A London-based cruise guest added up what five nights on Royal Caribbean had cost him in tips alone, counting the daily charge applied to every guest in his party and the percentage tacked onto the drinks package, and arrived at a figure near $600. On the final night, he says, an envelope appeared in his stateroom inviting him to give more.
All Cruising & Travel (@allcruising), a U.K. creator whose channel covers cruise and travel topics, laid out the maths in a one-minute, 12-second video posted on 23 July. It has drawn more than 268,600 views.
The figures he cited do represent a significant upcharge.
“You have to pay $19 a day per person in tips, so we’ve paid about $400 in tips,” he says. “We bought the drinks package, and that was a further $160. So on a five-night cruise, right, a five-night cruise, I have paid near enough $600 in tips.”
Then came the envelope. “On the last night, they leave you an envelope. They want more tips,” he says. “More than the $600 tips. $600 tips I’ve just paid.” His verdict on the arrangement closes the video: “No Royal Caribbean, no.”
Royal Caribbean’s published gratuity policy sets the automatic daily charge at “$21.00 USD per guest, per day” for anyone in a suite and “$18.50 USD per guest, per day” for all other stateroom categories, applied to the onboard account daily.
The drinks package charge he mentions is a separate layer. The same policy adds an 18% gratuity to “all pre-cruise and onboard purchases of beverages and beverage packages, specialty dining and specialty dining packages, room service and mini bar purchases,” with spa and salon purchases carrying 20%. A large enough beverage package will therefore generate a three-figure gratuity on its own before the daily charge is counted.
The thread beneath the video debated where the money goes, with people claiming inside knowledge on both sides. “Ex crew here, please don’t pay the auto tip,” wrote Charlie Brown. “We never ever see it. Please just give us cash for those who look after you.” A commenter posting as HeatherS put it more starkly: “They use the auto tips to pay the staff wages, not as tips.”
Others pushed back on this. “Not true at all, 100 per cent goes directly to the crew members,” wrote Jane, who said she works in the industry. Two more commenters answered the claim with two words: “We do.”
Royal Caribbean’s policy might give more ammo to the tipping skeptics. “Consistent with standard hospitality practice, gratuities collected are pooled and applied toward the compensation of onboard crew members,” the policy reads, listing “dining, bar and culinary services staff, stateroom attendants, hotel services teams, and others who work to enhance the overall cruise experience.”
A second argument in the comments thread is also answered by Royal Caribbean’s policies.
One commenter said the automatic charge can be removed at guest services; another replied, “You can’t do that anymore.”
The policy says otherwise. “Gratuities may be modified at the guest’s sole discretion by visiting the Guest Relations desk onboard at any time prior to the morning of disembarkation,” Royal Caribbean states, adding that changes cannot be made once the sailing has ended.
Crew members in the comments were not uniformly in favour of guests opting out, because the pool covers people passengers never meet. “What about the kitchen staff, cleaning staff that you don’t see?” asked Ollie Gorman.
One commenter who appeared to be crew was blunter still, arguing that if every guest removed the charge on the assumption they would tip individually, the staff working behind the line would be the ones left short. Another wrote: “That’s my salary.”
Others questioned the whole model. “I am confused, why don’t they just pay their staff properly?” asked Flick, in what became one of the most-answered comments on the video.
The answer involves a workforce most passengers never think about the size of. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd told the Securities and Exchange Commission in its most recent annual report that it employs roughly 108,000 people, of whom about 96,500 are shipboard staff, every one of them listed as an international rather than a U.S.-based employee.
As of the end of last year, the company said, “Approximately 87% were covered by collective bargaining agreements.” Crew pay on a ship of this kind is a negotiated contract rather than an hourly rate topped up with tips.
BoardingArea reached out to All Cruising and Travel via TikTok direct message and to Royal Caribbean via email for comment. We’ll be sure to update this if either responds.
@allcruising #royalcaribbean #cruise #sealife ♬ original sound – ALL CRUISING & TRAVEL
So RCCL underpays large portions of their staff so if passengers decide to only tip reasonable amounts to the staff actually providing service the people being underpaid get burned? Not a fan of this system.