Cruise Holidays with Kids


Go from homework to home run and feel like ‘Parents Of The Year’. From family dining to Kid’s Clubs, there’s something for everyone with our P&O Families program. A holiday doesn’t begin until everyone’s enjoying themselves. That’s why we have heaps of onboard activities every day that are designed just for kids. We have four age-specific Kid’s Clubs that are included in your fare and jam packed with arts and crafts, music and sports activities plus much more. It won’t take long till the whole family is having the time of their life!

Age appropriate

We want everyone to have a great time but we also need to make sure everyone is staying safe and happy while onboard. That means that proper supervision is important!

There needs to be at least one guest 18 years or older in each room to ensure suitable supervision. However, to accommodate families cruising together, children can occupy a separate room to their parent/guardian, if one child is 16 years or over.

We welcome children 6 months and over on Australian Domestic and New Zealand Domestic cruises to cruise with us. For all other itineraries children must be 12 months and over to cruise with us. Due to limited neo-natal facilities we’re unable to accommodate infants less than 6 months. In addition, infants under two years must remain with their parent/guardian at all times, including when attending the Turtle Cove Kids Club.

Sleep soundly

You’ll sleep soundly on P&O cruises knowing that your kids are sleeping soundly and safely too! Most of our four berth (quad) rooms and some of our three berth (triple) rooms contain two single lower beds and one or two upper beds (bunk beds). To comply with Australian safety standards, we recommend that children under the age of nine don’t occupy or play on the upper bunk beds. Bed rails are available on request from your steward for children nine years and over who occupy an upper bunk bed.

(Baby) Food for thought

We love having little ones onboard but unfortunately baby food and baby formula are not supplied on our ships. Don’t fear — we can store any food or formula for you. If you need to store any baby food during your cruise please contact our Cruise Contact Center. It must be sealed and commercially produced and packaged. Please ensure you travel with enough food to cover the entire cruise and a little extra for any unforeseen delays.

Access all areas

The kids are all right (most of the time). For your safety and theirs we have some restrictions on certain parts of the ship at certain times. Children under 13 years must be accompanied by a parent/guardian in the public lounges after 9:30pm. Children under 18 years must be accompanied by a parent/guardian in the entertainment lounges and restrictions may apply to access pools, spas, gym and our beauty and treatment areas. Want a night off? Be sure to check with the Kid’s Clubs for special evening events designed for children and teens.

Pool play

Making a splash with your family can be the best part of a holiday. We want to keep it that way! That’s why on P&O Cruises any child using the pools must be supervised by a parent /guardian at all times. For public safety reasons, children in nappies (including swim nappies) and children who are not toilet trained are not permitted in the public swimming pools and spas.

You’re still in charge

We know that you need a little break too! That’s why we offer our special Kid’s Clubs. However, for your child’s comfort and enjoyment please do not leave them in the Kid’s Club for extended periods as this unsettles them. If your child becomes upset or distressed, our staff will contact you. Please note our staff are not permitted to administer medication or bottle feed your child. You will be paged if your child requires assistance.

Come one, come all

P&O Cruises welcomes all children and teens aged 2 years to 17 years to participate in our programs. We need to be advised at least 60 days prior to sailing of any children with medical and/or special needs. We will make every effort to accommodate them. Please be advised, P&O Cruises youth staff do not offer individual one-on-one supervision. If your child requires one-on-one supervision, they will need to be accompanied by a parent or guardian at all times.

Travelling with infants and toddlers

Family comes first and we love it when children cruise with us. We welcome children 6 months and over on Australian Domestic and New Zealand Domestic cruises to cruise with us. For all other itineraries children must be 12 months and over to cruise with us. Due to limited neo-natal facilities we’re unable to accommodate infants less than 6 months. In addition, infants under two years must remain with their parent/guardian at all times, including when attending the Turtle Cove Kids Club.

We’ve got the basics covered

We know that travelling with children can be tricky and while we don’t have absolutely everything onboard, we do have a few things to make your holiday just that little bit easier.

We can provide you with a cot and we strongly recommend that children ages 6 months to 2 years and 11 months sleep in one. Cots are available in selected rooms and are not available in any Quad Interior & Quad Oceanview Rooms. Cots can also only be added to rooms with a twin bed configuration. Please make sure that this configuration is requested at time of booking. We supply high chairs and booster seats at all onboard dining facilities on request.

Baby baths, prams/strollers, nappies and baby wipes are not available onboard. Parents or guardians need to provide all of their own nappies, wipes and other baby accessories for the duration of the cruise. If you want to use a pram or stroller, you’re welcome to bring your own.

Kid’s Clubs

Stay and play

Our Kid’s Club programs are not only big fun but they are also educational. We developed our whopping range of daily activities with help from professional childhood academics, so they are designed just for kids. We think that’s pretty cool! Because each program features specialised, age specific activities it’s important that your child participates in the program designed for their age.

Turtle Cove – (2 years – 5 years)
Shark Shack – ( 6 years – 9 years)
HQ – (10 years – 13 years)
HQ+ - (14 years – 17 years)

We want you to rest easy knowing your kids are safe onboard. Our Kid’s Clubs are fully supervised by our experienced youth staff. Younger children are provided with toys, educational games and lots of fun activities, all under full supervision. So you know what’s coming up each day we print the full list of activities in the kid’s own daily newsletter. The older kids wont be left out either. Our HQ and HQ+ youth staff provide lots of exciting activities for guests aged 10 – 17. They have their own lounge, complete with video games, movies and music. It’s a great place to hang out and meet new friends. Only children who have been toilet trained may participate without a parent/guardian. If a guest when boarding the ship is aged 17 years but turns 18 during the cruise, access to HQ+ will only be granted should the guest remain on an under 18 cruise card, due to our strict no alcohol policy in the  HQ+ centre. 

Group child-minding is available in Turtle Cove and Shark Shack from 9:30pm to 1:00am only, at a charge. We cannot guarantee your child’s participation in the Kid’s Clubs. Entry will be on a first come, first serve basis. Please note private in-room babysitting or one-on-one supervision is not available on any P&O Cruises ship.

We also offer children from 2 years of age, who are in nappies, the opportunity to participate in the activity program without the requirement of a parent or guardian to be in attendance. However, parents and guardians must be available at all times to change their children’s nappy when contacted by our Youth team. As always, there are a limited number of places available in our youth centres and entry is a first come first served basis. 

How do I register my child for Kids Club?

We’ve introduced a new Kids Club registration process in Cruise Control, allowing you to easily register your child before you board. Simply log into Cruise Control and head to the Manage Booking section to access Kids Club registration for each child on the booking. Online registration is available up until three days before your cruise departure.

Registration can also be done in person at Kids Club once you get onboard if you miss the online cut-off time.

Turtle Cove

Ages 2 - 5 The place for the smallest member of your family! They’re going to be all smiles in Turtle Cove.

Shark Shack

Ages 6 - 9 Your kids will want to sink their teeth into big fun at Shark Shack, our special club just for kids.

HQ

Ages 10 - 13 The ultimate chill zone for kids and teens so they can have the coolest holiday ever!

HQ Plus

Ages 14 - 17 Your teens can leave their little brothers and sisters behind to chill out with people their own age.