How do you know if there's NO "kids sail free" sale on the cruise you want?

[Aviator of the Seas]

I wish CC would bring back the board search feature (or is it just me who can't find it?), but here goes the question, FWIW.  I've already complained about the overcrowding issue on the Freedom Southern Caribbean cruises.  I learned after my cruise (October 2018) that my sailing had a "kids sail free" sale, which might explain why some many quads were sold, with the resulting overcrowding.  I keep reading the Freedom reviews and the problem has not abated. I also keep seeing ads for "kids sail free", non-stop.  One travel agent told me that only in the summer are there cruises without such offers.  And here I thought that cruises during school days were quieter, but that seems to have flipped to when school is out?  Is this just on Caribbean cruises or in other parts of the world as well?

 

I am looking for an RCI cruise for next year but don't want to run into the same problem again.  

 

I am aware that RCI is a "multi generation family cruise line", but come on.  Am I unreasonable in thinking than in the long run, overcrowded ships will result in lesser appeal to other segments of their clientele?  And disclaimer, we traveled with our kids BUT we only had two people per cabin.  Don't care for quad occupancy at all if I am on vacation and want to relax.

 

I just wish that RCI would find a way to advertise or target promotions for those who don't care to sail on a ship with the feel of a glorified commuter ferry.

 

Thanks.

[Aviator of the Seas]

That should have been "How do you know..." on the title of the thread...

[Clarea]

The KSF promo comes and goes.  What if you book when there's no promo and they add it later?  After final payment?  In other words, knowing if there is a KSF promo on or off at one point in time does not protect you from it being applied at some future time.

[Aviator of the Seas]

1 minute ago, Host Clarea said:

The KSF promo comes and goes.  What if you book when there's no promo and they add it later?  After final payment?  In other words, knowing if there is a KSF promo on or off at one point in time does not protect you from it being applied at some future time.

Really?  There's no "safe" time of the year?  Again, love kids, but don't care for crowds.  Maybe I should start looking at Celebrity or Azamara.  Which means I must be getting old!

[Clarea]

1 minute ago, Aviator of the Seas said:

Really?  There's no "safe" time of the year?  Again, love kids, but don't care for crowds.  Maybe I should start looking at Celebrity or Azamara.  Which means I must be getting old!

 

There will usually be no KSF for cruises in the summer, because they don't need the promo then.

 

We find a minimum of children on longer cruises, such as transatlantics.

[molly361]

They usually offer Kids Sail Free promos for times when kids are in school in order to entice families.  If you book times when there is no kids sail free (summer, Christmas, Easter etc) it will be filled with kids since school is out.  Like Bob said longer cruises tend to have less children

[PhoenixCruiser]

KSF was offered for our December 1st Symphony sailing and it was nuts!

 

The lady below us actually called our room and asked that we stop our kids from jumping up and down and screaming - we don't have any kids and weren't making any noise but we could hear the noise.  Several kids were running up and down the hall -- every  single day.  Have to give her balls for actually calling and blaming us even though she won't take the effort  to walk up a floor to check it out first.  

[ProvoAggie]

I took my kids on a 7 night cruise last January with Kids Sail Free and actually found that there weren't many kids on board. I expected more but the kids club was usually pretty dead and the kids pool area wasn't very full either. I've always heard that the sail is typically offered to try and fill in some of the 4 passenger rooms on weeks where they don't normally fill. There were definitely kids on the cruise with us but it didn't seem like there were more than normal. We are doing another cruise this January with the same sale so we'll see how it goes.

[parrotfeathers]

Just returned from a Celebrity cruise.  No kids anywhere.  I think you have to choose what is really important--lots of A+ entertainment and out of the world activities, or peace and quiet.  I like both actually.

[MTLCRUISER72]

My kids 6-10 behave better than some adults I've seen on past cruises!

[kochleffel]

8 hours ago, Host Clarea said:

 

There will usually be no KSF for cruises in the summer, because they don't need the promo then.

 

We find a minimum of children on longer cruises, such as transatlantics.

 

OTOH, I'd expect to see lots of children on many cruises in the summer, although not the longer ones, even without that promotion.

 

[kalliekae]

We usually sail the week before Thanksgiving on the Allure. We have not noticed a lot of kids on any of those cruises. One year, we sailed the week of Thanksgiving and it was full of kids as expected. Honestly, kids we've seen behave better than many adults.

[HBE4]

9 hours ago, Aviator of the Seas said:

Really?  There's no "safe" time of the year?  Again, love kids, but don't care for crowds.  Maybe I should start looking at Celebrity or Azamara.  Which means I must be getting old!

 

All 8 of my cruises have always been during the "shoulder" seasons - late Oct / Early Nov or mid-late April (anytime after Easter) to mid- May.

 

Minimal kids on all sailings. All Carribiran cruises from the "big 3" Florida ports (MIA/FLL/MCO) as well as New Jersey, Texas and San Juan, PR.

[HOSKI]

We got KSF for our Navigator cruise the week before Christmas and it was not overrun by kids or they were so well behaved we didn't notice. There were kids but more drunk and rowdy 20 somethings than kids.

[ONECRUISER]

Sail older Non-Oasis class ships, Repo's, 10+ nite cruises. Last 3 cruises in Oct/Nov had less then 100 kids total on the 3 sailings including the one over Thanksgiving...

[dutchclogs]

Just a heads up that it is possible to search this forum only -- look at drop down options below the search box.  (with thanks to a chance post i read on this board!)

[Iamcruzin]

23 hours ago, Aviator of the Seas said:

I wish CC would bring back the board search feature (or is it just me who can't find it?), but here goes the question, FWIW.  I've already complained about the overcrowding issue on the Freedom Southern Caribbean cruises.  I learned after my cruise (October 2018) that my sailing had a "kids sail free" sale, which might explain why some many quads were sold, with the resulting overcrowding.  I keep reading the Freedom reviews and the problem has not abated. I also keep seeing ads for "kids sail free", non-stop.  One travel agent told me that only in the summer are there cruises without such offers.  And here I thought that cruises during school days were quieter, but that seems to have flipped to when school is out?  Is this just on Caribbean cruises or in other parts of the world as well?

 

I am looking for an RCI cruise for next year but don't want to run into the same problem again.  

 

I am aware that RCI is a "multi generation family cruise line", but come on.  Am I unreasonable in thinking than in the long run, overcrowded ships will result in lesser appeal to other segments of their clientele?  And disclaimer, we traveled with our kids BUT we only had two people per cabin.  Don't care for quad occupancy at all if I am on vacation and want to relax.

 

I just wish that RCI would find a way to advertise or target promotions for those who don't care to sail on a ship with the feel of a glorified commuter ferry.

 

Thanks.

First off the board search on CC never worked. It only brought up outdated threads with outdated information. 

 

 I am booked on the Anthem only because my 23 year old son and a friend will be joining us or should I say that we will be joining them. We will be Celebrating my wife's 50th Birthday and Royal was  the only line that we could agree on.  Not only are the ships geared for young families they are also becoming the destination.  This cruise line is the amusement park of the sea and something that would not attract me if I weren't sailing with multi generations.  I have read here that some actually decided to home school just so they can sail during kid's sail free.  

 

There doesn't seem to be a down time anymore on this line if you are sailing a 7 day cruise to the Caribbean.   You never know when the KSF promo will start or what sailings will be included. Even if you book without that promo it could always be added to your sailing at anytime. 

[proggieus]

The weeks that are least likely to have a KSF sale are the weeks where the kids our going to be out of school-

 

There will be 100's of kids most likely on your ship, if that is an issue for you  I would look at other lines.

[Iamcruzin]

17 hours ago, MTLCRUISER72 said:

My kids 6-10 behave better than some adults I've seen on past cruises!

The OP didn't mention anything about kid's not behaving. The issue is over crowding. The kids can all be perfect angles however with many families on board lines can be longer for the buffet and shows pools filled, venue seating can be an issue. If crowding is an problem for anyone, a cruise line  that has the largest passenger ships would not be my first choice. 

[Biker19]

On 12/27/2018 at 12:53 PM, Aviator of the Seas said:

 Maybe I should start looking at Celebrity or Azamara.  

or Virgin.

[lizzy911]

On Celebrity Reflection in early November 2016, my four year old daughter was one of only thirty on board under the age of eighteen. Often the only one at the children's club. It was pretty boring for her, but good for adults who want to avoid children.