There are two ways to buy a Royal Caribbean drink package: Royal Caribbean drink package sharing is not allowed. To do so, simply head down to Guest Services on the ship to tell them that you want to change your tip amounts. I am going on my first cruise in February and found your information very helpful thank you. Royal Caribbean allow you to bring one bottle of wine per person on-board and theyre very strict about that. 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. I have a question Ive not seen answered. In addition, prepaying gratuities locks in the current gratuity rate, even if the rate were to go up later. So not sure buying a drink package would be worth it. 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. Let me know in the comments below. Gratuity charges are typically not mandatory and can be adjusted. Beverage packages may not be available for purchase for cruises of less than four nights departing from Southampton, England. Gratuities, which on Royal Caribbean for the standard rooms is $14.50 a day, per person (suites are $17.50 a day, per person). The prices that are on the menus are reasonable if in Au Dollars. Airfare Savings Up to $800 per person . Hi Katie. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Be aware that when you sign the receipt there will be another line for an additional tip. 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? Jenni. Yet with a drinks package, youre free to work your way down the menu, trying new things. Is it worth it to by a drink package? Royal Caribbean charges a gratuity of $16.00 per person, per day. I have some tips for you here: https://www.cruisemummy.co.uk/taking-a-baby-on-a-cruise-ship/ Jenni, Many thanks, very useful. 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. 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. 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. The option to prepay gratuities means locking in the current gratuity rate, along with spreading out the overall cost of the cruise by integrating it into the cost of the cruise. Royal Caribbean no longer offers a wine package. Be the first to rate this post. If purchasing beverages la carte (without a package) is the best option, the calculator will recommend Pay As You Go.. If you dont decide to prepay the tips, then the amount is automatically charged to your onboard account each day. Enjoy! If you want to pay extra, we suggest simply handing cash directly to the people you want to recognize for their service. I have a question. Royal Caribbean Australia introduces streamlined cruise fares that include gratuities. If not, just leave blank. If you are uncomfortable standing, just let a staff member know and they will be sure to accommodate you. Years ago, you could buy five bottles of wine for $165, 7 bottles for $220 and 10 bottles for $300. Just enter your email address below and youll receive a link to it in your inbox asap. Grand suites and above - $17.50 p.p. 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 . In your article are you saying that on a cruise out of Southampton uk. Notice of suitability: This tip calculator is designed to help you with the cruise tipping recommended by the line. The daily gratuities is in addition to the18% gratuityautomatically added to all beverages, mini bar items, and spa & salon purchases. Id suggest asking Royal Caribbean, theyre usually very quick to reply on Facebook. Thats just one of the ways that people try to cheat. I have cruised many times before and I always order the royal caribbean premium drink package. 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. Hi, I'm Jenni. 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. Drink is 15 Dollars so do i have to pay 3 Dollars or 15? 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. If thats the case and you decide you want to change the amount you are charged for tips then you can do that. What If I Dont Pay Gratuities on my Cruise? 53 euros per day, 856 for my wife and for 8 nights. The daily cost is per guest. 20102023Regal Sea Media LLC. On a recent Royal Caribbean cruise, I bought the drinks package and got my moneys worth. Our goal has been to provide our readers with expansive coverage of all aspects of the Royal Caribbean experience. There may be other areas for tipping while on a cruise that are not covered by this page, including shore excursions, land tours, sightseeing, land based transportation including taxis, charter busses or limousines, tour guides, luggage handlers, room service delivery, land based . I'm so sorry that this post wasn't useful for you! Im Diamond and wondered what the upcharge might be since Ill be getting four free drink vouchers per day. drink with blended scotch and Drambuie on ice. 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. I rarely drink specialty coffee and prefer a cup of hot tea to end my meals. 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. You can usually pay your gratuities in advance of your cruise, or choose to receive a bill on the last day of your cruise. If you dont have a credit card, then youll need to link a debit card to your onboard account, or deposit cash. So a $10 menu price on a cocktail is actually around $12. Classic Soda Package. The best way to save money on your Royal Caribbean drink package is to buy it a few days after booking your cruise. To decide whether a Royal Caribbean drink package offers good value for money or not, you need to consider three key questions: Once you know the answers to these, you can do the maths and work out Is the Royal Caribbean drinks package is worth it? It may be cheaper to pay for drinks individually on your cruise. With your support, we can create more exciting content and share with everyone! Royal Caribbean drinks prices are on the high end when compared to other cruise lines. 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. The discount is increased by up to 30% during promotional periods such as Black Friday. Having to add in gratuity costs to these advertised rates could make them less attractive to potential cruisers. If youve never cruised, then there is no doubt that these questions and more might be floating through your head. The tip applies to individual guests of all ages and stateroom categories. Royal Caribbeans Crown & Anchor Society awards loyalty points for every night that guests spend on-board Royal Caribbean ships. Jenni. So the longer the cruise, the higher the gratuities as well. 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 last raised its gratuity fee on Jan. 2, 2018. For most sailings, when you buy a drinks package online, an 18% gratuity charge is added at the checkout. In my former job managing cruise websites for a travel agent, I saw cruise line campaigns change regularly and prices fluctuate almost daily. 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. How Can I Know How Much I Will Be Charged in Tips? Disney Cruise Gratuity Calculator. Thank you for answering all these questions! The number of nights affects the total cost of beverage packages. The calculator will also treat nights as equivalent to days for the purposes of per-day beverage calculations. Ditch winter blues for tropical hues on a warm-weather escape. Royal Caribbean drinks packages include all tips (also known as gratuities). You can see a full list of those here: List of Free Drinks on Royal Caribbean Cruises. You may get reduced kids prices, included drinks or free gratuities. For guests that like to budget their vacations and spread out the total cost of the cruise, this is a popular choice. In the past, the process used to be that the cruise line would put envelopes in your room on the last day of the cruise. So what will happen? You could always pour it from a cup into your own bottle I suppose. 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. The amount you pay will vary by cruise line, but they are all in the same ballpark. This will reduce the overall balance you have available to spend. Guests that booked directly with Royal Caribbean can pre-pay gratuities by calling 866-562-7625 or logging into www.royalcaribbean.com before their sailing. With the acquisition of 80 points (equivalent to 80 nights at sea), guests become Diamond members. I gave always given them money to take my bags to the ship. He would hardly be expected to buy the alcohol package too?? Some people like to give gifts such as chocolates or wine to the crew members. Started in 2010, Royal Caribbean Blog offers daily coverage of news and information related to the Royal Caribbean cruise line along with other relevant topics of cruising, such as entertainment, news, photo updates and more. In addition to this, an 18% gratuity is automatically added to all drinks, spa and salon services. If youre a first-time cruiser, then theres little doubt that you have questions about gratuities and tipping on your cruise. I think these amounts are reasonable. Thanks for the comprehensive review! 2023 Cruzely.com | Laisman Publishing, LLC. Alcoholic beverages that exceed this amount will be charged the difference plus gratuity on the difference. For guests staying in Grand Suites and above, the fee is $18.50 per person, per day. We have decided to use your tip and buy the soda package with the intention of buying shots on board. The cost for two people on a week-long cruise can be well above $200. That doesnt seem fair. My gf is a big tea drinker and is considering the package purely for that. With millions of passengers sailing every year, theres inevitably going to be someone who feels they received poor service. 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. Why Arent Gratuities Just Included in the Price of the Cruise? These vouchers expire on the same night that they are issued. 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. 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. 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. Cruise gratuities are also known as tips. With the introduction of automatic gratuities, its much more difficult to avoid paying tips on your cruise. An alternative is to pre-pay the gratuity before the cruise begins. Sterilisers? Jenni Fielding is the founder of Cruise Mummy. In fact, the staff will love that you want to give them more money. Do we need separate soft drinks packages for the kids or can they share ours? Each day there will be a gratuity charge or a lump sum added at the end of the trip. Waiting until the end of your cruise will give you a few more paydays to save up the money. I have a general question I am booked on the Adventure of the Sea in February wondering if the muster station is done outside standing or inside able to sit down.. Hi Jill. Finally, if you order anything from room service, then its expected that you give a couple of bucks to the staff member that delivers the food. Royal Caribbean always price in US dollars no matter the itinerary. All rights reserved. So when you leave the room you dont have to put down any extra cash (unless you want to). For example, a family of four who is taking a seven-night cruise would owe $406 for gratuities. So no, you wouldnt have to pay any extra gratuities on drinks. Just like the price of anything else, you should expect over time for these rates to continue to rise slowly but surely. Drink Package Calculator. In this section, Ill answer the most commonly-asked questions about Royal Caribbean drink packages. 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. Whether you pay gratuities before or after your cruise is your choice, but its never recommended to remove them. Both Royal Caribbean and Carnival have slightly different daily gratuities. B/b. If tips are not required, do their supervisors know about this up charge? Last time I cruised with Royal Caribbean in December 2019 you could do both options. Should you prepay gratuities for a Royal Caribbean cruise? A 18% gratuity is automatically added to all beverages, mini bar items, and spa & salon purchases. One thing which I noticed is that the bigger the freebie, the higher the base price. If you prefer to keep some bottled water in the fridge in your room, you can order 6, 12 or 24 cans of water to be delivered to your stateroom. Then, contact one with a best-price guarantee and have them beat it! Who gets the tips? Are tips required? Can I buy unlimited beverage package for 2 days only in a four days cruise , or it has to be for all days ? 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? If you paid $13 for a cocktail and didnt like it, youd be pretty annoyed at yourself for choosing it. Ive worked in the cruise industry since 2015 and now my blog helps over a million people to plan their cruises each month. But RCCL wants to charge $448. For staff members that rely on these dollars, that can be a major blow. The exact breakdown of how much each staff member gets isnt published, just like their salary isnt published. Example pool vs Bamboo. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Additionally, package holders receive a 40% discount on wines priced up to $100 and a 20% discount on wines priced above $100. If you dont receive good service during your cruise, you can ask for the gratuities to be removed or reduced. Included here are the baseline (i.e. Dont do this. This occurs in the Australian cruise market. Got it for 39 pppd day! Carnival Cruise Line also increased . I Agree, we always opt out and give tips to our steward and waiter/waitress at the end of the cruise. For guests staying in Grand Suites and above, the fee is $18.50 per person, per day. Wines are available to purchase by the bottle. Alternatively, you may get some free onboard credit to spend. The number of years you have worked in the concerned organisation. One other thing. If you have a question that isnt listed here, you can add it in the comments section at the end. You would think that paying a hefty daily tip would cover everyone on the ship. A cruise which ordinarily costs 699 might go up to 999 with drinks included. There are three of us going on the cruise May 22nd my self, my wife, and a cousin. She has worked in the cruise industry since 2015 and has taken over 20 cruises. Copyright 2023 Real World Machine LLC. So, dont pay the gratuities in advance and wait for the onboard credit to be applied. How Often Do the Gratuity Rates Increase? Extremely helpful esp0ecially about tipping and what to do. So, in order to calculate the amount your family will owe for gratuities, you would multiply: $14.50 X Number of People in Cabin X Length of Cruise = Amount You Owe. You can see a price comparison of drinks across all cruise lines here. Some people like to remove the gratuities and tip staff members individually. All rights reserved. If purchasing beverages la carte (without a package) is the recommended option, then the calculator estimates the savings achieved by Pay As You Go versus the lowest-cost beverage package, factoring in gratuities and upcharges. List of Free Drinks on Royal Caribbean Cruises, 56 amazing examples of Royal Caribbean customer service, The Best Time to Buy A Royal Caribbean Drink Package, 15 Ways To Use Your Royal Caribbean Onboard Credit Like A Pro, https://www.cruisemummy.co.uk/taking-a-baby-on-a-cruise-ship/, https://www.cruisemummy.co.uk/royal-caribbean-drinks-menus-with-prices/, Royal Caribbean Cruise Refreshment Package Review, https://www.cruisemummy.co.uk/can-you-take-drinks-on-a-cruise-ship/, https://www.cruisemummy.co.uk/how-to-sneak-alcohol-on-a-cruise-ship/. *Please see all applicable Terms & Conditions for Promotions. My two sons are coming on the cruise with me. Guests who have pre-paid their tips will not see a daily charge during their cruise. 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. You can use my free drinks package calculator to work out what your bar bill would be with no drink package. So if youre planning a cruise with Royal Caribbean, read on for everything you need to know about Royal Caribbean gratuities. They also do not include the charge for special souvenir or commemorative beverage containers. I have a question about the free drinks thoughcan we bring our own reusable water bottles to fill them up with the free lemonade/ice tea or are cups readily available for us to use? Royal Caribbean shares the gratuities between various crew members including stateroom attendants, waiters, bar staff, culinary staff and other hotel services team members.