Many avid cruisers love sailing in September and early fall when ports are less crowded with tourists and cruise lines often offer slightly lower prices during shoulder season. As long as hurricane season storm activity doesn’t pick up, you can usually enjoy wonderful weather on a Caribbean cruise in the early fall.
If you’re planning to sail as a family, you’ll find a lot of value and family-friendly activities included in cruise fares on most any cruise line. Most cruise ships even feature kids’ clubs that offer fun, supervised spaces for kids to play at no extra charge while parents enjoy some alone time during their vacation.
Related: Comparing prices between Disney and Royal Caribbean cruises
Even if school and work commitments won’t allow your family to sail in the fall, you can score a deal by booking your family cruise vacation during the month of September. Right now, multiple cruise lines are offering limited-time Kids Sail Free deals for new bookings made in September.
While taxes, fees, and port expenses are not included in these Kids Sail Free and free third and fourth guest offers, they still provide significant cruise savings for families.
Royal Caribbean has a popular kids club program.
Image source: Royal Caribbean
Royal Caribbean brings back popular Kids Sail Free deal
Kids Sail Free is a popular promotion that Royal Caribbean typically runs multiple times a year and the cruise line brought it back for September 2024.
Now through Sept. 30, families can take advantage of Royal Caribbean’s Kids Sail Free deal for new bookings at prevailing rates made on select sailings three nights and longer departing at least 30 days after the booking date.
The promotion provides a $0 cruise fare for additional guests 12 years old and younger as of the departure date when they are booked in the same stateroom as the first full-fare paying guest and second guest. Some blackout dates apply.
Along with the Kids Sail Free deal, the cruise line is also offering 60% off the cruise fare of the second guest booked in the same stateroom as the first, full-fare paying guest.
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Even teens sail free on MSC Cruises
Family-friendly cruise line MSC Cruises regularly offers Kids Sail Free promotions that provide substantial savings, especially for families with older kids. Unlike offers from some cruise lines, MSC Cruises’ Kids Sail Free discount even applies to teens.
On MSC Cruises, kids 17 and under sail free on select cruises when sailing as third and fourth guests. Government fees and taxes still apply.
The current Kids Sail Free deal featured on the cruise line’s website expires Sept. 22 but you may see another one posted soon.
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Margaritaville at Sea offers Kids Sail Free promotion through Oct. 8
Now through Oct. 8, Margaritaville at Sea is offering a Kids Sail Free deal for new bookings made for sailings through April 30, 2026, aboard the Margaritaville at Sea Islander, and through December 31, 2025, aboard the Margaritaville at Sea Paradise.
The Kids Sail Free discount provides a free cruise fare for third and fourth guests when they are between three and 12 years old at the time of departure, and traveling in a stateroom with a minimum of two paying guests.
Margaritaville at Sea’s Kids Sail Free offer is limited, subject to availability, and blackout dates may apply. The deal can be combined with other special offers like the cruise line’s onboard credit offer.
Also Read: Margaritaville at Sea to ‘Sail the Spooky Seas’ for Halloween
Norwegian and Celebrity cruise deals let additional guests sail free on select sailings
Norwegian Cruise Line and Celebrity Cruises also offer promotions that allow families to score free cruise fares for kids on select sailings.
As part of Norwegian Cruise Line’s featured Free at Sea promotion where passengers can select up to five offers, families can choose a free third and fourth guests offer. For select sailings, third and fourth guests can sail with $0 or $99 cruise fares when sharing a stateroom with two guests paying full fare.
Now through Nov. 7, Celebrity Cruises is also offering a $0 cruise fare promotion that lets third, fourth, and fifth guests sail free in eligible stateroom categories on select Bahamas and Caribbean sailings departing now through Dec. 14, 2024. The offer can be combined with an additional promotion that offers up to 75% off the second guest on select sailings.
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