In your article are you saying that on a cruise out of Southampton uk. Just for comparison, by the old RCCL tipping guidelines, the Royal Caribbean suggested tips/gratuities were a total of USD 11,65 per day per passenger (respectively USD 13,90 for suite passengers) and also guests could pay onboard either in cash or via their shipboard account. We had a short four-night cruise to Royal Caribbeans private island, Perfect Day at CocoCay, in the Bahamas. Lets say the drinks package costs an average of $75 per day. We always hand our tips in cash to the person whose service we wish to commend. Its possible to make a saving by doing this if you have the time and energy to track the prices. Ive just contacted RCI via messenger and asked them why the price on my cruise planner is a lot more than what Ive seen offered for new cruise bookings, and asked if I can have it at the same price. Disney Cruise Line recommends a gratuity amount of $14.50 per person per night. Then if I pay another $5 per person each day for room clean-up, thats another $140, for a total of $280. My question is, what happens if I buy the beverage package of only soft drinks and non-alcoholic beverages, and at some point during the trip I want to order, for example, a pina colada with alcohol? The gratuities go to staff that provide passenger-facing services. Meanwhile, cruise fares are often shown as dirt-cheap prices. Gratuities, which on Royal Caribbean for the standard rooms is $14.50 a day, per person (suites are $17.50 a day, per person). As far as your trip, likely very little. By scorpluvsdolphins, August 20 in Royal Caribbean International. Also, should I bring my own sweetener or do they supply that? If two adults are sharing a stateroom then both people must have the same package. Whether you cruise multiple times per year or you're new to cruising, the goal of Royal Caribbean Blog is for it to bea useful resource for keeping up to date with what's new and exciting with Royal Caribbean. However, if you want to choose the flexible My Time dining, rather than having a set dining time, you must pre-pay your gratuities. This will reduce the overall balance you have available to spend. The bar staff were always encouraging me to let them make up drinks rather than stick the menu, so Im sure they wouldnt mind you asking. Automatic gratuity charge: None. I detest the idea of: A. not knowing who my tip is going to B. The formula used by our online gratuity calculator is: G = n*b*15/26. Carnival Cruise Line also increased . As of September 7 th, 2022, the automatic service gratuity of $16.00 USD per person, per day for guests in non-suites staterooms, or $18.50 USD per person, per day for guests in Suites, will be applied to each guest's SeaPass account on a daily basis. If you buy your drinks package in advance and then see that the price drops due to a promotion, you can cancel your drinks package, get a refund and then buy it again at the lower price. Im not saying do it, but people do it. With the acquisition of 80 points (equivalent to 80 nights at sea), guests become Diamond members. The advantage here is that you get to hold on to more of your money for longer. If you booked your Royal Caribbean cruise with a travel agent, you just need to contact them and ask for gratuities to be added to your reservation. Royal Caribbean drinks package: Is it worth it? The vast majority of passengers are charged these tips, no matter if they are young, old, have special requests, eat in the main dining room, or only hit the buffet. The gratuity is applied automatically to all average beverage costs and beverage packages, as well as applicable upcharges for beverages whose cost is not fully covered by a package. With your support, we can create more exciting content and share with everyone! One thing which I noticed is that the bigger the freebie, the higher the base price. Last time I cruised with Royal Caribbean in December 2019 you could do both options. Alcoholic beverages that exceed this amount will be charged the difference plus gratuity on the difference. Share. However, you can order a bottle of water at the bar and put it in your mini bar fridge for later if you like. If you dont, then youll need to settle the account with a credit, debit card or with cash before you disembark at the end of your cruise. Here's how it works on Royal Caribbean: As of September 7 th, 2022, the automatic service gratuity of $16.00 USD per . Hi Anthony. The good thing for passengers about automatic gratuities is that this breakdown is done automatically by the cruise line instead of having to give tips to several different staff members at the end of your cruise. Whilst you are free to do this, it isnt recommended. Cash isnt used on cruise ships, so all your purchases and gratuities (if not prepaid) will be added to your onboard account. Alternatively, you may get some free onboard credit to spend. So well have to pay the difference of $1 on almost every drink. How much is the Royal Caribbean drink package? Guests that booked through a travel agent can request their agent add pre-paid gratuities to the guests' booking prior to sailing. Hi Aoife. In this case, youd be charged for the whole drink. Some ships may cover up to $13 per alcoholic beverage. Most cruise lines require that EVERYONE who is in the cabin and 21 or older to purchase the package. Likewise, carrying large amounts of cash isnt recommended for safety reasons. For guests that like to budget their vacations and spread out the total cost of the cruise, this is a popular choice. ? Were booked on the Liberty of the Seas cruise in November 2020. Waiting until the end of your cruise will give you a few more paydays to save up the money. Do I Need to Tip Anyone Else While On the Ship? The package covers nearly every beverage on the ship up to $13 per drink. You simply pay this extra amount in full for your cruise as part of your cruise fare. Could you please tell me how I can improve it? However, its always cheaper to buy it before you board. To help explain everything about cruise line gratuities, weve answered a number of common questions that will make everything clearer before you set sail. So you cant get the Royal Cribbean alcohol package for one person and the soft drink package for another. Your drinks package will include gratuity on all drinks. The default average cost is per beverage and beverage type and can be edited. 53 euros per day, 856 for my wife and for 8 nights. Pre-paid gratuities can be added to an individual reservation at any time outside of 48 hours of the sail date. Do we need separate soft drinks packages for the kids or can they share ours? The calculator was last updated in August 2020. A cruise which ordinarily costs 699 might go up to 999 with drinks included. If you want to recognise outstanding service by a particular crew member, then head to the Guest Services desk and fill out a WOW card. Applying this charge automatically helps to streamline the recognition process for the crew members that work to enhance your cruise. 2 bottles of wine and 12 cans of soft drinks per stateroom. All of you have great advice. Can I ask there is a limit of bringing drinks on board yourselves but how do they actually know if you have brought more than the allowance? When it comes time to settle your final bill at the end of the cruise, youll have the gratuity charges to pay as well. Pre-existing bookings confirmed prior to September 7th , 2022 will not be subject to the increased guidelines as long as gratuities are paid in advance of sailing. The automatic tip is USD 16.00 USD, or USD 18.50 USD for suite guests, applied to each guests SeaPass account on a daily basis. This information is brill thanks. Cheers. If gratuities show on our account when we settle at cruise end, we ask for them to be removed. When you book your cruise, youll be given the opportunity to prepay the gratuities. Whether you pay gratuities before or after your cruise is your choice, but its never recommended to remove them. I was drinking a Rusty Nail on my last cruise and thats a drink small enough where the bartender poured me doubles to keep me from coming back so much. It will show up as a line item on your final payment. With your support, we can create more exciting content and share with everyone! Hi, I would Like to know something. Jenni. In addition to this, an 18% gratuity is automatically added to all drinks, spa and salon services. It comes with fancy coffees, smoothies etc as well as alcohol. That said, some cruise lines make exceptions for small kids. Gratuities on Royal Caribbean are obligatory, so it is a matter of when you prefer to pay them. There are two good reasons to prepay gratuities before your cruise. On the first day of your cruise, you may see signs offering Buy One Get One Free deals on drinks packages. At least Ive got time to think about which package to buy. To begin with, the cruise line gave out paper straws which are sadly not fit for purpose when it comes to frozen cocktails. Note the wording used. Is Every Passenger Charged Gratuities? My gf is a big tea drinker and is considering the package purely for that. There are also lots of free drinks available including flavoured water, water and milk as well as fruit juices at breakfast time. Weve seen instances of multiple increases in a year and other times when rates wont change for a year or two. Royal Caribbean charges a gratuity of $16.00 per person, per day. The Royal Caribbean alcohol drinks package costs between $63 and $89 per person, per day and includes unlimited drinks worth up to $12 or $13 each (depending on the ship). Jenni. The breakdown of gratuities is carefully worked out to be fair for all crew members. So, strictly speaking they would need their own. As a thanks for their service, its customary to provide a tip. Royal Caribbean will be raising its automatic daily gratuity amountthat guests pay night of their cruise beginning on, Royal Caribbean offers guests the choice of prepaying gratuities for select crew members on its ships. The tipping rates charged change from time to time. Royal Caribbean Cruises Tipping Policy. Royal Caribbean drinks packages include all tips (also known as gratuities). So you wont have to pay any more for your drinks unless you order something really specialist. Before you go ahead and buy the Coffee Card, here are some things youll want to consider: The tap water on Royal Caribbean cruise ships is perfectly safe to drink and tastes okay, although it may not always be very cold, depending on the weather. Suite gratuity rate will change from $17.50 to $18.50 per day per person. The automatic tip is USD 16.00 USD, or USD 18.50 USD for suite guests, applied to each guest's SeaPass account on a daily basis. To make tipping simpler and fairer, Royal Caribbeans tips policy is to collect this money from all the guests and automatically share it between the crew members. Here are the average Royal Caribbean drinks prices: If youd like to know exactly which drinks are available on Royal Caribbean cruise ships and how much they cost, I have taken photos of the bar menus on board Mariner of the Seas. I didnt know I could have the tips removed from my room charges. Another drink package option for Royal Caribbean cruisers is the Classic Soda package, which includes fountain soda and refills at any venue, Coca-Cola Freestyle beverages and even a Coca-Cola souvenir cup. Theres little doubt that the extra tips can be expensive. Notice of suitability: This tip calculator is designed to help you with the cruise tipping recommended by the line. Select the number of nights for the cruise, from a minimum of two nights to a maximum of thirty nights. You can see a price comparison of drinks across all cruise lines here. 15 Ways To Use Your Royal Caribbean Onboard Credit. If you like to pay for your cruise monthly, then you can add the gratuities to your monthly payment. Do you know about when you'd like to sail? Suggested read: How to pay for a cruise in instalments. The number of nights affects the total cost of beverage packages. If you get free gratuities thrown in as an incentive for booking a cruise, then these will be automatically prepaid. The calculator does not take into account the three beverage vouchers that Crown and Anchor Society members holding Diamond, Diamond Plus, or Pinnacle elite status receive when attending the Exclusive Nightly Diamond Event. For example, you have worked with the XYZ company for a period of 15 years. Im Diamond and wondered what the upcharge might be since Ill be getting four free drink vouchers per day. Its up to you. Bottom line is that it comes down to personal preference. Details: Passengers staying in most cabins, including junior suites, pay $16. Current gratuities breakdown - Royal Caribbean International - Cruise Critic Community. They will still go out of their way to make your cruise comfortable and enjoyable. over all its ships, not just the cruise we were on. Royal Caribbeans rules state that each person must have the same package. Does the deluxe drink package include adding items to your mini bar? For example, a family of four who is taking a seven-night cruise would owe $406 for gratuities. Royal Caribbean Beverage Package Calculator: Most Cost-Effective, Calculate Your New December 2020 COVID-19 Stimulus Payment, Celebrity Cruises Beverage Package Calculator: Most Cost-Effective. Take a look: Royal Caribbean drinks menus with prices. Sterilisers? The drinks prices vary slightly by ship, with around a $1 difference on some ships. Just like sneaking your own alcohol on board the ship, this isnt technically allowed, but people do it. Other major cruise lines already increased their gratuities this year. Got it for 39 pppd day! What should I do to highlight this so as not to embarrass him on board. Example pool vs Bamboo. If youre caught cheating the Royal Caribbean drink package by giving drinks to people who do not have a package, then you risk having your whole package removed without a refund. Jenni Fielding is the founder of Cruise Mummy. This handy tool lets you see if it's better to pay out of pockets for drinks or to sign up for the drink package. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. When you are a salaried employee, your employer pays you an amount of money when you either retire from the company or quit after 5 years of service as per the Payment Gratuity Act of 1972. Be sure to join my email list for my best cruise tips and handpicked deals each week. Princess: $14.50 per person, per day. The daily gratuities are shared among dining, bar . If you book a cruise with free gratuities, it means that Royal Caribbean will pay the gratuities to the staff members for you, so you dont need to worry about paying them. Royal Caribbean states the current pricing for 2022 sailings is between $12.99 and $15.00 per day of the cruise. Some lines also pool the tips altogether and then distribute them throughout the year. So, if you dont have a credit card, then you should prepay your gratuities to avoid running out of money in your bank account or having to carry a lot of cash. From the passenger perspective, the gratuity amount is simple pay a set amount per person, per day, and be done. $15.50 per person, per day staying in mini-suites. I Agree, we always opt out and give tips to our steward and waiter/waitress at the end of the cruise. ? A daily automatic gratuity rate of$16.00 USD per person, per day for guests in Junior Suites and below, or $18.50 USD per person, per day for guests in Grand Suites and above, is applied to each guests SeaPass account on a daily basis. Tipping on Royal Caribbean Cruises is straightforward - a standard daily rate is charged for all guests (no matter the age). Depending on your cruise line, you might find different language used than the word gratuities. Weve seen these charges called tips, gratuities, crew incentives, or service charges. Do you plan to buy a drinks package on your next cruise? What sucks is the workers then have to pay a tax on the tip where we would rather give the workers a gift of cash. Second, any time that you purchase anything service related such as dinner at a specialty restaurant or a service at the spa expect there to be a tip added on to the cost. Guests still have some decisions to make about whether to pay the gratuities before or after the cruise, and whether to tip any extra on top. Available beverage packages include (in descending order of cost): The default pricing for beverage packages can be adjusted to account for price increases or discounts. Guests who booked prior to September 7, 2022 can opt to prepay gratuities prior to sailing to take advantage of the current rates. The cost for two people on a week-long cruise can be well above $200. Royal Caribbean Gratuities: What you need to know, Royal Caribbean raises its automatic gratuities, Royal Caribbean to raise gratuity amount for guests, Royal Caribbean raises gratuity amount for guests. Hi Maria, The calculator will account for these upcharges. Hi Gilbert, youll find that Royal Caribbean crew members are all very friendly and helpful, so if your cousin requires any further assistance from what you can provide, just ask him to let them know and theyll be glad to help. The bar service personnel still gets their 15% tips from each bar sale. Answer (1 of 7): Yes, you can. I am considering the deluxe drink package for us both but I am a little concerned that most fun drinks on the menus cost $13 and the limit is $12. You can add an additional tip on to your receipt if you wish. bit.ly/CruiseSchedule. My two sons are coming on the cruise with me. The lowest prices can often be found during the Black Friday sale period. The service on Royal Caribbean cruises is generally exceptional. These days, everything is automatic. How much is charged? Jenni. Classic Soda Package. These are: Some drinks are free all the time. If you prepay your gratuities, youll only ever have to pay the lower rate. We use prepaid drink cards to purchase beverages. They worked for about half a drink before they collapse. You can opt into prepaying gratuities at any time, up to 48 hours prior to your sail date. Thank you so much for such useful and great information. Are tips required? Is a drink package worth it for you? I had it on a 4-night cruise. Any tips taking a 7 mths old . Even Babies? For example I drink a lot of water during the day so I will at least have 6 bottles of water. Good luck! If you book your cruise during a free drinks offer, then you will get drinks included with your cruise. I am on Voyagers of the seas in April on repositioning cruise. You can then compare this total with the exact price of the drinks package for your cruise (shown on your Royal Caribbean cruise planner) to easily work out whether the drinks package is worth it or not. This also applies to sailings departing from Australia and New Zealand. Size of travel cots? The daily gratuities is in addition to the18% gratuityautomatically added to all beverages, mini bar items, and spa & salon purchases. It was quite good to fill up and take off the ship with me. But, the cup doesnt seal so you have to keep it upright. How Can I Know How Much I Will Be Charged in Tips? Additionally, package holders receive a 40% discount on wines priced up to $100 and a 20% discount on wines priced above $100. In this case, you can simply choose to have them lumped in with your cruise fare, paying them all at once. They will set up the travel cot (pack n play) each night, puree food as requested, clean up at mealtimes and much more. These days, with the new protocols, Im not sure what the rules will be on refilling our own bottles. Automatic gratuity charge: $16 to $18.50 per person, per day. Grand suites and above - $17.50 p.p. Ill be cruising in November on Oasis of the Seas. They recognize that the staff goes above and beyond to make their vacation enjoyable. My Cruise Line Calls it a Crew Incentive or Service Charge. There are three of us going on the cruise May 22nd my self, my wife, and a cousin. When you book the cruise youll have the ability to prepay gratuities. Royal Caribbean allow you to bring one bottle of wine per person on-board and theyre very strict about that. Tap the for Winter 2024 Caribbean sailings. I have cruised many times before and I always order the royal caribbean premium drink package. The staff works hard to ensure that your vacation is a great one. Is this due to the situation at the moment or have they stopped selling drinks package online. Jenni Fielding is the founder of Cruise Mummy. There are some circumstances in which it would be better to prepay and some in which it would be better to pay at the end of your cruise. We deposit cash to use for our onboard account. If it drops, cancel the package and re-buy it at the lower price. Is is possible to buy the package for less days than those of your cruise? So the $99 per day package is free, but you are charged about $20 per day still for the drink package gratuities. Thanks for the comprehensive review! For cruises that start elsewhere, its 18. I gave always given them money to take my bags to the ship. ), Can You Work Remotely While Taking a Cruise? If I travel with my family of 4, and I pay the waiting $20 ($5 per person) staff each time we eat in the dining room, which would be for dinner only, over 7 days, that would $140. In the unlikely event that a guest onboard being charged the daily automatic tip does not receive satisfactory service, the guest may request to modify the daily amount at their discretion by visiting Guest Services onboard and will be able to do so until the morning of their departure. For the best price, you should always book your drinks package in advance before your cruise and not wait until you get on board the ship. Royal Caribbean stipulates in the unlikely event that a guest onboard being charged the daily automatic gratuity does not receive satisfactory service, the guest may request to modify the daily amount at their discretion by visiting Guest Services onboard up until the morning of their departure. So when you leave the room you dont have to put down any extra cash (unless you want to). Specialty dining experiences, which are outside the included meal packages and can include steakhouses, sushi/seafood restaurants and many more. The calculator estimates the savings achieved by selecting the most cost-effective beverage package versus Pay As You Go. In fact, the staff will love that you want to give them more money. Great observation, Michelle. All rights reserved. If you wish to recognise outstanding service by adding extra gratuities onboard the ship, you are welcome to do so. If youve never cruised, then there is no doubt that these questions and more might be floating through your head. In the formula, the values are the following. The default amount of $12 can be adjusted. I know that some people get away with putting one bottle in the main suitcase and one in hand luggage. So when youre on the ship, its one less charge to worry about. Can I put them into the fridge and save vor excursions? Use the Royal Caribbean Beverage Package Calculator to determine the most cost-effective beverage package to purchase for a cruise, based on anticipated beverage consumption/habits and pricing.