Yikes Infants on board

[wcolucci]

Hi everyone.

Sorry I haven't posted much since our Maasdam cruise in June. I have a question I NEVER thought would pertain to ME!!

We have an infant daughter (9/23), but of course my wife and I are itching to go cruising again in 3-5 months. I know it has been discussed before but what is the take on bringing a little blob who has no clue as to what is going on, (no not me). We have pretty much decided that cruises are for laying on your butt and relaxing for 7 days, so I wouldn't mind staying on the boat all the time instead of hoofing it through St Thomas...just wondering what do fellow pax think of the concept of a, say 6-8 month old child on board?? and does HAL charge for infants??

wheeeeeeeee!!!

[Orcrone]

Wcolucci,

Two things to preface it.
1. Congratulations on the new arrival and
2. Welcome back, haven't heard from you in a while. Now I know what you've been up to.:D

Anyhow, I have no problems with an infant on board. My problem is with the parents of a lot of infants.

I'd rather not hear a baby scream or crying during dinner. It's parents that will sit in the DR with their baby screaming, bothering those around them I have a problem with. If your baby starts getting upset, will you or DW take her out of the DR (or the Lido)?

I don't think any child that is not potty trained should be in the pool.

I think you get the idea. It may sound harsh, but I think if you're considerate of other PAX, taking your infant is fine. But if not, then I'm not thrilled with the idea.

I do have to ask if there is anyone who could watch your daughter. If you love the relaxing aspects of a cruise, is it going to be very relaxing with her there?

I hope I haven't offended, but that's my honest opinion.

[JoeCruisin]

We will be cruising with our 11 month old daughter in a few weeks. But from what we are experiencing now (as new parents) I would say it would be easier to cruise with an infant that is 6-8 months old. At that age they are perfect travel companions - they can sit up on their own and be entertained easily and can't go anywhere on their own. Plus they should be sleeping though the night by that point - or at least be in a better sleep pattern than a 1-3 month old. Our 10 month old is crawling around everywhere now and is itching to walk. She also needs a lot more interraction/attention at this age - separation anxiety is in full effect. We still think we'll be ok on the cruise and will have her grandparents cruising with us in the next cabin so that should help. But I don't see us totally laying around and relaxing the whole time. You on the other hand may be able to do a lot of relaxing if your daughter takes good naps.

As for the cost - yes, HAL will treat your 6-8 month old as if she were a full adult. So it won't matter that she won't consume an ounce of HAL food or beverages - you will be charged the rate for the 3rd passenger in a cabin -which is less than full fare but for us it was still another $500+ to bring her. Very annoying. Had we known this from the beginning we probably would have made different vaca plans. From what I have heard Disney and NCL do not charge for infants under 2 years. HAL will send you an order form by request for infant items - baby food, formula, diapers, etc. - but everything has a charge associated to it and it's by far cheaper to bring your own items. Hope this helps - good luck!

[Stevesan]

The one qualm I'd have is the lack of pediatric care. You might consult with your pediatrician prior to booking.

BTW - HAL does occasionally offer reduced fares for minor children.

[wcolucci]

Hi Orcrone,

Well I wasn't that busy...only took a minute :-) he he he.

No offense taken, I agree fully with all your points...and as for Joe Cruisin...man I hope your right about the sleep pattern.

I do intend to have my daughter on snow skis by three, in my kayak by 4 etc but as for swimming, no not until she knows the basics such as potty training...oh boy can't wait for that!!

I guess the point is is it feasible. We love to go to the dining room for a nice romantic evening, (we can still have those can't we??), adn we fully realize that that is why the others are there too..so if baby cries, off she goes till she settles down, or if we lounge all day at the pool or walk around the boat if she fusses, its off to the room, hey it's our responsibility, and we'd never dream of intruding, as it were, on others vacation.

I think HAL is the best way to go since there seems to be an older group and I'd be wary of the party boats. Hey we're adults now...and ugh PARENTS

[20165]

We've pondered this question for the last 18 months when our son was born. To cruise or not to cruise. We had been on 12+ cruises prior to starting our family and were also getting the cruise 'itch' so we booked a suite on the Oosterdam in December. We looked at alternatives like resorts, all inclusive, etc and the price was way above what a cruise would cost us and we would have fewer options for things to do. We also have been to every port that the ship stops at many times so we plan on staying on the ship when in port which should pretty much give us a lot of open space to roam or go to the pool.

Now I will say that we did book a cruise last year around this time when our son was about 8 months, but had to cancel because he got sick so I would advise you purchase insurance. Other than that, I can’t think of a better/cheaper vacation other than a cruise and believe me, I have looked. When our son is old enough to participate in the kids programs, we will probably go the Disney route, but for now, HAL offers the best pricing and the largest cabins which is going to be very important to us since I have a feeling we are going to spend a lot of time in there.

Thanks

[Tatka]

HAL will send you an order form by request for infant items - baby food, formula, diapers, etc. - but everything has a charge associated to it and it's by far cheaper to bring your own items. Hope this helps - good luck!
I think this is strange... Infant kid won't eat cruise food so least HAL could do when charges full fare is to provide baby food/formula (or even diapers) for free or with reduced price.:confused:

[Mary Ellen]

Since we don't have children, I can't respond from a parental standpoint, but rather from what I've noticed as a passenger.

We've never seen any infants crying of the few we've seen. I'm guessing that the parents have taken prompt care of any problems that have arisen. We have noticed that the infants on board suddenly have surrogate grandparents among the passengers and aunts/uncles among the crew.

So, as long as you're considerate of other passengers, you'll have a great vacation.


A little off topic -- DH first sailed trans-Atlantic when he was 18 mo. old and 2 more times by 2 1/2 yrs. Add in a r/t Japan before he was 7. He does NOT get seasick (I on the other hand... :rolleyes: ). We've been in 40+ foot seas on a 9,000 grt ship and many of the crew were sick - no problem for him. I've wondered if his early sea experience could have helped him in this reguard. Maybe????

[merryecho]

My 2cents- having been there, done that, I can't recommend Disney Cruise lines enough for you. They have beautiful ships, and everything is designed with kids and parents in mind. You will be welcome in the dining areas, and will meet other parents who will also want to talk about the experience of a new baby.
It sounds like you are still in baby shock- not yet realized that your life of laying around the pool is gone for the next 18 years (unless you have a wonderful grandparent lurking somewhere).

[Mary Ellen]

I think this is strange... Infant kid won't eat cruise food so least HAL could do when charges full fare is to provide baby food/formula (or even diapers) for free or with reduced price.:confused: Looking at the Alaskan cruise we are considering for next summer as an example -

Infant fare - $351.86
minus taxes, fees, yada, yada, yada... that we ALL have to pay - $262.86
net to HAL = $89

I'm sure that some costs will be incured by ticket processing, undoubtly additional laundry (towels if nothing else) and TA commission. They aren't making a lot of $ from an infant. The parents probably won't be spending as much in the casino, bars and on shore ex as they would travelling sans infant.

[JoeCruisin]

Looking at the Alaskan cruise we are considering for next summer as an example -

Infant fare - $351.86
minus taxes, fees, yada, yada, yada... that we ALL have to pay - $262.86
net to HAL = $89

I'm sure that some costs will be incured by ticket processing, undoubtly additional laundry (towels if nothing else) and TA commission. They aren't making a lot of $ from an infant. The parents probably won't be spending as much in the casino, bars and on shore ex as they would travelling sans infant.That is an unbelievable deal. For comparison: we are cruising on the O 10/31, 7 night western carib:

Infant Fare: $539.99
minus taxes and fees: $202.49
Net to Hal: $337.50.

So HAL pockets $337.50 in this case. When I called HAL directly to check and make sure our travel agent didn't book it wrong (the agent specifically asked if infant was under 2 so I thought there would be some reduced fare) HAL confirmed that they do not have "infant" fares. No matter what the age of the 3rd person in the room they all get charged the same. I argued the merits of this policy and they pretty much agreed that it was foolish to charge a 200 pound teeneger/adult the same as an 11 month old infant but all they could say was "that's the policy, sorry." That's when I asked what they would provide my daughter with for $337 and they said they had an order form. We got the form and it included everything you would need but everything was at a 30-50% markup. We still decided to keep the vacation booked because it's really not that expensive for her - it was just more of a principal kind of arguement for me. I hate when companies ignore common sense on these things. But needless to say we are all very excited for our first cruise with HAL and I am sure it will be fantastic.

As for saying they won't make much off of us because we'll be with an infant - I'm not so sure you can make that generalization. I plan on spending a good amount of time and money at the casino, wife at the spa, we already ordered 6 bottles of wine and our bar bill on top of that will be quite compeitive with everyone else:D

[BCEagle78]

With regards to HAL charging for an infant, it seems that it is HAL's attempt to discourage the inclusion of a small child. If a truly reduced rate was offered, it might encourage more people with very young children to sail. Other cruise lines are more willing to encourage young children so they may offer more attractive options.

When I read between the lines, HAL just doesn't encourage small children to be on board.

[jhannah]

When I read between the lines, HAL just doesn't encourage small children to be on board.I agree. Although they are trying to attract more families, infants-in-arms are not what they're going after because, IMO, their base demographic isn't looking for a cruise experience loaded with babies. Personally, I don't see how much of a relaxing vacation it would be for the parents. On our recent Prinsendam cruise, there were four young couples travelling together. One couple had an infant. They "passed him around," so I'm sure that helped a lot. He was well behaved, and the few times he got restless in the dining room they took him out. But it would seem the parents still have enough normal baby issues to warrant waiting until the child is a bit older and more self-sufficient to take on a cruise. JMO.

[merryecho]

We were on a Silversea cruise with an infant next door. The grandparents were along so the parents could enjoy themselves, but every time mom left, the baby started screaming. Not fun. Silversea gave us a generous room credit as they couldn't move us, so I doubt they are too keen on babies either.

[dakrewser]

When I read between the lines, HAL just doesn't encourage small children to be on board.
Yeah HAL!

[merryecho]

I plan on spending a good amount of time and money at the casino, wife at the spa, we already ordered 6 bottles of wine and our bar bill on top of that will be quite compeitive with everyone else:D

OK, I have to ask, who is watching the baby during all of this?

[JoeCruisin]

I don't think HAL is trying to discourage kids from their cruises by charging for them. The fact that they have kids programs, cribs, high chairs, and will stock your room with baby food and formula (for a fee) speaks to the exact opposite.

If they wanted to discourage kids from cruises they would simply have an age requirement. HAL is like any other company and will gladly take your money regardless of demographic. I'm sure if I showed up and booked a penthouse suite as a single parent with 6 screaming infants HAL would gladly take my money and treat us as well as they would treat anyone else. Don't be fooled into thinking there is something to be read "between the lines." They simply have a policy that the 3 passenger in a cabin is charged one rate regardless of age.

As an update - since this post started and I saw the great and very reasonable fare Mary Ellen got for her Alaskan cruise I went out and checked the prices for our upcoming cruise. Sure enough the rates have dropped a little as the cruise is about to set sail, but what I really noticed was the 3rd passenger rate dropped considerably - from $337 to $175. A quick call to the on-line agency got them to call HAL which got us a $162 credit. $175 is still more than Mary Ellen's $89 but I must say I am quite happy. I love this message board!

[bepsf]

I just hope that you book a room near one of the stairways for quick accessability - 'cause when its time to change your little sailor, there aren't any facilities in the public restrooms for changing diapers... (are there?)

[BCEagle78]

I don't think HAL is trying to discourage kids from their cruises by charging for them. The fact that they have kids programs, cribs, high chairs, and will stock your room with baby food and formula (for a fee) speaks to the exact opposite.

You are correct. HAL has these things available for those who choose to bring a small child on board. But the cost is high and a lot of people would just choose not to do it or to go with another cruise line that doesn't charge full price for a child.

It may be subtle but it is a way that HAL is accomplishing their goal.

[Mary Ellen]

That is an unbelievable deal. For comparison: we are cruising on the O 10/31, 7 night western carib:

Infant Fare: $539.99
minus taxes and fees: $202.49
Net to Hal: $337.50.

I just checked HAL's web site. For your cruise they currently show Infant fare of $377.49

They show the child fare (2 - 18 yrs) as $577.49

[imsulin]

HAL isn't the only line that charges infants the full fare as a 3rd/4th passenger. Now, let me ask this: What parent of a diaper-clad infant is going to traipse the ship's hallways looking for a place to dispose of dirty disposables? That's what the cabin steward does, and is also why Baby needs to tip in full. Who provides the port-A-Crib if Baby's parents don't bring one? The cruise line does, and the cabin steward delivers it. Who provides the high chair in the dining room? The cruise line does. Who cleans up the soggy Cheerios and multi-rice gleanings left on the dining room floor? The waiter does. There is a REASON that infants get charged full-price! OK - off the soapbox. Mother of FIVE (count 'em) kids.

[Given to Sail]

I just hope that you book a room near one of the stairways for quick accessability - 'cause when its time to change your little sailor, there aren't any facilities in the public restrooms for changing diapers... (are there?)

Not necessary..there's a reason they call it the "Poop" deck.... ;)

[firstcruzer]

We will be cruising with our 11 month old daughter in a few weeks.
Can you let us know how your cruise goes including other passengers response to your (i'm certain) beautiful daughter?? I will be cruising with my 11.5 month old nephew in January (together with his parents, grandparents, aunt etc...) and would love to know what we are in for!!

[JoeCruisin]

HAL isn't the only line that charges infants the full fare as a 3rd/4th passenger. Now, let me ask this: What parent of a diaper-clad infant is going to traipse the ship's hallways looking for a place to dispose of dirty disposables? That's what the cabin steward does, and is also why Baby needs to tip in full. Who provides the port-A-Crib if Baby's parents don't bring one? The cruise line does, and the cabin steward delivers it. Who provides the high chair in the dining room? The cruise line does. Who cleans up the soggy Cheerios and multi-rice gleanings left on the dining room floor? The waiter does. There is a REASON that infants get charged full-price! OK - off the soapbox. Mother of FIVE (count 'em) kids.I think there is a little confusion here. All of these things you point out above have nothing to do with what drives the fare price but everything to do with tipping for service. If we receive the kind of service we expect from HAL then by all means we will tip accordingly. As we would if we received good service at the bar, casino, or at dinner. Good service should be rewarded. No problem with that one. But to charge full price for a passenger that isn't going to use/consume 1% of what an average adult would seems quite foolish. Apparently HAL agrees because as you can see from my update above we received a robust credit for our little passenger. And if I go out now and request prices for future cruises, HAL is showing a reduced fare for passengers under 2 years old. This was not the case back when we booked in June/July. Seems like they've seen the light. :D

[JoeCruisin]

Can you let us know how your cruise goes including other passengers response to your (i'm certain) beautiful daughter?? I will be cruising with my 11.5 month old nephew in January (together with his parents, grandparents, aunt etc...) and would love to know what we are in for!!
By all means - we will report back on how our experience was - first time on HAL :p and first time crusing with an infant :eek: .

[JoeCruisin]

I just checked HAL's web site. For your cruise they currently show Infant fare of $377.49

They show the child fare (2 - 18 yrs) as $577.49
I mentioned above that since this conversation started, and after your post specifically about your fare for an Alaskan cruise, I went out and checked the on-line agency we used. Sure enough prices were a little lower for our cruise (as to be expected since it leaves in 2 weeks) but there was a significant drop in the fare for a passenger under 2. I called the agency who called HAL - we are now receiving a $160+ credit :D Apparently, some time between July and October HAL started charging a reduced fare for passengers under 2.

[Given to Sail]

Can you let us know how your cruise goes including other passengers response to your (i'm certain) beautiful daughter?? I will be cruising with my 11.5 month old nephew in January (together with his parents, grandparents, aunt etc...) and would love to know what we are in for!!

Another source of good info, if you have not been there yet, is the Family Cruising forum: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=49

I have gotten a lot of info from there already, including an excellent packing list that has tips on how to handle certain cruise related challenges. You can find the reference to that here: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=49

[20165]

Since there is a lot of discussion about price on this thread, let me share with you how we made our decision about going with HAL over Disney. We booked the S suite and for the 3 of us, it cost $2800. Total. On Disney, a smaller room (Much Smaller) would have cost us close to $5000. Now when our son is old enough to participate in some of the Disney activities, I will pay the extra money, but for just a get away from the house vacation, the obvious choice is HAL.

[Given to Sail]

OK, I have to ask, who is watching the baby during all of this?

The Grandparents who are staying in the suite next door. We're going to take turns babysitting when we want to do solo activities.

[WJBonds]

It's not the cost of the trip, but where the children would fit in best.

I was on the Crystal Harmony last summer and found our cabin was next to a couple and their 6 month old twins.

They cried all night for the first 3 days.

Not their fault, but if I was on Disney I would expect children. I did't expect infants on Crystal and I don't on HAL when I trave during the "school Year".

In other words, your kids may be the best bables in the whole world, - but have consideration for the other people taking their vacations.

[20165]

WJBONDS,
Last time I checked, HAL wasn’t an adult only cruise line. Has something changed I'm not aware of?? Bottom line is HAL was more than glad to take our money so if you are upset about kids being on 'your' cruise, complain to the cruise line.

Also, when we cruised before we had our son, I had many more issues with drunk and disorderly passengers than I did with kids in the middle of the night.

[dakrewser]

Last time I checked, HAL wasn’t an adult only cruise line. Has something changed I'm not aware of?? Bottom line is HAL was more than glad to take our money so if you are upset about kids being on 'your' cruise, complain to the cruise line.
Just because you can do something, doesn't mean you should. The poster was, rightly, upset that the noise from the next cabin was off-putting. Showing consideration doesn't mean keeping all children off the boat, but (and this applies to everyone, not only children) not disturbing others.

Also, when we cruised before we had our son, I had many more issues with drunk and disorderly passengers than I did with kids in the middle of the night.
Bet that put you off sailing on Carnival again! :rolleyes:

[TylerRose]

We've been cruising for years as an extended family... as of late, exclusively with HAL. No one can tell you if cruisinfg will or won't be a good choice for your family this year... and the answer may be different every year.

But do review the various options offered by other lines. Disney welcomes infants and even has babysitting available if the opportunity for a romantic dinner became your goal. I think I read somewhere that HAL does not allow babies under 6 months, so please confirm that younger is welcome.

To a previous poster... Cruising with a toddler will require high energy on your part. Why not invite the granparents or other relatives along... bring enough reinforcments to help aid you while he or she explores the ship. Bring your own baby proofing items and DO NOT get a veranda, they all have space on floor level to allow rain, etc, to drain to avoid flooding.

We were not brave enough to cruise with the kids so young. But we still bring a suitcase full of medications and comfort items just in case... Its cumbersome, but better to be prepared for anything.

[AWOL]

We cruised last Christmas with our daughter (then 9 months) on Royal Carribean 12 day Panama trip. We had no problems. By the end of the cruise she had all the other passengers and crew members eating out of her hand. It would take me an extra 30 minutes to go anywhere because of all the people coming up and cooing over her. Luckily, she has never been fussy and sleeps through the night so did not disturb anyone else. Also, never had a problem with her in the dining room. We gave her a bread roll and that kept her happy the entire time. Make sure you ask your pediatrician to prescribe an antibiotic and write the prescription so that the pharmacy does not add water so the antibiotic does not go bad or need to be refrigerated. If your child gets sick the pharmacy will instruct you on how much water to add and even sent me with a bottle of distilled water to mix the medicine. We have traveled quite a bit with our daughter to some far away places and this is always a big help. We also bring the basics as far as tylenol, thermometer, etc. Also, they offered a babysitting service for $8 an hour. They ask crew members if they want to earn extra money and we had no problem getting a babysitter. We scuba dive so can't take our daughter. Also, it is cheaper to hire a babysitter than pay for her to go on a tour. We are sailing over Christmas on a 21 day trip to South America on HAL and are once again taking her. I was told that HAL also have baby sitters that they get from their crew. Usually the crew members are happy to earn some extra money. They also provide the crib, high chair, etc. but make sure you bring an umbrella stroller with a plastic rain cover (big strollers are too bulky and get in the way of the other passengers). We also bring a small collapsable cooler to store baby food, formula, etc and the purser always keeps it full of ice. On this cruise we are booking primarily private tours instead of the ship tours so we won't bother any of the other cruisers if she gets cranky after riding around all day.

I definately say go for it unless your child has health problems or is cranky.

[firstcruzer]

It's not the cost of the trip, but where the children would fit in best.

I was on the Crystal Harmony last summer and found our cabin was next to a couple and their 6 month old twins.

They cried all night for the first 3 days.

Not their fault, but if I was on Disney I would expect children. I did't expect infants on Crystal and I don't on HAL when I trave during the "school Year".

In other words, your kids may be the best bables in the whole world, - but have consideration for the other people taking their vacations.
I'm sorry to point this out, but if you went on ANY vacation you would run into other people's children. If you chose to go to France you could just as easily end up with a couple with 6 month old twins next door. When you go out for dinner to a restaurant there is every chance that a couple could show up with a young child. I don't think people with children should be forced to restrict their activities to areas you consider to be "child appropriate". I am not trying to flame you, merely trying to point out that if you do NOT want to interact with anyone but you and your cruise partner you would probably be better served on a private island. If you don't want to interact with children perhaps you could find a line that caters specifically to your child-free choices. Just a thought. :D

[dakrewser]

I'm sorry to point this out, but if you went on ANY vacation you would run into other people's children. If you chose to go to France you could just as easily end up with a couple with 6 month old twins next door. When you go out for dinner to a restaurant there is every chance that a couple could show up with a young child. I don't think people with children should be forced to restrict their activities to areas you consider to be "child appropriate". I am not trying to flame you, merely trying to point out that if you do NOT want to interact with anyone but you and your cruise partner you would probably be better served on a private island. If you don't want to interact with children perhaps you could find a line that caters specifically to your child-free choices. Just a thought. :D
It isn't a question of restricting children, but of ANYONE who might interfere with a good night's sleep. Or a decent meal, although one would expect the parents of a wailing infant to remove it from the dining room.