Cruise Line Minimum Age Policies

By Family Travel Network, Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Cruise lines have strict minimum age policies that apply to infants as well as guests under 21 years of age. These age limitations vary by both cruise line and type of itinerary. Some cruise lines also require minors to produce specific documents at time of boarding. It's important to be aware of all of these age and documentation requirements to avoid being denied boarding without refund at time of embarkation.

Carnival Cruise Line has one of the most stringent age policies of the cruise lines surveyed. Any Carnival guest under the age of 21 must be accompanied by someone 25 years of age or older in the same cabin. Jennifer de la Cruz, Carnival's Director of Public Relations, commented that tighter guidelines were implemented a number of years ago due to "behavioral issues occurring among the college age group sailing on our ships, which were having a negative impact on the experience of other guests." Ms. de la Cruz also notes that Carnival is very strict about checking IDs at time of embarkation to ensure that the cruise line's age and chaperone requirements are being met.

In contrast, Disney Cruise Line has one of the most relaxed age policies for cruisers. Infants may cruise with Disney at 12 weeks of age or older and Flounder's Reef Nursery is available to help care for them. In addition, guests only need to be 18 years of age or older to book and cruise on their own.

Several cruise lines, such as Holland America and Norwegian Cruise Line, require minors under the age of 18 who are cruising unaccompanied by one or both of their parents to produce notarized documents before boarding. This information is particularly critical for one parent cruising alone with children, grandparents cruising alone with grandchildren, and families who allow their children to bring a guest along on their cruise. Make sure to familiarize yourself with your cruise line's policies to avoid being left behind.

Complete age and documentation requirements can generally be found on the cruise lines' websites, often under "FAQ" or in the Passage Contract. These sections also provide information on alcohol and gambling policies. Make sure to ask your travel agent or contact the cruise line for complete and current requirements information.

Here are the age and associated documentation requirements for many of the major family-friendly cruise lines:

Carnival Cruise Lines: Infants must be at least 6 months of age when boarding all cruises except Transatlantic, Hawaii and South America cruises, which have a 12 month minimum age. All guests must be at least 21 years of age when boarding a Carnival ship. Guests under 21 years of age at time of boarding must have a parent or guardian who is 25 years of age or older in the same stateroom. The only exceptions are married minor couples and domestic partner/same-sex union minor couples. All guest ages will be verified before boarding the ship and those who do not meet these requirements will be denied boarding with no refund. For more detailed information, visit Carnival's website at www.carnival.com.

Celebrity Cruises: All infants must be at least 6 months old at time of boarding except for Transatlantic, Transpacific, Hawaii, selected South American cruises/cruisetours, and other selected cruises/cruisetours at Celebrity's discretion. Those have a 12 month minimum boarding age. "Denial of boarding for infants who do not satisfy these minimum age requirements may also result in the denial of boarding for one or more guests sailing with that infant" without refund or other compensation. All guests under 21 years of age must be accompanied by a passenger of at least 21 or older in the same stateroom. This age requirement is waived for minor children sailing with their parents or guardians in adjacent staterooms. For more information, visit www.celebritycruises.com.

Costa Cruise Line: Infants must be at least 6 months of age when boarding all cruises except trans-ocean crossings, world cruises, cruises of 15 days or more, and any other itinerary that Costa believes could pose a serious risk to infants. These have a 12 month minimum boarding age. All guests under 21 years of age when boarding must be accompanied by a parent or guardian in the same stateroom. On some sailings, even guests 21-24 years of age must have at least one person in the stateroom who is at least 25 years old and will agree to be responsible for the under-25 year old guests. For more detailed information, visit www.costacruise.com.

Disney Cruise Line: Infants must be at least 12 weeks of age at time of boarding. Guests must be 18 years of age or older to book a Disney cruise and travel on their own. Any minor guest under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a responsible adult who is 21 years of age or older. Minors under 18 must be traveling with both parents or must present a notarized letter of consent by one or both parents who are not accompanying the child. The letter must also authorize medical treatment in case of emergency. For more information, visit www.disneycruise.com.

Holland America Line: Infants must be at least 6 months of age when boarding all cruises except trans-ocean crossings and any other itinerary that Holland America believes could pose a serious risk to infants. These have a 12 month minimum boarding age. All guests under 21 years of age must be accompanied by a parent, guardian or chaperone who is at least 25 years of age. One adult chaperone who is at least 25 is required for every five persons under the age of 21. Minors under 18 who are traveling to certain foreign countries must be traveling with both parents or must present a notarized letter of consent by one or both parents who are not accompanying the child. Additional documentation requirements apply. For more extensive information on all specific document requirements for minors and other minimum age details for cruising, visit www.hollandamerica.com.

MSC Cruises: There is no minimum age requirement for infants on MSC Cruises. Guests under 21 years of age at time of boarding must be accompanied by a parent or responsible adult over the age of 21 who is booked in the same stateroom or a connecting cabin. This individual must expressly agree to be responsible for the minor at all times on the cruise. For more information, visit www.msccruises.com.

Norwegian Cruise Line: Infants must be at least 6 months of age when boarding all cruises. All guests under 21 years of age must be accompanied by a passenger age 21 or older who "expressly agrees to be responsible for the under-21 passenger throughout the cruise." This older guest must be sharing the same or connecting stateroom with the under-21 passenger. Rules are waived for married couples less than 21 years of age with proof of marriage required. Rules are somewhat different for those cruising under the family plan - see the NCL website for more details. Minors under 18 must be traveling with both parents or must present a notarized letter of consent by one or both parents who are not accompanying the child. The letter must also authorize medical treatment in case of emergency. Additional documentation requirements apply. For more extensive information, visit www.ncl.com.

Princess Cruises: Infants must be at least 6 months of age on Alaska, Canada/New England, Caribbean, Europe, Mexico, Trans-canal and Australia/New Zealand cruises and at least 12 months of age on all other cruises. All guests under 21 years of age must be accompanied by a passenger at least 21 years of age or older "who shall assume responsibility for their care during the cruise." For more detailed information, visit www.princess.com.

Royal Caribbean International: All infants must be at least 6 months old at time of boarding except for Transatlantic, Transpacific, Hawaii, selected South American cruises/cruisetours, and other selected cruises/cruisetours at Royal Caribbean's discretion. These have a 12 month minimum boarding age. "Denial of boarding for infants who do not satisfy these minimum age requirements may also result in the denial of boarding for one or more guests sailing with that infant" without refund or other compensation. All guests under 21 years of age must be accompanied by a passenger of at least 21 or older in the same stateroom. This age requirement is waived for minor children sailing with their parents or guardians in adjacent staterooms or married couples less than 21 years of age with proof of marriage required. For more information, visit www.royalcaribbean.com.

For more information on age policies for other cruise lines, visit < A href=http://www.cruising.org/>the Cruise Line Industry Association (CLIA) website.