Do they charge the same for a 19 month old?

[jvajzp]

I have emailed and called my TA to ask, but have not received a response yet. We are booked to leave on the Glory on Aug 12. There are 4 of us in a cabin and now, guilt is setting in because I had decided to leave our youngest (19 months) at home with family so that we would be able to have a little more freedom to do more on excursions and things like that. (Big plans for her at home with family - like going to pool and beach etc) Well, now I am really having second thoughts. Does anyone know if they charge the same amount for a baby as they do everyone else? Thanks in advance!

[klfrodo]

yes they do at the 3rd and 4th person rate. If that rate is applicable on your sailing.

[silentbob007]

Yes, they charge the same amount because your child would take up a berth on the ship, and you would still be expected to tip for the child, as well. The other problem you would run into would be having 5 in a cabin ....

[sd1029]

Yes, I just booked a cruise and there are four of us in a cabin. I had to pay the same extra passenger fee for a 6 month old as I did for a 35 year old. However if the child is under 2 at time of sailing you don't have to pay the automatic tip for the child. There are other cruise lines that don't charge for young children, but I still found Carnival's prices cheaper.

 

From Carnival website:

 

2. Pre-Paid Gratuity Policy - Gratuities are pre-arranged and paid at the time of booking or any time up to two weeks prior to the sail date.

All guests on each booking must prepay the gratuities, with the exception of children under two. The pre-paid gratuities can not be removed once the booking has been ticketed. The guest will not have the option to adjust the gratuities (up or down) based on the level of service received during the cruise.

[HeidiHo]

Yes you would have to pay the going rate for 3rd/4th person but you can't put 5 in a cabin on a Conquest Class ship (Glory is Conquest Class).

[Ms_Pammy]

I say just go and enjoy some free time. I think that if you did take to 19mo you would not be able to use camp carnival.....I think its for 2 & up....not positive on this though.

[GoinCruisin]

I say just go and enjoy some free time. I think that if you did take to 19mo you would not be able to use camp carnival.....I think its for 2 & up....not positive on this though.

 

That is correct... 2 and up. So he/she won't be able to use Camp, the pools, etc. Good luck in making your decision!

[jvajzp]

I didn't realize she wouldn't be able to go to Camp Carnival!! Now, I am really going to have a hard time deciding. At first, I had no problems with the decision I made about leaving her here with our family, but now....I have this overwhelming feeling of guilt and am asking myself how I even THOUGHT about leaving her.

 

So, she can't get in ANY of the pools either? She will be ALMOST 21 months when it is time for our cruise...PLEASE GIVE ME YOUR OPINIONS...WOULD YOU LEAVE YOUR YOUNGEST HOME???? We are taking the older two...10 and 4. Thanks for you opinions!!!:eek: :eek: :eek:

[salty dingo]

There are children's wading pools on each ship. I do not know the policy but I would not hesitate to dip my 21 month old in the kiddie pool. You just can't leave her there unattended. And no diapers in the pool!!

 

Since you can't have four in the cabin plus the child, you will be faced with paying for a second cabin, which will greatly increase the cost for everyone. That's a hefty price to pay to avoid the guilt trip. Look at it this way... you will have to let go sometime, so it may as well be on the cruise.

[LittleBit]

leave the baby at home!

as you've noted, you do have to pay the full fare (or 3rd/4th person rate) and baby can't use the pol, the hot tub, camp carnival, etc. A 5th person would also put you into a second room

 

the little one will have more fun at the local pool/beach and being doted on by other family meembers, the older ones will get a chance to have special "grown-up time" with mom & dad (heck, I woulda left the 4 year old home too)

 

baby won't know the difference, and the oldest one will be out of the house before you know it - use this as a way for her/him to start being a preteen...

 

my nieces and nephews (and younger cousins) have all had the chance to spend "alone" time with Gram and Gramps (particularly at a younger age) and now they appreciate the fact that they have a place they can go to feel special (at ages 15, 14, and 12, they choose to spend time individually staying at Gram and Gramps house and being treated like royalty!)

[big_duck]

PLEASE GIVE ME YOUR OPINIONS...WOULD YOU LEAVE YOUR YOUNGEST HOME????

 

In a heartbeat. That is what Grandparents are for.

[kmtjones803]

Yes, they charge the same amount because your child would take up a berth on the ship, and you would still be expected to tip for the child, as well. The other problem you would run into would be having 5 in a cabin ....

 

You aren't expected to tip for those under 2 years of age..

[Cotton]

Besides the fact that your 21 month old won't be allowed in Camp Carnival OR the pools (swim diapers not allowed either), PLUS the fact that you will have to have two cabins (= $$$) - I'd say leave the little one at home.

 

She will have a blast having all the grandparent's attention, and you say the plans for a fun time with her are already lined up. She'll probably be MUCH happier at home with them - at "Camp Grannie"! And - you wouldn't be so tied up. 24 hrs. a day - no free time whatsoever.

 

Don't do the guilt trip - you'll all be happier if you stick w/your original plan!:)

[kmtjones803]

Also wanted to add...we have brought our daughter with us on 2 cruises at age 10 mos and 16 mos. We are going in Sept, she will be 23 mos old, and we ARE leaving her home for the first time :( There are things you can't do with a toddler and we would like to try some different things that are baby-free....I am very upset over it, but I know it was be ok...

 

Miranda

[MommyTheMaid]

I was in the same shoes as you. I have 4 children with the youngest two being twins. We planned a Disney World vacation and left the twins (age 2 at the time) home with family. With the cost of the vacation and that they probably won't remember the trip at that young age, I decided to leave them home with family. Best decision I ever made. I felt it wouldn't be fair to my older kids to have to leave the park for naps for the twins. My twins to this day don't resent us for it as we took them all to Disney World again when they were older and would appreciate it and remember it! I do know how you feel, but trust me, save the money now and take them when they will enjoy it!

[starketcher]

Leave her with family,. They are probably looking forward to having time with her and she will not know you left her to go on vacation. Just make sure you call home often, just to make yourself feel better. (Heck, I still feel guilty and miss my 18 y/o son when I am gone, but I have found as long as I stay in contact thru email (not an option for you!) or phone, I feel much better---he, on the other hand, does not care one way or the other....even at 18 he brags about leaving him where his grandmother can "pet" him!

[ratherBcruizin']

You're going to get some extremely varied opinions on this. My personal experience is this: I went on a "girls only" trip last May on the Glory. My dd was 21 months at the time I went and stayed at home with daddy. I thought it was going to be great. Relaxing, drinking, laughing with the girls, reliving old stories.....well it was good for the first 3 days! After that I was miserable!:eek: I literally sat on deck in St. Thomas and cried. I wanted to go home so badly. After a few minutes I sucked it up for "my gal pals" and did the best I could enjoying the time left. (sometimes it was fine and a sometimes I needed a few minutes to compose myself.)

 

When my dh and dd picked me up at the airport I was bawling before I'd even seen my dd. I was just beyond excited about holding her. That was it for me. I haven't left her longer than an overnight since.

 

Like I said each person is comfortable with different things. I thought I'd be fine. Dh and I had went on a 3 night cruise to celebrate our anniversary the year before when dd was around 8 months and we did okay. More than happy to come home but it was nice to lay around and rest with dh for a few days. I guess for me personally I was ok with 3 nights, however 7 was just way too long. Good luck with your decision. I know it's a tough one. :)

[jvajzp]

You are starting to remind me of why I made that decision in the first place...I was beginning to feel like a "bad mom" there for a little while! This is our very first cruise and I do want my older children to be able to enjoy this as much as possible (and me too!) and it would be hard if we had to work around naps, temper tantrums, etc...She is a great little girl, but she's starting to realize ther is a degree of indepence that she really enjoys.

 

Well, I think I have gone back to my initial decision to let her stay with her grandparents!! THANKS AGAIN!!

[Darcy03231]

I'd leave her home. We did that when our children were really little and both the children and the grandparents had a great time. We did too as we knew they were well cared with relatives.

[ratherBcruizin']

You are starting to remind me of why I made that decision in the first place...I was beginning to feel like a "bad mom" there for a little while! This is our very first cruise and I do want my older children to be able to enjoy this as much as possible (and me too!) and it would be hard if we had to work around naps, temper tantrums, etc...She is a great little girl, but she's starting to realize ther is a degree of indepence that she really enjoys.

 

Well, I think I have gone back to my initial decision to let her stay with her grandparents!! THANKS AGAIN!!

 

I think that's a good idea. After I posted above I thought of some things I wanted to add. I took our then 13 month old on a cruise and it was rough to be honest. She was teething, not sleeping well and overall just grumpy. Add that to the brutal heat and she would've been much happier at home!

 

Since all your plans are made and your little one already has plans too, might as well leave it alone. Have a good trip!

[jvajzp]

ratherbcruizen -

 

I can completely relate to your story. I was starting to imagine that my trip would probably end up like yours, but I am hoping that I will be able to justify it enough by convincing myself that the youngest would not have a good time. I think I will stick to my guns and go for it!

 

This may sound a little over the top, but my youngest daughter loves to watch and listen to a little video clip I have on my phone of us talking to each other...I am wondering if it would be a constant reminder that I am not there if I left one for her to watch or if it would be a comfort? I will have to think about it for a while...

 

Can you tell that I over-analyze things WAY TOO MUCH?????:eek:

[ratherBcruizin']

I think your daughter would like the video clip! If something happens that it does seem to cause her discomfort, just tell the grandparents not to show her again. I think another thing that will make a difference is that you have other children to experience the cruise with. It'll be great to see how excited and amazed they are! You'll be able to share things with them that you wouldn't if you were taking care of a small child. That should make a difference if you keep that in mind. And if it is tougher than you imagined, then you won't do it again. That's how I found out, live and learn!

 

Enjoy your trip!