Royal
Caribbean International passengers can expect slightly higher costs on
their next voyage, as the cruise line has announced it will raise its gratuity
rates next month.
Starting November
1, 2024, guests will see a daily increase in the recommended crew gratuities,
which are automatically added to their onboard accounts.
Guests in suites
will pay $21 per person, per day, up slightly from the current rate of $20.50. For
passengers in other cabin categories, the daily gratuity will rise from $18 to
$18.50.
Although the changes
will take effect on November 1, guests who make their reservations and pre-pay
their gratuities ahead of time can lock in the current rate, the cruise company
told USA
Today.
While Royal Caribbean
automatically adds gratuities to passengers’ onboard accounts, guests are able
to adjust them up or down prior to disembarking. These funds, collected by the
cruise line, are pooled and then “distributed to crew members, including
dining, bar and culinary services staff, stateroom attendants, hotel services
teams as well as others onboard who work to enhance the overall cruise
experience,” per the company’s website.
CEO of Harr
Travel, Danny Genung, explained that cruise lines often adjust gratuity rates
in response to external factors, such as inflation and rising costs across the
hospitality industry.
“You look at the
cost of hotels and transportation, fuel and food and everything else, and I
think it's really just a normal response,” Genung told USA Today last autumn. “You
know, compensating employees, offsetting costs that have increased.”
Royal Caribbean
also raised gratuity rates last November, increasing costs from $18.50 to
$20.50 for suites and $16 to $18.50 for standard cabins.
Another major
cruise line, Princess
Cruises also recently increased
its crew appreciation charges, having implemented its new rates beginning
in August of this year.
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