Kids cruise free: 8 cruise lines offering family deals in 2025
Cruise vacations give families a chance to reconnect and create shared memories. But cruise fares for three or four people can add up, especially when you consider extras like flights, hotels and excursions. One solution? Share a cabin and save with a "kids cruise free" deal.
Many cruise lines — including family favorites like Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line — offer free kids fares and other cruise deals for kids sporadically throughout the year. A few always let kids sail free. You might have the best luck finding family-friendly discounts during wave season, which falls between January and March, when cruise lines have some of the best pricing of the year.
To make your family trip more affordable, here's a list of family-friendly cruise lines where kids cruise free (or on the cheap) when you time your booking to coincide with a short-term promotion. These incentives change frequently, and the deals can sell out fast, so you might need to be flexible on where you sail and when you go. Always read the fine print before booking to catch any hidden costs or restrictions.
Margaritaville at Sea
Margaritaville at Sea occasionally offers free kids fares with other limited-time promotions. At press time, the line is running a "kids sail free" deal, where passengers between 3 and 12 years old can sail free (as third and fourth guests in a cabin). Cruisers can also enjoy 50% off fares (excludes taxes, fees, port expenses and any onboard charges).
Margaritaville at Sea is a solid choice for families looking for a short, casual and inexpensive cruise vacation.
Look for discounts on Margaritaville at Sea's offers page.
MSC Cruises
MSC Cruises frequently offers its Kids Sail Free promotion throughout the year in combination with other limited-time sales. Kids 17 and younger sail free as a third or fourth guest in most cabins. (Yacht Club cabins are excluded.)
Some deals might also include discounted fares, along with cabin upgrades, flexible booking options or freebies (like beverage packages or Wi-Fi), so mom and dad might get a perk or two as well. The Kids Sail Free offer is not combinable with MSC Cruises' discount program for health care workers. However, it is combinable with discounts for active-duty or retired members of the military.
Kids will love MSC Cruises for its kids club partnership with Lego and waterslides enhanced by virtual reality. Its pizza is among some of the best in the industry.
Check throughout the year for kids-cruise-free deals on MSC Cruises' website.
Related: The best cruise lines for families
Norwegian Cruise Line
Norwegian Cruise Line offers free kids fares via its More at Sea promotion, which replaced the line's former Free at Sea program. The More at Sea promotion offers guests perks such as an unlimited open-bar package, specialty dining credits, free shore excursion credit, free Wi-Fi minutes and discounted rates for extra guests in a cabin (including kids).
With that last offer, you can access free or $99-per-person fares for third and fourth guests, regardless of age. This special pricing applies to select sailings and only when the additional passengers share a cabin with the first and second guests.
NCL often offers discounted cruise fares for the first two guests in combination with the More at Sea promotion. Additional perks to help a family's travel budget might include free airfare for the second guest or reduced deposits, depending on the particular promotion running when you book.
Choose Norwegian's newest cruise ships for wow-factor family activities such as go-kart racing and waterslides. The line's casual ambience will appeal to kids who don't like being forced to dress up for dinner.
Related: The best cruise ships for kids
Holland America Line
Holland America offers promotional pricing, including its Kids Cruise Free program, throughout the year. The restrictions might change, but the bottom-line savings remain the same.
At press time, the line is running a deal where third and fourth guests under age 18 can sail for free on select Caribbean, Europe, Alaska, Mexico and Panama Canal sailings. (Taxes and fees are additional.) The deal is limited to two children per booking.
Parents and caregivers will want to look for additional promotions that might include free balcony upgrades, onboard credit and reduced deposits. Some throw in a complimentary Have It All package, which includes specialty dining, a beverage package, shore excursion credits (the dollar amount depends on the length of the cruise) and Wi-Fi. Otherwise, families can upgrade to the more inclusive package for a discounted price.
Holland America is ideal for multigenerational families traveling together who like to go exploring in port and listen to live music on board.
Royal Caribbean
Royal Caribbean's Kids Sail Free promotion is offered periodically throughout the year. Not every deal is the same, but the line typically offers free cruise fares to children 12 years old or younger who sail as additional guests with two full-fare-paying passengers. This is in addition to occasional offers for onboard credit and a discount on a second guest.
Be sure to read the fine print, as the free cruises for kids come with many restrictions, such as blackout dates over major holidays and school vacation periods, and minimum sailing lengths.
Royal Caribbean also occasionally offers a deal where Kids Sail for Less, which usually includes 25% off the fare for additional passengers in a cabin. This promotion has no age limitation, so it's open to any extra guests sharing accommodations with two full-fare-paying passengers.
Royal Caribbean is a favorite with families who love its big-ship attractions, including ice skating and high-diving shows, onboard splash parks and waterslides, rock climbing walls, miniature golf, laser tag, escape rooms and zip lines. Its enormous kids clubs cater to all ages, from babies to teens, and its private island, Perfect Day at CocoCay, is a top destination for families with its multiple beaches and pumped-up water park.
Look for family discounts on Royal Caribbean's deals page.
Related: Best Royal Caribbean ships for kids
Regent Seven Seas Cruises
Regent Seven Seas Cruises doesn't usually let kids cruise free, but the luxury line does offer reduced fares for kids ages 17 and younger on select sailings during the summer and holiday season. These fares start at $999 per child (or young adult) sailing as the third or fourth guest in a suite and vary in price, depending on the voyage.
At press time, Regent is advertising a Kids Sail Free promotion on select itineraries. The offer is a per-person, cruise-only fare available to kids ages 17 or younger at the time of sailing. They must sail as a third guest in a suite accompanied by an adult who is 21 years of age or older.
Regent always includes unlimited complimentary shore excursions, so kids can explore and stay active while cruising in Alaska, Europe, the Caribbean, the Panama Canal or other destinations included in the promotion.
CroisiEurope
River cruise line CroisiEurope's Family Club cruises let kids up to age 16 sail free or at reduced rates of up to 30% off on select sailings.
Because the line's ships have few rooms that can accommodate more than two passengers, the line has waived the single supplement for families on these sailings. That means two parents and one child can book two cabins for the price of one. (Each parent pays for one berth in each cabin, and the child travels free.)
In 2025, you can find kids-cruise-free deals on CroisiEurope river cruises in Portugal, Spain and Italy, as well as the Rhine River. For Family Club sailings to Croatia, children under 16 years of age receive a 30% discount.
This Family Club cruise deal is limited to two children per paying adult. Supplemental fees might be added for upgraded rooms. On these sailings, optional excursions are geared toward kids, and a menu for younger palates is available in onboard dining venues.
On all other sailings, the river cruise line offers a 20% discount for kids younger than 9 years of age. Children under 2 always sail free.
Star Clippers
If you're planning a multigenerational family getaway, consider booking a voyage on one of Star Clippers' tall ships. Currently, kids between 3 and 17 sail for 50% off with one or two adults in the same cabin on select seven- to 11-night Caribbean, Costa Rica and Panama Canal sailings in 2025 and 2026. (For this promotion, you must book by March 31, 2025.)
If two children are traveling with two adults (in specific room categories), the line accommodates the family in two individual cabins.
Kids can imagine themselves as sailors or pirates with onboard activities such as knot tying and climbing the ship's mast. Older kids, especially, will enjoy water sports right from the ship.
Planning a cruise? Start with these stories:
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- The ultimate guide to what to pack for a cruise
- A quick guide to the most popular cruise lines
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- The ultimate guide to choosing a cruise ship cabin
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