charging for a 1year old

[pe4all]

Third person usually gets a nice reduction in price.  We booked a Cuba cruise on Sensation for May, and cruisefare was around $800 each, while our dd paid only $174.(plus port tax)  Make sure they have an infant life jacket in the room for you.  They demo'd a new style they now have at our muster drill last month - used a stuffed animal as the infant - adorable!

[Nic6318]

14 hours ago, MooNGaTe27 said:

The worst part is they are making me get a room that can handle 3 people & they are charging for port tax & tips .

 

 

Hi there

 

I am sure you do understand but I just wanted to point out....nobody is "making" you do anything. You are the customer. You have chosen this vacation option. You have many other vacation choices.

 

My suggestion, since you suggest you need "help", would be to consider all inclusive resorts. Many have "kids free", well into their teens. Considering that the way cruise lines charge for passengers won't change, your issues will remain for many years. Be a good consumer, research your options, make choices that make sense for you.

 

have a great cruise

[pyropoodle]

9 hours ago, steveha0801 said:

Unless things have changed, children have to be potty trained before going to camp. 

They only have to be 2 years old, they don't have to be potty trained. they give the parents a cell phone for the very little kids to come in case of emergency (like a poop blowout), but they will change regular diapers. you just have to supply them with the diapers.  

[ray98]

They are a passenger, of course you have to pay.  

[Joseph2017China]

15 hours ago, MooNGaTe27 said:

going on the Sunshine in Nov & carnival is charging for a 1 yr old .The worst part is they are making me get a room that can handle 3 people & they are charging for port tax & tips .

 This is a 1yr old she wont be eating in any of the venues & she wont be making a mess ( of the room lol ) Has this happened to anyone Im I just to suck this up ? Help.

 

Welcome to parenthood.  Only 17 more years to go of having to pay for your child.  You will be paying for the kid, based on where you go, for a very long period of time.  Based on the cruise ship, they sell berths and the ship has only so many berths (beds) to match the number of lifesaving spaces.  Each person, takes up 1 berth.  That person pays for all fuel costs, crew costs, maintenance costs, of the ship.  The food, is only a tiny amount of costs on a ship.  Port charges are not Carnival, but a fee, charged to the ship, per the number of passengers on the ship.  Age does not matter.  You say she won't make a mess, but you fail to realize, the staff does not clean up individuals, they clean up the stateroom.  So, in a 3 person room, all 3 people pay an equal share of the employee. 

 

So, to put it in your words, you need to "suck it up" if you want to go on a cruise and accept that you have 2 more decades of paying for her!!!!!!

[elcuchio24]

16 hours ago, MooNGaTe27 said:

going on the Sunshine in Nov & carnival is charging for a 1 yr old .The worst part is they are making me get a room that can handle 3 people & they are charging for port tax & tips .

 This is a 1yr old she wont be eating in any of the venues & she wont be making a mess ( of the room lol ) Has this happened to anyone Im I just to suck this up ? Help.

 

 

Hi OP, I know some of these posts are roasters, but let me give you some advice as we have been in the same situation for the last couple years with little kids.

 

CCL is just not the way to go. NCL has regular sales for '3/4the guest free' and MSC has 'kids sail free'..........and before someone says it, no, they dont just jack up the first two rates to make up for the free 3rd/4th. They are actually free. We sailed MSC and mainly NCL the past two years and did this several times.

 

Now, CCL is great once your kiddo is 2yo, because they can go to kids camp. I believe all the other major lines at 3yo before they can go to kids camp, so thats a huge plus for CCL once they hit that age, and in fact why we have moved back to sailing CCL. Enjoy!

[rolloman]

6 hours ago, PlanoDebbie said:

I don't think this is correct.  If you have 2 adults and an infant, you would still need a room that accommodates 3 people.  The infant is still registered as a guest.  Regardless of what you use for the baby to sleep in, you would not be able to book 3 persons in a room for 2.

Using your logic, singles wouldn’t be allowed in a double cabin. Fact is X amount of passengers are permitted on a voyage based upon ship max occupancy.  How they get to that number is not an issue. I am telling you first hand, exceptions are made for a pack in play added to a two bed cabin. Just like exceptions are made for two people to sail in a quad. 

[Jenjer]

I am always surprised when this comes up. I guess airlines allowing free lap babies people think its the same on cruise ships.

 

Its very normal for all passengers to pay. Sometimes ships run kids sail free but I have always found they mark it up to mark it down. You might save $20 or $30, not much.

 

Third passengers pay a much smaller fee so you do save money that way traveling with babies and children. Think of it this way you are paying for the waste disposal from your child, The water to wash and drink, the minimal food they will eat and drop on the floor (at least my kids dropped stuff all the time). Your paying for the person to clean up their seat at the table and take the dirty diapers out of your cabin.  

 

I hate to tell you this but they only get more and more expensive

 

[Julienatul]

You do have to pay unfortunately and the cabin has to accomodate 3, even if it's a crib or playpen. You can get reduced fare's and kids sail free promotion but there will always be port fees and taxes. Some Carnival ships do offer babysitting now for  under age 2 and there is always infant/parent playtimes at camp. Carnival has some family oceanview cabins with a tub that are nice. You can always bring a blow-up bathtub too for bathing, using as a pool on the balcony and even dry as a playpen between lounge chairs on deck. Make sure to grab a few extra boxes of cheerios/froot loops at breakfast and you have snacks for the day and in port. Diapers you can just keep them in the box and stick a luggage tag right on the box and they will deliver it right to the cabin with your luggage. Dont forget to bring with you all the infant meds (tylenol, motrin, benadryl) just in case. They do not have liquid meds onboard so its good to have them just in case. If you have a balcony cabin with a couch, you can always have the room steward turn the couch backward against the wall and it makes a nice crib. Cruising with infants is fun but still demanding. Honestly its the easiest way to travel with young kids. You will make great memories!

 

I have been sailing with mine 2-3 times a year since they each were 6 months old. They are now 13 and 10 and they have been platinum with Carnival for many years. We have sailed Carnival, NCL, Disney, Royal Caribbean and MSC so I can answer lots of questions for you if you have any. 

[Bookbug53]

16 hours ago, pyropoodle said:

it's a little bit like a single person having to pay for 2 people in the room. not sure why they do this at all.  I'm waiting until my daughter turns 2 so we can at least utilize camp carnival during the day. I can't take a 1 year old on a cruise and have any sort of a good time without a break from the baby.

 

 

All pricing is based on 'double occupancy'. They simply expect to make x amount of dollars per cabin. 

[bingomamma19]

15 hours ago, rolloman said:

As far as the room goes, If you agree to use a pack and play for the child, you can get a room which accommodates 2 passengers. 

You can not, because the room will still charge for every passenger, including the baby--so its 3 passengers...price doesn't change.   3 passengers is 3 passengers.

[Jerseygirl1416]

19 hours ago, MooNGaTe27 said:

going on the Sunshine in Nov & carnival is charging for a 1 yr old .The worst part is they are making me get a room that can handle 3 people & they are charging for port tax & tips .

 This is a 1yr old she wont be eating in any of the venues & she wont be making a mess ( of the room lol ) Has this happened to anyone Im I just to suck this up ? Help.

 

Also something to consider with Carnival is that they don’t have any water attraction for babies in diapers. No splash pad or kiddy pool. I know a lot of people come on here very surprised when they find this out after they book. 

[rolloman]

38 minutes ago, bingomamma19 said:

You can not, because the room will still charge for every passenger, including the baby--so its 3 passengers...price doesn't change.   3 passengers is 3 passengers.

No one is disputing the cost for all passengers in a room. It is the occupancy which is being disputed. 

[Tapi]

5 hours ago, elcuchio24 said:

CCL is just not the way to go. NCL has regular sales for '3/4the guest free' and MSC has 'kids sail free'..........and before someone says it, no, they dont just jack up the first two rates to make up for the free 3rd/4th. They are actually free. We sailed MSC and mainly NCL the past two years and did this several times.

I was about to make the same suggestion to the OP. There are several cruise lines that do offer REAL kids sail free promotions. 

 

On our last MSC cruise, our kids sailed 100% free of charge (except of course for taxes). And MSC didn't charge more for the 1st and 2nd person to make up the difference. MSC's "kids sail free" promotion is one of the most honest I've ever seen in the cruise industry, and it truly saves a considerable amount of money. For us, it was cheaper to sail in the Mediterranean on MSC than to take yet another Caribbean cruise from Port Canaveral thanks to their promotions. I would've not considered taking that cruise if it hadn't been for MSC's pricing. So glad I did! 

[bingomamma19]

2 hours ago, rolloman said:

No one is disputing the cost for all passengers in a room. It is the occupancy which is being disputed. 

So why does it matter if you can put 3 people in a 2 person room---it doesn't change any pricing...so whats the big deal?  The OP was complaining about paying for a baby--and which also makes them 3 in a cabin anyway.

 

(and I don't believe that is allowed anyway..the system will not allow 3 passengers in a 2 passenger berth--but that is not the point here)

[elcuchio24]

40 minutes ago, Tapi said:

I was about to make the same suggestion to the OP. There are several cruise lines that do offer REAL kids sail free promotions. 

 

On our last MSC cruise, our kids sailed 100% free of charge (except of course for taxes). And MSC didn't charge more for the 1st and 2nd person to make up the difference. MSC's "kids sail free" promotion is one of the most honest I've ever seen in the cruise industry, and it truly saves a considerable amount of money. For us, it was cheaper to sail in the Mediterranean on MSC than to take yet another Caribbean cruise from Port Canaveral thanks to their promotions. I would've not considered taking that cruise if it hadn't been for MSC's pricing. So glad I did! 

 

Absolutely. Love MSCs program. Folks who haven't experienced usually assume the initial fares are jacked up, but as you mention I have always dont mock bookings for just two people, sans kids, and its the same rate. To be honest once our youngest is old enough for their kids camp, we may pivot back to sailing MSC. 

[Doggielover68]

Thank goodness they charge for babies. Can you imagine how many of them would be on the cruise if they could sail for free? NO THANKS!

 

Seriously though, a one year old takes up a berth for what could have been another paying adult customer, they have dirty diapers that require disposal, they take up a life boat space, they have bedding and towels that have to be laundered, etc etc. 

[elcuchio24]

3 minutes ago, Doggielover68 said:

Thank goodness they charge for babies. Can you imagine how many of them would be on the cruise if they could sail for free? NO THANKS!

 

Seriously though, a one year old takes up a berth for what could have been another paying adult customer, they have dirty diapers that require disposal, they take up a life boat space, they have bedding and towels that have to be laundered, etc etc. 

 

Thats all very true. But, obviously these are not universal issues among all cruise lines since some do offer kids for free. Its CCLs policy, which I have no issue with, but other lines do pricing differently. 

[rolloman]

1 hour ago, bingomamma19 said:

So why does it matter if you can put 3 people in a 2 person room---it doesn't change any pricing...so whats the big deal?  The OP was complaining about paying for a baby--and which also makes them 3 in a cabin anyway.

 

(and I don't believe that is allowed anyway..the system will not allow 3 passengers in a 2 passenger berth--but that is not the point here)

 

[rolloman]

I am beginning to believe you are one of the types on here who just love to argue. I have made it clear, in the past I have had zero problem  getting authorization from the cruisline to be assigned a 2 person occupancy cabin for my wife, infant child and myself. No “system” involved. All 3 paid passengers. Child must sleep in pack n play. Why would I do that? Ships have limited supply of quad or tri cabins. I answered the OP due in part about to her stating they had to get a certain cabin. We good now or you want to ramble on some more about what “you think”????

[AdGuyMG]

1 hour ago, elcuchio24 said:

 

Thats all very true. But, obviously these are not universal issues among all cruise lines since some do offer kids for free. Its CCLs policy, which I have no issue with, but other lines do pricing differently. 

I'm not sure about MSC, but Royal Caribbean and NCL have black out dates for Kids Sail Free and 3rd 4th free.

 

Offer excludes Spring Break sailings (Sailings between March 16 – 30, 2019)
Holy Week/Easter sailings (Sailings between April 13 – 22, 2019)
Summer sailings (Sailings between May 15 – August 31, 2019)
2019 Thanksgiving sailings (Sailings between November 23 - 30, 2019). 

 

And of course, Christmas and New Years.
 

[MooNGaTe27]

Ok here goes. I got some good answeres & I wont say what I think of the others. This will be my 22th cruise on Carnival ! st with my grandchild. When my kids were young it cost me $ 199 + post & taxes which I had no trouble paying for .If whats what I have to do now so be it & yes its my choice  to cruise .What I was realy having an issue with was the fact of the 3 person room If they charge me for the third person in a 2 person room I would have been ok with that because she would be sleeping in a pack & play . I am also plaining this cruise for 60 people but 2 people canceled & I would have been able to fill that cabin with my son ,his wife & 1yr old if they would let me use that cabin which was right next to mine but now they will be on another deck 

[bingomamma19]

2 hours ago, rolloman said:

I am beginning to believe you are one of the types on here who just love to argue. I have made it clear, in the past I have had zero problem  getting authorization from the cruisline to be assigned a 2 person occupancy cabin for my wife, infant child and myself. No “system” involved. All 3 paid passengers. Child must sleep in pack n play. Why would I do that? Ships have limited supply of quad or tri cabins. I answered the OP due in part about to her stating they had to get a certain cabin. We good now or you want to ramble on some more about what “you think”????

Sounds like you are the one rambling and arguing :):) 

 

If Carnival allowed what you say, then why is the OP saying they wont let her?   Maybe that's because they don't allow it.

 

Edited March 8, 2019 by bingomamma19

[rolloman]

Easy,  you have to specifically have to ask for the exception. If they have the space, they will allow you to do it, if they  are at capacity they will say sorry. Not sure if the OP specifically asked the cruise line, this is why I reminded her of an option. And then we have you....doubting Thomas, the devils advocate, attempting to spew out nonsense and adding confusion to someone who has genuine questions. SMH

[Tapi]

4 hours ago, AdGuyMG said:

I'm not sure about MSC, but Royal Caribbean and NCL have black out dates for Kids Sail Free and 3rd 4th free....

2019 Thanksgiving sailings (Sailings between November 23 - 30, 2019). 

Our last MSC cruise was during Thanksgiving week 2018 and our kids sailed for free. That was a HUGE reason why we selected them. We got an awesome two deck loft suite with a long list of perks (including unlimited drink package and complimentary massages) for less than what a standard balcony stateroom with no perks would’ve cost on almost any other cruise line.