how much to tip on cruise royal caribbean

Ive been surprisedor I probably should say I had forgottenhow many hands have been extended for a tip on these shore excursions. The service charge on MSC Cruises is $12.50 per person, per day for guests in standard cabins. There are 2 adults and 1 child in the room, if this. Cruise line employees work their butts off to earn those tips. Royal Caribbean cruise ships have been sailing at nearly 100% capacity for the past few months. If you tip extra, you will get FABULOUS service! Cruise line tipping policies vary from one cruise company to another. If you order room service, its customary to give the person that delivers your tray about $1-2 per meal. Later I learned that the porters outside of the cruise terminal are not cruise line employees at all! I think its pretty bad when thats the only night they make their presence be known. The price increases during August to approximately $773 (619) per person, excluding taxes. While most people know it for being a cruise destination, shadowing the coastline to see the glaciers, there is so much If youre new to cruising, you might be wondering who to tip on a cruise, how much to tip, and exactly how onboard gratuities work. Sometimes a shoddy tip was more insulting than no tip at all. Most cruisers wouldnt dream of removing the automatic gratuities. I also tipped my wait staff very generously in the main dining room and specialty restaurants, as well as my drink waiters! In addition, a portion of the tips are given to those who work behind the scenes or may serve you in different areas of the ship. Something to note is that although daily gratuities arent charged, there may be a service fee or tip added to certain services onboard. (Want to get the most from your cabin steward? By general rule of thumb, the big ship mainstream cruise lines charge it as an extra payment above and beyond the base cruise fare while luxury lines adopt an all-inclusive approach. Im Carrie Ann, the writer behind Should Be Cruising. ATMs usually charge a $5-6 fee per transaction. On disembarkation day, you probably wont find your fave crew members in their usual spots! How much cash should you bring on a cruise? Carnivals daily gratuities are $13.99 per person, per day for guests in standard cabins. Cruises in Europe, World cruises and those departing from a non-US Caribbean port charge 10 Euros per person, per day. In standard cabins, Carnival charges $14.50 per person, per day in tips. Thanks! Youll likely get much better service by doing that instead of just removing the tip! If you want to give an additional tip to your cabin steward (or two), Im sure its very appreciated. Between May 1, 2016, and Jan 2, 2018, passengers on RCI boats paid US$13,50 (increased from US$12,95) for standard cabins and US$16,50 (increased from US$15.95) for upper-tier suites. How much do people tip a Royal Genie? So something edible (maybe a favorite candy or snack from your home region?) I dont tend to tip in advance, so this is an interesting way of doing things. If youre going on a cruise, you can expect daily gratuities to be charged automatically to your onboard account. It really made my day! cost cruise much does caribbean royal excursions treatments fees consider drinks spa government We had the my time diningsame waiter and assistant every night. This fee ranges anywhere from $12.50 to upward of $20 per person, per day, depending on the cruise line -- usually on the higher end if you're staying in a suite. Many passengers rave long after their hoilday is over about the service of stewards who go above and beyond. A cruise only rate may be available on select cruises, which would not include gratuities. In addition, weve included a list of daily gratuities per cruise line and who else you may wish to tip. There aren't any hard-and-fast guidelines for this type of tip since it's contingent on your experience, but 25 to 40 on behalf of a couple roughly works out to an extra 2 to 3 per person, per day, for a seven-night cruise. Some cruise lines refer to these tips as a service charge. Norwegian Cruise Line has onboard service charge will is charged automatically for guests 3 and up, and distributed among staff that serve you in various ways. Depending on your bank, the ATM transaction fee may be waived. This is a convenient option for cruise passengers that dont want to think about extra charges once onboard. Sometimes a shoddy tip was more insulting than no tip at all. Hope you enjoy! Treasure Coast of Florida. Posted March 5, 2007. In addition to the automatic daily gratuities, a tip or service fee of 15-20% is added to drinks and/or drink packages as well as spa services on a cruise. (For line by line information, read more about cruise line tipping policies.). Still confused . The amount is very personal. However, your cruise vacation expenses wont end there. MTD and ate in MDR 5 nights. When planning your cruise, check with your travel agent or the cruise line about the tipping policy. I don't actually agree with th. They have the insider tips to match so that you can make the most of everything that'll be at your fingertips. This is a personal decision and Im not sure if theres a tipping etiquette for it. What Is The Average Amount of Cash to Bring on a Cruise? Children under 4 are not charged. We are a middle class, retirement age couple (63 and 62) who are not retired with no plans to in the near future. The new RCI tips per day are added to each guest's SeaPass card (shipboard account) automatically. Related: Cruise Line. But many cruisers (including myself) choose to prepay to avoid a big charge at the end of the cruise. Most are experienced cruisers and, as a group, theyre very well-liked. Lets just say from the expression on the drivers face that he was not happy with that amount. And if the problem still remains unsolved - then adjust the tips. The Dream pioneered the innovative and fun cruise ships that are standard today from Carnival Cruise Lines. 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. Like what you see? This fee ranges anywhere from $12.50 to upward of $20 per person, per day, depending on the cruise line -- usually on the higher end if you're staying in a suite. Also, if free gratuities are an amenity, youre not expected to go beyond it unless someone goes way beyond whats normally expected. In this post, Ill be going through the cruise tipping policies by cruise line and answer some of the most common questions people have about gratuities on a cruise. The only charges that should appear on my final tab are any extras I decided to add on during the voyage. You dont need to write a noveljust a few sentences about how the crew member made your cruise even better will do. If you have a special in-room dining experience, like Ultimate Balcony Dining on Princess (which I highly recommend, by the way), its a nice gesture to add an extra cash tip for the servers who brought your meals up and made your dinner a special experience. I would imagine wed see prices increase overall if they did this, but perhaps it amounts to this anyway. Some cruise lines point out that you may wish to tip the kids club staff. As it is with most cruise shipping companies, RCI's tourists can remove the daily gratuity but know that these tips are for all the housekeeping and dining staff. In this post, weve gone over how tipping works on a cruise. Whether in Mexico, St. Maarten, Italy, or Vanuatu, having cash is recommended. Others just prefer the face-to-face experience of handing over a cash tip. They often work 7-10 months at a time and 12-14 hours per day for seven days straight before having a half or even a whole day off. Just remember that a cash tip goes to your server, and a charged tip gets added to the tip pool. There is no charge for children under 3 years of age. However, youll want to make sure youve notified your bank that you will be out of the country. This cruise ship was the first of Carnival's unique Dream Class cruise ships. Iwas a waitress for yearslong ago and far away. Here's how it works on Royal Caribbean: 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. Here is a list of the daily gratuity charges by major cruise lines for 2021-22. I generally tip extra, mostly because I come from a customer service back round and know how hard these people work, compared to their pay. How much are automatic gratuities on a cruise? You may want to give a small tip to the person who delivers your room service order. How much you tip on cruise excursions is entirely up to you, but a suggested starting price is $3 per person for a half-day tour and $6 per person for a full-day tour for the guide and $1 to $2 for the bus driver. Tips are added automatically to the onboard account (SeaPass) on a daily basis. How Much Should You Budget for Cruise Gratuities? IMPORTANT: Since September 7, 2022, Royal Caribbean International (RCI) cruise ship passengers pay USD 16 pp per day in tips (service charge for staterooms Junior Suites and below). You also shouldnt tip the cruise director, the entertainment staff, or any independent entertainers like musical guests, comedians, or magicians. How much? The big three, including Carnival Cruise Line, Norwegian and Royal Caribbean expect guests to foot the bill and tips are added to their onboard account. Cruise gratuities are divided among your cruise cabin steward, waiters and other crew members who work as support behind the scenes. I prefer waiting to see how the service is before deciding on an extra tip, but thats just my preference. Royal Caribbean's VOOM service has two different levels of service with two different prices. The extra cash may or may not end up in your steward's pocket, but he'll appreciate the gesture nonetheless. We rarely do the parties anymore. Tipping on a cruise ship can be a confusing endeavor, especially for those sailing for the first time. (Admit it: You tend to miss those nightly pillow chocolates and towel animals after you get home.) Tip amount: Gratuities amount to $13.50 per person per day (including children 3 and older) in standard rooms and $15.50 per person in suites. The time when youll need the most cash on a cruise vacation is when youre in port. Thanks so much for sharing your experience! Critics of this system (which has evolved in the last several decades from strictly cash-based gratuities) say that under this tip pooling arrangement, cabin attendants and wait staff aren't getting recognized for exemplary work the same as they were in the old days. Whether to or not and then how much. Ill definitely look into it and see how I can best do that on this site. People associate umbrella drinks and colorful tropical concoctions with cruising, and fancy-looking martinis have become a nighttime staple at sea. Something you will need cash for on a Royal Caribbean cruise are any extra tips you give to crew members. One exception is the piano player in the loungemost accept tips for song requests or if you enjoyed their music. Most of the biggest cruise lines automatically add some type of service or gratuity fee onto passenger bills. Thank you, Carrie Ann. You cant choose how much each crew member gets. What you cant do is adjust or remove automatic gratuities for a specific crew member. On most cruise lines that collect automatic gratuities, youre able to remove or adjust the charges by visiting the passenger services desk. Ren de Lambert. cruise. Tipping on a cruise ship isnt mandatory, but it is customary, and many crew members rely on tips as a large part of their income. Some cruisers swear by tipping at the beginning of the cruise to ensure excellent service. Even if you prepay for your shore excursions directly through the cruise line, its customary to tip your tour guides and drivers in cash after each excursion. Since most cruise passengers follow the tipping guidelines, that amounts to an increase $13.30 . Id give a much larger tip to a knowledgeable tour guide who led us on an intensive nine-hour experience compared to a guide who did a basic three-hour city walking tour. balyasny aum TRAVEL PROTECTION PROGRAM. Outdoor Activities If outdoor fun is your thing, the Carnival Dream offers a near endless array of ways to fill both day and night with fun. The cost is $13.50 per person, per day for guests in Grill Class suites.