Royal Caribbean Gratuities Increase in 2024: What to Know

Are you wondering about the tipping practices on a Royal Caribbean cruise? Gratuities, or tips, are an important part of the cruise experience that can sometimes cause confusion for travelers. On Royal Caribbean ships, guests are automatically charged a daily service charge for staff members who provide services throughout the cruise.

These gratuities are distributed among various crew members, including dining staff, stateroom attendants, and other behind-the-scenes workers who contribute to making your vacation enjoyable.

Understanding how Royal Caribbean gratuities work can help you budget for your cruise and appreciate the hard work of the ship’s staff.

What are Royal Caribbean Gratuities?

Gratuities on cruises, also known as tips, are important for recognizing the effort of cruise ship staff. Royal Caribbean charges a fixed daily fee for tips to make it easier for guests to tip and ensure fair payment for all crew members.  

This system makes it simpler for guests and ensures that all crew members, including housekeeping, dining, and entertainment staff, receive fair tips. 

How Much are Gratuities on Royal Caribbean?

Starting from November 2024, Royal Caribbean updated its gratuity rates, reflecting a continuing trend of periodic increases. For most staterooms including interior, ocean view, balcony, and Junior Suites, the daily service charge rose to $18.50 per person per day, a modest $0.50 Royal Caribbean gratuities increase from the previous rate.

Guests staying in larger suites (Grand Suites and above) will now pay $21.00 per person, per day, which is also a $0.50 increase from the prior amount.

Beyond the standard daily gratuities, Royal Caribbean also adds an 18% tip to all beverage purchases, specialty dining and a 20% gratuity to spa and salon services.

The only notable exception is for Star Class suite guests, who enjoy complimentary gratuities as part of their all-inclusive luxury experience. You can check gratuties price & policy on Royal Caribbean Website.

Royal Caribbean Gratuities for Infants & Childrens

Royal Caribbean applies its gratuity charges uniformly across all passengers, regardless of age, which means children and infants are charged the same daily service fee of $18.50 and $21 for suite guests.

This might initially seem surprising to parents, but the fee reflects the outstanding service provided by the ship’s crew, who go above and beyond to ensure comfort and care for young travelers.

Crew members also perform additional tasks for families with children such as preparing special meal arrangements, setting up infant sleeping accommodations, maintaining cleanliness in family dining areas.

These gratuities recognize the dedication and extra effort of staff members who make cruise experiences enjoyable and stress-free for families traveling with young children.

Royal Caribbean Gratuities Breakdown 2024

Royal Caribbean Gratuities are divided among crew members like room attendants, waiters, bar staff, cooks, and other hotel team members. The paper shows how tips are divided among these crew members.

The figures are from before the price went up, so they’re not exact because, for example, in the dining room, you may be served by multiple people like the main waiter, wine waiter, and receptionist. There are also waiters in specialty dining places and crew in the buffet. 

How To Prepay Royal Caribbean Gratuities?

There are several ways to prepay your Royal Caribbean gratuities:

• Add gratuity charges to your initial cruise booking total, which allows you to spread out the cost and avoid additional onboard expenses.
• Contact Royal Caribbean’s customer service directly before your sailing date to arrange prepayment of your service fees.
• Access the Royal Caribbean Cruise Planner online to conveniently manage and prepay your gratuities from home.
• Request your travel agent to facilitate the gratuity prepayment process on your behalf.

How To Pay Gratuities at the End of Your Cruise?

When you board a Royal Caribbean cruise, you’ll create a SeaPass account, which serves as your primary financial tool during the voyage. This digital account replaces traditional cash transactions, allowing you to charge all onboard purchases, drinks, specialty dining, and gratuities directly to your personal account.

During the check-in process, you’ll be asked to link a credit or debit card, which Royal Caribbean will charge at the end of your cruise for the total accumulated expenses. If you choose not to link a card, you’ll need to settle your entire bill using cash or a card before disembarking.

The SeaPass account offers a convenient and streamlined payment system that enables passengers to enjoy their vacation without constantly managing financial transactions.

When to Prepay Your Gratuities?

Following are reasons to prepay your gratuities:

When Free Gratuities Offer 

When you book a Royal Caribbean cruise and receive a free gratuities offer, the service charges are automatically prepaid on your behalf. This means the crew’s daily service fees will be fully covered by the cruise line, eliminating the need for you to budget or worry about these additional expenses during your vacation.

When Booking My Time Dining 

My Time Dining offers cruise guests a flexible dining experience where they can enjoy meals in the Main Dining Room without adhering to a fixed schedule.

To access this dining option, passengers need to prepay their gratuities. These Royal Caribbean prepaid gratuities allows them to arrive at the restaurant at their convenience and be seated at different tables each evening with varying crew members.

When You Pay in Installments 

If you prefer to pay for your cruise in monthly installments, you can include the gratuities in your monthly payment. This helps make paying for your cruise easier. 

If You Don’t Have a Credit Card 

If you don’t have a credit card, you can use a debit card or cash to pay for your onboard expenses on the cruise. Be careful when connecting your debit card to your cruise account because Royal Caribbean puts holds on your money.

These limits can restrict your spending and affect your cruise. Carrying a lot of cash is risky, so think about prepaying Royal Caribbean gratuities instead for a safer and easier option. 

When to Pay Your Gratuities Later?

Following are reasons to pay your gratuities later:

If You Have Onboard Credit to Spend 

When you book a cruise, getting onboard credit can make a big difference. Instead of paying gratuities early, it’s better to wait and use this credit to cover those costs. This way, you save money and can use the credit for other things during your cruise. 

If You Don’t Have Extra Money  

If you don’t have enough money at the start of the trip, it’s okay to wait until the end to pay the gratuities. This way, you can spread the costs over more time and gather the funds without feeling financial pressure during your trip.

By doing this, you can have a relaxing vacation and still pay tips at the end of your journey. 

Royal Caribbean Free Gratuities Deals

Royal Caribbean periodically introduces attractive promotional deals that can help passengers save money on their cruise vacation. These special offers sometimes include waiving gratuity charges, where the cruise line covers the daily service fees for guests, paying the crew’s tips on your behalf.

Cruisers also receive onboard credit which can be used for various expenses including additional tipping or other onboard purchases.

Passengers can benefit from these promotions by carefully monitoring the cruise line’s website, consulting with travel agents, or signing up for Royal Caribbean’s promotional emails to stay informed about the latest gratuity and credit offers.

Are Royal Caribbean Gratuities Mandatory?

If you’re on a Royal Caribbean cruise and the service isn’t up to your standards, you can ask to have the gratuities removed or reduced. If you have any problems during your trip, don’t hesitate.

Talk to the Guest Services desk early on to address any concerns and give the staff a chance to fix things and make your experience better.  

Even though Royal Caribbean is known for great service, no experience is perfect, and it’s fine to speak up if needed.  

Can You Tip Staff Members Individually?

Some cruisers like to tip each staff member separately to thank them directly. But this can leave out important crew members like kitchen staff and cleaners who work hard behind the scenes. The goal is to divide tips fairly, so all staff get a fair share, whether you see them or not. 

Tipping each person separately can create differences in how much money employees make and feelings of favoritism or unfairness in the team. It’s best to stick to the usual Royal Caribbean tipping rules to show that you value every team member’s work equally. 

Can You Pay Extra Gratuities?

When it comes to tipping crew members on a cruise, the choice is ultimately yours. Giving extra tips is not mandatory, it can be a great way to show appreciation for exceptional service. Offering cash rewards to specific crew members who have gone above and beyond can truly make their day. 

Remember, at the end of your cruise, you’ll receive an envelope where you can leave additional cash tips. This gesture can make a significant impact on the hardworking staff who strive to make your experience memorable.

Keep in mind that while gifts like chocolates or wine are thoughtful, crew members generally prefer cash tips. It’s all about recognizing and rewarding those who have enhanced your journey through exceptional service. 

You can also consider adding a little extra tip to your receipt while purchasing a drink at a busy bar or café. Not only will this show appreciation for the service provided, but it may also create a favorable impression that could lead to faster service in the future.

Other Ways to Honor Exceptional Service

By filling out a WOW card at the Guest Services desk, you can highlight the exceptional service provided by a crew member who may otherwise go unnoticed. Your positive feedback will not only be greatly appreciated by the crew member in question but will also be recorded on their permanent file. 

This gesture can help the crew members advance in their careers by opening opportunities for promotions and higher pay. 

Royal Caribbean Gratuities Rates Comparable to Other Cruise Lines

The recent rate increase in Royal Caribbean gratuities brings their charges more in line with other major cruise lines such as Carnival Cruise Line and Norwegian Cruise Line.  

Carnival sets its service gratuity rate at $16 per person, per day for standard staterooms and $18 for suites. Norwegian’s rates vary from $16 to $20 per person, per day depending on the room category.

Disney Cruise Line, known for its exceptional service, offers a slightly lower gratuity rate starting at $14.50 per person, per day for most rooms and $15.50 per person per day for concierge rooms and suites. This is offset by the fact that Disney generally has higher overall fares than its competitors.  

When one cruise line raises rates, others may follow, leading to potential increases on other mainstream cruise lines in the future. 

FAQs – Royal Caribbean Gratuities 2024