Baby on Board

We recently covered the age requirements for young adults on CruiseDiva.com, but did you know that cruise lines also have minimum age requirements for infants? And that there are also regulations regarding moms-to-be? While policies vary, women who are from 24 to 28 weeks into their pregnancies cannot sail on most cruise lines.

Here's an example from Royal Caribbean Intl, Celebrity Cruises, and Azamara Cruises:

• Infants sailing on a cruise must be at least 6 months old as of the first day of the cruise/cruisetour. However, for Transatlantic, Transpacific, Hawaii, select South American cruises/cruisetours and other selected cruises/cruisetours, the infant must be at least 12 months old (as of the first day of the cruise/cruisetour).
• Also, Azamara Cruises, Celebrity Cruises, and Royal Caribbean Intl cannot accept guests who will have entered their 24th week of pregnancy by the beginning of, or at any time during, the cruise or cruisetour. A physician's "Fit to Travel" note is required prior to sailing, stating how far along (in weeks) your pregnancy will be at the beginning of the cruise and confirming that you are in good health and not experiencing a high-risk pregnancy.

Check with your preferred cruise line before booking to avoid disappointment or worse. As Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines notes, "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. 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."