Royal Caribbean with a baby

From Royal Caribbean's own UK FAQs and website, checked 18 October 2026.

Minimum age

• Infants must be at least 6 months old on the first day of the cruise or CruiseTour (Royal Caribbean: age policy).
• The minimum is 12 months for transatlantic, transpacific, Hawaii, select South American and other selected cruises, and for any cruise with 3 or more consecutive days at sea.
• Royal Caribbean says a baby who doesn't meet the policy will be denied boarding, and nobody in your party gets a refund or compensation. Check the sea days on your itinerary before you book, not just the length of the cruise.

Expecting another baby? Royal Caribbean can't take guests who will be more than 23 weeks pregnant at any time during the cruise. Everyone fills in a health questionnaire before boarding confirming this, and Royal Caribbean points out there's no obstetrician on board (Royal Caribbean: pregnancy policy).

Cots, highchairs and what you need to bring

Royal Caribbean splits baby kit into what's on the ship and what you must pack (Royal Caribbean: baby and toddler amenities).

A fitted sheet comes with the cot, so you may want to pack your baby's own sleeping bag too. If your baby is close to 14 kg or 89 cm, ask Royal Caribbean before you sail, and pack a travel cot if it can't give you an answer.

Milk and baby food

• You can bring enough breast milk for the first day, plus any pumping supplies you need.
• Regular milk can't be brought on board, because Royal Caribbean treats it as perishable food. Milk is available from Room Service once you're on the ship.
• Formula isn't sold on board, so bring powder or ready-made cartons for every day of the trip, plus a few days spare.
• Royal Caribbean says all drinking water on its ships is either distilled from seawater or loaded in port, and meets US Public Health Service sanitation standards (Royal Caribbean: drinking water). Room Service can also bring hot water and distilled water.

Royal Caribbean doesn't publish a baby food menu or say whether restaurants will purée food, so ask once you're on board and pack pouches for the first few days.

Bottle warmers, sterilisers and baby monitors

Royal Caribbean's prohibited items list is stricter than most (Royal Caribbean: prohibited items):

• Baby monitors are prohibited. They're on the list of electrical items not designed for personal grooming, along with extension leads, plug adaptors with multiple sockets and power strips.
• Bottle warmers, sterilisers and bottle cleaners "may be permitted" after a case-by-case review. Email [email protected] before you sail, and keep the reply.
• Irons and clothes steamers are banned too, so pack clothes that don't need ironing.
• Anything banned may be taken at the terminal or on board.

If you usually use an electric steriliser, cold-water sterilising tablets need no electrical kit, so there's nothing to get approved.

Pools and water safety

• Because of public health rules, children in nappies, or not fully toilet trained, can only use Baby Splash areas (Royal Caribbean: nappies in pools). Swim nappies don't change this.
• Baby Splash is only on these ships: Adventure, Allure, Anthem, Freedom, Harmony, Icon, Independence, Legend, Liberty, Oasis, Odyssey, Ovation, Quantum, Spectrum, Star, Symphony, Utopia and Wonder of the Seas. If your ship isn't on that list, your baby won't be able to go in the water on board.
• There are lifeguards at all pools and waterslides during opening hours (Royal Caribbean: lifeguards).
• Swim vests come in four sizes on the pool deck. Check the fit against your child's weight and height (Royal Caribbean: swim vests).

Royal Babies & Tots Nursery and kids' clubs

• Royal Babies & Tots Nursery offers drop-off sessions for 6 to 36 months, run by trained youth staff. It's only on select ships, and Royal Caribbean's UK site says a US $9 to $12 hourly fee applies (Royal Caribbean: cruises for kids and teens).
• Adventure Ocean, the free kids' club, is for 3 to 12 years, with a separate free teen lounge for 13 to 17.
• On the first day, Royal Caribbean suggests going to Adventure Ocean to register your children (Royal Caribbean: first day). Royal Caribbean doesn't list which ships have the nursery on the pages we checked, so ask when you book if you're counting on it.

Safety and medical care

• Every ship has at least one licensed doctor and two licensed nurses, and bigger ships have up to three doctors and five nurses, available 24 hours a day (Royal Caribbean: medical services). Royal Caribbean doesn't say whether a paediatrician is on board, so bring your baby's usual medicines.
• Keep medicines in their original labelled containers in your hand luggage, and pack at least three days extra in case the itinerary changes (Royal Caribbean: luggage).
• The muster drill (safety briefing) is compulsory for everyone and is held 30 to 60 minutes before departure. Don't bring life jackets to it; crew hand them out at the muster station in an emergency (Royal Caribbean: muster drill). Royal Caribbean doesn't say on these pages whether it has infant life jackets, so ask your cabin steward on day one.

Passports and family documents

• UK citizens, including babies, need their own passport. On sailings within the Schengen area it must be valid for at least 3 months after the cruise ends; on sailings that leave the Schengen area, 6 months after you get home (Royal Caribbean: travel documents). See our baby passport guide.
• Hospital birth certificates (the ones with baby footprints) and photocopies or photos of documents aren't accepted for boarding.
• If you and your baby have different surnames, bring the baby's passport and their birth certificate (original, notarised copy or certified copy) showing you're the parent (Royal Caribbean: family documents).
• If a grandparent or another adult who isn't the parent or legal guardian is taking the baby, they need the baby's passport or birth certificate plus an original notarised letter from a parent authorising that cruise, supervision and medical treatment. Our child travel consent letter guide explains the basics, but Royal Caribbean specifically asks for the letter to be notarised.

Luggage and embarkation day

• There's no fixed luggage limit, but Royal Caribbean asks you to bring a "reasonable amount" and suggests fewer pieces (Royal Caribbean: luggage).
• Checked bags may not reach your cabin until after the ship sails (Royal Caribbean: when luggage arrives), and your cabin may not be ready when you board. Carry a day bag with nappies, wipes, formula, a change of clothes and medicines.
• Carry-on bags must fit through the X-ray machines at the terminal, which are similar to airport scanners.

Sailing from Southampton

Royal Caribbean's Southampton page lists Freedom of the Seas, with 2-night getaways and 3 to 9-night cruises to places such as the Norwegian fjords, Hamburg, Bruges, Spain and Portugal (Royal Caribbean: cruises from Southampton). Freedom of the Seas is on the Baby Splash list, so a baby in nappies can use the water. A 2-night sailing is a good way to test whether cruising works for your family before you commit to a week.

Sailing from a UK port also avoids flying with a baby altogether. Children under 5 travel free on most National Rail journeys, so the train to Southampton can be cheap (National Rail: children). See pushchairs on trains and ferries.

Fly-cruise from Barcelona or Rome

Royal Caribbean also sails from Barcelona and Rome (Civitavecchia), and its Barcelona page says Legend of the Seas sails from both from July 2026 (Royal Caribbean: cruises from Barcelona, cruises from Rome). Legend of the Seas is on the Baby Splash list.

• Transfers from the airport to the pier can be bought for the day of sailing, and from the pier to the airport on the last day, whether or not you booked flights with Royal Caribbean. It recommends booking them two weeks before you sail, and needs your flight details (Royal Caribbean: getting to the port). UK reservations: 0344 493 4005.
• With Flights by Royal, airport-to-pier transfers cost extra and are only offered for flights on the embarkation and disembarkation days (Royal Caribbean: Flights by Royal transfers).
• Royal Caribbean doesn't say whether its transfer coaches have car seats, so ask before you book if you want one. Our car seat rules in Europe guide covers Spain and Italy, including taxis.
• Flying out the day before gives you a buffer if your flight is delayed.

Our fly-cruise with a baby guide covers flying with a baby to a cruise port.

Packing list for a Royal Caribbean cruise with a baby

• Enough formula and nappies for every day, plus a few days spare (neither is sold on board)
• Swim nappies if your ship has Baby Splash
• Your own pushchair, and a car seat if you need one for transfers
• Cot sheet or sleeping bag
• Breast milk for the first day only, and pumping supplies
• Cold-water sterilising tablets, or approval from [email protected] for an electric steriliser or bottle warmer
• No baby monitor, extension lead or multi-socket adaptor
• Baby's passport, and a birth certificate if your surnames differ
• Medicines in original containers, plus three days extra
• A day bag for embarkation, as checked luggage may arrive after sailaway

Is Royal Caribbean right for your baby?

It's a good fit if your baby is over 6 months, you want a big ship with plenty to do for older siblings, and you can sail on a ship with Baby Splash so your baby can enjoy the water. It's less suited to very young babies, families who rely on buying formula or nappies on board, and anyone who needs a baby monitor in the cabin. If your baby is under 6 months, look at MSC, which takes younger babies on most cruises. Our best cruise lines for babies guide compares them all.

Good to know — Comparing Royal Caribbean Sailings & Baby Splash Ships: Check live dates, ship classes, and family cabin prices for Royal Caribbean sailings on CruiseDirect (or browse CruiseDirect Family Cruises and Last-Minute Cruise Deals). Arriving at Southampton, Barcelona, Rome, or Florida the day before you sail? Find family hotels and aparthotels with cots on Booking.com (affiliate links).

Quick answers

• What is Royal Caribbean's minimum age for babies? 6 months on the first day of the cruise, or 12 months on transatlantic, transpacific and Hawaii cruises and any cruise with 3 or more days in a row at sea.
• Does Royal Caribbean provide cots? Yes, free, if you request one before your cruise. The baby must weigh 14 kg or less and be 89 cm or shorter.
• Does Royal Caribbean sell nappies or formula on board? No. Neither is available on board, so bring enough for the whole cruise.
• Can babies go in the pool on Royal Caribbean? Only in Baby Splash areas if they're in nappies or not fully toilet trained, and only some ships have Baby Splash.
• Can I take a baby monitor on a Royal Caribbean cruise? No. Baby monitors are on Royal Caribbean's prohibited items list.
• Can I take a bottle warmer or steriliser? Possibly. They need a case-by-case review, so email [email protected] before you sail.
• Does Royal Caribbean have a nursery? Yes, on select ships. Royal Babies & Tots Nursery takes 6 to 36 months for an hourly fee of US $9 to $12.

Sources

• Royal Caribbean UK FAQs: age policy, baby and toddler amenities, pregnancy, prohibited items, nappies in pools, lifeguards, swim vests, drinking water, medical services, muster drill, travel documents, family documents, luggage, luggage arrival, first day, getting to the port, Flights by Royal transfers
• Royal Caribbean UK: cruises for kids and teens, cruises from Southampton, cruises from Barcelona, cruises from Rome
• National Rail: train travel with children

Back to cruising with a baby.

Last checked and updated: 30 October 2026 · Kiddieko · How we check facts