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Royal Caribbean Gratuities

The daily gratuity rate, the bar service charge, and how to prepay or adjust tips on aRoyal Caribbean cruise in 2026, verified against the official policy.

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On this page
  1. Daily rate
  2. Bar service charge
  3. Prepaid & adjusting
  4. FAQ

Quick answer

Royal Caribbean adds $18.50 per guest per day in automatic gratuities, rising to $21 in suites. You can prepay them before you sail, and adjust or remove them at guest services on board.

Daily gratuity rate

Standard stateroom

$18.50per guest / day

Suite

$21per guest / day

Royal Caribbean adds an automatic daily gratuity to each guest's SeaPass account: $18.50 per guest per day for standard staterooms (interior, oceanview, and balcony) and $21.00 per guest per day for suites. The pooled amount covers dining, bar, culinary, stateroom, and hotel crew. Beverage, specialty dining, room service, and mini-bar purchases carry a separate 18% gratuity, and spa and salon purchases carry 20%.

Bar service charge

18%on drinks

Royal Caribbean adds 18% automatically to bar and beverage purchases, on top of the daily gratuity.

Prepaying and adjusting

Can prepay before sailing
Yes
Can adjust or remove on board
Yes

If you do not prepay at booking, the daily gratuity is applied automatically each day. You may adjust it at Guest Relations any time before the morning of disembarkation. The daily gratuity does not cover beverages, dining upcharges, or spa, which carry their own service charges. Some promotional fares include prepaid gratuities as a perk.

Frequently asked questions

How much are gratuities on a Royal Caribbean cruise?
Royal Caribbean adds an automatic daily gratuity to each guest's SeaPass account: $18.50 per guest per day for standard staterooms (interior, oceanview, and balcony) and $21.00 per guest per day for suites. The pooled amount covers dining, bar, culinary, stateroom, and hotel crew. Beverage, specialty dining, room service, and mini-bar purchases carry a separate 18% gratuity, and spa and salon purchases carry 20%.
Can I remove or adjust gratuities on Royal Caribbean?
Yes. If you do not prepay at booking, the daily gratuity is applied automatically each day. You may adjust it at Guest Relations any time before the morning of disembarkation. The daily gratuity does not cover beverages, dining upcharges, or spa, which carry their own service charges. Some promotional fares include prepaid gratuities as a perk.
Can I prepay gratuities on Royal Caribbean?
Yes, you can prepay the daily gratuity before you sail. If you do not prepay at booking, the daily gratuity is applied automatically each day. You may adjust it at Guest Relations any time before the morning of disembarkation. The daily gratuity does not cover beverages, dining upcharges, or spa, which carry their own service charges. Some promotional fares include prepaid gratuities as a perk.
Does Royal Caribbean add a gratuity to drinks?
Yes. Royal Caribbean automatically adds a 18% service charge to bar and beverage purchases, separate from the daily gratuity.
Are gratuities included in the Royal Caribbean fare?
If you do not prepay at booking, the daily gratuity is applied automatically each day. You may adjust it at Guest Relations any time before the morning of disembarkation. The daily gratuity does not cover beverages, dining upcharges, or spa, which carry their own service charges. Some promotional fares include prepaid gratuities as a perk.

More on Royal Caribbean

Gratuities on other cruise lines

C
Caden Sorenson

Travel research publisher and senior staff engineer

Caden Sorenson runs Travel Vient, an independent travel research and tools site covering airline carry-on policies, packing lists, and head-to-head airline, cruise, and destination comparisons, with everything cited to primary sources. He's a senior staff engineer with 15+ years of experience building iOS apps, web platforms, and developer tools, and a Computer Science graduate from Utah State University. Based in Logan, Utah.

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Verified Jul 2026 against the official Royal Caribbean International service charge page. Cruise lines change gratuity rates without notice. Confirm with the line before you sail.