Hi Maria, Gratuity Calculator. Guests who have pre-paid their tips will not see a daily charge during their cruise. Yes, thats correct. Royal Caribbean drinks package: Is it worth it? 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. Pre-paid gratuities can be added to an individual reservation at any time outside of 48 hours of the sail date. 20102023Regal Sea Media LLC. We were exploring ports almost every day. All service isnt created equally. This also applies to sailings departing from Australia and New Zealand. 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. $15.50 per person, per day staying in mini-suites. The cost for two people on a week-long cruise can be well above $200. You were extremely helpful for my upcoming cruise! Its up to you. To begin with, the cruise line gave out paper straws which are sadly not fit for purpose when it comes to frozen cocktails. Royal Caribbean is a trademark of Royal Caribbean Group. 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. Should guests opt not to pay gratuities until onboard, they will be subject to the newly suggested gratuity amounts. Is is possible to buy the package for less days than those of your cruise? The exact breakdown of how much each staff member gets isnt published, just like their salary isnt published. Can I buy unlimited beverage package for 2 days only in a four days cruise , or it has to be for all days ? Without your contribution, the compensation for the staff members will decrease. The calculator will account for these upcharges. Then, log into the Cruise Planner regularly to watch the price. If you like to pay for your cruise monthly, then you can add the gratuities to your monthly payment. 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. Use this section of the Royal Caribbean Beverage Package Calculator to enter general information about the cruise. You should think about how much time you plan to spend on the ship. Some lines also pool the tips altogether and then distribute them throughout the year. To save you the headache, Ive created a handy tool that does the maths for you. There are pros and cons to paying your gratuities before or after your cruise, and its very much a personal choice. For those who drink mostly coffee, Royal Caribbean offers a Cafe Select Coffee Card. The discount is increased by up to 30% during promotional periods such as Black Friday. In your article are you saying that on a cruise out of Southampton uk. Thanks for the great information. Im Diamond and wondered what the upcharge might be since Ill be getting four free drink vouchers per day. 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. Norwegian just raised its gratuity rate to $16 from $15.50 in April. The advantage here is that you get to hold on to more of your money for longer. To work out the total gratuity for your cruise, you should multiply the daily gratuity charge by the number of nights and the number of passengers in your party. All I can see is my cruise planner prices which are $95+ per day!! We nearly always opt out of tips and tip whom we want directly. If you dont have a credit card, then youll need to link a debit card to your onboard account, or deposit cash. One thing which I noticed is that the bigger the freebie, the higher the base price. Is Every Passenger Charged Gratuities? Extra envelopes are available at guest services. 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. $16.50 per person, per day for guests in suites. Why Arent Gratuities Just Included in the Price of the Cruise? The advantage is that you get your payment out of the way ahead of time. So well have to pay the difference of $1 on almost every drink. 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. Great observation, Michelle. MyTime dining is when you dont have a set dining time and instead, you can arrive at the main restaurant whenever you like. 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. How to prepay gratuities. Extremely helpful esp0ecially about tipping and what to do. I didnt know I could have the tips removed from my room charges. Jenni. However, for the majority of mass market cruise lines the gratuities are extra charges on the price of your cruise. Copyright 2023 Real World Machine LLC. Posted 3 hours ago. Mailbag: Why do I have to pay gratuities for my toddler? If youve never cruised, then there is no doubt that these questions and more might be floating through your head. Here are the others: 4 Ways That People Cheat The Royal Caribbean Drink Package. What do you do about the porters at the ports. Tipping is out of control everywhere. But thats not always the case. Airfare Savings Up to $800 per person . This costs $31 and gives you 15 specialty coffees throughout your cruise. No, you would have to buy it for every day of your cruise. This figure reflects the maximum per-alcoholic-beverage cost that is covered with a Deluxe (alcohol) package. We had a short four-night cruise to Royal Caribbeans private island, Perfect Day at CocoCay, in the Bahamas. 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. 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. If you do not opt to prepay gratuities, a daily charge will appear on your SeaPass account every day of the cruise for the daily gratuity rate per guest. Drink is 15 Dollars so do i have to pay 3 Dollars or 15? For most sailings, when you buy a drinks package online, an 18% gratuity charge is added at the checkout. The price of Royal Caribbeans Deluxe Beverage Package is not fixed. I find this to be an outrageous ploy to hide the true costs of a cruise. When entering the number of beverages per beverage type, the number entered can either be per day or for the entire length of the cruise for each beverage type. So a $10 menu price on a cocktail is actually around $12. For staff members that rely on these dollars, that can be a major blow. These days, everything is automatic. The formula used by our online gratuity calculator is: G = n*b*15/26. They worked for about half a drink before they collapse. Some muster stations are outside, some are inside with seats. All rights reserved. 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. Im going on a cruise in October and would like the full drinks package for myself. Jenni, Hi Jose, The gratuity is added on at the final checkout so you will see the final price before you commit to buy it. For example, a family of four who is taking a seven-night cruise would owe $406 for gratuities. Applying this charge automatically helps to streamline the recognition process for the crew members that work to enhance your cruise. After that, you can cancel it when you first embark on the ship, but no later. This makes paying for your cruise more manageable. You are free to adjust the amount to whatever you think is fair. Like what you see? My gf is a big tea drinker and is considering the package purely for that. You can opt into prepaying gratuities at any time, up to 48 hours prior to your sail date. Select the number of nights for the cruise, from a minimum of two nights to a maximum of thirty nights. The daily gratuities are shared among dining, bar & culinary services staff, stateroom attendants and other hotel services teams who work behind the scenes. We are no spring chickens the three of us are just under 70. 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. With MyTime dining you will sit at a different table each night and be served by different crew members. I have cruised many times before and I always order the royal caribbean premium drink package. As of September 7, 2022,the automatic daily gratuity charge will increase: Royal Caribbean last raised gratuitiesJanuary 2, 2018. Are tips required? I know that some people get away with putting one bottle in the main suitcase and one in hand luggage. Where n = Tenure of service completed in the company. Royal Caribbean Junior Suite perks: Is it worth the upgrade? Jenni. Royal Caribbean's Deluxe Beverage Package is their highest-tier beverage package. Passengers would then put cash in the envelope for the crew members. We deposit cash to use for our onboard account. N/n. However, to do so, you must go to Guest Services, before the last evening of the cruise and request that t. Do we need separate soft drinks packages for the kids or can they share ours? Keep in mind that Royal Caribbean generally requires that if one adult purchases the Deluxe package, that all other adults over the age of 21 traveling in the same cabin purchase the Deluxe package; this requirement may be waived if you contact Royal Caribbean, explain the other adult(s) does not consume alcohol, and request to downgrade the additional package to Refreshment. Hi Jeff. Take your pick of 7 world-class ships sailing weeklong adventures to the top-rated shores of the western, eastern, & southern Caribbean. Specialty dining experiences, which are outside the included meal packages and can include steakhouses, sushi/seafood restaurants and many more. 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. 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. 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. Cruise lines rarely use the word free, instead they use included. Whilst some other cruise lines limit the number of drinks you can order to 15 in any 24-hour period, Royal Caribbean has no daily limit. All of you have great advice. No votes so far! You can see a full list of those here: List of Free Drinks on Royal Caribbean Cruises. If purchasing beverages la carte (without a package) is the best option, the calculator will recommend Pay As You Go.. Use this section of the Royal Caribbean Beverage Package Calculator to adjust assumptions and default pricing for beverage packages. But RCCL wants to charge $448. This is because the drinks packages are not actually free, its just that the ticket price is adjusted to include drinks. Sure, just pop your email in the box and it will come straight to you. 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/. Australians typically do not tip because the minimum wage in Australia is $20.33 AUD/hr ($14.56 USD/hr). Check your Cruise Planner and see if it comes up to purchase. The amount you pay will vary by cruise line, but they are all in the same ballpark. However, if you appear to be too intoxicated, the staff wont serve you any more drinks. 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 . My Cruise Line Calls it a Crew Incentive or Service Charge. This information is brill thanks. One other thing. How much extra does Royal Caribbean charge for a double? 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. With the acquisition of 80 points (equivalent to 80 nights at sea), guests become Diamond members. Is it worth it to by a drink package? 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. The service on Royal Caribbean cruises is generally exceptional. If you get free gratuities thrown in as an incentive for booking a cruise, then these will be automatically prepaid. Be aware that when you sign the receipt there will be another line for an additional tip. Should you prepay gratuities for a Royal Caribbean cruise? When you log into Royal Caribbeans cruise planner, look out for special offers like this one. Royal Caribbean doesnt offer free drinks packages. In addition, prepaying gratuities locks in the current gratuity rate, even if the rate were to go up later. Dont do this. I too pay in cash and at times have given extra. If tips are not required, do their supervisors know about this up charge? 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? Then, contact one with a best-price guarantee and have them beat it! Is that the Same Thing? So Im noticing all the cool mixed cocktail drinks are priced. Waiting until the end of your cruise will give you a few more paydays to save up the money. Hi Aoife. At the end of your cruise, youll receive an envelope that you can use to give extra cash tips if you wish. You can see a price comparison of drinks across all cruise lines here. Some ships may cover up to $13 per alcoholic beverage. The package covers nearly every beverage on the ship up to $13 per drink. If Im a simple coffee and tea drinker. For example I drink a lot of water during the day so I will at least have 6 bottles of water. 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. Are the drink prices in US dollars or Australian while on an Australian run. Royal Caribbean to raise gratuity amount for guests, Royal Caribbean raises gratuity amount for guests, Royal Caribbean raises its automatic gratuities, Royal Caribbean Australia introduces streamlined cruise fares that include gratuities, Royal Caribbean Gratuities: What you need to know, Standard cabin (Junior Suites and below)going from $14.50 to $16.00 per day, per person, Suite gratuity rate will changefrom $17.50 to $18.50 per day per person, Balcony and lower cabins:$16.00 per person, per day, Haven and Suite guests: $20.00 per person, per day, Club Balcony Suite guests remains at $18.00 per person, per day. Size of travel cots? Jenni. Are there ways to request a drink like a Bloody Mary but in a $12 or less version? Royal Caribbean last increased gratuities in 2018 and, before that, was in 2016. This section of the Royal Caribbean Beverage Package Calculator advises you of the most cost-effective beverage package given your anticipated beverage consumption and pricing inputs. To do so, simply head down to Guest Services on the ship to tell them that you want to change your tip amounts. Unless you are feeling generous, theres no need to tip more. This reduces the price of each coffee from around $4 to around $2. There are several ways to prepay your gratuities: When you check in for your cruise, your onboard account will be set up. Any tips taking a 7 mths old . Jenni Fielding is the founder of Cruise Mummy. 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. The calculator will also treat nights as equivalent to days for the purposes of per-day beverage calculations. Royal Caribbean last raised gratuities January 2, 2018. Disney Cruise Line recommends a gratuity amount of $14.50 per person per night. 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? The number of years you have worked in the concerned organisation. Cash isnt used on cruise ships, so all your purchases and gratuities (if not prepaid) will be added to your onboard account. As a thanks for their service, its customary to provide a tip. 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. I have some photos of the drink menus here: https://www.cruisemummy.co.uk/royal-caribbean-drinks-menus-with-prices/ This may help you to find the answer to your question. Be sure to join my email list for my best cruise tips and handpicked deals each week. 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. How Often Do the Gratuity Rates Increase? Hi Carmen. Royal Caribbean gratuities are a set amount per person, per day. And you also have to wash it yourself so be sure to bring dish soap and a sponge. 20102023Regal Sea Media LLC. Whichever package you choose, you must buy it for every adult passenger for every day of your cruise. She has worked in the cruise industry since 2015 and has taken over 20 cruises. Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours. We offer you this handy calculator tool for determining the appropriate gratuities for the crew members that help make your Disney cruise magical. 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 Jose. 3 hours ago, Husky1987 said: Percentage of cruisers that remove auto gratuities: 10%. Our goal has been to provide our readers with expansive coverage of all aspects of the Royal Caribbean experience. Beverage packages may not be available for purchase for cruises of less than four nights departing from Southampton, England. The gratuities go to staff that provide passenger-facing services. The calculator will auto-update as you enter information about your cruise. Does the deluxe drink package include adding items to your mini bar? Most cruise lines require that EVERYONE who is in the cabin and 21 or older to purchase the package. If you prepay your gratuities, youll only ever have to pay the lower rate. Whilst it was nice to be able to fill up my drink from the machine, I didnt like that I had to carry the cup everywhere with me. In the formula, the values are the following. If you have a question that isnt listed here, you can add it in the comments section at the end. Thank you in advance. All rights reserved. Hi, I'm Jenni. I think these amounts are reasonable. However, you can get a drink every 15 minutes so it is possible to get the occasional drink for your child on the sly. Thanks bunches for this. 53 euros per day, 856 for my wife and for 8 nights. However, if you want to choose the flexible My Time dining, rather than having a set dining time, you must pre-pay your gratuities. To do this, you would need to go to the Guest Services desk on the morning of your departure and explain your reason. B/b. Making feeds? ), Can You Work Remotely While Taking a Cruise? I detest the idea of: A. not knowing who my tip is going to B. Fresh squeezed orange juice and sodas etc. #36. With millions of passengers sailing every year, theres inevitably going to be someone who feels they received poor service. However, prices seem to have increased recently, with an upcoming cruise quoting a sale price of $83.99 and an onboard price of $105! However, you can get all-inclusive cruise package deals that have drinks included. Thank you! We use prepaid drink cards to purchase beverages. All non-alcoholic beverages are covered in full, regardless of price, unless otherwise excluded from all beverage packages. Sterilisers? 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. Any frozen drinks too without the alcohol. Here's how it works on Royal Caribbean: As of September 7 th, 2022, the automatic service gratuity of $16.00 USD per . 3 ways to get free wifi on your Royal Caribbean cruise. Note the wording used. If not, just leave blank. Grand suites and above - $17.50 p.p. Not sure if Id risk it though! You can use the Royal Caribbean Cruise Planner to cancel your drink package online up to two days before your cruise and receive a full refund. Thank you. That said, if you dont pay gratuities, then its the staff that will be hurting not the cruise line. It is applicable to all guests, regardless of age. Does anyone know what the difference is between the complimentary coffee and tea vs the premium coffee/tea you get when you buy the Refreshment Package? At least Ive got time to think about which package to buy. If you booked directly with Royal Caribbean, you can either call Royal Caribbean . What should I do to highlight this so as not to embarrass him on board. They also do not include the charge for special souvenir or commemorative beverage containers. The calculator recommends the most cost-effective beverage package. Im not saying do it, but people do it. Royal Caribbean drinks packages include all tips (also known as gratuities). Doing this is a good way to ensure that youre served first next time! Free Dining Offer FREE SPECIALTY DINING for 2: on select categories, ships and sail dates. Could you please tell me how I can improve it? Note that if you live in the UK, youll see your drink packages prices in GBP on the Cruise Planner. I'm so sorry that this post wasn't useful for you! If not, just leave blank, Royal Caribbean increases gratuities for crew members on its cruise ships, Carnival Cruise Line raised their gratuities. I have stepped out of the shuttle seeing the conveyer a short distance away. 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. Who gets the tips? Also, should I bring my own sweetener or do they supply that? I was wondering. Hello we r doing a three night cruise out of Brisbane in November. For most sailings, when you buy a drinks package online, an 18% gratuity charge is added at the checkout. Prices for the non-alcoholic drink packages are obviously much cheaper. You may get reduced kids prices, included drinks or free gratuities. You can read more about this here: The Best Time to Buy A Royal Caribbean Drink Package. Suggested read: How to pay for a cruise in instalments. The best way to save money on your Royal Caribbean drink package is to buy it a few days after booking your cruise. Your positive feedback will go on their permanent file, which can help them to get promotions and pay rises. These are: Some drinks are free all the time. The staff works hard to ensure that your vacation is a great one. On a recent Royal Caribbean cruise, I bought the drinks package and got my moneys worth. 2 bottles of wine and 12 cans of soft drinks per stateroom. So no, you wouldnt have to pay any extra gratuities on drinks. Use this section of the Royal Caribbean Beverage Package Calculator to enter information about anticipated beverage consumption and pricing information.