Kids sail free + free gratuities for suites promotions?

[Gatordad815]

Hi all! I’m looking at a Jr. Suite sailing that has a kids sail free and free gratuities for suites promotion attached to it with a very nice discount for booking a non refundable deposit. The agent told me those promos end in a few days and may or may not return. Price is very good but I’m not 100% committed to the dates yet and would like some flexibility or a few months to decide.

 

I’m pretty new to this, but from what I’ve read most “sales” on RC are just different ways of packaging the same final price for the trip. My specific question relates to these 2 promos for you experienced cruisers. Am I likely to see these same promos (or other promos that result in the same out of pocket cost) again for a sailing over a year away, or are these particular promos actual “sales” that I should take a closer look at and consider committing to now?

 

 

Thanks in advance for any input!

[Clarea]

Unfortunately, no discernable patterns to the sales.

[Merion_Mom]

I would not expect the free grats to pop up very often. Or the kids sail free. Both at the same time? It's time to make your decision!!!!

[Dennis#1]

I would not expect the free grats to pop up very often. Or the kids sail free. Both at the same time? It's time to make your decision!!!!

 

Agree, having both at the same time is very rare,

[TwoTravelin]

Agree, having both at the same time is very rare,

Kids Sail Free ends end of October so you may not want to delay.

[irishgal432]

Just be aware that pre paid Gratuities only apply to guest 1 and 2 according to the terms and conditions.

Free Pre Paid Gratuities:

*Cruise must be booked September 1, 2017 – October 31, 2017. Offer applies to all Harmony of the Seas, Oasis of the Seas, Allure of the Seas, Anthem of the Seas and Symphony of the Seas sailings departing on or after October 1, 2017. Offer provides free pre-paid gratuities for guests one and two who book a Sea or Sky class suite. Offer is combinable with NRDB OBC, promotional OBCs, instant savings, restricted discounts (for example, Senior, Resident, Military) Crown and Anchor discounts and Shareholder Benefits. After the offer period, the offer will be removed from the booking if the guest cancels and reinstates the booking, or changes the ship or sail date of the booking; certain other changes to the booking may also result in removal of the offer. Offer applies to new, individual and named group bookings confirmed at prevailing rates. Individual reservations can be transferred into an existing group, assuming required criteria are met, though full deposit will be required at time of transfer. Failure to apply the required full deposit amount may result in the cancellation of the booking. Offer available to residents of the United States or Canada. Free pre-paid gratuities will be applied within one week of qualified bookings. In the event that a guest has more than one applicable offer for the same sailing, guest can choose the offer he or she wishes to apply. Prices and offer are subject to availability and change without notice, capacity controlled, and may be withdrawn at any time. Royal Caribbean International reserves the right to correct any errors, inaccuracies or omissions and to change or update fares, fees and surcharges at any time without prior notice. © 2017 Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. Ships registry: The Bahamas. 17058487 • 8/31/2017

[Racer70]

Hi all! I’m looking at a Jr. Suite sailing that has a kids sail free and free gratuities for suites promotion attached to it with a very nice discount for booking a non refundable deposit. The agent told me those promos end in a few days and may or may not return. Price is very good but I’m not 100% committed to the dates yet and would like some flexibility or a few months to decide.

 

I’m pretty new to this, but from what I’ve read most “sales” on RC are just different ways of packaging the same final price for the trip. My specific question relates to these 2 promos for you experienced cruisers. Am I likely to see these same promos (or other promos that result in the same out of pocket cost) again for a sailing over a year away, or are these particular promos actual “sales” that I should take a closer look at and consider committing to now?

 

 

Thanks in advance for any input!

 

I agree with you. Many of the offerings such as "Kid's Sail Free" are not really true as RCI simply raises the advertised cruise fares considerably for Guests 1 and 2, then discounts the fare prices through "Discounts & Credits". You can book several "dummy" cruises to see different costs.

 

They make you believe that "Kids Sail Free", but they really don't due to the "manipulated" cruse fares for adult guests. Plus you always pay for the "taxes and fees" for all guests, regardless of BOGO, Kids Sail Free or whatever sales they are promoting.

 

It's a bit of a shell game, slight of hand, small print and clever marketing on their part. At the end of the day, you look at the "Average Price Per Person" and if you are happy with that, then book the cruise.

[nolesrule]

I agree with you. Many of the offerings such as "Kid's Sail Free" are not really true as RCI simply raises the advertised cruise fares considerably for Guests 1 and 2, then discounts the fare prices through "Discounts & Credits". You can book several "dummy" cruises to see different costs.

 

They make you believe that "Kids Sail Free", but they really don't due to the "manipulated" cruse fares for adult guests. Plus you always pay for the "taxes and fees" for all guests, regardless of BOGO, Kids Sail Free or whatever sales they are promoting.

 

It's a bit of a shell game, slight of hand, small print and clever marketing on their part. At the end of the day, you look at the "Average Price Per Person" and if you are happy with that, then book the cruise.

 

Whether or not this is true seems to depend on cabin category, particularly cabins that are only triple or quad occupancy, as opposed to those which allow double to quad occupancy. Or to put it another way, JS and above generally really are KSF.

[gingersvp]

We had to add on the gratuities for our kid that was sailing free in our Star class, but all the grats were included for the adults.

[A2Mich]

I’ve always found, since both of our RCI cruises were booked under KSF promos, there is in fact a savings for 3rd/4th pax. While it doesn’t equate to them being free, there is a savings of a few hundred dollars.

 

 

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