The Minors Policy protects the safety and well-being of all passengers on board. ‘Minor’ refers to any person under the age of  21 (on voyages that do include a port in the USA) or 18 (on cruises that do not include a port in the USA).

 

Ages of all guests will be verified during embarkation. Please ensure that you have the necessary documentation, such as a passport or birth certificate, to confirm the ages of any minors traveling. 

We have recently updated our Minors Policy, effective July 1st, 2024.

Starting from 15 May 2025, infants under 2 years old are admitted on board, except for cruises starting from 11 nights onwards, for which it is required that the minor is at least 2 years old at the moment of embarkation.

Strollers and wheelchairs are always allowed on board, but must be declared at the time of booking confirmation. 

Wheelchairs are available on all ships in the MSC Cruises fleet, for use during embarking and disembarking or in the event of an emergency and can be borrowed on board.

If a personal wheelchair will be used during the cruise, please review our accessibility and medical requests page and submit your request no later than 30 days prior to sailing.

This policy is due to long cruises often having multiple days at sea, which can impede our ability to provide urgent medical care for infants.

No, the age requirement does not apply in this case, as these are considered two separate sailings.

You will be offered a Free Cruise Move with new pricing or the booking will be cancelled according to the standard cancellation policy.

MSC Cruises welcomes guests of all ages, including minors. For sailing purposes, a minor means any person under the age of:

 

21 (at the time of embarkation) on voyages that include a port in the USA, or
18 (at the time of embarkation) on cruises that do not include a port in the USA

All minors must be accompanied by a parent/legal guardian or authorized adult

Yes, an exception applies for minors under 18 traveling with one parent or legal guardian, provided the following conditions are met:

• The parent/legal guardian must specifically request at the time of booking that the minors be assigned a cabin without an adult and sign a liability waiver, which will be issued from the Contact Center. 
• The parent/legal guardian is traveling with 2 to 5 minors.
• The stateroom is occupied by either one minor aged 12 or older, or two minors, with the eldest at least 12 and the youngest at least 8.
• No more than two minors may occupy a stateroom without an adult. 

For MSC Lirica, MSC Opera, MSC Armonia,  MSC Sinfonia, MSC Musica,  MSC Orchestra,  MSC Poesia,  MSC Magnifica, MSC Fantasia,  MSC Splendida,  MSC Divina,  MSC Preziosa ships:

- Parent/guardian and minors must stay in connecting staterooms, and the balcony of the minors' stateroom will be locked.

For all other MSC ships:

- The parent or legal guardian and the minor(s) shall be accommodated in connecting staterooms with the minor cabin’s balcony being locked or in interior adjacent staterooms.
- The parent/legal guardian must purchase an MSC for Me wristband to have access to the minors' room at any time during the cruise. The wristband along with an informative flyer will be delivered to the parent/legal guardian’s stateroom.

Minors 18 - 20 years of age
- For sailings with a US port, minors aged 18-20 must travel with a parent or legal guardian, and can be booked in a cabin by themselves without applying the above restrictions.

‘Adjacent cabins’ is defined as two staterooms, at least one without a balcony, which have no more than 3 staterooms between them. These rooms must be assigned to the same corridor and assembly stations.

‘Connecting staterooms’ is defined as to stateroom that are connected by an internal door.

Once your minor policy exception booking is confirmed and approved, MSC Cruises will send you an email containing a liability waiver. Please complete the waiver and return it as instructed to finalize your booking.

Travellers of all nationalities must be at least 21 to travel alone on cruises embarking in the US or travelling to the US. They must have turned 21 by the time they enter a U.S. port. Guests aged under 21 must travel accompanied by their parents or a legal guardian. 

Otherwise, a signed authorization letter from the absent parent must be provided when booking, along with the name of a chaperon or a designated individual in charge of the minor. Download the chaperone waiver here. 

18-20 year olds traveling with their parents or legal guardian are able to travel in their stateroom alone.

If 18-20 year olds are not traveling with their parent or legal guardian, they must travel in a stateroom with a guest 21+ years, and bring with them an authoized letter from the absent parent, along with the name of a chaperone onboard. The chaperone will be required to submit a waiver, by completing this form. 

If your booking does not comply with the policy, MSC Cruises or your travel advisor will contact you to assist in bringing your booking into compliance. You will be advised of the available options to make the necessary adjustments. Standard penalties may apply.

Our Kids Clubs are open every day, offering a wide range of fun activities for your children, supervised by our dedicated Youth Staff. We invite you to check the exact opening hours once on board, as they may vary depending on the ship and itinerary.

Our Youth Staff on board will be happy to provide any additional information to ensure your children have an unforgettable time!

All children on board our ships can enjoy delicious, nutritious dishes and varied, fun main courses. Our huge menu selection is designed according to children's tastes as well as their nutritional needs.

There are ad-hoc programmes designed for every age group, as well as sports competitions, contests, quizzes, treasure hunts, and games in the swimming pool. A fully-equipped games room is also available with a vast selection of toys selected according to the needs of each age group. These range from board games, draughts, chess, stencils, art, blackboards, modelling clay, colouring, group games and much more.

No, the activities are free.

Yes, MSC Voyagers Club membership is open to all ages. However, if you are under 18, subscription can only be completed by a parent or legal guardian.
The following information is required: name, last name and date of birth. Email is optional.

Please see the MSC Voyagers Club terms & conditions for further details.

Yes, provided that the miniclub staff is notified one day prior to the excursion. 

You can register your children for the Kids’ Clubs on board or fill in the online form before boarding. Once on board just bring us the printed form, along with your Cruise Card and those of your children.

Every child is issued with an MSC ID wristband during embarkation. This wristband must be worn at all times during the cruise for security. On board MSC Meraviglia, MSC Seaside, MSC Seaview, MSC Bellissima and MSC Grandiosa, we offer Digital wristbands (for a fee), allowing you to see exactly where your little ones are at all times.

Every ship in the MSC Cruises fleet has a well-equipped modern Medical Centre on board. The Medical Centre is staffed by fully-qualified personnel, and benefits from 24/7 specialist paediatric telemedicine support. Over-the-counter medicines can be purchased on board.

All our restaurants and 24-hour Stateroom Service are ready and happy to help, ensuring you can feed your baby swiftly on demand, for their and your own comfort.

We do everything we can to make life easier and as comfortable as possible for all our guests. Partnering with world-leader Chicco, we provide a limited quantity of beautifully-designed bottle warmers, strollers, bouncers and backpacks on board for your combined comfort and convenience. Among the shops on board, you’ll find a Chicco corner with a selection of great products for babies and toddlers, including nappies. 
Also a limited number of cots and highchairs are available on board, although please be prepared for increased demand for these during the high season. Please be sure that the travel agency faxes your request for these items at the time of booking.

If you’re celebrating your child’s birthday during your cruise, you can make it even more fun by ordering a special Doremi cake. Just contact the Reception - Guest Service or the Maître d’hôtel for details.

Minors onboard must be supervised by a parent or a legal guardian at all times and are welcome at the activities onboard or at shore excursions, provided that a parent or legal guardian is present. Guests under the age of 18 are prohibited from disembarking the ship unless accompanied by a legal guardian or an adult duly authorised from the legal guardian to accompany the minor, by virtue of an official consent of the latter. Children cannot remain onboard if their parents or legal guardian go ashore, unless expressly authorized by the onboard staff.

We have clear and simple rules to ensure pool safety. Babies in nappies are not allowed in the water and children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult. Swimming caps are optional, but flip-flops should be worn around the pool (and can be purchased in the shops on board).

For hygenie reasons, babies in nappies are not allowed in the water.