Are tips mandatory on Royal Caribbean?

No additional tipping is required on a Royal Caribbean cruise after paying gratuities, although certain purchases will come with a service charge. Drinks, specialty dining, mini bar items, and spa and salon purchases come with an 18% gratuity added on top of the listed price.



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In the unlikely event that a guest onboard being charged the daily automatic gratuity does not receive satisfactory service, the guest may request to modify the daily amount at their discretion by visiting Guest Services onboard and will be able to do so until the morning of their departure.

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On most cruise lines, you can refuse to pay or opt out of the automatically charged gratuities.

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In the unlikely event that a guest onboard being charged the daily automatic gratuity does not receive satisfactory service, the guest may request to modify the daily amount at their discretion by visiting Guest Services onboard and will be able to do so until the morning of their departure.

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If you opt not to prepay gratuities, your SeaPass account will be charged $16 or $18.50 each day of your cruise.

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If you do not prepay cruise gratuities before sailing, the cruise line will add them to your onboard bill. The cruise line will then charge your credit card for the gratuity amount at the end of the sailing – along with other purchases you made with your cruise card (drinks, souvenirs, spa treatments, tours, etc.).

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Gratuities aren't mandatory on cruises, however they are widely expected and built into the price structure on most major cruise lines. It's a bit like when you go to a restaurant and you are expected to give a tip to your servers.

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As mentioned above, not all members of the ship staff receive a share of the gratuities paid by passengers. Bartenders, main show entertainers and third-party shop employees are some of the more obvious ones, but they're not the only ones.

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Are gratuities included in the Royal Caribbean beverage package cost? For most sailings, beverage package gratuities of 18% are added at final checkout and not included in the initial cost. If desired, guests may pay additional gratuities once onboard.

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Again, cash might be the only thing they will take, and in most of the Caribbean you can tip in U.S. currency. As a side note, it can be nice to have some cash on your cruise so you can also tip people like street performers while in port.

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If you buy a drink package on either cruise line, you pay an 18% gratuity that goes into the pool for all bar staff. The same applies when you buy an individual drink. If, however, you hand a specific bartender an added tip, they either keep it or share it with their coworkers at that bar.

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If you plan to remove tips from your onboard bill, you will need to plan in advance to bring enough cash for personal tipping, then wait in a potentially long line at the guest services desk to remove the auto-gratuities and chase down all the crew members you wish to thank on the last evening.

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If your cruise steward goes above and beyond, a cash tip at the end of your stay to show your appreciation. We recommend tipping your cruise steward $3-5 per person daily.

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Many people tip cabin attendants $10 per day, or $50 to 100 as a lump sum either at the start or end of the cruise. Of course, some people choose not to tip any extra, and are still happy with the service they receive.

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For bartenders and housekeepers, you may also want to offer a generous tip at the beginning of the cruise (again, $20 or more, depending on your needs) to ensure great service while on board.

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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. You can, of course, increase that amount based on your experience on the excursion.

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Regardless of what you do, you should not wait until boarding the ship to purchase any add-ons. Even though Royal Caribbean frequently offers a buy one get one 50% sale for the Deluxe Beverage Package on the ship, you will almost certainly end up paying more than if you purchased it in advance.

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Guests may also bring non-alcoholic beverages as carry-on items on boarding day. Non-alcoholic beverages may not exceed 12 standard (17 oz.) cans, bottles or cartons per stateroom. Milk and distilled water brought on for infant, medical, or dietary use are permitted.

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