Are there any onboard programs for an 18 month old?

[mkerner]

My son has a young child that will be 18 months of age if they chose to cruise with us. Are there any programs for a child this young?

 

Thanks.

[CI66774]

I don't believe there are any group "babysitting" or kid clubs for that age. There may be places where you can go and play with your child. But I believe you have to be there. Disney and RCI have nurseries for that age.

[giselleacttwo]

We'll be cruising with our 2 year old on an Princess upcoming cruise. There are no "drop off" programs for children that young on Princess; however, unlike many other cruise lines they do allow parents to accompany toddlers into the kid's club to play with toys and do activities. You just can't leave them there unattended.

 

ETA: Minimum age for drop off is 3 and is strictly enforced.

[dedosr]

Are they aware they will have to pay the full 3rd person rate for their infant?

I think that is such a shame that they charge for an infant but they do.:mad:

[Hlitner]

Are they aware they will have to pay the full 3rd person rate for their infant?

I think that is such a shame that they charge for an infant but they do.:mad:

 

Some folks might argue they should charge more for infants and young children :) Many years ago (we are going back to Sitmar days) we were on a cruise (Fairwind) where there were 2 infants in the adjacent cabin. These babies were not happy cruisers are were up screaming every night (and the walls were thin). After 2 sleepless nights we managed to get moved to another empty cabin. Later talked to the parents of those two babies (twins about 8 months old) and the mother told us she was ready to pull her hair out! Seems one of her babies was constantly sea sick (or that is what they thought) and there is not much that is sadder then a sea sick baby. The Mom said she and her husband were taking shifts at night with one of them sleeping in a deck chair (on deck) so they could get some sleep.

 

Hank

[Loonbeam]

The reason they do is that they are limited to a certain number of souls on board, and everyone counts, so an infant occupies the same slot as another potential passenger.

 

The pricing system is based on average cabin occupancy (which I think is around 2.42)

 

Are they aware they will have to pay the full 3rd person rate for their infant?

I think that is such a shame that they charge for an infant but they do.:mad:

[skynight]

My son has a young child that will be 18 months of age if they chose to cruise with us. Are there any programs for a child this young?

 

Thanks.

 

No, Princess' programs start at 3 years old. Here is what it says in the Princess FAQ:

Children Under 3 , To participate in our Youth Program, children must be at least 3 years old and potty trained. However, children under 3 are welcome to join in the fun if supervised by a parent at all times.

 

 

 

Children must be potty trained to use the swimming pools, swim diapers don't count. Also, you will pay the full fare or 3rd person fare for the child, plus the child will be charged the Hotel Fee (auto-tip) of $11.50/day ($12.00 for suite or mini suite).

[Cruisin' Chick]

Are they aware they will have to pay the full 3rd person rate for their infant?

I think that is such a shame that they charge for an infant but they do.:mad:

 

We have always been given a reduced rate for our daughter as the third passenger. It was pretty substantial on our last three cruises, which were all two-week cruises. It's not based on age, but it makes sense that there isn't a infant sails-for-free promotion on many cruiselines*: each person, no matter the age, is counted as a passenger (many here will refer to a "soul"). There is a total capacity for any ship, and as the cruise lines see it, an infant not only take up a slot, but isn't going to be producing any secondary online revenue as say as a drinking, gambling adult would probably produce.

 

Plus, you would be expected to pay auto-gratuities for each passenger, no matter the age.

 

But as a parent, I could easily see how much care my little one was given by the cabin steward (she was in diapers or pull ups for her first two cruises so you can imagine how much fun that was for the steward), the wait staff, and many other crew members (many of which have little ones back home that they are working to provide for).

 

On her first cruise, my daughter was one month too young for Camp Carnival, but it ended up still being a fun cruise for hubby, the girl and I as it was so much fun watching the girl discover the ship. She actually didn't fuss at all and totally enjoyed the production show (we were in the back prepared to leave if needed). She just went in December on her eighth cruise, fifth on Princess, and she still enjoys the shows.

 

 

*some cruiselines do have child-sails-for-free promotions from time to time, but these are usually when demand is down (when school kids are in school, so they doesn't work for us) and/or on cruiselines I'd like to avoid.

[roomba920]

Are they aware they will have to pay the full 3rd person rate for their infant?

I think that is such a shame that they charge for an infant but they do.:mad:

 

 

I believe infants are up to 1 year of age, then toddlers are between 1 - 3 years old, or when a child begins to walk.

[nedward]

Are they aware they will have to pay the full 3rd person rate for their infant?

I think that is such a shame that they charge for an infant but they do.:mad:

 

By the same token (although a bit tongue in cheek), if drivers can count kids in car seats as a qualifying passenger to access the HOV lanes on the freeway, then they should count as a passenger on the ship as well!

 

Regards, Ned

[Muscleshop]

*some cruiselines do have child-sails-for-free promotions from time to time' date=' but these are usually when demand is down (when school kids are in school, so they doesn't work for us) and/or on cruiselines I'd like to avoid.[/quote']

 

I may be mistaken, but I believe on MSC cruises, children under 13 are always free. ??

[dad2my3]

The reason they do is that they are limited to a certain number of souls on board

 

It could be argued that a baby screaming at 4am during vacation has no soul.

 

:p

[CI66774]

It could be argued that a baby screaming at 4am during vacation has no soul.

 

:p

 

Green tea all over my computer screen!!! HAHAHA:D

[Astro Flyer]

I don't have an answer but there's a current thread about the experiences of a family with a 23 month old child.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1917357

[Cruisin' Chick]

I may be mistaken, but I believe on MSC cruises, children under 13 are always free. ??

 

I just went on their website and yes, it's under 11 sails for free. But I also looked at their itineraries, and there's a limited number of them.

 

Some other cruiselines have special child sails for free from time to time, but again usually when school aged kids are in school.

[dforeigner]

Some folks might argue they should charge more for infants and young children :) Many years ago (we are going back to Sitmar days) we were on a cruise (Fairwind) where there were 2 infants in the adjacent cabin. These babies were not happy cruisers are were up screaming every night (and the walls were thin). After 2 sleepless nights we managed to get moved to another empty cabin. Later talked to the parents of those two babies (twins about 8 months old) and the mother told us she was ready to pull her hair out! Seems one of her babies was constantly sea sick (or that is what they thought) and there is not much that is sadder then a sea sick baby. The Mom said she and her husband were taking shifts at night with one of them sleeping in a deck chair (on deck) so they could get some sleep.

 

Hank

 

This is rather odd as infants do not normally get sea sick as they are not affected by motion. This is why they like to be rocked to sleep per say.

 

A recommendation for a sleepless baby is to put them on a car seat and go for a drive. :eek: But there are always exceptions. :D

 

They may have felt out of their environment with the noises and ambiance; hence the reason why they kept crying at night. Perhaps they had some other underlying problem such as congestion, etc.

 

We have traveled with little ones. One did get sick on a bumpy plane ride. Although she kept saying that the bumps were fun. No problem on any of the cruises.