Best cruise lines for toddlers

If you have children under two, you need to be aware that minimum age policies vary considerably from one cruise line to another and facilities may be both age related and development related (eg some cruise lines require your little one to be potty-trained, regardless of age, to use the night nursery) The vast majority of cruise lines don’t accept babies of twelve weeks of age or lower, and some only accept children that are six months and older and on some cruise lines, the minimum age restrictions vary by cruise itinerary and infants aren’t accepted on any cruise that has a sea night (that’s because babies get very ill very fast and if the ship is twenty-two hours from port, it means an airlift to the nearest hospital)

Once you’re sure your cruise line takes children the age of yours, look into the programmes and facilities. Most cruise lines with youth facilities accept children from either two or three. Disney takes children from twelve weeks old, understandably enough, and Cunard provides a full nursery for infants. But you need to make sure you understand the rules for parental presence too, as some lines won’t allow staff to change nappies without a parent being present, for example, and if you get the call just as you’re sitting down to your romantic dinner, to head for the other end of the liner to supervise a nappy change … well it can certainly ruin a meal!