If you’re a parent with small children and teens and you’re planning a cruise, you’re probably wondering about the cost for a cruise ticket for kids. The cost for a cruise for small children, kids, and teens varies greatly depending on a number of factors. The costs depends on cruise line, season, age, family size, destination, type of accommodation, programs, excursions, and more. Some cruise lines offer 50% discounts for kids under 12, others have special promotions where kids can cruise for free, and some may offer substantial discounts for larger families. During the planning process, it’s simply best to inquire within.
While rates for small children, kids, and teens may vary greatly, rates for infants are fairly cut and dry. The majority of cruise lines will charge for infants – typically defined as children under 2. But the good news is that the rates for infants are typically at a 3rd or 4th person rate. The only cruise lines that don’t charge for infants are Disney Cruise Lines and Norwegian Cruise Line. Disney and Norwegian do charge for port charges for infants. Below is a bit of information about each cruise line.
One of the most popular cruise lines in the world today is Disney Cruise Lines. Disney Cruise Lines has been in the cruise business for more than a decade and well over half a million people will sail on a Disney Cruise Lines ship each year. Owned by the Walt Disney Company and headquartered in Port Canaveral, Florida, Disney Cruise Lines ships were the first in the cruise industry to be designed specifically for families, parents, and children.
Disney Cruise Lines operates the popular Disney Magic and Disney Wonder cruise ships, each offering a wide variety of accommodations, itineraries and activities to choose from. Disney Magic and Disney Wonder call Cruise Terminal 8, the Disney Cruise Line Terminal, home. The $27 million, 70,000-square-foot facility terminal was completed and dedicated on November 17, 1997. Disney Cruise Line Terminal is Port Canaveral’s third ultra-modern mega-ship terminal and it is the exclusive home of Magic and Wonder.
If you’re interested in a unique take on cruising with a line that feels a lot like many luxury cruise lines, then Norwegian Cruise Line is for you. This innovative cruise line offers freestyle cruising along with luxury amenities for those looking for a little something extra. For those of you who haven’t heard about “Freestyle Cruising” yet, this type of cruise is all about, well, freedom. Freestyle Cruising appeals to families with children mainly because there are no schedules and the atmosphere is very informal. Onboard Norwegian cruise ships, you will have the freedom to choose when you dine, if you want to dress-up or down, when you want to relax or party, and even disembark. What you do is up to you.
Again, there are no schedules and even the accommodations are flexible. This means you’ll have your pick of a wide variety of room types such as 3-bedroom rooftop Garden Villas, inside staterooms, and large family suites, to name a few. Not that you know the ins and outs Norwegian’s Freestyle Cruising, it’s time to get to know the ships, and everything else this cruise line is about.
Norwegian Cruise Line has 13 ships in it’s fleet to choose from including: Norwegian Gem, Norwegian Pearl, Norwegian Jade, Norwegian Jewel, Norwegian Dawn, Norwegian Star, Norwegian Spirit, Norwegian Dream, Norwegian Majesty, and Norwegian Sun as well as Pride of America, Pride of Hawaii, and Pride of Aloha.