Cruise Age Rules: The Limits You Need To Know

Think babies have to be 6 months old to cruise and adults need to be 21 to sail alone? It’s not always that simple.

Cruise age limits vary much more than you might expect. Some cruise lines welcome very young babies, while certain ships are exclusively for older adults. The rules can also change depending on where you’re sailing and how long your cruise lasts.

So, whether you’re cruising with a baby, letting a teenager sail independently or looking for an adults-only escape, your age could determine which cruises you can book.

And some of the age limits might surprise you.

Newborn Babies

Can a newborn go on a cruise? Surprisingly, yes – but your options are limited.

MSC Cruises allows infants under 2 to sail on cruises of up to 10 nights. However, following a change to its policy in May 2025, children must be at least 2 years old to sail on cruises of 11 nights or longer.

This makes MSC unusual, as most major ocean cruise lines have a minimum age of around 6 months, with higher age limits on certain longer or more remote itineraries.

If you’re interested in a river cruise, CroisiEurope and A-ROSA both welcome babies and don’t have a general minimum age requirement. A-ROSA is particularly family-friendly, although its supervised Kids Club is generally aimed at children aged 4 and over, children under this age can participate if a parent stays with them.

It may also be possible to book a cruise before your baby is born, depending on the cruise line. You’ll need to contact the cruise line or your travel agent to find out how they handle the booking and when your baby’s details must be added.

Even if your cruise line accepts newborns, think carefully before booking too far in advance. Your baby could arrive later than expected, need additional medical care or you simply might not feel ready to travel so soon after the birth.

3 Months Old

Once your baby reaches three months old, you have another cruise option in addition to MSC Cruises and CroisiEurope – your baby can now cruise with Celestyal Cruises.

Celestyal Cruises is a Cypriot cruise line offering port-intensive Greek Island itineraries. These cruises aren’t the most relaxing as passengers generally spend their days sightseeing, sometimes visiting more than one port per day.

While relaxing on board is always an option, Celestyal offers a range of shore excursions that you can book separately if you want to get off the ship and explore.

If your small baby is happy to be strapped to your chest with a baby carrier while you explore the sights of Greece, a Celestyal cruise could be a great option for your family.

Suggested read: 15 Things to Love About Celestyal Cruises

6 Months Old

At six months of age, your baby will be accepted onto most cruise ships. However, you’ll want to avoid itineraries that have lots of consecutive days at sea or visit exotic and remote ports as these aren’t usually open to babies less than a year old.

This is because if your baby falls ill, they may need specialist medical care on land. And that wouldn’t be easy to get if you’re in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, halfway between Europe and the United States.

I took my son on his first cruise when he was six months old and he loved it, especially the pizza!

Cruising with a baby can take some extra planning, but it’s so worth it! Once you’re on board, I find that it’s easier than any land-based holiday.

In my opinion, some of the best cruise lines for babies are MSC Cruises and P&O Cruises.

Suggested read: Taking a Baby on a Cruise Ship? Read This First!

12 Months Old

Once babies are 12 months old they can cruise on many more family-friendly cruise ships. This includes cruises with more than three consecutive days at sea (such transatlantic cruises) as well as world cruises and exotic itineraries like Hawaii and South America.

Of course, walking babies are some of the hardest work to look after. So look out for family-friendly ships where you won’t feel so bad if your toddler has a screaming tantrum during dinner.

As mentioend above, as of 15th May 2025, MSC Cruises no longer accepts children under 2 years of age for cruises of 11 nights or more due to safety concerns.

2 Years Old

Toddlers are welcome on family-friendly ocean cruise ships, but your options are much more limited when it comes to river cruising. Many river cruise lines have minimum age requirements, while others allow very young children but aren’t particularly designed with toddlers in mind.

There are a few reasons why most river cruises aren’t suitable for young kids. River cruise ships are small, so there’s no room for pushchairs or buggies. The excursions are usually in cities, so you can expect a lot of walking to be involved.

Plus, while the railings on cruise ships are generally pretty high and not easy to climb, the same can’t be said of river cruise ships. Rather than glass-fronted balconies, you’ll often find horizontal railings. Eek!

If you want to take an ocean cruise with a two-year-old, I recommend P&O Cruises. They allow two-year-olds in the kids’ club, unlike most other cruise lines, which won’t take under-threes.

Suggested read: 5 Things You Need to Know About Cruising With a Two-Year-Old

3 Years Old

Three years old is a great age to take your child on a cruise. By this age, they’ll be able to attend the kids’ clubs and, so long as they’re toilet trained, they can use the swimming pools and whirlpools on the ship.

While you can certainly take your child on a cruise before they reach three years of age, you may find that you’re paying the full fare for a child who’s not old enough to participate in many of the activities.

Plus, if you wait until your child is three, there’s more chance that they’ll actually remember the trip as they get older.

For something really special, a Disney cruise is a great option for three-year-olds.

Suggested read: Disney Magic at Sea UK Cruise Review

4 Years Old

Once your child is four years old, more river cruise options become available. AmaWaterways accepts children from age 4 and APT also offers family-friendly river cruise options, although minimum ages can vary by itinerary.

Another river cruise line, Tauck, has a selection of cruises called Tauck Bridges, which are aimed at families with kids aged four and up.

Remember, just because you can take a river cruise with a four-year-old, it doesn’t mean that you should. Many river cruise lines only recommend their cruises for kids aged eight and older, even though they allow younger children to cruise.

If your child doesn’t mind a lot of walking, is generally well-behaved and can be trusted not to climb overboard the moment your back is turned, a river cruise could still be a great option for your family.

8 Years Old

I would say that eight years old and above is when kids are more likely to get the most out of a river cruise. At this age, they may take more of an interest in the places you visit, making it a great educational family holiday.

Avalon Waterways accepts children aged eight and over on its river cruises.

Windstar Cruises also generally recommends its cruises for children aged eight and over. While younger children may be permitted on some sailings, there are no dedicated children’s programmes or childcare facilities on board.

5 Years Old

Once your child turns five, another river cruise option opens up. Uniworld welcomes children aged five and over on its river cruises, although some destinations and itineraries may have higher minimum age requirements.

Uniworld’s cruises aren’t specifically designed for young children, but selected sailings offer family-focused activities, making them a good option if you want to introduce your kids to river cruising.

12 Years Old

Once your child reaches 12, some more adventurous river cruises become an option. For example, AmaWaterways requires children to be at least 12 years old for its African and Southeast Asian programmes.

Adult-focused river cruise lines Scenic and Emerald also allow children aged 12 and over on board their river ships. There isn’t much specifically designed for teenagers on board, but they can still enjoy the destinations and excursions with their families.

16 Years Old

Children aged 16 and 17 still need to travel with an adult, but they can usually enjoy much more independence on board. Depending on the cruise line, they may be able to stay in their own or an adjoining cabin and enjoy activities such as shows and some fitness facilities without an adult.

Rules around teenagers exploring the ship or going ashore without an adult vary by cruise line, so it’s worth checking the policy before you sail.

18 Years Old

If you’re 18 years old and want to cruise without your parents, there are some options. However, most cruise lines require at least one passenger on the booking to be aged 21 or over.

However, there are some cruises that allow groups of 18, 19 or 20-year-olds to cruise with friends.

List of cruises for 18 years olds (without the need for someone 21+):

• Cunard
• Marella
• MSC (only if no ports in the US)
• P&O Cruises
• Royal Caribbean (only if no ports in the US)

Read more: The Best Cruises For 18-Year-Olds (Without Parents!)

Adult-Only Cruises

Some cruise lines only allow adults to book, whereas others have adult-only ships or adult-only cruises.

If you’d rather cruise without children, there are some adult-only cruises for you to consider…

List of adult-only cruises:

• P&O Cruises – Arcadia & Aurora
• Marella – Marella Explorer 2
• Tui River Cruises – All ships
• Viking – All ships
• Virgin Voyages – All ships

Suggested Read: A Guide To The 12 Best Adult-Only Cruises

21 Years Old

While 18-year-olds can sometimes cruise alone when outside of the United States, many cruise lines require at least one person in each cabin to be 21 or older. These include Celebrity Cruises, Costa, Crystal Cruises, Holland America Line, MSC Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, Royal Caribbean and Seabourn.

Carnival has slightly different rules. For bookings made from 1st February 2025, guests aged 20 or younger must travel with a relative or guardian who is at least 25 years old. Guests aged 21 to 24 can travel without someone aged 25 or over.

Some cruise lines have additional age restrictions depending on the itinerary, departure port and who you’re travelling with, so it’s always worth checking the rules for your specific sailing before booking.

With all of the rules for people aged 16 to 25, exceptions may be made for legally married couples and members of the military. For example, if you’re a 24-year-old couple on your honeymoon, you’ll probably find that the cruise line will waive the rule about needing someone aged 25 or older on the booking.

40-50 Years Old

British cruise line Saga is aimed at the over 50s and has a minimum age requirement to cruise. Guests must be aged 50 or over to set sail with Saga.

The exception to this is for people aged 40 – they may cruise with Saga only if they are accompanying a person who is aged over 50.

Suggested read: The Best Cruises For Over 50s

The Bottom Line

Cruises can be great holidays for families with children of all ages, but age restrictions vary considerably between cruise lines. A handful welcome newborn babies, while you’ll have a much wider choice once your child reaches six months old.

By the age of three, children can usually access more of the facilities on board, including kids’ clubs and swimming pools, although individual cruise lines have their own rules. River cruises tend to suit older children better, with more options opening up from around eight years old.

And if you’re aged between 18 and 25 and planning to cruise without an older adult, always check the rules before booking. Minimum ages vary by cruise line, itinerary and departure port, so a cruise you can book independently in one part of the world might have different rules elsewhere.

Related Posts:

• The Best Cruise Lines For Families
• The Best Cruise Ships For Kids
• The Best Royal Caribbean Ships For Kids
• Drinking On A Cruise At 18 In International Waters – What’s Actually Allowed?