Kids Sail Free is a promotion Royal Caribbean offers from time to time on select sailings that are usually a great vacation discount. Throughout the year, Royal Caribbean will offer Kids Sail Free deals as a way to encourage new bookings. In this post, we will cover information about the promotion, tips for booking it, and offer answers to frequently asked questions.
For starters, Kids Sail Free is an offer Royal Caribbean offers selectively throughout the year. It is not available all the time and there is no way to know exactly when it will be offered again. We always post new cruise promotions on this site, so be sure to follow us on Twitter and Facebook for notifications when a new Kids Sail Free promotion begins.
Kids Sail Free offer details
The exact offer details may vary, but Royal Caribbean's Kids Sail Free offers are usually consistent in their basics. Third guests and higher who are 12 years old or younger on select 4 nights or longer sailings are eligible for free cruise fare.
There are usually many blackout dates associated with any Kids Sail Free offer, which means if your cruise begins on or in any of the blackout dates, the Kids Sail Free offer does not qualify. Not surprisingly, most of the black out dates are over major school holidays in the United States calendar year.
Here are some sample blackout dates from past Kids Sail Free offers:
- February 15 - 18 (Presidents Day)
- March 16 – 30, 2019 (Spring Break)
- April 13 - 22 (Holy Week/Easter)
- Summer sailings (Sailings between May 15 – August 31, 2019)
- 2019 Thanksgiving sailings (Sailings between November 23 – 30, 2019)
- December 17 - January 1 (Christmas and New Years)
How often does Royal Caribbean offer Kids Sail Free?
There is no pattern to how many times a year or when the offer will become available.
Kids Sail Free is usually available a few times throughout the year.
Is it really free?
Assuming your kids qualify for the deal, their cruise fare cost will be zero.You are still responsible for paying for the taxes and port fees associated with the children, along with any other charges onboard. But if you look at the cruise invoice, their cruise fare will be zero.
Like all guests, a daily gratuity will be charged per passenger, including the kids.
Be sure to check the fine print before booking to understand exactly the full price of the cruise.
Kids Sail Free dates
(Last updated October 1, 2019)
Royal Caribbean is offering a Kids Sail Free offer as part of its October promotion.
Kids Sail Free provides free cruise fare for 3rd guests and higher who are 12 years old or younger on select 4-night or longer Alaska, Bahamas, Bermuda, Canada, Caribbean, CaribNE, Coastal, Europe, Hawaii, and Repositioning sailings departing between September 1, 2019 — May 15, 2020 and August 31, 2020 – December 17, 2020.
Kids Sail Free offer excludes 2019 Thanksgiving sailings (Sailings between November 23 – 30, 2019), Holiday sailings (Sailings between December 15, 2019 — January 3, 2020), President’s Day sailings (Sailings between February 14 — 17, 2020), Spring Break sailings (Sailings between March 14 — 23, 2020), Holy Week/Easter sailings (Sailings between April 3 — 17, 2020) and 2020 Thanksgiving sailings (Sailings between November 21 – 27, 2020).
Kids Sail For Less
In addition to the Kids Sail Free offer, Royal Caribbean may also offer the Kids Sail For Less offer, which is typically 25% off cruise fare for third guests and higher booked in the same stateroom as the first two qualified guests.
The primary advantage of Kids Sail For Less is there are no blackout dates associated with Kids Sail For Less. This means if you have a couple of kids in your stateroom, you receive a discount on them. Moreover, Kids Sail For Less often does not have age restrictions in place, so really any guest of any age who is a third guest, fourth guest, fifth guest, et al in the same stateroom as the first two guests can get a discount.
Other cruising with kids posts & resources
If you are interested in the Kids Sail Free offer, then you probably will find these blog posts equally helpful:
- Best cruises for kids
- Cruising with kids on Royal Caribbean
- Moms of the Seas: Question and Answer family cruising guide
Your thoughts
Now, we want to hear from you. Are you a fan of the Kids Sail Free promotion? Have any tips for someone looking to cruise with kids? Is there a better deal for families in your opinion? Let us know what you think of the promotion and whether you are planning on taking advantage of it in the comments!