Best cruise lines for babies from the UK
Built only from each cruise line's own website, checked October 2026 for our ten line-by-line guides. We don't rank lines on things we can't check, such as food or cabin size, and rules can differ by ship and sailing, so confirm with the line before you book.
Key facts
Short answer: there's no single best line, because it depends on what you need. If your baby is under 6 months, MSC is the only big line here that takes them on most cruises. For evening childcare from Southampton, Cunard's Night Nursery (6 to 23 months) is included in the fare, and P&O runs a night nursery from 6pm to midnight. For daytime drop-off, look at MSC Baby Care, Royal Caribbean's nursery (select ships) or Disney. If you'd rather fly to Spain or Italy and join the ship there, Costa sails from Barcelona, Valencia, Málaga, Palma, Savona, Genoa and Civitavecchia.
Pick by what matters most to you
| If you want… | Look at | What the line says |
|---|---|---|
| To sail with a baby under 6 months | MSC Cruises | Infants under 2 are admitted on most cruises; on cruises of 11 nights or more, children must be at least 2. Every other line here asks for 6 months or more. |
| Free evening childcare, no flight | Cunard | Night Nursery for 6 to 23 months, 6pm to 11pm, included in your fare. Every Cunard Queen sails from Southampton. |
| A night nursery, no flight | P&O Cruises | Night Nursery 6pm to midnight; kids' clubs from 6 months to 17 years. Sails mostly from Southampton. |
| Daytime drop-off for a baby | MSC Cruises, Royal Caribbean, Disney | MSC Baby Care, 6 months to 3 years, up to 8 hours a day, charged, on all ships. Royal Caribbean's nursery, 6 to 36 months, select ships, US$9 to $12 an hour. Disney's nursery, 6 months to 3 years, on every ship, very limited space. |
| A cruise from Southampton | P&O, Cunard, Princess, Celebrity, NCL | All five list Southampton sailings on their own sites. Celebrity names Celebrity Apex; NCL names Norwegian Sun, Sky and Star for 2026. |
| A fly-cruise from Spain or Italy | Costa Cruises | Costa's UK site has departure pages for Barcelona, Valencia, Málaga and Palma in Spain, and Savona, Genoa and Civitavecchia (for Rome) in Italy. Planning the flight and transfer? See fly-cruise with a baby. |
| An all-inclusive package with free cots | Marella Cruises | Cots and highchairs free to borrow on board, sold as TUI packages, mostly with a flight. |
| Free baby food on board | Princess Cruises | Free jarred stage 1 and 2 baby food if you request it in advance through Manage Booking. |
| Free shore excursions for the baby | MSC Cruises | MSC says babies aged 2 and under go free on its shore excursions. It doesn't publish a baby's cruise fare on the pages we checked, so check your quote. |
The ten lines side by side
| Cruise line | Youngest age to sail | Care for under-3s | Cots | Sails from Southampton? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| P&O Cruises | 6 months (12 on some sailings) | Night nursery, 6pm to midnight (age range not published) | On family ships, request before you sail | Yes, mostly |
| Cunard | 6 months (12 on some voyages) | Free Night Nursery, 6 to 23 months | Travel cot on request, limited | Yes |
| MSC Cruises | No minimum on most cruises (2 years on 11+ nights) | Baby Care drop-off from 6 months (charged); Baby Time with a parent | Limited, request before departure | Yes (Norwegian fjords) |
| Royal Caribbean | 6 months (12 on long or sea-day-heavy sailings) | Paid nursery, 6 to 36 months, select ships | Free on request (up to 14 kg and 89 cm) | Check your sailing |
| Disney Cruise Line | 6 months (1 year on some repositioning cruises) | Nursery, 6 months to 3 years, every ship | Pack 'n Play under 35 inches via Special Requests | Yes (summer Southampton sailings) |
| Princess Cruises | 6 months on Europe sailings (12 on transatlantic) | Firefly Park on Sun and Star Princess only | On request, first come, first served | Yes |
| Celebrity Cruises | 6 months (12 with 3+ sea days in a row) | None | Not stated on its site | Yes (Celebrity Apex) |
| NCL | 6 months (12 with 3+ sea days in a row) | Guppies play sessions with a parent | Foldable playpen with bedding | Yes |
| Costa Cruises | 6 months (12 on ocean crossings and 15+ days) | Squok Baby Area with a parent | On request, subject to availability | None found; fly to Spain or Italy |
| Marella Cruises | 6 months | Mini M Club stay-and-play with a parent | Free to borrow | None found on TUI's site |
"Not stated on its site" and "check your sailing" mean we couldn't confirm it on the line's own pages in October 2026, not that the answer is no. For more columns, including kids' club ages, see our cruise line baby rules table.
Tip — Compare Family Cruise Fares & Itineraries Side by Side: Want to compare cabin prices and sailing dates across these lines in one place? Browse CruiseDirect Family Cruises or jump straight to live sailings for MSC Cruises, Cunard, Royal Caribbean, Disney Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, Celebrity Cruises, Norwegian (NCL), and Costa Cruises, plus Last-Minute Cruise Deals (affiliate links — we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you).
Watch out for the 12-month rule
Most lines raise the minimum age to 12 months for some sailings, and it's easy to miss:
- Royal Caribbean, Celebrity and NCL all ask for 12 months on cruises with 3 or more days in a row at sea. P&O asks for 12 months on some cruises with long runs of sea days or remote itineraries, and on all Exotic fly-cruises.
- Princess, Disney and Royal Caribbean ask for 12 months (1 year on Disney) on transatlantic sailings, and Costa on ocean crossings, world cruises and cruises of 15 days or more.
- MSC asks for 2 years on cruises of 11 nights or more.
Count the sea days in a row on your itinerary before you book. A Southampton round trip to Norway or the Mediterranean usually has fewer than a transatlantic crossing, but check yours.
Pool time for babies in nappies
Don't count on it. Celebrity, NCL, Princess and Marella all say babies in nappies or swim nappies can't use their pools, and MSC says babies in nappies aren't allowed in the water. Royal Caribbean only lets babies in nappies use its Baby Splash areas, which are on 18 of its ships, including Freedom of the Seas from Southampton and Legend of the Seas from Barcelona and Rome (Royal Caribbean: nappies in pools). Disney allows swim nappies only in designated water-play areas for children up to 4 years — not in pools, spas or waterslides (Disney: swim policies). Cunard and Costa don't state a rule on the pages we could check, so ask before you pack the swimwear. If pool time matters to you, ask the line about baby splash or water-play areas on your ship before you book.
No nursery? You're on duty all day
Celebrity, NCL, Costa and Marella have no drop-off care for under-3s, and Princess only has Firefly Park on Sun and Star Princess. These lines can still suit a family happy to keep the baby with them, especially with a parent-and-baby session such as NCL's Guppies, Costa's Squok Baby Area or Marella's Mini M Club.
The greener choice
Sailing from Southampton skips the flight, which is the biggest single cut to a cruise holiday's footprint. Southampton has a mainline station, and under-5s travel free on most National Rail journeys: see pushchairs on trains and ferries. Borrow the ship's cot instead of packing one, and if you're flying to the Med, check your airline's baby rules in our airline guides.
Quick answers
- Which cruise line is best for babies? It depends on what you need. MSC takes under-6-month-olds on most cruises, Cunard and P&O have night nurseries and sail from Southampton, and MSC, Royal Caribbean and Disney offer daytime drop-off for babies.
- Which cruise lines take babies under 6 months? Of the ten lines we've checked, only MSC, which admits infants under 2 on most cruises (but not on cruises of 11 nights or more).
- Which cruise lines have a nursery for babies? P&O and Cunard have night nurseries, MSC has Baby Care drop-off from 6 months, Royal Caribbean has a paid nursery on select ships, and Disney has a nursery on every ship.
- Which cruise lines sail from the UK with a baby? P&O, Cunard, Princess, Celebrity (Celebrity Apex) and NCL all list sailings from Southampton.
- Is the Cunard Night Nursery free? Yes. Cunard says it's included in your fare, for 6 to 23 month olds, from 6pm to 11pm.
- Can babies in swim nappies use cruise ship pools? Not on MSC, Celebrity, NCL, Princess or Marella. Royal Caribbean allows them only in Baby Splash areas, on some ships. Disney allows them only in designated water-play areas (up to age 4), not in pools, spas or slides. Cunard and Costa don't state a rule on their pages, so ask them.
- Do babies cruise free? Don't assume so. MSC says babies aged 2 and under go free on its shore excursions, but it doesn't publish a baby's cruise fare on the pages we checked, and other lines price infants differently, so check your quote.
Sources
- P&O Cruises: facilities for babies, kids' clubs, booking terms
- Cunard: Night Nursery, booking conditions, family accommodation, getting to Southampton
- MSC Cruises: children and teens FAQ, kids' clubs, UK homepage (Southampton sailings)
- Royal Caribbean: international age policy, baby and toddler amenities, kids and teens
- Disney Cruise Line: travelling with little ones, minimum age FAQ, Pack 'n Play FAQ, swim policies
- Princess Cruises: age requirements, onboard FAQs, cruises from Southampton
- Celebrity Cruises: before you board, Camp at Sea FAQ, all FAQs
- NCL: age requirements, family cruise FAQs, 2026 cruises from Southampton
- Costa Cruises: UK FAQs, Barcelona departures
- Marella Cruises: Marella for families, Marella FAQs
- National Rail: train travel with children
Back to cruising with a baby.
Last checked and updated: · Kiddieko · How we check facts
