Kids sail free?

[OSU Buckeye Traveler]

I was just wondering what you all thought. When traveling with the kids, is "kids sail free" the best deal out there? I've definitely found some good deals, but very little that has blown me away.

[leaveitallbehind]

It depends on which cruise line is offering it and the details of their program, the itinerary, ship, and date - all of which influence the total pricing. Keep in mind that even with a "free" passenger stateroom rate, somewhere in that pricing will be port fees and taxes, which always must be paid per person travelling.

 

Often times with these types of promos, the rates for the 1st and 2nd passengers are inflated significantly to help offset the "free" rates. You just have to check with the individual cruise line and itinerary you are interested to see what the total pricing is.

Edited March 30, 2014 by leaveitallbehind

[paul929207]

I think you need to look at the total cost. That is what matters. Remember, kids never sail FREE. You will pay port charges. There there is the cost of getting them to the cruise. All the expenses on and off the ship.

[kjjesq]

I think you need to look at the total cost. That is what matters. Remember, kids never sail FREE. You will pay port charges. There there is the cost of getting them to the cruise. All the expenses on and off the ship.

 

Sailing with the kids in a balcony in Sept. All four of us $1900 including all taxes and fees for a 7 day. That is definitely a deal.

[Monalis]

Booked our cruise for 7 of us on NCL the week before Christmas. Two rooms, 4 adults, 3 kids.. a few weeks after we booked NCL started their Kids Sail Free Promo. Called my PCC and he redid our reservations and we ended up saving well over $750. Just have to pay the port fees, taxes, and service charges for the little ones.

 

It depends on the cruise line, promo, and dates you want to sail. If you are looking for a Kids Sail Free promo that actually saves you money during peak season (ie. when kids are out of school), it most likely isn't going to happen. But if you sail while most kids are in school you can get some great deals.

 

On our cruise, yes we are going to have to pull the oldest out of school for 3 days before his Winter break starts, but he'll be in 2nd grade and the other 2 aren't in school yet. So it works for us and is well worth not sailing with a ton of other screaming children. :D

[woodswoman]

We are taking advantage of rci kids sail free. Hubs and I were going to vacation alone, but are able to bring kids for less than a few hundred $$ + shore excursions.

 

 

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[gerif]

Sailing with the kids in a balcony in Sept. All four of us $1900 including all taxes and fees for a 7 day. That is definitely a deal.

 

It's always cheaper in September. Kids are back to school and it's the height of hurricane season. We've found some great deals that time of year. What ship?

[Langley Cruisers]

Kids are also charged the gratuities.

[Cruisin' Chick]

It really just depends. For us, this kind of promotion wouldn't work because usually the dates are when kids are in school (and if your kid is in a school district that makes it difficult to take off days when school is in session -- non-break cruises don't work) or else it's a cruise line that I won't go on.

 

As far as I can remember, we've always been able to get the third passenger rate for our daughter even for popular holiday time cruises.

[Traveller20074]

we are using it. I would NOT have been able to afford the group we're taking (3 kids) if it weren't for this special. It put it at least an affordable amount. Would have been almost $10,000 without it, and even $5,000 is a lot for only 7 days.

[Traveller20074]

Kids are also charged the gratuities.

 

 

true. All together, the charge for our group will be $420.