| Taking An Infant On A
Cruise As more and more families discover the pleasure of cruising for a family
vacation, the cruise lines are becoming ever more accommodating to
children of all ages. The secret to a fun cruise with your infant is
really good planning and finding out what's available aboard ship before
sailing. Here are some tips.
Ship Selection -- Check with the cruise line to determine their
policy regarding infants on board. Some do not want infants at all, on
other cruise lines or specific itineraries there's a minimum age of 6 or
12 months. Disney Cruise Line will accept infants as young as 12 weeks
with baby-sitting services available. Carnival's policy is four months.
In general the newer, larger ships tend to have better family friendly
facilities and programs for children, including infants.
Cribs -- Confirm the availability of cribs aboard the ship of
your choice and request the crib ahead of time. You may also want to
bring your own crib sheets with you as some of the lines starch the
sheets and this may irritate your baby's skin.
Cabin Selection -- Carnival and Disney ships have the largest
cabins that are most family friendly, particularly if you need a crib
set up. Aboard other ships, however, where staterooms are not spacious
to begin with, a crib may make for tight quarters. Consider spending a
bit extra for one of Royal Caribbean's family cabins. If your infant
isn't mobile and you don't bring older children, it's safe to book a
balcony cabin. We always found it easier getting the baby to sleep
during nap time if we could leave the room and sit on the balcony
reading while the baby fell asleep.
Baby-sitting -- Unless you're traveling with grandparents, a
nanny or other family members who are willing to baby-sit for you,
you'll want to check with the cruise line to see what type of in-cabin
or group baby-sitting is available, the cost and what the qualifications
of the sitters are, particularly in the evenings so you can take in some
of the shows. While baby-sitting is normally available for children aged
three and above, ask your agent to inquire about this service for
infants as well. Typically this service is group baby-sitting -- i.e.,
in a daycare setting for kids three and under. Be sure to ask your agent
to check the specifics with the cruise line of your choice.
|
Cruise Deals
Global
discount
provider
of cruises
for
individuals and
groups.
Save up to
70% off
brochure prices!
Cruisedirectonline.com
|
Canadian Prices
Available 