“Free” Royal Caribbean cruise match offer & kids sail free stack (parlay that Carnival offer)

If you followed along and turned your Diamond status into a free Carnival cruise in a balcony room, now is the time to do the same with Royal Caribbean.

Last year, I wrote about how to turn your Diamond status into a free cruise, or at least a deep discounted one. Royal Caribbean is giving away a free cruise of up to 5 nights on their Caribbean itineraries, as well as a couple of options out of Los Angeles. If you act fast, you can get this match done in time to get the free cruise offer with the current kids sail free promotion. It doesn't mean no cost, but it does mean low cost relative to the cash prices in several instances, which makes me want to check out what Royal Caribbean has to offer.

The Deal

• Royal Caribbean’s Casino Royale loyalty program is running an offer match program whereby you may be able to qualify for a free cruise for two (potentially in a balcony room or even higher if you combine offers)
• Direct link to this deal

Key Terms

• Terms indicate that you are not eligible for this offer if you have sailed with Royal Caribbean since January 2018
• Terms indicate that you can submit a match request only once
• Cruise must be booked within 14 days of receiving your offer
• Terms say you need to call to book, though there is also an online booking request form (though confirmation is not immediate)
• You still pay taxes and port fees. On dates I checked, these appear to be $400-$500 total for 4 passengers on the 4-5 day itineraries, but YMMV depending on your itinerary
• You may have to pay an upgrade fee for a larger room if sailing with a family
• Kids sail free promo has some blackout dates (see this post for more detail)
• Cruises based on availability (and my offers only apply to cruises through 3/31/23)
• Interestingly, a couple playing in two-player mode has the option to combine offers per the terms: “Qualified Recipients within the same household from the same promotional event may combine their complimentary stateroom offers on the same sail date for one (1) category upgrade, not to exceed a Junior Suite or redeem their individual offers”
• See more casino promotion terms here

Quick Thoughts

For details on how to get the carnival match offer, see the previous status cruising post. I used that offer to book a 10-night European cruise that I took earlier this month, but my wife has yet to book her Carnival offer, despite receiving the free balcony offer from Carnival monthly ever since.

Mary commented on my old post about the Carnival offer, saying that Royal Caribbean has a similar offer.

Royal Caribbean will accept a competing cruise line offer for the purpose of this offer. It's a good idea to submit the Carnival free balcony room offer, not your Caesars Diamond status, which will only qualify you for a discounted cruise. Do you know how to ask?

A copy of my wife's most recent Carnival free balcony room offer was submitted to Royal Caribbean. She was able to turn around quickly.

My friend submitted for the Royal Caribbean match on Sunday and received an offer from Royal Caribbean on Tuesday. My wife received an offer for a free balcony room on select Royal Caribbean cruises within a couple of hours after I submitted the offer.

After clicking on the link in the email, her offer type appeared as "up to a balcony stateroom - 5 nights".

She received a list of free sailings from next week through the end of March.

The eligible cruises range from 3 to 5 nights and are mostly visiting the Eastern or Western Caribbean. The cruise that leaves San Juan the week before Christmas is the most expensive I've checked. The cruise stops at five different ports. The balcony room on that cruise is currently running close to $4,000 before taxes.

The port taxes are $400 to $500 for a family of four depending on itinerary or less for two passengers, and my understanding is that you will have to pay them. You should shop around because some of the "free" cruises on offer can be inexpensive.

Royal Caribbean is offering a promotion where you don't pay an additional fee for the kids if you book through October 31st. I paid about $280 per child for my two kids on my Carnival cruise, which was only for two adults. Royal Caribbean is currently offering kids sailing for free.

There is a possibility of something happening here.

A friend who booked a room for 3 passengers had to pay a fee to get a bigger room. The upgraded room that accommodates three passengers was not free for kids. If the room is large enough for four passengers, I won't complain about the extra money. I am not sure if this was a function of the specific ship/dates chosen, or if there are some other reasons.

There is potential intrigue in the terms. If two people in the same household have free offers, you can combine them for a junior suite upgrade. You can only find one set of dates if you book within 14 days of receiving the offer and sail by the end of March. The junior suite on one of the ships we were considering had a walk in closet, a bathroom with a shower, and a lot more space to lounge than I had on my recent Carnival cruise.

Matching from Caesars Diamond resulted in a cruise discount, not a free cruise. I tried again with my Carnival balcony offer and haven't heard back, despite the terms that say you can only submit a match once. If you can get a screen shot of the carnival offer, I would recommend it.

I didn't think I'd take a cruise again before this year. I took a boat one year ago, but it didn't fit my style or interests, and I thought it was time to stop. Carnival won me over with the family friendly nature of a cruise and the ease of being able to visit multiple places without having to pack up and move all of our stuff. Afterwards, I said that I would do it again. I am going to check out Royal Caribbean and see how it compares to Carnival Pride.