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Kids Sail Free on Carnival Cruise Line

  • Last Updated:
  • Mar 27th, 2014 1:53 pm
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35 replies
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Oct 19, 2003
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Toronto (Bloor West …
Singing my kids up now, I hope they will be ok by themselves for a couple of weeks.
Sr. Member
Aug 9, 2010
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Well we freaking blew it. We sail April 24th or so and we're bringing our 9 month baby.
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Dec 6, 2008
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BinaryJay wrote: Singing my kids up now, I hope they will be ok by themselves for a couple of weeks.
parent and proofreader of the year!
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Nov 9, 2007
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Perfect timing as just yesterday we decided on this cruise as it allows a family of 5 to be in one room! Price was around $1400 yesterday and today with the promo its $1200. A few questions as we've never done a cruise before.

Oceanview rooms are slightly more expensive, is it worth it? Do the staterooms come with ANY window? The oceanview rooms can they be opened?
Which deck is better? It gave 2 options: Riveria or Main. Main is $1 more p.p./day
When selecting room which is better the middle,back,front? Easier access to most things? Since our kids are young we'll probably be going back and forth to our room to change diapers etc.

Any other tips when booking?

Also say if we book via sears travel is that a better option than booking directly with carnival???

Looking at May 8-12 from Miami.
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Jun 3, 2008
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mmhassa2 wrote: Perfect timing as just yesterday we decided on this cruise as it allows a family of 5 to be in one room! Price was around $1400 yesterday and today with the promo its $1200. A few questions as we've never done a cruise before.

Oceanview rooms are slightly more expensive, is it worth it? Do the staterooms come with ANY window? The oceanview rooms can they be opened?
Which deck is better? It gave 2 options: Riveria or Main. Main is $1 more p.p./day
When selecting room which is better the middle,back,front? Easier access to most things? Since our kids are young we'll probably be going back and forth to our room to change diapers etc.

Any other tips when booking?

Also say if we book via sears travel is that a better option than booking directly with carnival???

Looking at May 8-12 from Miami.
If you have seniors who are comfortable closer to their own private room, balconies are preferred. Otherwise, if you're cost-sensitive go to one of the many decks.
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Feb 24, 2012
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Heard carnival doesn't deliver such a great experience.
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Jan 14, 2010
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Since it's your first cruise, I would recommend getting a room closer to the back of the ship. Since you probably don't know if anyone in your family is seasick, there's less rocking & reeling.

For the Oceanview, I always had room with balcony and loved it (with younger children, I could relax on the balcony while they are doing their nap) so I cannot really comment on it since I never experienced without it.
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Nov 9, 2007
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mlarouche wrote: Since it's your first cruise, I would recommend getting a room closer to the back of the ship. Since you probably don't know if anyone in your family is seasick, there's less rocking & reeling.

For the Oceanview, I always had room with balcony and loved it (with younger children, I could relax on the balcony while they are doing their nap) so I cannot really comment on it since I never experienced without it.
Ok thats great info...Will be looking for something towards the back :)
Member
Aug 27, 2008
457 posts
243 upvotes
On our first cruise we sprang for a balcony room. Literally the only time we were in the room was when we were sleeping, so unless you are planning on spending a decent portion of your cruise holed up in those small rooms its probably best to save the money and get one without a balcony.
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Oct 21, 2013
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Whitchurch-Stouffvil…
mlarouche wrote: Since it's your first cruise, I would recommend getting a room closer to the back of the ship. Since you probably don't know if anyone in your family is seasick, there's less rocking & reeling.

For the Oceanview, I always had room with balcony and loved it (with younger children, I could relax on the balcony while they are doing their nap) so I cannot really comment on it since I never experienced without it.
This is incorrect. If you are concerned with motion sickness you would want to be in the middle of the ship as low down as possible. That is where the motion of the ship would be felt least.
Newbie
Oct 21, 2013
64 posts
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Whitchurch-Stouffvil…
mlarouche wrote: Since it's your first cruise, I would recommend getting a room closer to the back of the ship. Since you probably don't know if anyone in your family is seasick, there's less rocking & reeling.

For the Oceanview, I always had room with balcony and loved it (with younger children, I could relax on the balcony while they are doing their nap) so I cannot really comment on it since I never experienced without it.
This is incorrect. You would want to have a cabin in the middle of the ship as low down as possible. This is where the motion of the ship would be felt the least.
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Nov 9, 2007
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So asked Sears travel to give a quote and they quote $1560 CND with NO onboard credits for the same trip that is $1211.95 USD on the carnival website. Even with the currency exchange/fee it comes to $1392.05 CND using the Visa....so US price is still cheaper.

I looked through priceline/orbitz etc and dont see the kids free promo added to the total price? Only see it on the carnival website. Is there any reason for that? Im having a hardtime finding any of the online travel retailers matching carnival's website price. Dont want to waste too much time so is it safe to assume they are the cheapest?

Priced our same trip with priceline and its $1568???
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Feb 25, 2007
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mmhassa2 wrote: So asked Sears travel to give a quote and they quote $1560 CND with NO onboard credits for the same trip that is $1211.95 USD on the carnival website. Even with the currency exchange/fee it comes to $1392.05 using the Visa....so US price is still cheaper.

I looked through priceline/orbitz etc and dont see the kids free promo added to the total price? Only see it on the carnival website. Is there any reason for that?
If you have a CAA card try them. I have booked many cruises through them and they are outstanding.
Jr. Member
Dec 8, 2013
143 posts
36 upvotes
Going on a Carnival Cruise this Sunday for $250/person for a balcony with tax. This is with the Carnival employee 'Friends and Family' discount. If you know any Carnival employees, this is the best deal you can get!
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Jan 14, 2004
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Kids sail free but they now charge for Norovirus. That's where they get you!
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May 15, 2012
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THORNHILL
I've been on quite a few cruises. From my experience, to avoid feeling a ton of movement, especially overnight, generally you want a mid ship cabin that is higher up. Thats why the prices are generally higher for those cabins. I don't think the back of the boat is a good choice.
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Dec 3, 2005
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Norwegian is also offering kids sail for free. And dining credit for premium restaurants. I booked with them a couple of weeks ago. Came to $3800 for 4 of us in a mini-suite with everything included. Movement on a cruise ship doesn't bother me after 25 years in the Navy :)
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Oct 7, 2011
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Toronto
To reduce likelihood of seasickness, get a cabin in middle of the ship, and low dek (not high deck). But with Carnival, mid-ship is more expensive.

Inside cabins are fine, unless you really really want to have a balcony for a lot higher cost.

Being on many different cruises. Carnival is great. You get pampered. But people that are expecting luxury and gourmet food with 5* service, they will be disappointed.
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Jul 7, 2003
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Just got back from a cruise on the Carnival Valor with some friends. I got an oceanview room and found it to be worth the extra cost (~$140 total). The room was slightly larger than the interior rooms, had a couch and a better layout. Also nice to get some natural light into the room, even if you're not in it that much.

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