If you're planning to travel on a cruise ship, it's an idea to make sure you know whether there's an age ban for solo travellers in place.
You need to be a certain age if you're going to be able to book a spot on certain cruises, but some potential passengers are only just discovering this is a thing that exists.
It's better to know the rules than let your lack of knowledge show and walk slap bang into an age ban after paying through the nose for your cruise.
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Popular cruise operators such as Royal Caribbean and Disney have had their rules in place for a long time, though despite this some people have fretted about the 'new age restriction' which by now would be pretty much old enough to book a solo spot on a cruise ship.
Then there are some cruise companies like Carnival which recently updated their rules, demonstrating why you should always check on the guidelines and not assume what you heard ages ago is still the case.
What are the Royal Caribbean minimum age rules?
If you're taking a trip on a Royal Caribbean then the age limit for solo travellers depends where the journey originates from.
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If the ship sets sail from North America then passengers must be at least 21 to book a cabin, so if you're cruising alone then you absolutely must be able to clear this age rating.
Anyone younger than 21 in this case will have to be accompanied by an adult, which means someone 21 or older and thus eligible to book onto the cruise.
If the Royal Caribbean ship is setting off from another continent then the age limit for solo passengers drops down to 18, so if you're aged between 18 and 20 and want to cruise alone on one of their ships, make sure you're not departing from the US or Canada.
Disney's minimum age rules on cruise ships
Disney cruises are a little more lenient with a minimum age of 18 for all solo travellers, but anyone younger than that needs to be going to sea accompanied by someone who is at least 21.
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Carnival's minimum age rules
Meanwhile, Carnival are somewhat stricter as solo sailors must be 21 and anyone under this age needs to be accompanied by an adult aged at least 25.
This last part was introduced from February, so regular customers who think they know the t's and c's could be tripped up.
They say: "Guests are required to be 21 years of age [on embarkation day] to travel on their own. Guest ages will be verified at embarkation. Guests not conforming to this policy will result in denied boarding, and no compensation will be provided at embarkation.
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"Guests 20 years of age and younger must travel with a relative or guardian 25 years of age or older."
So they can check how old you are when trying to board the ship and will stop you from sailing on that cruise you booked for while you won't get your money back.
It really is on you to read the terms and conditions, not just scroll past them and click agree while making expensive purchases.
Topics: Travel, Royal Caribbean, Carnival Cruise Line, Disney, World News, US News
Joe Harker