Embarking on a family cruise is an exciting way to explore the world together. Costa Cruises is the one cruise line we have found that offers tailored discounts and promotions that make traveling with your loved ones more affordable, and the discounts are available all year round, not at specific times as part of a limited promotion. Below, I will break down three key special offers to help you plan your dream getaway while staying within budget.
Important information to know
I think it is helpful to know how Costa Cruises normally price their cabins so you can then see the benefit of the discounts below.
There is only one ship in the Costa Cruises fleet which has cabins for 5 people, so on every cruise ship besides Diadema there will be a maximum of 4 people per cabin.
For every booking, the first 2 people in the Costa Cruises cabin pay full price: it doesn’t matter what their age is. If the second 2 people in the cabin are children there will be a discount to the cost for the 3rd and 4th guests. The price is usually significantly lower for children (only if they are the 3rd or 4th guest, that is). I am unsure what happens if 3 or 4 adults try to book, this is not something I have tried personally.
1. Kids Sail Free
Families can enjoy the incredible Kids Sail Free offer, making cruises more budget-friendly for groups with children. With this promotion, children under a certain age can sail at no additional cost when traveling with two adults in the same cabin. The discount only applies when there are two adults in the cabin and can discount the price for either 1 or 2 children. This is perfect for families looking to maximize value without sacrificing a high-quality travel experience.
Please bear in mind that there are still other charges associated with the child like any flights included in the package, port taxes and transfers.
2. Single-parent discount
Costa Cruises also have an offer for an adult who is travelling with one child. They call this the ‘one-and-a-half’ discount. Where a child under the age of 18 travels with one adult in the same cabin, the cost of the child’s fare can be discounted up to 50%.
Keep in mind that any additional charges like port taxes are charged at full price.
3. Big family discount
For families of 4 or 5, there is a discount available to make use of having 2 cabins instead of one. The family discount divides the family into two groups: 2 adults and 1 child and 2 children. Each group is assigned a cabin each. The 2 adults and 1 child pay the normal price, but the second cabin is given a 50% discount on the cost. Bear in mind that with Costa Cruises the first 2 passengers in a cabin pay the full price of an adult so when you use this big family discount, the cost of the second room is discounted as if it were 2 full price tickets rather than the cost you would see applied to the child who is the 3rd guest in cabin 1.
Examples of the discount in use:
To give an example of this in use, we recently booked a cruise which will take us around Asia and South East Asia in 2025.
Scenario 1:
When I attempted to book 2 cabins with the following breakdown: myself and the kids in one cabin to make use of the 3rd and 4th guests discount and David in a cabin alone I was unable to proceed to book as it said there were no cabins available for David.
Scenario 2:
When I attempted to book 2 cabins with the following breakdown: myself, Travis and Luke in one cabin and David and Sylvie in another cabin the cost was as follows:
| Myself, Travis and Luke | David and Sylvie |
| 2 full price, one child | One and a half discount |
| £5557.00 | £3538.50 |
To book 2 cabins this way I would pay £9095.50.
Scenario 3:
When I emailed for a quote using the big family plan discount the cost was £8036.00.
As you can see, using the family plan discount saved over £1000 in this case.
Other discounts:
If you sign up to the Costa C | Club (for free) you can also benefit from members discounts immediately. They do not apply to all cruises and you must sign in to your account while searching for cruises to see the discount applied to the cost.