ANy reasonable rates for a baby on board??????????????????

[wadeod]

We are planning on going to Alaska on Princess next year. I just found out that it will cost about $800 to bring our 1 year old? that seems outrageous to me. Is there any cruiseline that will let you bring them for free, or more reasonable

[cruisead]

No one allows infants for free as they will always be charged tax and port charges, but some cruise lines like NCL (not our favorite by a long shot because of pretty bad food and service) will only charge for those two things for an infant.

[brigittetom]

I just read the boards on HAL on exactly that same subject. It doens't seem right. Some justified it, others didn't. It was brought up that the cruiseline does provide food and diapers for babies. Then someone else pointed out that there is a big charge for these items. Sorry, but I'm guessing all the lines have pretty much the same policys. $800. sounds really steep for a 1 yo.

[tuggers]

You mean Flagger is paying almost $1000 to bring his daughter on his Alaska cruise? Unbelieveable!

[ILov2cruise]

Costa, Children cruise $99. On RCCL if you let them know ahead of time what kinds of food the baby eats they will have it onboard for you.

[Chick's pal]

Certainly there is administrative work the cruiseline must undertake for EVERY passenger regardless of age. That is one thing we always forget about because it doesn't affect us directly. (i.e. governmental paperwork, manifests, port requirements, immigration requirements.)

 

Also, even the smallest passenger will use resources: The baby will still need to be bathed, so will use water, towels, etc. You will want to keep him/her warm or cold, so will use climate control. The baby will still need a life vest and a place will be reserved for the baby in the life boat(!). The baby will generate some waste (diapers, kleenexes, wipes, etc.), so that will need to be collected and incinerated. The baby will likely consume water, so that will need to be purified and desalinated. Food that he/she DOES consume will have to be refrigerated, heated, prepared, stocked and cleaned up after. You will use the tender service to get the baby ashore at those ports. Etc. Etc.

 

It doesn't seem like much, but my guess is that there IS some expense to the cruiseline, even for the little ones.

 

Plus there are all of the "possibilities" you may need that they will have on hand...those things you don't think you need now, but once you're on board, you may decide you want a high chair. Or a different sleeping arrangement in your cabin, or a babysitter, or may need to use the clinic.

 

So, that is my un-official thought on what you might be paying for. But, if you look at this like one of those Mastercard commercials, how about this:

 

A great family vacation together: Priceless!

[Big Happy Sailor]

And learn how to shrug off the glares from the more rigid folk aboard that are lounging by the pool in tuxedos and gowns wondering how dare you bring your baby along on their vacation!:D

[tbelian]

And learn how to shrug off the glares from the more rigid folk aboard that are lounging by the pool in tuxedos and gowns wondering how dare you bring your baby along on their vacation!:D

 

What?

 

Huh?

[Chick's pal]

I am so sorry if my post offended anyone! I was hoping to offer some ideas as to why there is an $800 fee for little passengers. It was certainly meant in the most matter-of-fact way.

[Jeanne S]

NCL is free for under age 3 - only need to pay port charges, tax and insurance.

[RSteele]

Have you checked Princess...for some reason I don't think their charge is quite as expensive as a regular pax.... :)

[richkinkade]

There was a discussion of this in a recent Frommer's newsletter.

 

http://www.frommers.com/cgi-bin/WebX?128@@.eec31fc

[Moeve]

It would help too if you choose a sailing that is not in high season or when school is out - the 3rd bed rates are much cheaper....

[mahdnc]

Children under 2 yrs old used to sail for free on Celebrity back in 1996 when we first started cruising with them. You still had to pay port charges, etc though--as well as a deposit (even if the kid wasn't born yet!). Somewhere down the road (around 1998?) the free cruise fare was dropped.......

[cruisebunny32]

We brought our son who was 8 months on his first cruise on the Century in 2001. The staff was wonderful with him! I brought powdered formula, but did give him juice from the ship. I also had the waiter bring pureed fruit and veggie for dinner each night. I gave him oatmeal, bananas and anything soft that I could find on the buffets. He ate like a king. One night they brought him 3 icecream sundaes on a plate in front of him. His facial expression was priceless, thank god for Grandpa with the camera! I made sure that we got our money's worth! They also supplied a portable crib in the room!

 

I had no idea that the ship would supply the formula and food if I asked previously. He did do fine though! We even visited the ship doctor and they were great!

[imsulin]

wadeod - most cruise lines charge the 3rd/4th passenger rate regardless of age. This has been common for many years, and it's all about revenue. NCL and Disney are the only lines I know of that will only charge the port charges and taxes for children under the age of two, and Disney doesn't do Alaska, so NCL would be your only choice for an Alaska cruise, and you would only have to pay port charges and taxes. There are NO cruiselines that will allow a young child to cruise for "free". EVERYONE has to pay port charges and taxes.

[Moeve]

currently MSC doesn´t charge for children under 17 either but they also don´t do sail to Alaska but it is an alternative......

[Jacqueline]

I also think that part of the strategy is simply not to encourage babies on board. If they were free or almost free there would be many more onboard than the few there are currently.

[awatt]

NCL and Disney do not charge the 3rd person rate for babies under 2. We liked NCL alot,Disney somewhat less. Keep in mind Disney is more expensive than most ,so you pay more anyway.

 

If you're looking for Celebrity,get a quote. While there is a charge,it may be less than other lines depending on what ship and when you go. We got a great rate of 399 for our kids on the Millie next Feb,even our TA was surprised.

[Giorgi-one]

I also agree tht $800 is way too high for a baby. I started a similar thread on the HAL board and got flamed because I was criticizing the 'Poor" cruise lines. By the way, HAL also adds the $10 per day tip for the baby and I really caught some heat when I suggested I would have the tip removed.

[cpristash]

I tend to agree with Jacquline..... most cruise lines don't really want to cater to babies on board.. my response to the post would be...

I have just returned from Alaska. Why in good god's name would anyone want to take a crusie to ALaska with an infant, baby or child under the age of 12. This is not an inexpensive adventure. If any cruise should be taken why not a "disney" cruise where is is more children friendly and more age appropriate for your family. On our Alaskan cruise I would say that the medium age was abot 45 yrs. old.

[awatt]

While Alaska may not be the best choice for an infant, Disney is not an inexpensive alternative. To date,Disney was our most expensive cruise!

[RSteele]

Our daughter worked for Princess for several years as head of the children's program (YAC youth activiites coordinator was her title). The Alaskan cruise was one of the most popular cruises for kids...they had an unbelievable program each day for the kids...infact, my husband and I would go up and take part in their activities when they had the wildlife guy on board and the guy that talked to the kids about the environment...learn more with them than in the adult information topics...maybe we are just on their level :confused:

[dosi]

The way that I understand it is that each ship has a maximum capacity that they cannot exceed due to maritime law. A baby counts towards that capacity the same way an adult does. So the cruise charges based on "per person", not "per size or age". A baby is taking up the same capacity as an adult could and yet will not be increasing revenues by gambling or drinking. I think in some ways it is to discourage children cruising since the cruiselines tend to make so much more off the adults, but I also believe it is just because the charges are viewed as "per berth".