Kids Sail Free Showed Up Today 3/24/2022

[The Fox]

This morning I was checking the price of our trip Aug 13, 2022, Port Canaveral, on Mariner. Look what I saw:

 

 

[CruisingNewb]

Even with one of my children sailing free, I would still be paying $250 more with this sale...was hoping to make some money back on this deal. 

[Carlos A.]

I just don't understand this so called "promotions".

 

I did a mock booking on Symphony for the 6/18 sailing. It clearly states that it includes the KSF promotion.

2 adults on an ocean view balcony (not guarantee) = $3735 approx

2 adults, one kid under 12 on an ocean view balcony = $5118 approx and this is on a guarantee cabin (it's the only option available)

So much for the KSF...

 

And all the other cabin prices goes crazy as well as soon as you include a kid in a cabin... 

It's more expensive an ocean view cabin for 3 (one kid) ($8007 approx!) than a balcony for the same 3 people.

I mean, Balcony ocean room for  $5118 approx  vs Ocean View for $8007 approx is just nuts!

It's more expensive a central park balcony guarantee than an ocean view balcony guarantee.

This doesn't make any sense!

[Templecruiser]

10 minutes ago, carlosalonsor said:

I just don't understand this so called "promotions".

 

I did a mock booking on Symphony for the 6/18 sailing. It clearly states that it includes the KSF promotion.

2 adults on an ocean view balcony (not guarantee) = $3735 approx

2 adults, one kid under 12 on an ocean view balcony = $5118 approx and this is on a guarantee cabin (it's the only option available)

So much for the KSF...

 

And all the other cabin prices goes crazy as well as soon as you include a kid in a cabin... 

It's more expensive an ocean view cabin for 3 (one kid) than a balcony ($8007 approx!)

It's more expensive a central park balcony guarantee than an ocean view balcony guarantee.

This doesn't make any sense!

What dates did you use. The sale has limited dates and holidays.

[Carlos A.]

7 minutes ago, Templecruiser said:

What dates did you use. The sale has limited dates and holidays.

June 18th.

This date is included in the KSF promotion.

 

 

[AspiringCruisePlanner]

Alright kids, it's time for a quiz.  Which price is correct? A, B, C, or D?  All are the same cabin for the same dates with the same mix of passengers.  3 adults and 1 child in a GS stateroom.

A. Royal Caribbean's Website

B. Cruise Quick's Website

C. Cruises.com

D. None of the above 

I know everyone's answer will be "ask a travel agent".  I get it.  I just think it's funny how different each of these sites are on pricing for this kids sail free promo.

I guess a follow up question for a travel agent is if cruisequick or cruises.com actually sells these at an incorrect rate due to their own calculation, do they still have to pay Royal the "correct" price?  It also looks like Royal's math is wrong based on my calculations from the price by guest screen.

[Sharla]

Remember they often raise the prices of guests 1 & 2 for this, so it's not always the best deal. It's a marketing tactic to get people interested.

Some people do indeed save money, just don't think you're automatically going to save.

[GKMCruising]

50 minutes ago, Sharla said:

Remember they often raise the prices of guests 1 & 2 for this, so it's not always the best deal. It's a marketing tactic to get people interested.

Some people do indeed save money, just don't think you're automatically going to save.

Yup. We *did* save about $250 on our sailing for Harmony in September, but I've definitely checked on Kids Sail Free before and not had it be any cheaper.

[CelticB23]

Yeah, I think they're having website issues. I called Club Royale this morning to book a comped cruise, but the casino rep said they were unable to price any cruises at the moment because their system is glitching and isn't showing them the right prices. They said it should be fixed soon. 

I'd try again in a couple hours. 

[WAAAYTOOO]

7 minutes ago, CelticB23 said:

Yeah, I think they're having website issues. I called Club Royale this morning to book a comped cruise, but the casino rep said they were unable to price any cruises at the moment because their system is glitching and isn't showing them the right prices. They said it should be fixed soon. 

I'd try again in a couple hours. 

I was having trouble earlier with CruisingPower, too.  Many of my bookings were just missing !!  I think Royal must be doing some maintenance.

[AspiringCruisePlanner]

1 hour ago, AspiringCruisePlanner said:

Alright kids, it's time for a quiz.  Which price is correct? A, B, C, or D?  All are the same cabin for the same dates with the same mix of passengers.  3 adults and 1 child in a GS stateroom.

A. Royal Caribbean's Website

B. Cruise Quick's Website

C. Cruises.com

D. None of the above 

I know everyone's answer will be "ask a travel agent".  I get it.  I just think it's funny how different each of these sites are on pricing for this kids sail free promo.

I guess a follow up question for a travel agent is if cruisequick or cruises.com actually sells these at an incorrect rate due to their own calculation, do they still have to pay Royal the "correct" price?  It also looks like Royal's math is wrong based on my calculations from the price by guest screen.

And the answer is... D, None of the above!

[RCIfan1912]

I saw this email about 45 minutes ago and was surprised to see it back. I did a mock booking of our July 26th cruise and it's KSF eligible but it came out to about the same. I emailed John from MEI to get his input. 

[Matt]

2 hours ago, carlosalonsor said:

2 adults on an ocean view balcony (not guarantee) = $3735 approx

2 adults, one kid under 12 on an ocean view balcony = $5118 approx and this is on a guarantee cabin (it's the only option available)

This set up is possibly flawed because not all cabins are the same.

When you price for 2 people, it probably gives you a cabin allocated for only 2 people, but when you move to a cabin with 4 people in it, it's a different sub category.

You'd have to verify it's the exact same cabin number to ensure it's a 1:1

[Colombia20102018]

59 minutes ago, Matt said:

This set up is possibly flawed because not all cabins are the same.

When you price for 2 people, it probably gives you a cabin allocated for only 2 people, but when you move to a cabin with 4 people in it, it's a different sub category.

You'd have to verify it's the exact same cabin number to ensure it's a 1:1

The issue I have with this is that when booking there is a message that says most cabins can accommodate up to 4 passengers. If this is the case, I do not understand the reason behind they increase of price for passengers 1 and 2

[Atlantix2000]

50 minutes ago, Colombia20102018 said:

The issue I have with this is that when booking there is a message that says most cabins can accommodate up to 4 passengers. If this is the case, I do not understand the reason behind they increase of price for passengers 1 and 2

It's simple.  The kids don't really sail free.  Their cost is built into the prices for passengers 1 and 2.  It's marketing.  If you want to sell a cabin of 4 people and you want to charge $500 per person, you could charge:

1) $500 per person...total cost = $2000

2) $1000 each for passengers 1 & 2, kids sail free...total cost = $2000 for 2 parents, 2 kids

3) $750 per person with a sale of $500 off each for passengers 3 & 4...total cost = $2000

4) $1000 for passenger 1, BOGO 50% off for passenger 2, $250 each for additional passengers...total cost = $2000

I could keep going, but depending on the details of the "sale", some versions work out better for 4 adults, some versions work out better for parents with kids, but Royal gets the amount they want for the cabin.

[Carlos A.]

3 hours ago, Matt said:

This set up is possibly flawed because not all cabins are the same.

When you price for 2 people, it probably gives you a cabin allocated for only 2 people, but when you move to a cabin with 4 people in it, it's a different sub category.

You'd have to verify it's the exact same cabin number to ensure it's a 1:1

The problem is that the price for 3 people is in a guarantee cabin, so there's no way to know what sub category is. 

 

And in the other prices they just don't make sense.

It's more expensive an ocean view cabin for 3 (one kid) ($8007 approx!) than a balcony for the same 3 people.

I mean, Balcony ocean room for  $5118 approx  vs Ocean View for $8007 approx is just nuts!

[Matt]

KSF does save money, but you need to compare apples to apples, meaning the same room.

This is easiest with suites, because suites usually can accommodate 4 people.

Here's a random cruise I found on Symphony on June 25 for a 1 bedroom Grand Suite.

With just 2 people, price is $10,094.

Now, let's add 2 kids to the same room for the same sailing.

New price is $10,412. Slight increase reflects port fees and taxes.

[smokeybandit]

I was able to save over  $1500 on our alaskan cruise with this promo 

[Templecruiser]

Can this be used if already booked for December cruise. My daughter family has 3 kids, so they got 2 balcony rooms. But if kids are free, they can get in a GS for pretty much same price. But it says new bookings.

[Kirsten]

33 minutes ago, Templecruiser said:

Can this be used if already booked for December cruise. My daughter family has 3 kids, so they got 2 balcony rooms. But if kids are free, they can get in a GS for pretty much same price. But it says new bookings.

So what I've done in the past is not sign in and price the same cruise to see if the KSF deal is applicable for that specific cruise.  If your cruise is eligible, make sure you have the lower price documented (I screenshot it), and then you can either cancel and rebook online or call and rebook.

[AspiringCruisePlanner]

24 minutes ago, Kirsten said:

So what I've done in the past is not sign in and price the same cruise to see if the KSF deal is applicable for that specific cruise.  If your cruise is eligible, make sure you have the lower price documented (I screenshot it), and then you can either cancel and rebook online or call and rebook.

No need to cancel and rebook. Just call and have them reprice your booking. That way if you had cruise planner purchases, they wouldn't have to be rebooked.

[Carotthat]

7 hours ago, AspiringCruisePlanner said:

No need to cancel and rebook. Just call and have them reprice your booking. That way if you had cruise planner purchases, they wouldn't have to be rebooked.

 

9 hours ago, smokeybandit said:

I was able to save over  $1500 on our alaskan cruise with this promo 

I called yesterday and hat the sailing with adventure in august repriced for 250€ less and the sailing with odyssey in june (2 staterooms) cheaper for 2000€ 

[Kirsten]

12 hours ago, AspiringCruisePlanner said:

No need to cancel and rebook. Just call and have them reprice your booking. That way if you had cruise planner purchases, they wouldn't have to be rebooked.

Total brain fart when I responded.  Yes, you are right.  I've called and gotten the lower price instead of canceling, but made sure I had the lower price documented just in case their pricing was different.

[Jzx1103]

I typically only save on KSF when booking with a casino comp. Often pay only tax and port charges for all 4. 

[AspiringCruisePlanner]

19 minutes ago, Jzx1103 said:

I typically only save on KSF when booking with a casino comp. Often pay only tax and port charges for all 4. 

What a great deal! No idea that they could be combined.

Although, I despise Royal's legal department.  What's stated is often not the case.  This is from the casino royale promo Ts&Cs page:

"All complimentary Stateroom Casino Offers and complimentary Instant Reward Certificates are nontransferable, not combinable with any other casino offers, discounts, special offers or promotions or Crown and Anchor offers"

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/terms-and-conditions/casino-promotions

I actually looked, and it seems other people have had issues with doing the two together.  So if you've gotten them both in the past, you were lucky.

 

[Jzx1103]

6 minutes ago, AspiringCruisePlanner said:

What a great deal! No idea that they could be combined.

Although, I despise Royal's legal department.  What's stated is often not the case.  This is from the casino royale promo Ts&Cs page:

"All complimentary Stateroom Casino Offers and complimentary Instant Reward Certificates are nontransferable, not combinable with any other casino offers, discounts, special offers or promotions or Crown and Anchor offers"

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/terms-and-conditions/casino-promotions

I actually looked, and it seems other people have had issues with doing the two together.  So if you've gotten them both in the past, you were lucky.

 

We've gotten them both applied on numerous occasions, also many folks already posted on Facebook Club Royal page they successfully did it for the current KSF sale.

[Sharla]

Here's another math with KSF- 

interior 4 ppl $4046.32

interior 3 ppl $4221.74

 

3 people have a higher cost because guests 1/2 pay full price no matter the ages with KSF. 

[Peter Yang]

Just saw this deal as well. My question is, am I able to cancel my current itinerary (booked 3 weeks ago) and receive this deal without losing my non-refundable deposit? (Saving $400 with this new deal)(Sail date in October)

[nmdaisy]

you don't need to cancel, just call  them and have them reprice you. They will let you know if it is a better deal that what you already have. If it is, they will issue you a credit.

[Jzx1103]

1 hour ago, AspiringCruisePlanner said:

What a great deal! No idea that they could be combined.

Although, I despise Royal's legal department.  What's stated is often not the case.  This is from the casino royale promo Ts&Cs page:

"All complimentary Stateroom Casino Offers and complimentary Instant Reward Certificates are nontransferable, not combinable with any other casino offers, discounts, special offers or promotions or Crown and Anchor offers"

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/terms-and-conditions/casino-promotions

I actually looked, and it seems other people have had issues with doing the two together.  So if you've gotten them both in the past, you were lucky.

 

I actually just called now and booked a comp with KSF. Had to pay a $200 upgrade fee to go from a 2 person Junior Suite to a 4 person Junior Suite. But still, only $666 for 4 in a JS with taxes and port charges included.

[smokeybandit]

. Kids Sail Free excludes Thanksgiving sailings departing November 18, 2022 – November 25, 2022, Holiday sailings departing December 22, 2022 – January 8, 2023, Spring break sailings departing March 10, 2023 – March 24, 2023, and Easter sailings departing April 6, 2023 – April 16, 2023.

[RCIfan1912]

We saved money and got a better cabin I think?. John from MEI redid our short cruise in July and we saved 200+ bucks. We also went from a regular balcony guarantee to a spacious ocean view. We also have our cabin number so we don't have to wait for the GTY cabin assignment. Is an spacious ocean view an upgrade over a balcony guarantee? This is on Adventure OTS. 

[Ronaldo807]

This has been a frustrating process. Our TA re-priced our existing June sailing yesterday and we even moved to a different category at a savings to our original cost. Our TA tried to re-price and move our July sailing today to a new category and is being told by Royal that it's new bookings only by multiple agents. For some reason my TA is trying to accept that answer. This is a long term TA that has never previously had these issues. It's frustrating to have to go back and forth on this. It shouldn't be luck of the draw with the Royal representative you get as well. 

[CelticB23]

7 hours ago, Jzx1103 said:

I actually just called now and booked a comp with KSF. Had to pay a $200 upgrade fee to go from a 2 person Junior Suite to a 4 person Junior Suite. But still, only $666 for 4 in a JS with taxes and port charges included.

Nice one! 

8 hours ago, Jzx1103 said:

We've gotten them both applied on numerous occasions, also many folks already posted on Facebook Club Royal page they successfully did it for the current KSF sale.

You can usually combine a casino offer with the current prevailing rate (which in this case includes KSF). I was able to book a casino comp and add my son under the current KSF deal, no problem. We only paid the taxes and port fees for the three of us. Crazy good deal. Can't wait to go! 

That said, I've found Club Royale's reps to be very hit or miss. Some are far more knowledgeable about promotions than others. So, if you get someone who isn't able to help you apply a current promotion to a casino booking or apply a casino comp to a paid booking, "hang up call again" later. As long as the promo is valid for your sailing, you can usually get a different rep who is able to help. 

[Colombia20102018]

On 3/24/2022 at 2:23 PM, Atlantix2000 said:

It's simple.  The kids don't really sail free.  Their cost is built into the prices for passengers 1 and 2.  It's marketing.  If you want to sell a cabin of 4 people and you want to charge $500 per person, you could charge:

1) $500 per person...total cost = $2000

2) $1000 each for passengers 1 & 2, kids sail free...total cost = $2000 for 2 parents, 2 kids

3) $750 per person with a sale of $500 off each for passengers 3 & 4...total cost = $2000

4) $1000 for passenger 1, BOGO 50% off for passenger 2, $250 each for additional passengers...total cost = $2000

I could keep going, but depending on the details of the "sale", some versions work out better for 4 adults, some versions work out better for parents with kids, but Royal gets the amount they want for the cabin.

I have been tracking a Bermuda cruise for the last couple of weeks. With the wow sale the price was $481 per passenger. With the ongoing 30% on every guest it went up to about $498 per passenger until this morning. The promotion is still there but now the price is $598 per passenger. The room for four that I was checking went from a total of about $2200 this morning to a new total of about $2600. That’s close to a 16% price increase in just a few hours and during a promotion. I am not understanding these promotions but I know that sometimes people save money
 

[GatorCruiser]

Just saved 1100 bones on our upcoming navigator cruise with the KSF promotion!!! More tequila in Ensenada amigos !!