Like what you see? Coca-Cola (including diet, zero, caffeine-free and many different flavours like strawberry, cherry and lime), Fanta, Sprite and Dr Pepper (and zero versions), Powerade (and zero version), Vitamin water and Hi C, Barrys root beer and creme soda (and diet versions), Minute Maid orange and lemonade (and light versions), You cannot use a Coffee Card in Royal Caribbeans Starbucks cafes, Brewed coffee is always free from the Windjammer buffet, Specialty coffee is included in both the alcohol and no alcohol drink packages, On the first formal night of the cruise, attend the, Guests who have spent more than 30 nights at sea with Royal Caribbean (Platinum members and above) can attend a, Guests who have spent more than 80 nights at sea with Royal Caribbean (Diamond members and above) get free drinks between 5 pm and 8.30 pm for. You can see a full list of those here: List of Free Drinks on Royal Caribbean Cruises. hi.We leave from Southampton next month.We can only bring 2 bottles of wine at first day,not allowed any after that apparently.Also for 14 nights for the drinks package for my wife and i is nearly 2000!! If you are caught sharing your drinks with someone who doesnt have a package, you risk having your drink package cancelled without a refund. You can modify the amount until the morning you get off the ship. Free Dining Offer FREE SPECIALTY DINING for 2: on select categories, ships and sail dates. When you take a Royal Caribbean cruise, as well as your cruise fare, youll be expected to pay a little extra to the crew members. The best way to save money on your Royal Caribbean drink package is to buy it a few days after booking your cruise. All rights reserved. Extremely helpful esp0ecially about tipping and what to do. Add them on to the total cost of your cruise when you book, Log on to the Royal Caribbean Cruise Planner before your cruise, Ask your travel agent to arrange to take a payment from you. Celebrity Cruises Perks Calculator: Are Perks Worth It. However, the feedback from them is that they always prefer cash. Classic Soda Package. This figure reflects the maximum per-alcoholic-beverage cost that is covered with a Deluxe (alcohol) package. Ditch winter blues for tropical hues on a warm-weather escape. You can read more about this here: The Best Time to Buy A Royal Caribbean Drink Package. I hope that helps, enjoy your cruise! When you log into Royal Caribbeans cruise planner, look out for special offers like this one. Here's how it works on Royal Caribbean: As of September 7 th, 2022, the automatic service gratuity of $16.00 USD per . These can be a surprise to some people, especially first-time passengers. These daily gratuities go towards your dining room staff, as well as your stateroom attendant. For cruises that start in North America, the minimum drinking age is 21. 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. Hi Jeff. Thank you for answering all these questions! Hi Kristin. An alternative is to pre-pay the gratuity before the cruise begins. I hope this helps. If you are experiencing blank or invalid results, try refreshing your browser. All service isnt created equally. If youre a first-time cruiser, then theres little doubt that you have questions about gratuities and tipping on your cruise. With the introduction of automatic gratuities, its much more difficult to avoid paying tips on your cruise. Should guests opt not to pay gratuities until onboard, they will be subject to the newly suggested gratuity amounts. Why do I have to pay gratuities for my toddler? Yet with a drinks package, youre free to work your way down the menu, trying new things. Got it for 39 pppd day! It varies depending on the sailing, and prices also go up and down as the sailing date nears. That said, in theory you could request that tips be removed from your account and not tip at all. However, if you want to choose the flexible My Time dining, rather than having a set dining time, you must pre-pay your gratuities. I have stepped out of the shuttle seeing the conveyer a short distance away. !I just cant afford that and i dont see how its justified. They also do not include the charge for special souvenir or commemorative beverage containers. You have to wait 15 minutes between each drink, so it is technically possible to get drinks for the kids then 15 minutes later, go and get drinks for yourselves. Starting September 7, 2022, Royal Caribbean International will increase the onboard gratuities that guests will pay for the service they receive from crewmembers.Gratuities for guests occupying standard cabins (Junior Suites and below) range from $14.50 to $16.00 per day per person. The gratuity is added on at the final checkout so you will see the final price before you commit to buy it. If you want to pay extra, we suggest simply handing cash directly to the people you want to recognize for their service. Meanwhile, cruise fares are often shown as dirt-cheap prices. Royal Caribbean Drink Packages. So well have to pay the difference of $1 on almost every drink. To begin with, the cruise line gave out paper straws which are sadly not fit for purpose when it comes to frozen cocktails. Notice of suitability: This tip calculator is designed to help you with the cruise tipping recommended by the line. I detest the idea of: A. not knowing who my tip is going to B. We just came back from a Cruise to Nowhere aboard the Quantum of the Seas as well. And when you leave the dining room, no need to drop down any money on the table. Thanks for the great information. On Royal Caribbean cruises it costs $29 for 24 16-oz cans of water to be delivered to your stateroom, although this price will usually be discounted if you book this service before your cruise. This is also known as a SeaPass account. Royal Caribbean no longer offers a wine package. If thats the case and you decide you want to change the amount you are charged for tips then you can do that. My two sons are coming on the cruise with me. This equates to: Obviously, if you like to drink cocktails, it will be much easier to break even than if you drink beers and soft drinks. Do you plan to buy a drinks package on your next cruise? Do I Need to Tip Anyone Else While On the Ship? Royal Caribbean charges a gratuity of $16.00 per person, per day. However, the cruise line no longer offers these discounts. With your support, we can create more exciting content and share with everyone! The gratuity applies to individual guests of all ages . Most recently, Disney Cruise Line increased the rate to $14.50 in July 2022. Could I buy only 4 of the 8 days of my trip, for example? I want the employee to know they received a tip from me. In this case, youd be charged for the whole drink. You can also get cold coffee drinks at the coffee bars. The drinks package is active on the island as well as the ship and we spent a lot of time on-board drinking cocktails in the hot tub. There are several places where youll find free drinks during your Royal Caribbean cruise. Whether you pay gratuities before or after your cruise is your choice, but its never recommended to remove them. I hope that helps! And you also have to wash it yourself so be sure to bring dish soap and a sponge. Hi Sue. Your positive feedback will go on their permanent file, which can help them to get promotions and pay rises. Since 2019, Royal Caribbean has been cutting down on single-use plastics onboard its ships. Superb article, i am new to cruising and only used NCL which seems to have cheap drink package and this helps me no end, thanks a million, Im so pleased that you found this helpful Jenni. Hi Natalie. We had a short four-night cruise to Royal Caribbeans private island, Perfect Day at CocoCay, in the Bahamas. Pre-paid gratuities can be added to an individual reservation at any time outside of 48 hours of the sail date. Jenni. You may be better off opting to pay for drinks as you go as its hard to break even without drinking a lot of alcohol each day. On certain cruises, Royal Caribbean requires that gratuities are prepaid to be able to request MyTime dining. Any frozen drinks too without the alcohol. The calculator was last updated in August 2020. First, any time that you buy a drink from the bar, you will be charged an extra tip, usually 18%-20% of the menu price, depending on the cruise line. would i be charged the difference between a virgin pina colada and a pina colada with alcohol? What the real deal? Gratuity charges are typically not mandatory and can be adjusted. I have cruised many times before and I always order the royal caribbean premium drink package. In your article are you saying that on a cruise out of Southampton uk. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. So if youre planning a cruise with Royal Caribbean, read on for everything you need to know about Royal Caribbean gratuities. ? Is it worth it to by a drink package? However, you can order a bottle of water at the bar and put it in your mini bar fridge for later if you like. For some cruise lines (usually luxury lines), gratuities actually are included in the fare you dont pay anything extra apart from your cruise fare. You can usually pay your gratuities in advance of your cruise, or choose to receive a bill on the last day of your cruise. Share. So you might be charged $15 in tips for a day. Ill be cruising in November on Oasis of the Seas. Be the first to rate this post. This costs $31 and gives you 15 specialty coffees throughout your cruise. For guests staying in Grand Suites and above, the fee is $18.50 per person, per day. On or after September 7, 2022, regardless of when the booking was created, gratuities paid while onboard are subject to the new, increased rates. At the end of your cruise, youll receive an envelope that you can use to give extra cash tips if you wish. This will reduce the overall balance you have available to spend. So, you can get an alcohol or soft drink package for the adults without being required to buy any kind of package for your children. Ive just used $USD in this guide to keep things consistent for most readers. There are some exceptions to this rule. What if service is bad? We want the people who earned the tip to receive, not the lousy,greedy, uninvolved government! You simply pay this extra amount in full for your cruise as part of your cruise fare. There are several ways to prepay your gratuities: When you check in for your cruise, your onboard account will be set up. In fact, there are a couple of instances where paying additional gratuity is recommended or automatic. However, to do so, you must go to Guest Services, before the last evening of the cruise and request that t. After that, you can cancel it when you first embark on the ship, but no later. Royal Caribbean offers a discount when you pre-book your drinks package on the cruise planner before you sail. That seems pretty good to me. So a $10 menu price on a cocktail is actually around $12. All of you have great advice. Are you able to advise how much shots were roughly? For guests staying in Grand Suites and above, the fee is $18.50 per person, per day. She has worked in the cruise industry since 2015 and has taken over 20 cruises. Whichever package you choose, you must buy it for every adult passenger for every day of your cruise. Royal Caribbean does not require guests under the legal drinking age to buy any kind of drinks package. Thanks bunches for this. Can I please get the link to the calculator? Great blog exactly the sort of information I was looking for to make in informed decision. You may get reduced kids prices, included drinks or free gratuities. Prepaying gratuities before your cruise means you pay off that balance early, instead of accruing a higher balance that is owed at the end of the cruise. How To Prepay Gratuities On Royal Caribbean Website Guests can pre-pay gratuities by calling 866-562-7625 or logging into www.royalcaribbean.com before* their sailing. Each passenger pays a daily gratuity that covers the services of the crew members they interact with the most, and this daily rate is charged automatically unless the guest pre-pays it prior to the cruise. ? 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. So you wont have to pay any more for your drinks unless you order something really specialist. Disney Cruise Line recommends a gratuity amount of $14.50 per person per night. Typical increases are around $1 per person, per day and seem to happen about once a year. Posted 3 hours ago. However, theres a chip inside it which means that it will only work with the machine for a certain period of time. Some muster stations are outside, some are inside with seats. If you booked directly with Royal Caribbean, you can either call Royal Caribbean or log onto their website and access your account to prepay gratuities. The number of years you have worked in the concerned organisation. We use prepaid drink cards to purchase beverages. Any tips taking a 7 mths old . Royal Caribbean always price in US dollars no matter the itinerary. Fresh squeezed orange juice and sodas etc. These days, everything is automatic. Additionally, an 18% gratuity is added to bills at bars, minibars, salons and spas. Both Carnival and Norwegian raised gratuity rates earlier this summer. Im guessing they make it cheaper on a longer cruise compared to a 3- or 4-nighter so its really hard to compare with what Ive seen it for on my own cruises. As a way to reward our crew members for their outstanding service, tips are shared between dining,bar& culinary services staff, stateroom attendants and other hotel services teams who work behind the scenes to enhance the cruise experience. Just pop your email in the form and Ill send you a link to the calculator. recommended) gratuities, and the ability to increase or decrease the amounts as you desire. If youve never cruised, then there is no doubt that these questions and more might be floating through your head. They are often expressed as the rate for a single person (despite having to pay for double occupancy) and dont include port fees or taxes. When you book the cruise youll have the ability to prepay gratuities. Thank you in advance. Another way to pay extra gratuities is when you buy a drink. Grand suites and above - $17.50 p.p. For staff members that rely on these dollars, that can be a major blow. Doing this is a good way to ensure that youre served first next time! Why wouldnt they have the limit at $13 or do I have incorrect info? I am on Voyagers of the seas in April on repositioning cruise. The discount is increased by up to 30% during promotional periods such as Black Friday. Jenni Fielding is the founder of Cruise Mummy. We never use a credit card for our on ship account. You must have JavaScript enabled to use this form. Note the wording used. Dont ask you dont get! 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. Suggested read: 56 amazing examples of Royal Caribbean customer service. Cheers. Royal Caribbean last raised gratuities January 2, 2018. Could you please tell me how I can improve it? So Im booked and considering the drinks package. Instead, gratuities on a cruise ship are highly automated, with most people just electing to prepay or being charged a set amount for each day on the ship. If you booked directly with Royal Caribbean, you can either call Royal Caribbean . A gratuity calculator is a tool to estimate the amount of gratuity that one will earn once he/she leaves a job after completing at least five years in the service of a company. No votes so far! Gratuities on Royal Caribbean are obligatory, so it is a matter of when you prefer to pay them. The previous Suite gratuity rate of $17.50 will increase to $18.50 per day per person. Last time I cruised with Royal Caribbean in December 2019 you could do both options. The two common rationales for not prepaying are if you have a substantial amount of onboard credit that could offset your SeaPass account charges, or if you prefer to give crew members their automatic gratuity rate in cash. Really, do they get an hourly wage thats so low they need tip to survive? Alcoholic beverages that exceed this amount will be charged the difference plus gratuity on the difference. If I am having a soda can i order another right after 10 minutes or to I have to wait a certain time. 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. This happens regularly for passengers feeling generous or thankful for the staffs work during their trip. Are the drink prices in US dollars or Australian while on an Australian run. 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. Disney Cruise Gratuity Calculator. I'm so sorry that this post wasn't useful for you! Answer (1 of 4): Fares purchased on the Australian website will always include pre-paid gratuities. So a couple traveling together will see about $30-$40 per day in gratuities, or about $200+ over the course of a week-long 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. Yes, except if you are sailing in the U.S., then NCL tacks on the gratuities on the amount of the beverage package even though the package is free. If traveling with others, enter each guests information separately, resetting the calculator as needed. Additionally, package holders receive a 40% discount on wines priced up to $100 and a 20% discount on wines priced above $100. Prices for the non-alcoholic drink packages are obviously much cheaper. What is Royal Caribbean's gratuity price and policy? Now, she helps over 1 million people per month to plan their perfect cruise holidays. 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. Unless you are feeling generous, theres no need to tip more. Jenni. So do you have to buy a drink package for every day of your trip or can you buy for just 3 days of your trip. Royal Caribbean offer discounts to people who buy their drinks packages online in advance of their cruise. When it comes time to settle your final bill at the end of the cruise, youll have the gratuity charges to pay as well. The cost for two people on a week-long cruise can be well above $200. The tipping rates charged change from time to time. This occurs in the Australian cruise market. Norwegian Cruise Line also raised their gratuities in April, when they changed their rates: In July, Disney Cruise Line increased their gratuities to$14.50 per night, per person for standard rooms and $15.50 per night, per person for suite guests. Its a small 2.25 oz. While the name sounds fancy, gratuities are nothing more than a tip paid to the staff members for service during the cruise. The option to, Royal Caribbean has announced it will raise itsrecommended gratuities for sailings that depart on or after May 01,, Royal Caribbean will be raising its recommended gratuities for sailings that depart on or after July 1, 2015.The new, Royal Caribbean Australia announced today a new fare structure that includesgratuities for stateroom attendants and, When you take a Royal Caribbean cruise, one of the costs to passengers are gratuities (tips) to crew members during. Norwegian just raised its gratuity rate to $16 from $15.50 in April. If you prepay your gratuities, youll only ever have to pay the lower rate. On the other hand, many people choose to instead pay the gratuity charges automatically through their onboard account once on the ship. So not sure buying a drink package would be worth it. For example, Carnival does not charge tips for kids under two years old. Thats just one of the ways that people try to cheat. Passengers in higher-level suites pay $18. Its not a great idea to link a debit card to your cruise account because Royal Caribbean will place a hold on some of the money. The calculator will auto-update as you enter information about your cruise. Like what you see? How much is charged? Instead of one passenger paying a lot and another paying hardly anything, these set amounts ensure that everyone pays their fair share. Great observation, Michelle. Suggested read: 56 amazing examples of Royal Caribbean customer service. In addition, prepaying gratuities locks in the current gratuity rate, even if the rate were to go up later. Have our travel agency partner get you a free quote for a Royal Caribbean cruise. Is there a limit in time how many drinks/baverages I can order. Answer (1 of 7): Yes, you can. Whilst you are free to do this, it isnt recommended. Having to add in gratuity costs to these advertised rates could make them less attractive to potential cruisers. February 11, 2023 Randy Young Bar Menu, drink package, Royal Caribbean. That said, if you dont pay gratuities, then its the staff that will be hurting not the cruise line. 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. Specialty dining experiences, which are outside the included meal packages and can include steakhouses, sushi/seafood restaurants and many more. If you dont have a credit card, then youll need to link a debit card to your onboard account, or deposit cash. How many of each do you think you'll have a day? If you order a drink that cost more than $12, youll just pay the difference. Great blog. But thats not always the case. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. The calculator recommends the most cost-effective beverage package. So the $99 per day package is free, but you are charged about $20 per day still for the drink package gratuities. That doesnt seem fair. Hi Maria, This happens automatically and will be tacked on to the price. Your last drawn basic salary along with dearness allowance was Rs 30,000. 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. If you dont decide to prepay the tips, then the amount is automatically charged to your onboard account each day. The daily gratuities are shared among dining, bar & culinary services staff, stateroom attendants and other hotel services teams who work behind the scenes. Jenni, Hi Jose, You would need to buy it for the whole cruise. If you wish to recognise outstanding service by adding extra gratuities onboard the ship, you are welcome to do so. They all end up being the same thing a set daily charge to passengers thats passed on to the crew. The calculator is powered by JavaScript. When you buy the Deluxe Beverage Package or the Refreshment Package, you also get the souvenir cup and so have all the benefits of the Classic Soda Package. I think these amounts are reasonable. If youd like to calculate exactly what your gratuity amount will be before you book your trip, then you can use our calculator here, many people choose to instead pay the gratuity charges automatically through their onboard account once on the ship, 39 Useful Things to Pack (17 You Wouldn't Think Of), Park & Cruise Hotels for Every Port in America, 107 Best Cruise Tips, Secrets, Tricks, and Freebies, Carnival Gratuities (Tips): Full Guide to Cost & How They Work, Explained: Duty-Free Shopping on a Cruise (Is It Worth It? For example, of a $15 charge, $7 per day may be distributed to your room steward, $5 to the dining staff, and the remaining $3 is spread among other customer-facing positions on the ship. Weve seen instances of multiple increases in a year and other times when rates wont change for a year or two. Does the menu price already include the per drink gratuity? If you celebrate a milestone birthday mid-way through the cruise, you should ask the Guest Services Manager to modify your record to allow you to drink alcohol after your birthday. Royal Caribbeans standard gratuity rate of $16.00 per day ($18.50 for suites) applies to guests of all ages, including children and infants. However, prices seem to have increased recently, with an upcoming cruise quoting a sale price of $83.99 and an onboard price of $105! Guests who have pre-paid their tips will not see a daily charge during their cruise. At least Ive got time to think about which package to buy. N/n. So, strictly speaking they would need their own. On the Oasis Class and Quantum Class ships, the drinks package limit is $13 rather than $12 to account for these ships having slightly higher drinks 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. The porter stands there counts the luggage and has told the price for a handling fee. In this section, Ill answer the most commonly-asked questions about Royal Caribbean drink packages. Since they are not . Theres not a time limit between drinks with Royal Caribbean, but you can only order one drink per person at a time. 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. One thing which I noticed is that the bigger the freebie, the higher the base price. Royal Caribbean's Deluxe Beverage Package is their highest-tier beverage package. How Often Do the Gratuity Rates Increase? But you would still have your standard daily gratuity to pay which covers all other staff members. I rarely drink specialty coffee and prefer a cup of hot tea to end my meals. If you dont receive good service during your cruise, you can ask for the gratuities to be removed or reduced. Royal Caribbean states the current pricing for 2022 sailings is between $12.99 and $15.00 per day of the cruise. So the longer the cruise, the higher the gratuities as well. My husband and i are going on our first cruise later this spring and bought a deluxe package. In addition to this, an 18% gratuity is automatically added to all drinks, spa and salon services. Just like sneaking your own alcohol on board the ship, this isnt technically allowed, but people do it. 2023 Cruzely.com | Laisman Publishing, LLC. What If I Dont Pay Gratuities on my Cruise? Where did you see the cheaper prices for the new cruise bookings? Royal Caribbean drinks packages include all tips (also known as gratuities). This also applies to sailings departing from Australia and New Zealand. So you cant get the Royal Cribbean alcohol package for one person and the soft drink package for another. Not sure if Id risk it though! 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. Tipping is out of control everywhere. If you get free gratuities thrown in as an incentive for booking a cruise, then these will be automatically prepaid. Should you prepay gratuities for a Royal Caribbean cruise? When you check in, youll be asked if you wish to set up the account with a credit card or debit card. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached, or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Royal Caribbean Blog. Hi Michael.