Ive worked in the cruise industry since 2015 and now my blog helps over a million people to plan their cruises each month. On most cruise lines that collect automatic gratuities, youre able to remove or adjust the charges by visiting the passenger services desk. For guests staying in Grand Suites and above, the fee is $18.50 per person, per day. Carnival's brand ambassador, John Heald, addressed the matter in a recent Facebook post. All rights reserved. Tipped crew on many cruise lines include housekeeping, dining, and laundry workers. 11 extra charges on cruise ships that will drive you nuts and what to Let me know in the comments below! When you take a Royal Caribbean cruise, one of the costs to passengers are gratuities (tips) to crew members during your cruise. Is paying gratuities mandatory? I have never tipped anything beyond the mandatory gratuities. Just remember that a cash tip goes to your server, and a charged tip gets added to the tip pool. On the flip side, passengers have less control over where their money goes with autogratuities. All rights reserved. Just want the employees to feel appreciated. The tip applies to individual guests of all ages and stateroom categories. 2023 The Arena Media Brands, LLC THESTREET is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc. Join TheStreet | SMARTS today for only $1! We tip the porters at the terminal of course. For us, a family of four, it works out to a decent amount. Id give a much larger tip to a knowledgeable tour guide who led us on an intensive nine-hour experience compared to a guide who did a basic three-hour city walking tour. Guests have the choice to pre-pay their gratuities before their cruise to help split up the cost of their cruise vacation. Exactly how each extra is packaged can vary a lot among the cruise lines. They pay their crew (usually recruited from countries with limited economic opportunities) per contract, not by the hour. A The automatic service gratuity is $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, applied to each guest's SeaPass account on a daily basis. It's always up to you to adjust the number of gratuities at any time while onboard the ship and your tips will be deemed undisputed. 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. Ours was probably a one off sailing, time and staffing probably to blame. Just like with the Carnival's tipping policy, under the new Royal Caribbean tipping policy guests who believe they've been serviced poorly while onboard their "Of The Seas" ship has the right to ask Guest Services personnel to reduce or even to remove their automatic gratuities. If you remember my name/drink order or make it a point to be extra helpful I tip for that. Not that you mention me in particular, I must say that if any server of any type, from anywhere, from any social standing, in any venue gives me less than good service, I won't hesitate to leave a single penny on the table as a statement and if they are bad enough, I'll have words that may make it a SEE (a Significant Emotional Event). Another way to pay extra gratuities is when you buy a drink. After 23 Royal Caribbean Cruises, What I've Learned About Tipping @media(min-width:0px){#div-gpt-ad-shouldbecruising_com-large-mobile-banner-1-0-asloaded{max-width:336px!important;max-height:280px!important;}}if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[336,280],'shouldbecruising_com-large-mobile-banner-1','ezslot_7',602,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-shouldbecruising_com-large-mobile-banner-1-0');With the autograt system, many crew members who rarely received tips before now get a sharelike the laundry or kitchen staff on some cruise lines. TrustMeIMaGator 1 yr. ago. Cruise gratuities are mainly charged on a per night basis but there are a couple of other situations where you may be charged gratuities too. 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. "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 and will be able to do so until the morning of their departure," the company writes. This will reduce the overall balance you have available to spend. . Were I at home, in a bar/restaurant I would tip, the same for the housekeeper at a hotel. Even crew members who receive an automatic gratuity can receive additional gratuities if you feel it is warranted. I think everyone should do whatever they feel, this is just what makes me feel good. Other people you should tip during your cruise, Nine Things You Need to Check Before Your Cruise, Eight Things That Will Surprise First Time Cruisers, How to Have the Best Embarkation Day on a Cruise, Norwegian Cruise Line Announces Upcoming Enhancements To Norwegian Joy, 7 Reasons Why Sydney Australia Is One of the Best Cruise Ports in the World, Princess Cruises Announces 2024 Cruise Sale, 15 Things You Need to Know Before Cruising to Mystery Island, Vanuatu, Norwegian Cruise Line Announces Starbucks Been There Mugs, https://shouldbecruising.com/privacy-policy/, A Cruise Glossary: Cruise Terms You Should Know, 26 Hidden Cruise Fees You Should Know About. Many luxury all-inclusive cruise lines include gratuities in their cruise fares, or have a tips neither expected nor required policy. In some service industries where wages are substandard, customers are expected to pay a gratuity, typically 15 to 20% of the bill, to augment the workers low hourly wages. In addition to this, an 18% gratuity is automatically added to all drinks, spa and salon services. In the main dining room, buffet, specialty restaurants, and other dining venues, your tip is included in the automatic gratuities. The surcharge you pay to dine at a specialty restaurant aboard a Royal Caribbean cruise includes the tip. You can prepay these gratuities before your cruise or have them added to your bill each day, but they're generally considered mandatory. Now I'm actually thinking that in the moment it'll be odd to not tip the workers. I wouldnt recommend doing that. We would like to show you a description here but the site won't allow us. ETA: We always always tipped the Adventure Ocean staff even though they're not generally on the tipping radar because, boy, do they earn it! So, heres my question. If you get some free onboard credit as an incentive when you book your cruise, then you can use this to pay your gratuities. Royal Caribbean gratuities for children and infants * One time on the Oasis Thanksgiving 2021 we received terrible service for dinner in CK and our gratuity was adjusted to reflect that. Be present & enjoy. ** I do not work in the service industry so this is not coming from someone working for gratuity. Its also a nice gesture to tip the matre d or head waiter in the main dining room, especially if they were helpful with special menus or seating arrangements. However, you might end up paying a similar total price on a mainstream line when you factor in gratuities, drink packages, shore excursions, and the like. Mandatory Gratuity : r/royalcaribbean - Reddit I believe at Guest Services they have envelopes where you can write their name and their job title to make sure that tip goes directly to them. But the sticker price of their fares tends to scare off many budget-minded travelers. The gratuity amount is added to what you purchase and indicated at the bottom of your receipt. November 12 in Royal Caribbean International. Jenni Fielding is the founder of Cruise Mummy. The cruise line will assess your fee each day, then theyll charge your credit card on file at the end of the cruise. Scan this QR code to download the app now. This is a review of RCI-Royal Caribbean International's gratuities (paid for the crew services), tipping policy and tips (per day/reduced/removed). One exception is the piano player in the loungemost accept tips for song requests or if you enjoyed their music. Pre-paying gratuities allows you tolock in the current gratuity rate, as well as assist in budgeting the total vacation cost by having part of the cost be paid at different times. 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. It's most certainly not required, but it's generally very much appreciated. Paste as plain text instead, Showing the true price might cause some people to simply not book. It also and this could really drive you nuts adds an 18% "gratuity fee" on top of the service charge for good measure. Check out the pinned FAQ before asking a question! One notable exception is Norwegian Cruise Line. What is Royal Caribbean's gratuity price and policy? - Cruises Passengers staying in suites on Carnival ships pay $18 per person per day, while Royal Caribbean suite passengers pay $18.50. Your previous content has been restored. Each day of your cruise, Royal Caribbean will add a charge per person that will be divided among several people that you interact with likely on a daily basis: As of September 7, 2022, the daily gratuity amount is $16.00 per guest, per day for those guests in standard accommodations. What is Royal Caribbean's gratuity price and policy? If you dont see the cards in your room, ask at the Passenger Services desk, or leave the feedback in your post-cruise survey. Onboard, we may give a nice tip if we frequent a specific bar and get excellent service. These kind, helpful, generous, employees work extremely hard to make sure guests like myself have a fabulous time, and since I do, the very least I can do is show my appreciation in a way that benefits them the most! Image source: Nora Tam/South China Morning Post via Getty. We tip the room steward and dining room attendants extra the last night. The practice is questioned on various cruise-message and social-media boards every time the broad topic of the daily-added tips comes up. Scan this QR code to download the app now. Some cruise ship spas, like those on NCL and Royal Caribbean, add on a service fee or gratuity, usually about 18%. If you do not receive a WOW card at check-in, you can go to Guest Services and request them. We're here help you make the most of your adventure. As previously noted, Royal Caribbean will automatically charge you for every night of the cruise but that does not mean you have to pay it if you are not satisfied with the service. April 15, 2022 in Royal Caribbean Discussion. Removing tips, or even lowering them, is very rare, he said. Tipping on a cruise ship isnt mandatory, but it is customary, and many crew members rely on tips as a large part of their income. Guests who have pre-paid their gratuity will not see a daily charge during their cruise. You may also like: Eight Things That Will Surprise First Time Cruisers. So I have a few questions. When you take a Royal Caribbean cruise, one of the costs to passengers are gratuities (tips) to crew members during your cruise. It seems the cruising industry have corrupted the reason for tipping hence the only cruises I go on is free from tipping and still cheaper than royal carribean. 20102023Regal Sea Media LLC. There is no "removing" gratuities, and no "prepaying" gratuities. Suggested read: 56 amazing examples of Royal Caribbean customer service. Royal Caribbean gratuities for infants may seem high, but when you think about it, the crew members do a lot of work for each baby, perhaps even more than for an adult. A The automatic service gratuity is USD 16.00 per person, per day for guests in Junior Suites and below, or USD 18.50 per person, per day for guests in Grand Suites and above, applied to each guest's SeaPass account on a daily basis. 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. Later I learned that the porters outside of the cruise terminal are not cruise line employees at all! So if youre planning a cruise with Royal Caribbean, read on for everything you need to know about Royal Caribbean gratuities. With MyTime dining you will sit at a different table each night and be served by different crew members. Check out the latest web stories from Should Be Cruising! That's not a hard-and-fast rule, but it usually happens. For example, they pay the $10 an hour, then split the fee we pay to give crew $11 an hour. Guests can pre-pay gratuities with their travel advisor before their sailing*. Drink Package | Gratuity Policy | Royal Caribbean Intl. There are several ways to prepay your gratuities: When you check in for your cruise, your onboard account will be set up. Tipping is done for exceptional service and should never be paid in advance. Cruise lines usually add a service charge, usually 15-18%, to all beverages that arent complimentary. But if your excursions include free time where you eat lunch on your own, its a good idea to research the local tipping customs in the countries youll be visiting before your cruise. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. Its a good idea to hand over your tips the day before disembarkation. separately, near the end of the cruise. As of September 7, 2022, the automatic daily gratuity charge will increase: Standard cabin (Junior Suites and below) going from $14.50 to $16.00 per day, per person. $18.50 per person, per day for Concierge Class and AquaClass staterooms, increasing 2.8% from $18. Be sure to join my email list for my best cruise tips and handpicked deals each week. Like what you see? (sometimes Publix will change out to small bills for us also. Gratuities | Royal Caribbean Blog Youll likely get much better service by doing that instead of just removing the tip! Thats up to you! Some are heartbreaking. Likewise, carrying large amounts of cash isnt recommended for safety reasons. Waiting until the end of your cruise will give you a few more paydays to save up the money. They will set up the travel cot (pack n play) each night, puree food as requested, clean up at mealtimes and much more. Some cruisers swear by tipping at the beginning of the cruise to ensure excellent service. I'll tip a larger amount at the end of the week. You might want to remove their tips as a punishment for poor service. They last raised their rates in September 2022, with standard cabins (i.e., Junior Suites and below) increasing from $14.50 to $16.00 per day and suites from $17.50 to $18.50. The practice of tipping is controversial, even in the United States where paying tips is part of the culture. If mainstream cruise lines decided to abolish tipping and pay all crew members a reasonable rate per hour, they would have to significantly raise the cost of cruise fares. Cruise lines typically flag their ships in countries with lax employment laws. Its a part of our cruise vacation cost and helps the hardworking crew make a living. Reddit, Inc. 2023. Neither cruise line breaks out exactly which workers get how much of your daily tips. These cruise line employees are highly compensated, and offering a tip isnt necessary. It gives me the kind of bad vibes you get from pay wall video game micropayments. If you booked directly with Royal Caribbean, you can pre-pay gratuities by calling 866-562-7625 or logging intoRoyal Caribbean's websitebefore thesailing. We provide this guide to help you understand how gratuities work on the cruise, when you can expect to pay them and how much it is. Bartenders, I generally just wait until I'm done, figure how much I've spent there, figure the difference between the already added 18% and how good I think the service was and leave additional amount. Do you tip above and beyond the automatic gratuities? In this article hide On disembarkation day, you probably wont find your fave crew members in their usual spots!