NCL now charging for infants

[sharecruises]

Care to explain how you are supplementing my infant? He's in a room I have paid for that has plenty of space left for him, and he eats the food I bring for him.

 

BUT it counts towards the total of people allowed to be on the ship.

Infants are people. They could fill that spot with a paying child or adult.

 

As for Carnival, yeah they charge 6 months and up...they don't permit babies under 6 months..so yes they charge for all infants (3rd/4th person rate)

[SissasMomE]

I would never take a baby on a cruise and I am glad to see that they charge for 3rd and 4th rate for a baby. It might cut down on the number of babies on cruises.

 

I would never take a baby on a cruise either. Also, disney world. It amazes me how many people take infants and toddlers to disney ... and then get frustrated when Jr. is cranky because you're altering the kid's schedule. :rolleyes:

[SissasMomE]

That's a pretty selfish and arrogant comment. Cut down on babies? Really? Please don't be one of those clowns that go on a family cruise line and then ask why there are kids running around

 

There's a big difference between a baby and a kid .... unfortunately, most parents aren't responsible when on vacation. They have the "I paid for it" mentality, and don't seem too concerned with others. It's a shame.

[bplazo]

There's a big difference between a baby and a kid .... unfortunately, most parents aren't responsible when on vacation. They have the "I paid for it" mentality, and don't seem too concerned with others. It's a shame.

 

So true.

[SissasMomE]

My kids have been traveling the world and cruising since they were infants (they are now 16, 11 and 9). They may not remember it all, but I do and IMO,that's priceless. :)

 

Believe it or not, of all the cruise lines we have sailed Disney does the best job of keeping the adults and children separated. They strictly enforce their adult only pool, decks, nightclubs and restaurants.

 

I don't necessarily think they should be seperated .... just parents need to be more mindful of others. My daughter is 15 and has more than likely been on more vacations and trips than most adults! However, I never kept her up late on vacation, and stuck mostly to her schedule so she wouldn't be cranky. Kids (esp. little ones) absolutely need their routines, and I have seen so many parents yelling and even screaming at little kids who were tired, cranky, and overwhelmed with everything around them. It's sad.

[BubMunkeyBles]

I would never take a baby on a cruise either. Also, disney world. It amazes me how many people take infants and toddlers to disney ... and then get frustrated when Jr. is cranky because you're altering the kid's schedule. :rolleyes:

 

I've taken my babies and toddlers to Disney many times. We're relaxed travelers though. We stay on site and I have no problem going back to our timeshare if they get grumpy. We know their limits and we take breaks during the day and also stick to a bedtime routine 90% of the time. I've also travelled with them around Europe with no issues. Takes more planning and flexibility but we enjoy it.

 

That said I'm waiting to take them on a cruise until they're both 5. We use cruising as adult time right now and we just wouldn't get that with the lack of toddler services and diapering issues etc. We want them to be old enough to do the kids activities so we can have a dinner alone but also old enough to enjoy some of the shore excursions.

[onthegreenz]

BUT it counts towards the total of people allowed to be on the ship.

Infants are people. They could fill that spot with a paying child or adult.

 

As for Carnival, yeah they charge 6 months and up...they don't permit babies under 6 months..so yes they charge for all infants (3rd/4th person rate)

 

What? No... Please don't make up stuff. Infants or kids for that matter can not take a cabin on their own so your logic that it takes up a spot is ridiculous.

 

Ncl is charging for infants because they now have programs and activities for infants so that makes sense. And that's the same reason for other cruise lines.

 

If you're justifying the charge because they take up a spot, then they wouldn't have 3rd or 4th discounted rates to begin with.

[onthegreenz]

There's a big difference between a baby and a kid .... unfortunately, most parents aren't responsible when on vacation. They have the "I paid for it" mentality, and don't seem too concerned with others. It's a shame.

 

There is a big difference,but I don't think in the history and years of cruising.. I can ever point out an incident where an infant or kid ruined part of the trip

 

BUT I CAN tell you tons of stories where the adults were a complete mess and created a sour event. And even you just said so, MOST PARENTS... The issue isn't the kids or babies, it always comes down to the adults.

[onthegreenz]

I would never take a baby on a cruise either. Also, disney world. It amazes me how many people take infants and toddlers to disney ... and then get frustrated when Jr. is cranky because you're altering the kid's schedule. :rolleyes:

 

It amazes you that parents want to bring their babies and toddlers to Disney? Really? Lol.

[sharecruises]

with all due respect, there are a lot of things about that generation that are well forgotten... babies are part of our society and the mentality that kids should be seen and not heard is well put behind us. I understand there is a limit to how much a child could be allowed to act up before removing him/her from a public venue, however I also think that some people's tolerance levels are at zero which is ridiculously inconsiderate.

 

Babies and kids are part of our society - even if you don't have kids or plan them in the future, you yourself were once a child and ALL parents have gone through this. If anything, I think parents should be given extra consideration for the very difficult job they have of raising our future generation and leaving kids at home with a sitter is awful in my opinion - parents and babies/kids have the right to enjoy a family vacation without being looked at cross eyed all the time.

 

Just like we give consideration to older folks we get stuck behind because their pace is too slow etc - we don't tell senior citizens to stay home because it's a pain getting stuck behind them. this age group should be given consideration as well.

 

 

 

well I'm finished with my rant - it is directed to all the posters in this thread btw... happy vacations to all!

 

LOL>>> Now if they gave seniors free fare just pay port fees and taxes these ships would all be filled from now to 2024 LOL

 

Realistically I am sure that NCL was seeing skewing in their infant demographic, when other cruiselines charged for the infants as a regular 3rd/4th passenger ...parents chose NCL to save $$

 

More infants meant more spaces taken up by NON paying passengers which counts to the total allowed by law...

 

so...price increase

 

I was just on Carnival Freedom in Sept...we had ONLY 123 kids on board and most were in strollers...and it was NICE I must say.

They said 2 weeks before (aug) they had 1300 kids on one sailing:eek:

 

I really don't have a problem with infants (unless their parents stupidly put them in pools or hot tubs with swim diapers, etc...yuck)

The very few kids and babies on Freedom were hardly even seen or heard

I guess if there were 1300 it would be different ..which is why I don't cruise at spring break LOL

 

I do think that teens/tweens can be a pain in the butt...usually when their parents don't supervise them. I would hope for some curfews for them

I also think the cruiselines should put them in check but often the crew is so afraid of losing a tip they don't bother. I will say for the most part kids don't bother me

 

BUT>> If NCL is slammed by too many parents of infants taking advantage of the old promo I can see where cruise fares would raise for the rest of us, and I applaud their decision

 

on other topics...yeah "rape" is horrible thing to say about a cruise fare

 

also...debate 101 ....comparing apples to kiwi is just silly...to say you want to cruise on NCL with the intention of letting your infant cry and disturb others in the dining room?? Ouch

 

I hope they put people out of the dining room if they do that...and I hope they make parents take their infants out of the pools and put them OFF the ship if they keep it up. We had a horrible problem with one stupid family at the villas where I live...their grandson pooped in the pool several times, closed down, had pool company out to clean/drain/shock it

lots of $$, that affects OUR maintenance costs...when our community put in a large fine PLUS clean costs = that worked :) No more poop in pool

[sharecruises]

What? No... Please don't make up stuff. Infants or kids for that matter can not take a cabin on their own so your logic that it takes up a spot is ridiculous.

 

Ncl is charging for infants because they now have programs and activities for infants so that makes sense. And that's the same reason for other cruise lines.

 

If you're justifying the charge because they take up a spot, then they wouldn't have 3rd or 4th discounted rates to begin with.

 

I did NOT make stuff up...there is a set amount of people allowed per ship per safety/coast guard etc rules....period

 

each person is one person...no matter what age

 

The size of the person doesn't matter. A 400 lb person is one person

a 20lb baby is one person

[bplazo]

What? No... Please don't make up stuff. Infants or kids for that matter can not take a cabin on their own so your logic that it takes up a spot is ridiculous.

 

Ncl is charging for infants because they now have programs and activities for infants so that makes sense. And that's the same reason for other cruise lines.

 

If you're justifying the charge because they take up a spot, then they wouldn't have 3rd or 4th discounted rates to begin with.

 

Maybe you are the one that should be more informed. The cruiseship can only have so many bodies on the ship. Does not matter about how many are in the cabin.

[room010]

Totally correct. Passenger manifests on ships are calculated as the number of "souls" on board, not their age or size. It's not like the airlines who let you carry infants for free or charge less for children.