With everything from accommodations to food and even childcare included in the cost of a cruise vacation, they're a popular choice for families. However, one cruise line plans to start charging for reservations to its youth club.
P&O Cruises, a British cruise line owned by Carnival Corporation, will require parents to pay a nominal fee to guarantee their child's spot at the onboard kids' club, "The Reef," for children 12 and under.
Supposedly, the change is meant to provide families with more certainty about availability and ensure that kids who are signed up have a spot, especially during peak times.
In an email sent to future guests aboard Iona, one of the line's biggest and newest ships, passengers were told they could secure spots in "The Reef" starting at £4.95 (about $6.75 USD) for daytime sessions and £8.95 (about $12.20 USD) for evening sessions.
"We’re pleased to let you know that you can now book The Reef children’s club on My P&O Cruises for a small fee before your holiday. This new service is being introduced first on Iona holidays, including yours," read the email.
"Booking ahead gives you peace of mind that youngsters have their spot in the club. And it means you’ve reserved some time exclusively for you – perhaps for peaceful spa treatments or romantic meals?"
This means that a family with two children should expect to shell out over £38 (over $50 USD) to reserve all available daily sessions, on top of the cruise fare.
However, there will be a few slots available for free that can be booked once onboard. Additionally, teens between the ages of 13 and 17 don't have to have reservations to visit H2O.
Still, measuring 184,000 gross registered tons with a passenger capacity of over 5,200 guests, the demand for spaces in the kids' club can be high, especially during school holidays.
To put that into perspective, P&O's Iona is roughly the same size as Carnival Cruise Line's Carnival Jubilee, which sails from Galveston, Texas.
This isn't the first time P&O has implemented childcare-related fees. In late May 2024, P&O introduced new penalty fees for those who cancelled their reservation for "The Reef" less than 24 hours in advance.
Those who cancel before the time slot are charged £5 (about $6.36), while the cost for being a no-show is £10 (about $12.73).
New childcare fees sparked a debate
Part of the appeal of cruise vacations is the inclusivity. Although cruises aren't all-inclusive, a lot is included in your base fare, including meals, entertainment, accommodations, transportation to ports of call, and youth programming.
It isn't uncommon for cruise lines to charge for late-night childcare or for infant services. For example, Carnival charges $8.85 (plus an 18% service charge) per kid for the Night Owls program, and Royal Caribbean's Royal Babies & Tots for cruisers between 6 and 36 months costs $6 per hour before 6:00pm and $8 per hour afterward until 1:00am.
However, no American cruise line charges guests for reservations for its onboard kids' clubs. As such, P&O's decision has outraged cruisers.
"Puts me off booking with P&O, i can go to a number of hotels with free kids clubs, you pay for the child's place and that should be enough to cover kids club, the same as cruises and hotels all over the world P&O Cruises will [lose] customers," wrote one person on Facebook.
Another agreed, "How much profit does a cruise company [need] to make, this is getting out of control."
However, others understand the need for P&O to implement the new fees, arguing that it's fairer to charge parents with children than to raise the cost of the cruise for those traveling without kids.
"I suppose when there's a lot of children on board, places can't be guaranteed & this is a way around that. Also, since P&O frequently offer[s] free child/ 3rd,4th passenger for free, adding a small fee for child care [perhaps] isn't as penny pinching as it sounds," one cruiser said.
"They have to make changes to keep up with their ongoing rising costs & this does seem fairer than increasing the holiday price for everyone."
Elizabeth Wright
Elizabeth graduated from New York University's Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute with her M.A. in Journalism in May 2023. Growing up, she traveled frequently with her family and fell in love with cruising after sailing on the Oasis of the Seas during her freshman year of high school. Having sailed on over 30 cruises across different lines, including Royal Caribbean, Carnival, MSC, Margaritaville at Sea, and Princess, she loves sharing her insight and expertise on all things cruising!
