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Many passengers, however, still like to leave extra tips for their stateroom attendant and dining room waiters at the end of the cruise. Some jobs might even allow you to shift your hours when you're traveling, getting up early or working late in order to take advantage of time in cruise ports with your family or friends. This can be especially beneficial when you're working around school vacations and taking your own job requirements into consideration. Even if you only end up having a few days at sea, that's plenty of time to find amazing adventures. Choosing your destination carefully is also a travel tip that can help your vacation feel more relaxing. Picking an itinerary with more chill time and less sightseeing makes a big difference.
Royal Caribbean Gratuities Breakdown
On September 7th, 2022, RCI's cruise gratuities were increased to US$16 (Junior Suites and below) while Grand Suite and above categories were charged US$18,50 pp per day. Instead of getting upset over a cold, rainy day in port, maintain a positive attitude. Find a cozy saloon to enjoy a warm Irish coffee, or bundle up in your rain gear and make the most of the day. Cheap cruises are never a guarantee, but one trend we have noticed in the past few years is that Alaska cruises in the shoulder season are often heavily discounted at the last minute. One of our favorite “tricks” when planning an Alaska cruise on Royal Caribbean is to take advantage of cheap last-minute sailings.
How Much to Tip Cruise Ship Officers
At the end of the cruise, Royal Caribbean charges the credit card linked to your account for everything purchased onboard throughout the trip — as well as gratuities. In addition to the daily gratuity, select onboard purchases are subject to extra service charges, such as alcoholic and select non-alcoholic beverages (including Royal Caribbean drink packages) and spa treatments. In short, port fees are fees charged by the ports of call to the cruise line, who then pass these fees on to passengers.
Reserve entertainment ahead of time, and stick to shows early in the week
Doing research will help you pack correctly, plan your travel logistics without any issues, and book that once-in-a-lifetime excursion you’ve dreamed about for years. Although the service comes with a small fee in addition to any airline baggage fees, it offers unparalleled convenience for travelers. One of my favorite Alaska cruise “hacks” is to utilize Seattle-Tacoma International Airport’s luggage valet service. Dinner in the Main Dining Room is a traditional part of any cruise experience, but think twice before selecting your dining time.
Regent Seven Seas Cruises
Since you might be served by different members of the same service teams, this automatic gratuity ensures fair distribution of the gratuity and appreciation. You can opt into prepaying gratuities at any time, up to 48 hours prior to your sail date. Every so often, Royal Caribbean adjusts the gratuity rate, but if you have opted to prepay, you will be grandfathered into the old rate.
Included cruise tips as a booking perk
The gratuities on Royal Caribbean Cruises are automatically added to the SeaPass account of the guests if they have not been pre-paid prior to boarding. You can get the gratuity charges added to your daily bill onboard the ship or you can choose to prepay it while booking the cruise. Think of the daily gratuity charge as a tip for the work that crew members do throughout the day and night during your cruise vacation. Guests must pay a set amount per person, per day for daily gratuities, with the amount based on the stateroom type. Today, a family of four in a balcony cabin on a 7-night cruise will pay $504 in gratuities, whereas the same family in a suite will pay $574.
Learn About Credit Cards
I've had bartenders who recognize me after two or three visits and remember my go-to drink order throughout the sailing. If, for example, the online Cruise Planner is advertising the daily rate of the Deluxe Beverage Package at $75.99, you'll have to multiply that by 18% (0.18) to get the actual cost. Thankfully, this means that you won't have to worry about tipping for each drink that you order. If you like to pay for your cruise monthly, then you can add the gratuities to your monthly payment. The breakdown of gratuities is carefully worked out to be fair for all crew members. If you tip individuals instead, you may be doing a disservice to staff members who you haven’t met personally, such as the kitchen staff or cleaners.
2024 Royal Caribbean Drink Package Prices, Tips, Pros & Cons - Royal Caribbean Blog
2024 Royal Caribbean Drink Package Prices, Tips, Pros & Cons.
Posted: Thu, 08 Feb 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]
Alaska, for instance, is known for having more expensive docking fees than The Bahamas or Europe. In short, gratuities should not be viewed as an optional extra, but more as a required service fee, which ensures fare wages for the hardworking cruise crew. Accordingly, when planning your cruise vacation budget, be sure to factor in the estimated cost of gratuities for the duration of your sailing.
It also doesn't matter which ship you're on, as gratuities onboard the brand-new Icon of the Seas will be the same price as those on Enchantment of the Seas, a Vision Class vessel that launched in 1997. 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’. Your positive feedback will go on their permanent file, which can help them to get promotions and pay rises. You may also wish to give some cash to porters who help with your luggage outside of the ship, particularly if you start your cruise in the United States where this is customary. Some people like to give gifts such as chocolates or wine to the crew members.
If you don’t have a credit card, then you’ll need to link a debit card to your onboard account, or deposit cash. At the end of your cruise, you’ll receive an envelope that you can use to give extra cash tips if you wish. During your cruise check-in, you will establish your onboard SeaPass account, where all purchases and gratuities are tracked since cash is not used on cruise ships.
While cash is the most direct way to tip individual staff members, non-cash methods like credit cards usually can’t be used for this purpose. For additional tips on a Royal Caribbean cruise, U.S. dollars are generally preferred, but other major currencies are often accepted. If you want to add a couple of extra cash tips to your waiter or room attendant, you are free to do so, but it is no way expected. It’s customary and appreciated to tip guides and staff, especially if you’ve received exceptional service. When you choose to apply (and are approved) for a new credit card through our site, we may receive compensation from our partners, and this may impact how or where these products appear.
Check the tour’s cancellation policies—and whether or not they provide a guaranteed arrival back to port before your ship's departure—before booking. The key, no matter your circumstances, is being strategic — both in terms of using weekends and holidays to your advantage, as well as using your time wisely as you travel. Ready to try out these expert tips as told by Royal Caribbean’s crew members? Look for your next vacation and browse the cruises you have to choose from here. From seafood spots to Italian trattorias and Japanese sushi and hibachi, there’s a variety of food from around the world at your fingertips, hundreds of cocktails and wines, and even zero-proof drinks. Since many of the most memorable moments on vacation happen while breaking bread, we turned to Linken D’Souza, head of food and beverage, and Captain Sindre Borsheim for their favorite eats and top tips.
Royal Caribbean offers guests the choice of prepaying gratuities for select crew members on its ships. Unlike some cruise lines that have age limits for young passengers, everyone pays the daily gratuity amount on Royal Caribbean. On Royal Caribbean cruises, a standard gratuity fee of $16.00 per person, per day is charged, while guests staying in Grand Suites and higher categories pay $18.50 per person, per day. Still, some people do leave a little extra for crew members who go above and beyond. Others tip their room service or waitstaff at their favorite bar, either early in the cruise in the hope of getting better service or at the end to thank them for enhancing the vacation experience. How much to tip extra on a cruise is entirely up to you because it is in no way required.
Outside of clothing, there are other essentials you should pack for an Alaska cruise. While not required, bringing items like motion-sickness medication, binoculars, and cabin essentials like outlet adapters are helpful to have handy. One of my favorite aspects of cruising to Alaska is the pre-cruise stay in Seattle or Vancouver. Not only do both of these cities offer breathtaking natural scenery, but they boast an impressive amount of things to do within the city, too. At the end of the day, enjoying a vacation without taking time off is not as insurmountable a challenge as it may seem, particularly if you can strike a balance between relaxation and productivity.
If you have not yet booked excursions for your 2024 Alaska cruise, book them as soon as possible. How much time you can take off work depends not only on your company and the terms of your employment but also on the needs of your team and the demands of your job. If you're an accountant, taking unpaid time off might be a taller order in March than it is after tax day has passed. Likewise, if you work on a small team and have a colleague out on leave, you might not be able to take unpaid time off at all.
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