All rights reserved. Hi, I have harmony of the seas booked for next may but when I have tried to book a drinks package there is no option for this. 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. You can find more info in this posts: https://www.cruisemummy.co.uk/can-you-take-drinks-on-a-cruise-ship/ and this one: https://www.cruisemummy.co.uk/how-to-sneak-alcohol-on-a-cruise-ship/ I hope that helps! Other than that, your gratuity charges cover the housekeeping and dining staff. The default amount of $12 can be adjusted. For new reservations, the adjusted gratuity amounts are effective as of September 7, 2022. Do you know the difference in the tea? Jenni Fielding is the founder of Cruise Mummy. Hi Anthony. I had the drink package so I didnt get the answer to this. In Miami the worst place to board the ship. My hubby-to-be is a non-drinker and he would only want the refreshment package. To save you the headache, Ive created a handy tool that does the maths for you. Thank you so much for such useful and great information. Their offerings range from classics like a mojito to daiquiri to new takes on traditional cocktails, like a New Fashioned at the Schooner . Again, this normally runs around 18%, but can range from 15% to 20%, depending on the cruise line. Why Arent Gratuities Just Included in the Price of the Cruise? All rights reserved. Here are the policies for major cruise lines at the moment: When you book your cruise, the gratuity amount is usually disclosed in full for your trip, with an option to prepay the amount with your cruise fare. Yet with a drinks package, youre free to work your way down the menu, trying new things. 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. Royal Caribbean always price in US dollars no matter the itinerary. Since they are not . I Agree, we always opt out and give tips to our steward and waiter/waitress at the end of the cruise. He would hardly be expected to buy the alcohol package too?? The cocktails in the Bamboo Lounge are a little different to the poolside cocktails, the have fancier glasses and the ingredients may be different too. Should you prepay gratuities for a Royal Caribbean cruise? The default mandatory gratuity of 18% can be adjusted to account for increases or decreases. 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. Beverage packages can be used at CocoCay, Royal Caribbeans private island in the Bahamas and at Labadee, Royal Caribbeans private beach in Haiti. 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. Disney Cruise Line recommends a gratuity amount of $14.50 per person per night. To help explain everything about cruise line gratuities, weve answered a number of common questions that will make everything clearer before you set sail. The breakdown of gratuities is carefully worked out to be fair for all crew members. I didnt know I could have the tips removed from my room charges. Suggested read: 56 amazing examples of Royal Caribbean customer service. If the price does drop, you can always call Royal Carribbean to cancel it and book it again at the lower price. We have decided to use your tip and buy the soda package with the intention of buying shots on board. Is it true that each individual drink purchased an additional 18% is added? The advantage is that you get your payment out of the way ahead of time. 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. For most sailings, when you buy a drinks package online, an 18% gratuity charge is added at the checkout. 20102023Regal Sea Media LLC. 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. MyTime dining is when you dont have a set dining time and instead, you can arrive at the main restaurant whenever you like. If it drops, cancel the package and re-buy it at the lower price. Theres little doubt that the extra tips can be expensive. In fact, we cant think of a place where gratuities are handled the same way as they are on a cruise ship. Other major cruise lines already increased their gratuities this year. This makes paying for your cruise more manageable. Bottom line is that it comes down to personal preference. I was drinking a Rusty Nail on my last cruise and thats a drink small enough where the bartender poured me doubles to keep me from coming back so much. Answer (1 of 7): Yes, you can. Australians typically do not tip because the minimum wage in Australia is $20.33 AUD/hr ($14.56 USD/hr). Can I buy unlimited beverage package for 2 days only in a four days cruise , or it has to be for all days ? I'm so sorry that this post wasn't useful for you! 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!! Some people like to give gifts such as chocolates or wine to the crew members. Use this section of the Royal Caribbean Beverage Package Calculator to enter general information about the cruise. I leave from Miami and happy to pop to a Walmart beforehand to pick up some things to save money on board. However, if you appear to be too intoxicated, the staff wont serve you any more drinks. The vast majority of passengers are charged these tips, no matter if they are young, old, have special requests, eat in the main dining room, or only hit the buffet. Ive worked in the cruise industry since 2015 and now my blog helps over a million people to plan their cruises each month. 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. The calculator will add the mandatory gratuity to the package cost in its calculations. Use this section of the Royal Caribbean Beverage Package Calculator to adjust assumptions and default pricing for beverage packages. Royal Caribbean Junior Suite perks: Is it worth the upgrade? Do check out our Royal Caribbean Cruise Refreshment Package Review for more information! Be aware that when you sign the receipt there will be another line for an additional tip. If you dont decide to prepay the tips, then the amount is automatically charged to your onboard account each day. With MyTime dining you will sit at a different table each night and be served by different crew members. In the formula, the values are the following. Details: Passengers staying in most cabins, including junior suites, pay $16. Extremely helpful esp0ecially about tipping and what to do. 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. Wines are available to purchase by the bottle. However, theres a chip inside it which means that it will only work with the machine for a certain period of time. 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. Jenni. On my last Royal Caribbean cruise on Anthem of the Seas, it was a seven-night cruise from Southampton so I didnt get a drinks package. And you also have to wash it yourself so be sure to bring dish soap and a sponge. In addition to this, an 18% gratuity is automatically added to all drinks, spa and salon services. Plus, as we were sailing from the UK it was easy to bring our own wine and cans of pop on board so we didnt need to buy many drinks on the ship. It comes with fancy coffees, smoothies etc as well as alcohol. I did wonder whether you could keep the cup and use it on your next cruise. However, the feedback from them is that they always prefer cash. Depending on your cruise line, you might find different language used than the word gratuities. Weve seen these charges called tips, gratuities, crew incentives, or service charges. Princess: $14.50 per person, per day. For guests staying in Grand Suites and above, the fee is $18.50 per person, per day. How much is the Royal Caribbean drink package? Jenni. Pre-paid gratuities can be added to an individual reservation at any time outside of 48 hours of the sail date. 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. 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. Im Diamond and wondered what the upcharge might be since Ill be getting four free drink vouchers per day. In this case, you can simply choose to have them lumped in with your cruise fare, paying them all at once. This reduces the price of each coffee from around $4 to around $2. Beverage packages do not cover certain specialty beverages, particularly those purchased at an onboard Starbucks. The latest increase was in 2018 when gratuities went up by $1 per person, per day. Alcoholic beverages that exceed this amount will be charged the difference plus gratuity on the difference. Jenni, Hi Jose, Im sure intentionally just over the 12.00 limit for the ultimate drink package. Not sure if Id risk it though! This figure reflects the maximum per-alcoholic-beverage cost that is covered with a Deluxe (alcohol) package. Royal Caribbeans standard gratuity rate of $16.00 per day ($18.50 for suites) applies to guests of all ages, including children and infants. We always hand our tips in cash to the person whose service we wish to commend. I am going on my first cruise in February and found your information very helpful thank you. Royal Caribbean charges a gratuity of $16.00 per person, per day. How do I purchase a drink package for 1 and a soft drinks package for 1 because of a medical condition, Hi Jill, Im considering booking a drinks package with Royal Caribbean. Disney Cruise Gratuity Calculator. In fact, there are a couple of instances where paying additional gratuity is recommended or automatic. $16.50 per person, per day for guests in suites. One other thing. The best way to save money on your Royal Caribbean drink package is to buy it a few days after booking your cruise. Waiting until the end of your cruise will give you a few more paydays to save up the money. Click the button above to compare the prices of cruises from all travel agents. The slight problem we have is my cousin has stability problems, his hands are very shaky , and he is unstable on his feet , dont get me wrong he gets about on his, but he could not serve himself for coffee or breakfast and the like. . In this case, youd be charged for the whole drink. There are pros and cons to paying your gratuities before or after your cruise, and its very much a personal choice. 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. 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. Typical increases are around $1 per person, per day and seem to happen about once a year. 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. Do Royal Caribbean offer drink packages on three night cruises? Want to tip more? They worked for about half a drink before they collapse. No votes so far! You can also take a quick look at the Royal Caribbean Beverage package prices: Deluxe Beverage Package - $44 to $55 per day ($63-$70 for 2019 sailings) Premium Refreshment Package - $26 per . To do so, simply head down to Guest Services on the ship to tell them that you want to change your tip amounts. I have another question. Were here to help. You could always pour it from a cup into your own bottle I suppose. How Can I Know How Much I Will Be Charged in Tips? This depends on your muster station. Theres not a time limit between drinks with Royal Caribbean, but you can only order one drink per person at a time. Royal Caribbean offers a discount when you pre-book your drinks package on the cruise planner before you sail. You can read more about this here: The Best Time to Buy A Royal Caribbean Drink Package. Cheers. We hope you find the gratuity to be an accurate reflection of your satisfaction and thank you for your generous recognition of our staff. would i be charged the difference between a virgin pina colada and a pina colada with alcohol? Another way to pay extra gratuities is when you buy a drink. Cash isnt used on cruise ships, so all your purchases and gratuities (if not prepaid) will be added to your onboard account. As of September 7, 2022,the automatic daily gratuity charge will increase: Royal Caribbean last raised gratuitiesJanuary 2, 2018. So you would need to let someone else be served and then order again. On the other hand, many people choose to instead pay the gratuity charges automatically through their onboard account once on the ship. Any tips taking a 7 mths old . 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. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Alternatively, you may get some free onboard credit to spend. Suggested read: 56 amazing examples of Royal Caribbean customer service. The calculator will auto-update as you enter information about your cruise. I had it on a 4-night cruise. Here's how it works on Royal Caribbean: As of September 7 th, 2022, the automatic service gratuity of $16.00 USD per . So, dont pay the gratuities in advance and wait for the onboard credit to be applied. To do this, you would need to go to the Guest Services desk on the morning of your departure and explain your reason. Jenni. Unless you are feeling generous, theres no need to tip more. Without your contribution, the compensation for the staff members will decrease. This is also known as a SeaPass account. My gf is a big tea drinker and is considering the package purely for that. You must have JavaScript enabled to use this form. You can use my free drinks package calculator to work out what your bar bill would be with no drink package. If I am having a soda can i order another right after 10 minutes or to I have to wait a certain time. Jenni. The tips are spread out between the room steward, dining staff, and others. If you dont have a credit card, then youll need to link a debit card to your onboard account, or deposit cash. When we researched tipping policy on a recent Princess cruise, we found that the cruise line pools that money and uses it for bonuses, etc. I too pay in cash and at times have given extra. When you book the cruise youll have the ability to prepay gratuities. I am on Voyagers of the seas in April on repositioning cruise. This happens regularly for passengers feeling generous or thankful for the staffs work during their trip. The staff isnt likely to treat you any differently or even know that you arent tipping (after all, some people still like to pay cash 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. We just came back from a Cruise to Nowhere aboard the Quantum of the Seas as well. Royal Caribbean shares the gratuities between various crew members including stateroom attendants, waiters, bar staff, culinary staff and other hotel services team members. Additionally, package holders receive a 40% discount on wines priced up to $100 and a 20% discount on wines priced above $100. Thank you for answering all these questions! Gratuity charges are typically not mandatory and can be adjusted. However, you can get all-inclusive cruise package deals that have drinks included. Guests over 2 years old and under 12 years old pay $7 per day. So Im noticing all the cool mixed cocktail drinks are priced. Do you know about when you'd like to sail? While the cruise lines might say differently, we think that gratuities arent included in the headline price for marketing purposes. The drinks prices vary slightly by ship, with around a $1 difference on some ships. Gratuity Calculator. This information is brill thanks. My Cruise Line Calls it a Crew Incentive or Service Charge. With your support, we can create more exciting content and share with everyone! Royal Caribbean no longer offers a wine package. Automatic gratuity charge: $16 to $18.50 per person, per day. Thanks for all the great info. The calculator will also treat nights as equivalent to days for the purposes of per-day beverage calculations. 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. If Im a simple coffee and tea drinker. ), Can You Work Remotely While Taking a Cruise? The exception is in certain markets where tipping is not as ingrained as part of their culture, so Royal Caribbean includes daily gratuities as part of the price of the cruise.
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