Royal Caribbean is quietly raising a key onboard fee

In the media industry, there’s a lot of thinking about when it’s best to release bad news. In the days of print newspapers, public relations companies tried to make sure that bad news on Fridays so they could be gone by Monday.

That logic no longer applies in the digital age, but there are still ways to hide bad news. One tactic is to release your bad news at the same time a rival has something much worse.

Related: Royal Caribbean shares scary update on Hurricane Milton

For example, if your CEO is fired for having an inappropriate relationship with another member of the C-Suite, he may release a press release when a competitor’s CEO has been arrested for murder. This is an extreme and unlikely scenario, but the basic logic holds.

No one will notice, for example, that you have a pimple if the person sitting next to you got a purple mohawk and a nose ring over the weekend.

Burying bad news can work, but it’s not always appropriate. That makes a recent decision by Royal Caribbean questionable. Yes, the timing was almost certainly set before we knew Hurricane Milton was going to happen, but in this case, a delay would have made a lot of sense.

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Waiters in the main dining room receive a portion of the daily gratuities.

Image Source: Nora Tam/South China Morning Post via Getty

Royal Caribbean is increasing its daily gratuities

Royal Caribbean, like most cruise lines, charges a daily gratuity for each passenger on board. These are added to your onboard account every day and shared among service workers, including waiters, bartenders, room managers and others behind the scenes that passengers don’t see.

You can technically reduce or eliminate those daily gratuities by going to guest services, but it’s considered bad form to do so. Royal Caribbean, as the cruise world prepares for Hurricane Milton, has quietly said it is increasing its daily gratuities.

“Beginning November 1, 2024, the cruise line will increase the daily gratuity rate by 50 cents per day, bringing the new rate for standard staterooms to $18.50 per person, up from $18, and suites to $21 per person, from $20.50. is the same amount for all passengers, regardless of age,” the Royal Caribbean blog first reported.

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It’s a small increase, but the previous increase in freebies was less than a year ago.

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Royal Caribbean could have pressed pause

Royal Caribbean shared the news of the price increase in a weekly newsletter sent to travel agents.

“For new bookings, the adjusted gratuity amounts are effective November 1, 2024. Guests who booked prior to November 1, 2024 may opt to add prepaid gratuities prior to departure to take advantage of current rates. On or after November 1, 2024, regardless of when the reservation was created, gratuities paid while on board are subject to the new increased rates,” the cruise line said.

Although this is a small increase, some passengers are already annoyed by the daily freebies. Many argue that this is just a way for cruise lines to advertise a lower price, passing some of the cost of paying their employees onto passengers.

If Royal Caribbean (or any other cruise line) were to simply add gratuities to their base fares, prices would increase significantly.

For most people booking a cruise. a few bucks here or there is no problem. Many people pay daily gratuities and extra tips for people who provide exceptional service.

It is customary to give additional tips to bartenders ($1-2 per drink), room managers, and waiters. It’s not necessary, but it’s appreciated.

READ ALSO: The best travel agents tell you how to get the best price on your cruise

Eliminating daily gratuities and “splitting them on your own” penalizes workers who do laundry and other non-passenger-oriented service work.

A request for comment from Royal Caribbean about the timing of the announcement was not immediately returned.

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