Starting next month, Hagag-Lloyd Cruises will be offering parents a complimentary new service to facilitate carefree traveling with babies and toddlers – the Baby Welcome Package. The Hamburg-based cruise operator is taking into account the constantly rising proportion of families on their voyages, and making it easier than even to take along babies and toddlers.

Beginning on July 20, 2011, during a four-day family introductory cruise “Sailing Across the North Sea,“ the free “Baby Welcome Package” will be available for parents and young seafarers aboard the Europa.With this new service, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises is enhancing its offerings for families, and enabling them to travel to the cruise departure point without excess luggage due to baby items. The package includes: care products such as diapers and baby lotion, changing mats, and bibs.

Every family can submit their personal “Baby Welcome Package” list prior to the beginning of the cruise. By filling in a form, they can order items like diapers in the required size and quantity, as well as the desired type of baby food, if preferred organically grown. The suite will also be furnished, on request, with baby monitors, baby carriers, portable cribs, high chairs and bathtubs for babies.

On the Europa, children up to three years old sharing a cabin with their parents or grandparents travel at no cost; for children aged four to 15, the charge is 65 Euros per night. Designated family cruises and cruises with at least four children on board include a special program with meals, drinks and customized children’s excursions for the little cruise passengers.