Which cruise line has best deals for children?

[cassandra44]

We cruised on Princess in January and I found that the fares for my 2 grandchildren aged 4 and 6 (in a mini suite with their parents) were very high indeed (only $200 less than the adult fare).

In addition I was expected to pay $11 per day in tips for all 4 of them and so that made the cost even higher ($44 per cabin per day seems pretty high).

We are about to cruise with 2 other grandchildren (and my step son) and we are looking to see whether we can get a better deal.

We will be doing a 7 day Caribbean trip (either East or West (as we did last time).....

Does anyone have suggestions for better fare options when children share a cabin with a parent? I sometimes see deals advertised that have 3rd and 4th passengers going "free" but I don't recall which lines advertised that.

[paul929207]

You should probably talk to a TA that specializes in cruises. Also, I would be looking for the lowest total cost, not just the best deal for the kids.

[Essiesmom]

It depends on how adventurous you are. HAL has had some deals where kids sail free or for $199/pp. NCL advertises kids sail free, taxes only. MSC kids under 17 are always free in a cabin with two paying passengers. Costa sometimes has kids free deals. So dies Disney. You have to check their websites, or get a TA and let them do the research. EM

[Tralynn]

Most cruise lines do not charge differently for children. That is common practice. However, I know that on MSC cruises, children cruise free. I have never tried them, but it may be something for you to look into for the kids.

[imsulin]

Charging for "kids" and "kids under the age of two" are very different things. Charging a discounted rate for the 3rd/4th passenger regardless of age in a cabin is exclusive to just a few lines. I think that on Disney and NCL, kids under two only pay port charges and taxes. And, yes, you WILL be charged automatically for TIPS for kids of any age on most lines. As it should be! Check your line/s of preference for their policies.

[kitty9]

The best prices come when you book more than 2 in a cabin. On some lines you'll pay a lower fare for the third and fourth person in a cabin. Some lines also have a kids sail free program, but that's not for every cruise or for every ship---they tend to put those promos on the less desirable times to cruise. You'll also pay higher rates when booking suites. If you book lower category cabins, you may find that the third person fares are less. If your grandchildren are going to cruise with a single parent, one of them will be paying the full fare, as cabin occupancy is based on two per cabin, regardless of age.

 

I just looked and the MSC kids sail free is not available in the Caribbean for summer. They have this promo for their Med cruises and their Canada/US cruises. The Disney promo is for just a couple of sailings only, and in the Med. The Costa kids free program for the Caribbean ended in March.

 

Also, kids ALWAYS have to pay tips. Why would you think they are exempt? They are being served, they are being cleaned up after and they receive the services that adults do, so why should they not pay tips?

[bplazo]

Tips are per person not per cabin. I thought I read somewhere that RCCL was having a family rate that the 3rd and 4th person was reduced and I think that it only ran to the end of April. I think it was called family pricing.