MSC Quietly Put a Price on Baby Care, Catching Some Parents Off Guard

MSC Cruises has changed its onboard Baby Care service from a free perk to a paid one, and that’s where the frustration starts. Guests say the shift was not clearly announced, so some families booked expecting the old setup and only found out later that drop-off care now comes with a fee.

What Used To Be Included

The Baby's Club on MSC Euribia offers a playful and safe environment for young children, featuring bright, cheerful murals, a variety of toys and games neatly organized on shelves, and child-sized tables and chairs for creative activities. — Baby Club on MSC Euribia

Under the old setup, parents could leave their babies with trained youth staff during two daily sessions, usually from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Parents could book one or both slots if space was open, and the service was included at no extra cost.

Only 15 babies could be in the Baby Club at one time, so those sessions were helpful but limited. For parents hoping to grab dinner, see a show, or just get a short break, the free childcare was a handy perk.

What MSC Offers Now

MSC’s website now currently says Baby Care is available for up to eight hours a day and that charges apply. The cruise line also says babies must be older than 6 months to be left with youth staff, and the service still takes place in the Baby Club with trained staff on board.

MSC recently verified the policy change, stating:

Screenshot of an MSC Cruises UK post explaining that its Baby Care service used to include two complimentary two-hour slots per day, but has since changed to a paid model with more availability.

Why Parents Are Frustrated

The main concern for many parents seems to be how the change was introduced. With no clear announcement and no obvious warning during the booking process, some families appear to have planned their cruise assuming the old free childcare setup was still in place.

MSC says Baby Care is chargeable, but its public pages do not list the price. That leaves families trying to budget for a cruise without knowing what this service will cost once they get on board.

For parents traveling with infants, childcare is not a tiny extra. It can shape which cruise line they book and how they plan their days at sea. More hours may sound better on paper, but turning a free perk into a paid one without making that clear was always likely to upset people.

Final Thoughts

MSC also is not alone in charging for childcare. Disney charges extra for nursery care, Royal Caribbean applies an hourly fee for its Royal Babies & Tots Nursery on select ships, and Carnival’s late-night Night Owls childcare comes at an added cost too. Norwegian takes a different approach and says it does not offer babysitting, but rather it’s complimentary supervised kid’s programs start at age 3, which shows there is no single standard across the cruise industry.

More broadly, it’s another reminder that cruise lines keep looking for new places to draw the line between included and extra. Norwegian Cruise Line now charges for additional entrées in its main dining rooms and has put a fee on its new LunaTique: Pop Circus show, while Royal Caribbean is removing the Coca-Cola Freestyle cup from certain drink packages. Even room service, once treated as a basic onboard convenience, now often comes with a charge on many lines.