What do I need to know about travelling with children?

Requirements

Last updated: 27/05/2025

Please note: our family-friendly ships in the fleet are Arvia, Iona, Britannia, Ventura and Azura. Aurora and Arcadia are exclusively for adults (aged 18+ years).

How old do children have to be to travel?

Children must be more than 6 months old to travel on a P&O Cruises holiday. 

Certain cruises, and our Exotic fly-cruises, have a minimum age requirement of 12 months. This is due to the number of consecutive days at sea, or remote itineraries. 

If you book online and your booking includes a child who’s too young, you’ll see an error message and you won’t be able to complete the booking.

What is the minimum age a child can occupy a cabin to themselves?

For the safety of our younger guests, it is company policy that any guest aged 12 years and under must be booked into a cabin with a guest who is 18 years or over. 

Children who are aged 13 years and over must be booked in a cabin with a guest who is 16 years or over.

No children aged 12 years and under should be left alone in any cabin at any time and must be supervised by a parent or guardian aged 18 years or over.

Please note: the first two guests in a cabin will be charged full price regardless of age. For more information, please see our article ‘Do cruise fares apply to children of all ages?’

What kind of travel documents do children need?

Children need to have the same travel documents as adult guests. This includes a valid passport as well as visas and immigration forms where necessary. For more information, see our articles on Passports and visas, and immigration forms.

Children also need to have the relevant travel insurance. For more information on travel insurance, please see our article ‘Do I need travel insurance?’

Which areas of the ship have restricted access for children?

Several areas around each ship have a minimum age restriction in place: 

• Casino: Entry into a casino is limited to guests aged 18 and over (or aged 21 and over while in USA waters), regardless of whether they’re accompanied by an adult. 

• Swimming pools: Some of the ships have swimming pools that are designated for adults only; this is clearly marked on board. All children using the swimming pools must be toilet trained; however, there are some pools that children in nappies can use. The pools on board are unsupervised and children under 16 years must be supervised by a parent or guardian at all times.

• Whirlpools: These should not be used by children aged 8 and under. Children aged 9–16 years must be supervised by a parent or guardian. 

• Gyms, saunas and steam rooms: Children aged 13 and under aren’t permitted to use the gym, saunas or steam rooms. Children aged 14–16 years must be accompanied by a parent or guardian over the age of 18 when using these facilities and may use only the cardio equipment.

• The Retreat: On board Arvia, Azura, Britannia, Iona and Ventura, The Retreat is reserved for adults only, so entry is allowed only for guests aged 18 years and over.

• Nightclubs: Children under 18 years aren’t allowed in the venues designated for adults when the nightclubs are open.

• Lifts: Children under the age of 12 aren’t permitted to use the lifts unless accompanied by an adult.

• Other: There may be other venues, and ship-specific venues, with age restrictions in place while you’re on board. You’ll find details of these in your on-board daily Horizon. 

Children’s club 

Security measures are in place to ensure the safety of your children while they’re in the children’s club:

• At least one parent or guardian over the age of 18 must always remain on board with your child. This means you can’t disembark the ship and explore the port while your child is in the children’s club.

• Reef rangers (our children’s club staff) are DBS checked.

• Our clubs have secure entry systems to allow authorised entry only.

• Children aged 12 and under must be checked in and out of their age-specific club by their parent, guardian or authorised adult. This means that only a pre-authorised adult can collect your child/ren from the club; that adult will need to have their ship ID available for inspection.

• Children under the age of 18 may not sign out your younger children.

More about family travel

For more information on travelling as a family, see our ‘Family cruise holidays’ hub

Still need help?

Still have questions? Our friendly Customer Contact Centre is always happy to help! Contact us today on 0344 338 8003.

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