Thursday, January 12, 2012

Cruise Line Policies



The Cruise Lines follow a set of policies & guidelines that are designed to ensure the safety and security of their guests. The Cruise Line policies varies and it is important for the guests to know the policies and restrictions before they book & confirm their cruise vacation. Here are some general guidelines on the different policies of cruise lines.

Infant Policy:

Infants sailing on a cruise must be at least 6 months old as of the first day of the cruise. However, for some longer sailings and specific destinations, the cruise lines insist that the infant must be at least 12 months old as of the first day of the cruise.

Please note that the guests traveling with a young infant that does not meet the infant policy will be denied boarding. No refunds or other compensations are normally considered by the cruise lines to guests, if they are denied boarding due to an under age infant.

Pregnancy Policy:

Most of the cruise lines require that in order to cruise the female guests who are pregnant must not have entered in to their 24th week of pregnancy at any time during the cruise sailing. Though the cruise lines will have basic medical facilities with general physicians and nurses, they are not specialists. The pregnant guests are required to carry a "Fit to Travel" certificate issued by a Physician prior to sailing. The letter should state the number of weeks that the pregnant guest would be in at the time of sailing and also state that the guest is in good health fit enough to cruise and not experiencing a high risk pregnancy.

Age Policy:

No person under 21 years of age will be assigned a stateroom unless accompanied by an adult who is over the age of 21 in the same stateroom.  The age limit will be waived for minor children sailing with their parents or guardians in adjacent staterooms and also for underage married couples as long as they provide a proof of marriage at check in.

Onboard the cruise ships there are certain facilities where each entry is restricted by age: All persons using the Spa must be over the age of 18.  The minimum drinking age for all alcoholic beverages is generally 21 on most of the cruise ships. However, a parent sailing with his or her sons or daughters who is between the ages of 18 to 21, may sign a waiver allowing the 18 to 21 year old to consume alcoholic beverages.

Please note that an individual’s age on the date of sailing determines their status for the entire cruise.

Minor Policy:

Any minor who is not traveling with at least one of their parents will only be permitted to board the cruise ship if accompanied by a guest over the age of 21. A written authorization from the parent/legal guardian must be provided at the time of booking for minors aged 17 or under at the start of sailing. This authorization is not required for minors 18, 19 or 20 at the start of the sailing.

Adults who are not the parent or legal guardian of any minor child traveling with them are required to present the child’s valid passport, applicable visa and an original affirmed or notarized letter signed by at least one of the child’s parents/legal guardians. The notarized letter must authorize the traveling adult to take the minor on the specified cruise and must authorize the traveling adult to supervise the child and permit any medical treatment that must be administered to the child which in the opinion of the treating doctor needs to be carried out without delay.

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//PART 2