Expecting a newborn soon? Already have a little one and ready to hit the water? Not so fast. Before you cruise with your new baby, there are some rules that you need to follow to meet cruise line regulations and be ready to set sail.

First, and most importantly, all the major cruise lines — including Royal Caribbean, Carnival, and Disney — require an infant to be at least six months of age at the day of sailing. If you are planning a Transocean cruise (from U.S. to Europe) or to Hawaii, then the child needs to be at least one year old.

Carnival:

For all cruises (except Transatlantic, Hawaii, TransPacific and South America cruises), Infant guests are required to be at least six (6) months of age on embarkation day to be eligible to travel.

For Transatlantic, Hawaii, Transpacific and South America cruises, Infant guests are required to be at least twelve (12) months of age on embarkation day to be eligible to travel. Transatlantic cruises are those from the United States to Europe or Europe to the United States.

Royal Caribbean:

Infants sailing on a cruise must be at least 6 months old as of the first day of the cruise and/or CruiseTour. HOWEVER: For transatlantic, transpacific, Hawaii, select South American and other selected cruises and/or CruiseTours, the infant must be at least 12 months old as of the first day of the cruise/CruiseTour. For the purposes of this policy, any cruise that has 3 or more days consecutive at sea will require infants to be 12 months old on the first day of the cruise/CruiseTour.

Disney:

Your child needs to be at least 6 months of age on the day of sailing for most itineraries. The minimum age for Transatlantic, Hawaii, and Panama Canal itineraries is 1 year of age on the day of sailing.

The cruise lines use strong language to enforce this policy. For instance, Royal Caribbean states that “guests travelling with a young infant that does not meet the infant policy will be denied boarding. No refunds or other compensation shall be due from the cruise line to anyone as a result of the denial of boarding to an underage infant or other accompanying guests.”

The reason that the cruise lines are so adamant about age restrictions are for health purposes. Newborn infants have much weaker immune systems than older children or adults. As a result, the potential for illness is much greater. Since it isn’t in the best interest of a cruise line to have sick passengers, the risk of letting newborns on board is too much.

But even after meeting the age restrictions, there are reasons that you might want to wait until your child is a little older and more independent before taking them on a cruise with you. Yes, the cruise lines can accommodate young passengers. For instance, Disney has “Pack and Play” cribs available to passengers free of charge. Cruise lines also have babysitting services available so that Mom and Dad can enjoy a night out.

Still, the younger and less independent (including potty-trained) your child is, the more special accommodations you’ll have to make to enjoy your cruise. While these aren’t impossible, they can put a damper on your fun. Instead, waiting until your child is a little older can make it much easier (and less work) for you to enjoy yourself on your trip.

Liberty of the Seas is Galveston’s largest ship ever, coming it at more than 1,100 feet and with the ability to carry nearly 4,000 passengers. With waterslides, bars, restaurants, shows, and even an ice skating rink, you’ll never runs out of things to do.

But what if you want to simply relax with a drink in hand? While there are plenty of bars, buying drinks can get expensive quickly. So can you bring your own alcohol aboard the ship? We recently dug up the answer.

Bringing Beer On Liberty of the Seas

Not allowed. You cannot bring beer aboard the Liberty of the Seas when you take your cruise. You are also not allowed to bring beer bought in ports aboard to your stateroom. It will be taken at boarding and stored until the last day of your cruise.

Bringing Wine On Liberty of the Seas

Allowed. According to Royal Caribbean, “Guests wishing to bring personal wine and champagne onboard may do so only on boarding day, limited to two (2) 750 ml bottles per stateroom. Additional bottles of wine beyond two (2) bottles that are brought onboard or any alcoholic beverages purchased in ports of call or from Shops On Board will be stored by the ship and delivered to your stateroom on the last day of the sailing.”

Bringing Liquor On Liberty of the Seas

Not allowed. Only wine and champagne can be brought on board at embarkation. If you buy alcohol while in port, it will be stored in the ship’s hold and returned to you after the cruise is completed. “Guests are not allowed to bring beer, hard liquor, fortified wines or non-alcoholic beverages onboard for consumption or any other use on boarding day or while in port. Alcoholic beverages seized on boarding day will not be returned.

Have more questions about what is allowed aboard the Liberty of the Seas? Let us know in the comments below.

Heads up Galveston cruisers. If you’re bringing back alcohol or cigarettes from you cruise, then you will be a little bit lighter in the pocketbook.

Starting on January 4, 2014, the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) will begin charging “personal importation taxes” on cruisers debarking in Galveston.

Up until now cruisers were allowed to bring back small amounts of alcohol and cigarettes for personal use without paying any extra tax. This allowed you to buy from the duty-free shops aboard the ship (or buy at a port of call) and save a significant amount on taxes. Now passengers will be charged a nominal fee for whatever they bring in.

For alcohol, the tax is fairly small — $3.75 for a liter of booze. For cigarettes, it is a pricey $1.50 per pack.

Below we have a full breakdown of all the taxes from the TABC’s website:

While the new tax hits Galveston in January, Bayport cruisers will have a little extra “tax free” time. The TABC has said they plan to start taxing there in the fall of 2014.

Most people look forward to a cruise’s adult libations — an umbrella drink in one hand can mysteriously put anyone in a better mood.

But that doesn’t mean you only want to drink booze for a week. And while water, juice, and tea are usually free on a cruise, you have to go to the dining rooms or buffet to get them. Plus, you might have a favorite non-alcoholic drink that the cruise doesn’t normally serve (or perhaps you simply want a mixer for that little bit of liquor you snuck onboard).

So can you bring water, soda or other drinks on your cruise? Well, that depends on which line you sail… Continue Reading »

Hopefully cruising with a warrant is something that you have to worry about… but the question does come up from time to time.

So what will happen if you cruise from Galveston while you’re wanted by the law? Continue Reading »