Table Of Content
Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information. Jenna DeLaurentis enjoys exploring new ports of call around the world on a cruise ship, learning about new cultures, discovering beautiful landscapes, and trying diverse cuisine. She loves to get active while at port, whether cycling through mountains in the Caribbean or scuba diving under the sea. By giving tips to crew members individually, you may be taking potential gratuities away from other hard working crew members you don’t meet in person. Between May 1, 2016, and January 2, 2018, RCI's gratuities were US$13,50 (increased from US$12,95/standard cabins) and US$16,50 (increased from US$15.95/upper-tier suites).
How Much Do People Tip a Royal Genie?
If, for instance, a show is offered on the second, fifth, and last evening of the cruise, try to book the first day available. One of the best ways to become acquainted with Royal Caribbean’s cruise ships is to watch a full tour of the ship on YouTube. On our YouTube channel, we have full, high definition tours of each Royal Caribbean ship sailing to Alaska. Planning to book cruise add-ons like drink and specialty dining packages? One must-do before you board an Alaska cruise in 2024 is to pre-purchase these add-ons.
Culinary Adventures You’ll Never Forget
Additionally, there is an automatic 18% gratuity added to all beverage, spa, and salon services. However, it’s actually very straightforward and the policy allows for an easier experience for guests, while proportionally compensating he hardworking staff. You do not need to tip the maitre d', as they are a ship's officer and paid accordingly. However, if either one has provided some extra special service -- like getting you an upgraded table or having a special cake delivered, a tip of $5 to $10 at the time of the service would be appropriate.
How Much To Tip A Royal Genie
If you dislike tipping on cruise ships but can't afford to sail on an all-inclusive line, look for promotions when cruise lines with service charges throw in free gratuities as a booking incentive. Each passenger on a Royal Caribbean cruise pays a daily gratuity to cover the services of hard working crew members onboard. These gratuities are shared among the dining, bar, and culinary teams, stateroom attendants, and the hotel service team. It all starts with the boldest cruise ships at sea — and ours have won awards for everything from world class dining and spectacular entertainment, to record-setting onboard thrills and groundbreaking innovation. 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. For guests staying in Grand Suites and above, the fee is $20.50 per person, per day.
This allows you to pay off your cruise balance early, so that by the time you get onboard, you won’t have to worry about extra charges. Prepaying gratuities means you can include the current daily gratuity rate in your cost of the cruise when booking. When paying for your cruise, the daily gratuity will be added into the overall cost, and you will not owe any gratuities once the cruise begins. It's always up to you to adjust the number of gratuities at any time while onboard the ship and your tips will be deemed undisputed. But you should know, that the ship's service staff don't make a salary - your tips are their wages. So our "big tip" on this subject is this - if you guys have a service staff problem, speak first with your cabin attendant.
CHECK-IN
Matt started Royal Caribbean Blog in 2010 as a place to share his passion for all things Royal Caribbean with readers. He oversees all the writers at Royal Caribbean Blog, and writes a great deal of content on a daily basis. While guests are able to alter or remove these Royal Caribbean gratuities, we never suggest doing so. Before you get to this stage of frustration, you should bring up the concerns to see if they can be addressed promptly to make the rest of your vacation enjoyable. If you're planning a cruise, here's everything you need to know about Royal Caribbean gratuities.
Do All Guests on Royal Caribbean Need to Pay Gratuities? Are Children Included?
Royal Caribbean raises key fee (and passengers don't like it) - TheStreet
Royal Caribbean raises key fee (and passengers don't like it).
Posted: Wed, 01 Nov 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
While pricey, Royal Caribbean doesn't have the most expensive gratuities in the industry. When you take a Royal Caribbean cruise, as well as your cruise fare, you’ll be expected to pay a little extra to the crew members. To make tipping simpler and fairer, Royal Caribbean’s tips policy is to collect this money from all the guests and automatically share it between the crew members. Because tips are technically voluntary, most cruise lines do allow passengers to opt out of the automatic service charge and to tip by themselves in cash. However, since it is practically impossible to individually tip all the people in front of and behind the scenes whose efforts enhance passengers' shipboard experience, we would discourage going this route.
You can also visit Guest Services and ask if there's any way to leave a review while onboard. Whether you pay your Royal Caribbean daily gratuities before or after your cruise is your choice, but it’s never recommended to remove them. MyTime dining is when you don’t have a set dining time and instead, you can arrive at the main restaurant whenever you like.
Learn About Credit Cards
However, as this is a public forum, it may be the case that some people who only tipped a small amount or did not tip at all, chose not to leave a comment. Gratuities on Royal Caribbean are obligatory, so it is a matter of when you prefer to pay them. Ultimately, it’s up to you to decide which option best suits your preferences and financial situation. However, tipping is at your discretion and based on the quality of service provided, just keep in mind it may be expected in certain destinations. Yes, gratuities apply to all passengers on Royal Caribbean, regardless of age.
You don't have to tip on these cruises because the line is already paying gratuities to the staff on your behalf. If you prefer to pay for tips once you're on board your cruise, you'll generally find that the gratuities automatically appear on your bill. Some people also like to pay their service charges in advance for budgeting purposes. Because gratuity is already included in the price of these purchases onboard, it’s not necessary to tip extra. However, many passengers still like to tip a few dollars with a drink or specialty restaurant dinner to show their appreciation. Tips are added automatically to the onboard account (SeaPass) on a daily basis.
If you’re unsure what to pack for an Alaska cruise, check out our comprehensive packing list. You’d be surprised by how many activities you can fit into a pre-cruise stay in Seattle or Vancouver. Even if you arrive at 3PM the day before your cruise, you will have around twenty hours in either city before embarkation begins. If your cruise ends in Seward, you’ll want to schedule even more time to catch your flight, as it takes several hours to get to Anchorage from Seward. Luckily, we’ve compiled a list of the best free and low-cost activities to do in each Alaska cruise port, which should help give you some ideas. The 2024 Alaska cruise season is quickly approaching, and we’re sharing 24 of our most helpful Alaska cruise tips that you need to follow.
Still, some critics see the charges as a sneaky way for cruise lines to make their fares appear lower than they really are. In this line of thinking, lines with these charges are essentially breaking out a good chunk of onboard labor costs as a separate line item on your bill. At some big lines, such as Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line, it's not uncommon for a family of four staying in a single cabin to see more than $70 a day in service fees added to their bills. Technically, you can visit Guest Services once onboard your cruise ship and opt to remove gratuities from your account. Some passengers like to do this in order to give tips to crew members directly whenever they see fit. Because they are charged on a daily basis, you do not have to worry about tipping each crew member yourself.
However, if you want to choose the flexible ‘My Time‘ dining, rather than having a set dining time, you must pre-pay your gratuities. Rather than guests tipping each member of staff, Royal Caribbean charges a set fee per day to reward crew members for their service. What follows are suggested out-of-pocket tip amounts for your cruise for excellent service. Note that there are also gratuities applied automatically and separately to some optional onboard services, like drinks at the bar or spa and salon services. Note that if you purchase a dining or beverage package, most cruise lines will charge you gratuities based on a percentage of the package price. If you get one of these packages for free as a booking perk, as with Norwegian Cruise Line's Free at Sea promotion, you might still be required to pay the gratuities on the free perk.
Again, there's also the possibility of leveraging flexible work arrangements in order to convince your boss to agree to one of your proposals. That said, it's advisable to set clear boundaries about what work you will and won't do during your vacation. You can watch some shows during the day to then have more flexibility at night to catch other shows, see our late-night comedians or watch your home team at Playmakers Sports Bar & Arcade. Crew members undoubtedly know our ships the best, and they have the insider tips to match. It seems that most people agree that the Royal Genie should be tipped, but the question of how much can vary depending on where the guests are from.
It’s totally fine to give extra tips to crew members who go above and beyond during your sailing, but we recommend doing this in addition to the automatic gratuities. Depending on where you book your cruise, gratuities may already be included in the price of your cruise fare. Australians booking cruises from Australia, for example, will not incur gratuities on top of their cruise fare, but the cruise fare reflects the price with gratuities added. Luckily, it’s easy to understand the ins and outs of tipping on a cruise ship. From prepaying gratuities to carrying small bills, here’s what you should and should not do when tipping on a Royal Caribbean cruise.
No comments:
Post a Comment