What cruise lines charge the least for 3rd person/baby-toddler

[JACJAM]

We would like to cruise more often with our 14 month DD but don't enjoy paying $1,000 for her. It's not like she eats tons of food. What cruise lines charge the least for the 3 person. Thanks

[rebeccalouise]

Costa and MSC offer kids sale free on some but not all of their cruises. I believe NCL has a much lower rate then some of the lines for kids.

[Kerry's Girls]

Must be a ritzy cruise or route that charges $1,000 for a 3rd passenger :rolleyes:.

 

Very often the cruise lines that charge the least for a child as 3rd passenger, cost much more for the 1st & 2nd passenger, or will be MSC or Costa, which very often have "kids sail free", but are sometimes disappointing to those who are used to the mainstream liens. Best thing to do is to figure out where you want to go and see which of the cruise lines you would consider on those routes costs the least for the three of you total.

 

Is cost the only basis for the decision? Different lines will also have different options for toddlers, babysitting, group sitting, play times, etc.

 

Best,

Mia

[lauramiddl]

Hi,

 

We just paid $99 on HAL for our third and fourth passenger (both kids). It was a special. Keep in mind, however, that whatever rate you get, you must pay the same port charges and local taxes for each passenger. So, for us, $99 plus Alaskan port charges (my invoice doesn't break out the charges so I can't tell you how much that was).

[crusinmama06]

I see you are doing X and RCCL - that explains the high 3/4. :(

 

You can do a less expensive X or RCCL ship, keep an eye out for sales.

 

Or you can try Costa, MSC, NCL - or even Disney for reduced charges for children.

[China1234]

We booked not too long ago with NCL. $99 for our son. I'll take that.:)

[fivefirsts]

NCL does not charge for children under two years. We have twice sailed NCL with kids under two. NCL only charges port taxes and fees for those under 2 yrs.

[Julienatul]

Carnival is minimal too and when you combine low first and second rates its great. We are paying about $145 pp 3/4th for a balcony cabin this August.

[karen_cpa]

We paid $199 for our daughter on NCL. She turns 2 the day before we set sail.

[crusinmama06]

Carnival is minimal too and when you combine low first and second rates its great. We are paying about $145 pp 3/4th for a balcony cabin this August.

 

Agreed! My "cruise only rate" for adding in my 5 year old last month on Carnival Triumph was $30. :eek:

 

It was the port fees that raised the price to something like $200.

[A&Emom]

Not Princess!!! The 3rd & 4th passenger rate for our 2yo & 6yo on our recent Alaskan cruise was $120pp more than for the 1st 2 people in the cabin.

[Kerry's Girls]

Not Princess!!! The 3rd & 4th passenger rate for our 2yo & 6yo on our recent Alaskan cruise was $120pp more than for the 1st 2 people in the cabin.

 

It depends on the itinerary and on the sale price you're getting. For all of our Mexico cruises on Princess, the 3rd person rate was very low. For our Golden Princess cruise, there was no discount for the 3rd passenger.

 

Best,

Mia

[giantcrazy]

NCL didn't charge us for our 8 month old, only the port taxes and fees (which still amounted to a whopping $200, but you can't blame them for that).

[Peace2U]

I am also disappointed that Princess seems to charge a lot for a 3rd person. They are our favorite cruise line, so it makes me sad.:(

[Megsie1000]

HAL often seems to have sales on 3rd/4th passengers, especially for their Caribbean and Mexican itineraries.

 

We paid $49 + $82 tax/port fees for each of my children for our January 2012 HAL Eastern Caribbean cruise. Two of those were for our inside cabin (3rd & 4th passenger) and one was for my oldest child to be in a Deluxe Verandah Suite with my parents (3rd passenger). In other words, for that cruise, it didn't matter whether you were sailing in the cheapest inside cabin or the Penthouse Suite, the 3rd & 4th were $49.

 

One of the main reasons we are going back to HAL is that it is so affordable for our family. But the only downside to HAL is that there really are no babysitting options for kids under 3. But if that's not a concern for you, I would consider HAL. The food is awesome. LOL

[Champagne]

I have to pay $449 for my little guy on Celebrity and full tips. Seems high to me since he won’t be eating any food or using any of the kids club services since he’s too young. NCL has much better infant and 3rd passenger pricing.

[Kerry's Girls]

I am also disappointed that Princess seems to charge a lot for a 3rd person. They are our favorite cruise line, so it makes me sad.:(

 

This depends on the time of year and itinerary. Some 3rd person fares on Princess are a fraction of the 1st/2nd, and some are the same. And, again, you have to look at the total amount of all the fares - often Princess will be less of a total cost than another line that has lower 3rd person fares, but higher 1st/2nd. I know, because we cruised Princess many times while my girls were toddlers because Princess was the most economical. Princess is also my favorite, but now that my twins are older and know that other lines have waterslides, etc., it's hard to go back.

 

Best,

Mia

[Peace2U]

And' date=' again, you have to look at the total amount of all the fares - often Princess will be less of a total cost than another line that has lower 3rd person fares, but higher 1st/2nd. Best,

Mia[/quote']

 

Yes, we do look at total cost for the three of us. I'll keep checking.

[Woodmnky]

I am also disappointed that Princess seems to charge a lot for a 3rd person. They are our favorite cruise line, so it makes me sad.:(

We were able to get a lower 3rd person rate on Princess by going through a TA, rather than Princess directly. The Princess website still shows that all three passengers are the same price, but DS was charged less for our booking through the TA.

[Camlott]

Not Princess!!! The 3rd & 4th passenger rate for our 2yo & 6yo on our recent Alaskan cruise was $120pp more than for the 1st 2 people in the cabin.

 

I have seen this too on RCI once, that's when it is definitely better and cheaper to get connecting rooms assuming they are available!

 

If you are going to pay for two rooms (or more), you might as well just get two rooms!

[katelynno]

I booked a Royal Family Suite through RCCL. They charged me 550 for each person after the 1st 2. So my parents and infants (6 months old) were 550 a piece.

[MariahJ]

I just cruised on NCL and it was $29 for the third passenger (my 62 y/o mom) and $0 for the 4th (my 15 m/o DD). It wasn't a special promotion that I'm aware of.