Let’s face it, finding an affordable vacation these days can be a real challenge. From flights and hotels to dining and activities, the cost adds up quickly. One vacation that shows the potential full cost up front is cruising. When you book a cruise, you’re essentially booking your hotel, dining, and activities in one package. Plus, you can add things like a drink package, gratuities, and more when you book. But what makes cruising even better is that some of the best family-friendly cruise lines also offer kids-sail-free promotions, making your next vacation even more affordable.
Whether it’s your first or fiftieth cruise, free cruise fare for kids adds incredible value. I’ve compiled a list of major cruise lines offering this deal. Note that taxes, fees, port expenses, registration, insurance, flights, and transfers aren’t typically included even when kids sail for free. But you’ll still enjoy significant savings on the overall price of a cruise vacation.
Royal Caribbean
Royal Caribbean is a family favorite with kid-friendly amenities like kids clubs, family entertainment, pools, water play areas, kid-focused menus, and the Perfect Day at CocoCay private island. At select times, kids ages 12 and under sail free when sharing a stateroom with paying adults. Deals are updated frequently, so if you don’t see a kids-sail-free promotion on its deals page now, check back often. These offers sell out quickly but are regularly reintroduced for families to enjoy.
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Additionally, Royal Caribbean offers third and fourth guest free deals throughout the year. This is especially helpful for families with kids older than 12, who are not eligible for the kids-sail-free deal.
Norwegian Cruise Line
Another kid-friendly cruise line, Norwegian Cruise Line offers some seriously good deals to entice traveling families. The line does offer some kids sail free deals, but more often you’ll see second and third guest free, which means your kids can be any age to get the discount. This is all part of NCL’s Free at Sea program, which includes unlimited open bar, Wi-Fi, free specialty dining, and shore excursion credits.
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No matter which ship you choose, Norwegian offers a plethora of activities for kids, from water slides and arcades to dedicated kids clubs and multiple pools. I also love the go-kart tracks on select ships.
MSC Cruises
Throughout the year, MSC Cruises offers kids-sail-free deals. The promotional terms can vary, but often include kids 17 and under staying in the same cabin as two paying adults. One thing to note is that these deals do not apply to cabins within the MSC Yacht Club.
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What I love most about MSC Cruises is the wide variety of itineraries around the world. You can sail a mega-ship like MSC World America around the Caribbean, or you can venture to Northern Europe on one of the line’s smaller ships, like MSC Virtuosa.
Holland America Line
Holland America offers kids-cruise-free promotions on select voyages, typically allowing kids 18 and younger to sail for free with paying adults. The cruises take place in beautiful destinations like Alaska, Europe, and the Caribbean. Of these options, I would choose an Alaska cruise, especially because Holland America is known for its focus on education and cultural immersion.
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While Holland America warns that “this offer won’t last long,” it’s a safe bet that when one promotion ends, another will begin soon after. For more information, visit the kids-cruise-free page on Holland America’s website.
Costa Cruises
Costa Cruises frequently offers deals where children under 18 sail free. The cruise line sails around South America, the Caribbean, and Europe. With family-friendly ships featuring water parks, mini-golf, go-karts, kids clubs, and teen zones, there’s truly something for everyone onboard.
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One of the most enticing itineraries is the five-day Uruguay and Argentina option, which is round-trip from Buenos Aires, then stops in Montevideo and Punta del Este on Costa Serena. The ship features eight restaurants, nine lounges, and seven pools, plus a host of delightful entertainment.
CroisiEurope
River cruise lines aren’t known for being the most family-friendly, but on select CroisiEurope sailings, families with kids are welcome onboard without question. You can find kids-sail-free deals on a handful of itineraries: Portugal, Spain, the Rhine, and Italy. Kids ages 14 and younger are eligible for the free cruise deals (see full details here). Additionally, families can get adjacent cabins when booking multiple staterooms, child-friendly adapted menus at mealtimes, and a waived single supplement fee.
A-Rosa
Families are a major focus for A-Rosa, a European river cruise company that actually designed a ship for kids called A-Rosa Sena, with bigger cabins, a dedicated youth club, and their own swimming pool. Across the rest of its fleet, you’ll find features like family cabin categories, children’s menus, kids’ activities, and even childcare—all of which are a rarity in the industry.
As if that weren’t enough, the line offers kids-sail-free incentives for ages 15 and under starting in 2027. Families who book a cabin on Deck 1 and have kids ages 11 and younger can take advantage of the kids-sail-free program, as long as there is one adult in the cabin. Families with children ages 15 and younger can utilize the kids-sail-free promotion as long as there are two adults in the cabin. A-Rosa’s full roster of deals can be found here, while you can learn more about its kids-sail-free program here.
