Infant fare question..

[RetireeWannabee]

I have to disagree here. I think it´s the right thing to do for them. They are charging reduced 3rd/4th passenger rates already and it really doesn´t matter if it´s a 1 year old or 50 year old using that 3rd/4th berth.

 

A soul is a soul onboard and they need to operate profitable sailings. If they would reduce the infants/childrens rates everybody elses rates would have to compensate for that. Not eating food onboard is not an issue as the amount for food out of your cruise fare is very very minimal.

I don´t mind kids onboard, though on my cruises there have been only very few so far, probably because time and itinerary wasn´t too attractive to families. However and I might get flamed for this, I´m not up for compensating reduced kids rates with my cruise fare - let the parents pay for their kids not me.

Good point. I also do not want to subsidize someone elses family members.

[RetireeWannabee]

Although I have no objection to families bringing their children onboard cruise ships, I have to wonder what the hurry is. If you don't like the fact you have to keep your kids with you on a cruise ship, or that you have to pay for them....either wait a year or two or have them stay home with relatives while you cruise.

 

We waited until our youngest was 6 before our first cruise. Before then we went to other vacation spots no more than 2 hours from home. Your kids won't remember if they went to the beach, a hotel, a cabin, camping, to Grandmas or just about anywhere else when they are little.

 

The older I get, the more I realize that it's futile to try to hurry through life.

I wonder about this, too. So many people rave about the kiddie clubs and I grew up travelling WITH my parents, not in some separate programming.

 

I don't understand the complaint that "I want my kids to go but they are too young for the kid club". Why isn't it ok to be WITH the children being brought? :confused:

[MrPete]

Why isn't it ok to be WITH the children being brought? :confused:

 

It's not in this family. DD has NEVER stepped foot in any of these camps. And she's met and made many friends on her own outside the gates.

[RetireeWannabee]

It's not in this family. DD has NEVER stepped foot in any of these camps. And she's met and made many friends on her own outside the gates.

 

YAAAY!! I'm very glad to hear that.

[Kittycatwlv]

Not only will you pay the 3rd or 4th person fare, but check under gifts and gear and you will find what they charge for "food" for the baby if you don't bring your own. I checked at babies r us last week (my grandaughter will be 7 mos. when we sail) and they had the same food for one fourth of the price quoted by RCL. Granted it was on sale, or it would have been between one third and one fourth of the price. Bad enough that we have to pay the same price for her as an adult (or child or teen-ager) eating the onboard food, but to have to pay such a huge mark-up for baby food is unreal.

We'll probably buy it in port before we sail. Can't take it aboard the plane as a carry on and don't want to think about what would happen to our clothes if it was packed inside our luggage.:(

I like that they are offering baby food now, just wish the prices were more in line with what a retail store charges for it. Would be even happier if they had it in the MDR for dinner at no charge.

 

You are paying for the convenience of having it waiting for you. You already realise the benifit because you gave several reasons why you didn't want to bring it yourself. RCL really doesn't want babies so young to begin with and recently instituted age restrictions of 6 months or a year old depending on which itinerary.

[EugeneD]

Good point. I also do not want to subsidize someone elses family members.

 

I agree completely. I was just having a hard time with this one, because I always thought that, excluding port taxes (which are billed separately and per-person anyway), most of the cost is per cabin, not per soul..

 

So it's the lifeboats and insurance? Or something else I'm forgetting..

 

Obviously, cruise lines can set whatever policy they want, and I would leave it at that -- but once 3-4 people start discussing subsidies, we have moved beyond taking it at face value, and start deconstructing their cost structure (fixed & variable, etc) in order to understand the motivation behind this policy.. Hopefully, this motivation is not just driven by public opinion, i.e. fear to subsidize someone else's infant, when that opinion is based on flawed understandings of that cost structure.

[beachchick]

He gets to pay for himself. :D;)

 

And yes, we celebrated a 3rd, 4th and 9th birthday on ships. So I expect when I am celebrating my 50th, that my kids will pay for ME. :p

 

I love it!

 

I wonder about this, too. So many people rave about the kiddie clubs and I grew up travelling WITH my parents, not in some separate programming.

 

I don't understand the complaint that "I want my kids to go but they are too young for the kid club". Why isn't it ok to be WITH the children being brought? :confused:

 

I agree for the most part. However, I also see nothing wrong with children having some time in a children's program, while parents have some adult time. I think this might be especially true for stay-at-home parents, who love their children whole-heartedly, but who also might like a bit of alone time with their spouse. Not all day or all evening, but from time to time. It can be good for the children and good for the parents.

 

I do not think it's up to us to "judge" every family by the exact same standards or expectations we each have. No, I don't think children should spend all day and evening in the children's program, and we would not have allowed our DD to do that. We would have allowed her to have some time in the program though because it would have been enjoyable for her. The bottom line is that every family is unique. For all we know, the parents who allow their children to attend the children's program for part of each day, spend every spare moment with their children on a day-to-day basis. We don't know how much time families spend together on the other 300+ days of the year. Perhaps we might not be so judgmental about what other families do and what other parents choose?

 

beachchick

[sas80]

Not only will you pay the 3rd or 4th person fare, but check under gifts and gear and you will find what they charge for "food" for the baby if you don't bring your own. I checked at babies r us last week (my grandaughter will be 7 mos. when we sail) and they had the same food for one fourth of the price quoted by RCL. Granted it was on sale, or it would have been between one third and one fourth of the price. Bad enough that we have to pay the same price for her as an adult (or child or teen-ager) eating the onboard food, but to have to pay such a huge mark-up for baby food is unreal.

We'll probably buy it in port before we sail. Can't take it aboard the plane as a carry on and don't want to think about what would happen to our clothes if it was packed inside our luggage.:(

I like that they are offering baby food now, just wish the prices were more in line with what a retail store charges for it. Would be even happier if they had it in the MDR for dinner at no charge.

 

No, this is wrong.

All you have to do is contact the special needs department and let them know that you have a passenger that is going to need pureed food.

Once on board you then contact the maitre'd or your head waiter and arrange the times you want your pureed food to be delivered/appear. You can have room service deliver it to your room X times a day, you can have it brought to you in the main dining room at dinner, etc & whatever you want.

However, please note that you cannot ask them for "baby food". RCCL does not make "baby food". To advertise that they make baby food would mean that parents would assume that the pureed food contains no salt, spices, butter, etc. This is not the case. RCCL purees food that has been prepared for consumption by the masses on board.

 

Just tell them you need pureed food for a passenger in your party. You should be fine.

[sas80]

I will never again get on another ride. That teacup ride is dangerous! Anyway, it is well worth any price to bring your child with you on a cruise.

 

On a side note, what a terrible accident at the Magic Kingdom this weekend

 

let's hope that kid wasn't text messaging!

[crusinmama06]

I will never again get on another ride. That teacup ride is dangerous! Anyway, it is well worth any price to bring your child with you on a cruise.

 

On a side note, what a terrible accident at the Magic Kingdom this weekend

 

No teacups for me. :eek: I was talking about rides like Pooh's Adventure Ride and the Snow White ride...lol. ;):D

 

And yes, that monorail accident was very sad. :(

[Cruisin Around]

I agree that I would want my son with me for 99% of the time. The only thing that I would like to add is that the kids that are in the kids club seem to be having an absolute ball when they are marching through the ship doing their little circus or pirate plays. I think my son would enjoy that. He's used to being around kids and I think he'd get a kick out of that. I try not to be over protective, but I pretty much like to have him in my sight ALL the time!

[G'ma]

I agree that I would want my son with me for 99% of the time. The only thing that I would like to add is that the kids that are in the kids club seem to be having an absolute ball when they are marching through the ship doing their little circus or pirate plays. I think my son would enjoy that. He's used to being around kids and I think he'd get a kick out of that. I try not to be over protective, but I pretty much like to have him in my sight ALL the time!

 

Having raised 4 of my own...I can understand wanting them around all the time.

 

But, that is a great disservice to the child.

 

As a parent, we must prepare our children for independence....starting from the day they are born.

 

Keeping a child close at hand at all times is not doing the job... That activity is only for the parent.....

 

Teach them well, give them plenty of experiences, keep an eye out and then let them go. They are not "yours".

[Cruisin Around]

Oh yes- I agree that they should be exposed to all types of things. I work full time and he's at a sitter with two other little boys. The sitter takes them on walks and to the play ground. Our family, extended family & friends are around a lot also do things with him. It's not that I don't let him anywhere without me, it's just that I don't know if I'd 100% trust people that I've never met before to watch my three year old. I don't think I could just drop him there and leave. I think the older he gets the more things he'd like to do- like the circus that I mentioned. I think you have to strike a decent balance- with some extra time with mommy tipping the scales in that favor! LOL

[sas80]

Oh yes- I agree that they should be exposed to all types of things. I work full time and he's at a sitter with two other little boys. The sitter takes them on walks and to the play ground. Our family, extended family & friends are around a lot also do things with him. It's not that I don't let him anywhere without me, it's just that I don't know if I'd 100% trust people that I've never met before to watch my three year old. I don't think I could just drop him there and leave. I think the older he gets the more things he'd like to do- like the circus that I mentioned. I think you have to strike a decent balance- with some extra time with mommy tipping the scales in that favor! LOL

 

Lol, Thank goodness you don't have my child! Your feelings would be hurt!

 

By Monday morning my 3 year old is chomping at the bit to get to school so he can have some fun with all his friends! After a weekend with boring mom and dad he is so ready to get back to school. He practically bee lines for the car.

 

I'm totally fine with it. Clingy, I do not need!

[RetireeWannabee]

This is a tough topic but I have always thought it was unfair of any cruiseline to charge anyone under the age of 2.

 

...The exception to me would be the availability of a program for the kids under two which they could add a surcharge....

 

... But I don't think it would hurt anyone if kids under 2 were free. I actually think more people would in fact cruise during those ages when they normally wouldn't because of cost.

 

But then all those Free Babies would up the "soul count" but not the revenue Per Soul amount.

[crusinmama06]

I am a stay at home mom who has a home office. :D So my poor kids spend 24 hours/day with me, 7 days/week (especially now, since its summer).

 

When my kids hit that ship, they are begging to go to the kids clubs. I allow my kids to pick the sessions/activities that interest them. They attend those sessions. We eat all of our meals as a fam. They are not allowed to go to camp past 10pm (overly tired cranky kids do not do well on port day excursions). And we spend our sea day afternoons together swimming, rock wall climbing, ice skating, mini golf, etc.

 

But, if my child has a choice between dressing up like a pirate and parading through the promenade and onto the theatre stage for that night OR sitting in the audience and watching the OTHER kids parading as pirates onto the theatre stage :eek: -- there is no way she would pick to be the bystander. ;)

[Cruisin Around]

Lol, Thank goodness you don't have my child! Your feelings would be hurt!

 

By Monday morning my 3 year old is chomping at the bit to get to school so he can have some fun with all his friends! After a weekend with boring mom and dad he is so ready to get back to school. He practically bee lines for the car.

 

I'm totally fine with it. Clingy, I do not need!

 

Yes, I have to admit, I would feel bad if he'd rather be at the sitters. I don't want him by any means to cry when I leave- but I love the fact that 99% of the time he hugs me tight and gives me a kiss before he runs off to play with his two buddies. I always act cheerful in the morning and make him feel so special that he's getting to go play with his friends- even though it breaks my heart to leave him.