Infant Booking Procedures

Hi there,

This Oct-Nov, my Step mom will be having a child. We will, of course, want to go on another Carnival Cruise, but with an infant of 6 months +. What are the booking procedures, do I book a room for 5, or 4? And do I have to pay full price if it would be a family of 4 + an infant in a cabin?

Thanks,

^^FM

(By the way, I may still be 12 years old, but I am technically my family's Travel Agent... I've got the smarts. ;) )

Hi there,

This Oct-Nov, my Step mom will be having a child. We will, of course, want to go on another Carnival Cruise, but with an infant of 6 months +. What are the booking procedures, do I book a room for 5, or 4? And do I have to pay full price if it would be a family of 4 + an infant in a cabin?

Thanks,

^^FM

(By the way, I may still be 12 years old, but I am technically my family's Travel Agent... I've got the smarts. ;) )

An infant will be at the same rate as any other 3/4/5th passenger.

As for booking, I don't think the website is set up for that situation. I guess you could always do a mock name/info for the expected passenger, but there are fees if you do changes with an early saver booking. This is a situation in which contacting Carnival would be best.

To be honest, at this stage, I would not try to make definite plans. We took our son when he was 14 months old, but there is no way I would have booked a cruise before he was born without knowing how his health/disposition (and his mom's) would be.

Can I sail with my infant?

Minimum age for sailing is 6 months, with the exceptions of Transatlantic, Hawaii and South American cruises, which are 12 months. This is a company policy which takes into consideration the safety and comfort of the infant as well as the other guests. Carnival has fully researched the legality of the policy and it is not discriminatory and does not violate any applicable law. Carnival will not make exceptions and do not allow for the signing of waivers or releases to make an exception to the policy.

Fly-Aweigh infants (6 to 23 months of age) will be charged the "Cruise-Only" rate as long as the infant sits on a parent's lap on the airplane. If an airline seat is requested by the parent, then the infant will be charged the standard Fly-Aweigh rate. When an infant reaches 24 months of age, an airline ticket is required by the airlines.

Courtesy of

http://www.carnival.com/CMS/FAQs/Infant_Policy.aspx

Nmm

Cabins are based in the number of souls. Your family would need a cabin for five or a double and a triple.

Ok, this makes sense. I'm not being rude, but I'd rather leave the infant home... (I hope that didn't make me sound like a child hater...Sorry if it did.)

Yes, you can sail with your infant....

Yes, you can book it on the website...

Yes, you will be charged the regular 3rd and 4th person rate, a body is a body per the Coast Guard no matter what the age...

And if they are under 2 years old, you will NOT pay gratuities for them...although, we did tip the steward extra anyways.

Ditto what others have said. Infants pay the full (discounted 3/4/5 person) rate. You can't put 5 in a room that only holds 4 even if the 5th is an infant and doesn't need a bed.

If you want to book early you can book the infant as TBD on the reservation and add name date of birth later, just make sure that you aren't gettting to close to the 6 month age cut off as babies come when they want ;)

My oldest son went on his first cruise at 6 months and 2 weeks. My youngest went on his first cruise at 11 months. It was easier at 6 months than at 11 months.

you would be better to book connecting cabins. Either OV or inside. Some ships even have a balcony for Mom and dad with a connecting inside for you kiddos. This way baby can have a nap (or bedtime) and mom (or dad) can relax in the other room and not wake the baby. Not all cabins show up. If you contact Carnival they could help you much better than what is showing online.

You are very smart for a 12 yo.

When booking check all the fares. The Children Sail Free promo might not be the best (cheapest) fare.

My oldest son went on his first cruise at 6 months and 2 weeks. My youngest went on his first cruise at 11 months. It was easier at 6 months than at 11 months.

Ditto. 6 months is a great time to cruise. Do note that a few cruises, with many sea days such as Hawaii, require one to be 12 months old, so be sure to check the fine print. Also they will not let him board if he is even 1 day too young.

You may want to read on the family board for more information on traveling with a baby.

I'd speak to an agent or PVP to make sure a crib or bassinet can be set up in the cabin

Yes, you can sail with your infant....

Yes, you can book it on the website...

Yes, you will be charged the regular 3rd and 4th person rate, a body is a body per the Coast Guard no matter what the age...

And if they are under 2 years old, you will NOT pay gratuities for them...although, we did tip the steward extra anyways.

We sailed with a 9 month old and gratuities were added for him to our bill.

We have no problem with paying them for an infant, they require just as much work as an adult. The crew was great with him in the dining room as well as our cabin steward.

Yes, you can sail with your infant....

Yes, you can book it on the website...

Yes, you will be charged the regular 3rd and 4th person rate, a body is a body per the Coast Guard no matter what the age...

And if they are under 2 years old, you will NOT pay gratuities for them...although, we did tip the steward extra anyways.

The coast guard is setting rates for Carnival? :eek: