When Jasper was 5-months-old we decided to take our first ever cruise since we were living in New Orleans right by a cruise port. It didn’t take us long, however, to discover that every cruise line we looked at booking with required infants to be at least 6 months of age at time of cruising. We weren’t able to move our travel dates, so we were delighted to finally discover MSC - the only cruise line without a minimum age for infants. MSC is a large Switzerland-based cruise company, but they haven’t been as prominent in the US until recently, so we had never heard of them and were intrigued to try them out for our first cruise adventure. We ended up booking a four day Bahamas trip that included a stop at MSC’s private island, Ocean Cay.

Good to know: Children ages 2 and under cruise for free on MSC

When our trip arrived we boarded the ship and only had to spend about 30 minutes going through the check-in process, which was appreciated with a baby. After checking in we located our cabin and the staff immediately set up a cot for Jasper, complete with mattress and linens, free of charge which was awesome. We had read that they provided cots but you never know so we had planned to just make a little bed for him on the floor if they didn’t have one. We booked the cheapest interior room so it was pretty dark and small, but there was space for the cot and the fact that it was so dark actually helped us all sleep great, so we didn’t mind!

*Cruising out of the port our first evening*

After settling into our room we headed to the main buffet style dining area instead of trying to do the potentially semi-fancy sit down dinner in our assigned dining room. As soon as we entered the dining area staff were quick to tell us that there was a specific family dining area and immediately ushered us there. They clearly don’t want little kids bothering the other guests, because the family dining was at the very back of the dining area the farthest away from everything. Not a big deal and if your kids get rowdy it probably is nice to be in your own little corner, but it would be nice to be able to choose to sit in the family area instead of being told you have to sit there every single time you entered the dining area. That said, we enjoyed the food and in retrospect, found it to be better than the food on our next cruise on Royal Caribbean. The also provided plenty of highchairs which was super helpful. Like all cruises, they have multiple included food options and Jasper was especially fond of the soft serve ice cream.

*Getting even chunkier cheeks with all the ice cream*

*Tasty breakfast in the main buffet dining area*

*Awesome views out the windows in the dining area*

The next morning we got up early and explored the boat. It was pretty hot and our ship had a great kids’ swimming area with splash pad and water slide. I thought Jasper would enjoy the splash pad, but even though he was in a swim diaper, staff immediately informed us that only children who were potty trained could use the swim area. I asked if we could sit on the edge of the pool with our legs in the water and they said even that wasn’t allowed, which seemed a little excessive. I understand that they have to follow strict policies for health and safety, but it was still rather disappointing. We decided to settle for hanging out near the pool on lounge chairs while people watching.

*The pools we weren't really able to use because of Jasper, but they were pretty to look at!*

MSC offers kids’ clubs, including an age 0-3 Baby Club, that provides childcare (potentially free; one place on their website said it was free but a brochure off their website said “not inclusive” so not sure which is true) so you can do things that are difficult or not allowed with babies like go to shows and relax in hot tubs. Two services are offered to all parents of babies under 3 years old:

MSC Baby Time: is the service that allows parents to enter our baby club and play with their children at specific time slots each day. Babies with parents under 3 years old, no limitations.
MSC Baby Care: is the service that allows parents to leave their baby with the youth staff in determined time slots each day and in the meantime enjoy on-board services and relaxation. Both services are free of charge and allow a maximum of 15 babies to enter the Baby Club at the same time.

Unfortunately, upon reading further, we discovered that you can only leave your infant at the Baby Club if they are 6 months or older, so we weren’t able to try it out with Jasper. That said, parents with very young infants could still make use of the baby time time slots to play with the toys in the play area. MSC has a collaboration with Chicco for their play areas and it looked really fun and high quality.

Good to know: If your child is 6 months or older, you get free childcare at the various kids’ clubs, which specialize in care for different age ranges. Babies less than 6 months of age can’t be left with staff at the Baby Club, but there are time slots throughout the day where parents can accompany their little babies while they play in the club.

After a couple of days of cruising, we reached MSC’s private island, Ocean Cay, where we docked for an entire day. It was really nice to have a non-complicated off the ship excursion that also allowed us to come and go as many times as we wanted during the day - perfect for a baby! Even though there were thousands of people on our gigantic ship, Ocean Cay is large enough that it really didn’t feel crowded and we were surprisingly able to find stretches of perfect sandy beach without any other people around. We also really appreciated the numerous patches of shade and the bean bags on the beach nearest to the ship, which ended up being great for relaxing while nursing Jasper and holding him through an afternoon nap.

*View of Ocean Cay from the deck of the ship*

*Pristine beaches all around the island*

*Plenty of space on Ocean Cay for everyone*

*Making use of the bean bags scattered around the beach nearest to the ship*

Since we only had one more night on the ship after Ocean Cay, we decided to try to make the most of it. We took a sunset stroll around the island and then decided to go to a show with Jasper, even though it was right at his bedtime. We didn’t stay for the whole thing and it was pretty loud for little ears, but it was fun and by sitting up in the balcony, Jasper was able to crawl around and play behind where the seats ended so he was content. After Jasper went to sleep, Justin stayed with him while I took one quick dip in one of the on deck hot tubs.

The next morning we arrived back home and were glad that we’d decided to try out cruising with a baby. While cruising with a very young baby who couldn’t be watched in the Baby Club and wasn’t allowed to swim put a damper on the activities we could do, the endless food any time we wanted it, views from the deck, fun beach day at Ocean Cay, and not having to plan anything like is usually the case with our international trips made it a win in our books. Looking back, these were the pros and cons for us regarding cruising with a baby on MSC:

Pros

Provided a cot complete with a mattress and bedding upon arrival at no extra charge when they saw we had an infant
Highchairs in the dining room
Staff were all very sweet and interactive with Jasper
Really nice kids clubs that may provide free childcare for little ones over 6 months of age
Special times throughout the day in the Baby Club for parents to play with their babies who are less than 6 months of age and can’t be left at the club
Bottle warmers available in specific locations on all MSC ships. You can contact reception/guest services for more information once you’re on board.
A dedicated kids’ menu. We didn’t try it since Jasper was just starting solids during this trip, but it would be nice for slightly older kiddos. They also offer a fun service called Baby Chef, which is available for 2-3 year olds, to make a pizza in the kitchen with one of the chefs. I know Jasper would love to do that now as a 3-year-old!
Partnership with a pediatric hospital in Switzerland that provides pediatric telemedicine services on MSC ships for added safety for infants

Cons

Had to eat in special “family dining” area that was as far away from everyone/the food as possible, which felt a little more like punishment for bringing a kid on board than a nice gesture. Each time we dined the staff made certain to tell us that was where we had to sit.
Babies not allowed in kid’s splash pad area even in swim diapers
No childcare options for infants less than 6 months of age
Numerous super loud announcements that were repeated in multiple languages making them go on for a very long time that woke Jasper from sleep on several occasions

As you can see, there were a lot more pros than cons and we found MSC to be really child friendly. Furthermore, the vibe was a bit classier and “party ship” than the cruise we took later with Royal Caribbean, which is always nice when you have little kids.

*Helpful child related brochure from MSC's website*

Have you been on an MSC cruise with an infant or toddler? We and our readers would love to hear your experience and tips. Leave us a comment!