Mandatory cruise tips rise

Booked on a Royal Caribbean sailing next year? Brace yourself for higher daily fees.

Effective Jan. 2, the company is hiking the automatic staff gratuity it tacks onto final bills by more than seven per cent to $14.50 US per person, per day for passengers staying in most cabins. Passengers in suites will pay $17.50 US per person, per day.

With the increase, a family of four will pay more than $400 US in automatic gratuities on a typical seven-night cruise —one of the highest levies in the business. Among other major lines, Carnival adds $12.95 per person, per day in service charges to passenger bills. Princess Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Line add $13.50 and $13.99, respectively.

The increase is the third in three years at the line. As recently as the spring of 2015, Royal Caribbean’s gratuity fee was just $12.

Like other major cruise lines, Royal Caribbean has been pushing up its gratuity charges at a rapid rate in recent years. With the increase, the line’s gratuity fee will have jumped by nearly 21 per cent since May 2015. That’s more than five times the rate of inflation in the U.S. over the same period.

Royal Caribbean says customers with cruise reservations for 2018 can lock in the current, lower gratuity rates by pre-paying them before Jan. 2.

Royal Caribbean notes that passengers who are unhappy with the service they receive on ships can adjust the amount of daily gratuity posted to their accounts while on board by visiting the Guest Services desk.