows from experience that they can sell that berth to someone who will pay full fare, they won't sell it to you for your baby for cheaper. They may sympathize and wish you well, but it's a business and it's not first-come-first-served-and-pay-what-you-can.

 

It's good you're cruising with family as a reunion because you'll have enough grownups that you can take turns with the baby. At that age, they're usually happy with any rested, smiling adult! And it's much easier to become a rested smiling adult when you can catch a nap by the pool while adoring relatives spoil the baby a little.

[VentureMan_2000]

The answer is pretty simple...

 

The cruise line states that every passenger has to pay. If you can't afford it, don't go.

 

I understand your desire and thinking, but I'm taking the side of the cruiseline. A passenger is a passenger.

 

If we used your premise that cruiselines should charge based on the size of the person, and how much they would eat... then a lot of large people would be charged double.

 

 

I would never take my children on a cruise... it is just too expensive. I don't see how folks afford it. Wish I could.

 

There is no way I would take a 6 month old baby on a cruise with me... let alone pay their fare.