Royal Caribbean's FAQ says the 18 percent gratuity is optional
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Royal Caribbean’s gratuity FAQ, read 23 Oct 2026, says the 18 percent on drinks, dining, room service, and the minibar is optional. You can ask Guest Relations to adjust it or remove it. Do that before the morning you get off the ship. After the sailing ends, the page says you cannot.
The daily rates on that same page are unchanged. A suite is $21.00 per guest, per day. Every other stateroom is $18.50. This is the FAQ wording, plus a booking-flow disclosure in a 21 Oct decision summary. No Royal Caribbean press release for it turned up in this check.
The photo on this page is the lead image on Royal Caribbean Blog’s 19 Oct post. It shows a cocktail bar along a promenade. The image file does not name a photographer or a ship. The article text retrieved for this check did not include a caption credit.
What the FAQ says you can change
The policy page opens with two sentences. “Gratuities are optional. Guests may adjust or remove them entirely at their sole discretion, as described below.”
It then adds a percent to some purchases.
| Purchase | Added |
|---|---|
| Beverages and beverage packages | 18 percent |
| Specialty dining and specialty dining packages | 18 percent |
| Room service and the minibar | 18 percent |
| Spa and salon | 20 percent |
The next sentence is the one to keep. “These gratuities are optional and may be adjusted or removed at the guest’s sole discretion.”
The how-to is the sentence after that. “Guests may modify or remove any gratuity by visiting the Guest Relations desk onboard at any time prior to the morning of disembarkation. Modifications cannot be made once the sailing has ended.”
That “any gratuity” line is the page’s. It sits under both the daily amount and the percent charges. If you are in a group booking, the page says to check with the group leader or the travel agent.
A footnote says the daily amounts do not apply where the law prohibits them. The beverage-package FAQ has the same kind of legal limit on the 18 percent.
Modified on one page, removed on the other
The beverage-package FAQ, read 23 Oct, says the gratuity is included. An 18 percent gratuity is added to a beverage package. That covers a purchase before the cruise or onboard. The law footnote is there too.
Its other footnote says this. “Gratuities are optional and 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.”
The verb on that page is modified. The policy page says adjusted or removed. The beverage FAQ does not use the word removed. The deadline matches. The action word does not.
The daily amount is the same
If you did not prepay, the policy page adds this to the SeaPass account.
| Stateroom | Per guest, per day |
|---|---|
| Any suite | $21.00 |
| Every other category | $18.50 |
Royal Caribbean gratuity rates are unchanged, published 22 Oct, recorded these same rates and these same FAQ sentences. Use that post for the longer rate check. It also covers a 19 Oct message, written like an announcement, that the line did not send.
Royal Caribbean Blog, Elizabeth Wright, updated 19 Oct, is the report with a spokesperson. Influencers had said the FAQ moved drinks and dining to 20 percent. The spokesperson said there has been no change to the rates. The blog quotes this. “We recently identified an error in an FAQ that incorrectly stated gratuity information. To clarify, there has been no change to our gratuity rates.” The next sentence in that quote says, “Gratuities for beverages and dining remain at 18% as previously communicated. The FAQ has been corrected, and we apologize for any confusion this error may have caused.”
The policy page read on 23 Oct shows 18 percent on drinks, dining, room service, and the minibar. It shows 20 percent on the spa and salon. The spokesperson quote in that article does not mention the spa percent. The quote is one outlet. The rates you can check yourself are on the policy page.
What the 21 Oct decision summary says
BBB National Programs published a National Advertising Division summary dated 21 Oct 2026. The case line on the page is NAD Case #7561, Royal Caribbean Group. The full decision text is in a paid archive. This post uses the public summary.
The summary says Royal Caribbean modified its online booking flow during the inquiry. The sentence to quote is this. “During the inquiry, Royal Caribbean modified its online booking flow to clearly and conspicuously disclose that gratuities are optional, that customers may choose whether to prepay them, and that they may modify or remove gratuities at any time prior to disembarkation.”
NAD said that modified advertising is supported. It also recommended two further lines, so the optional wording is clear in the learn-more tab and on the final checkout page.
The advertiser statement, as the summary prints it, is two fragments. Royal Caribbean “thanks NAD for its careful review” and “has implemented NAD’s recommendations.”
This check did not open a live booking screen, a learn-more tab, or a checkout page. The summary is the source for those steps. No Royal Caribbean newsroom post was found for it. The summary does not print $18.50, $21.00, 18 percent, or 20 percent.
The summary’s clock is prior to disembarkation. The FAQ’s clock is prior to the morning of disembarkation. The FAQ also says you cannot make the change once the sailing has ended. On the ship, use the FAQ.
What no source answers
No page checked here says what you get back. That gap covers the 18 percent on a beverage package or a dining package you already paid for. The pages do not name a card refund. They do not name an onboard credit. Ask the desk before the last morning.
No page checked here dates the first day the 18 percent could come off. The NAD summary describes a disclosure in the booking flow. The FAQ is the wording you can read on 23 Oct 2026. A 22 Oct post on this site already recorded that FAQ. The open point is whether the option was newly stated. The other reading is that it already existed, and the pages state it. No source here settles that.
The crew pool, in the line’s words
The policy page says gratuities that are collected are pooled and applied toward the compensation of onboard crew. The list includes dining, bar and culinary staff, stateroom attendants, and hotel services. Crew rely on what is collected. The same page says the charge is optional.
What to do
Go to the Guest Relations desk onboard. Do it before the morning of disembarkation. The FAQ says modifications cannot be made once the sailing has ended.
If you already paid for the package, ask the desk about the 18 percent. Ask whether it returns to the card or as onboard credit. Neither the FAQ nor the NAD summary says. If you are in a group, start with the group leader or the travel agent.
The daily amount is still $18.50, or $21.00 in a suite. Drinks, specialty dining, room service, and the minibar are still 18 percent on the policy page. The spa and salon are still 20 percent.
More Royal Caribbean reporting is on the Royal Caribbean news hub. The line page is Royal Caribbean.
Related stories
Questions
- Can you remove the 18 percent on a Royal Caribbean drink or dining charge?
- The gratuity policy page, read 23 Oct 2026, says an 18 percent gratuity is added to beverages and beverage packages, specialty dining and specialty dining packages, room service, and minibar purchases. It says those gratuities are optional and may be adjusted or removed at your discretion. You may modify or remove any gratuity at the Guest Relations desk onboard at any time before the morning of disembarkation. The page says modifications cannot be made once the sailing has ended. The beverage-package FAQ, read the same day, says the 18 percent may be modified at that desk. It does not say removed.
- Did Royal Caribbean change the daily gratuity rate?
- No. The policy page, read 23 Oct 2026, still lists $21.00 per guest, per day, in any suite, and $18.50 per guest, per day, in every other stateroom, if you did not prepay. A footnote says the amounts do not apply where the law prohibits them. Royal Caribbean Blog on 19 Oct quotes a spokesperson who said there has been no change to gratuity rates, and that an FAQ error showing the wrong percent was corrected. Beverage and dining gratuities remain 18 percent in that quote. The policy page matches the 18 percent line.
- What did the National Advertising Division say on 21 Oct 2026?
- BBB National Programs' public summary, datelined 21 Oct 2026, is NAD Case #7561. It says that during the inquiry Royal Caribbean modified its online booking flow to disclose that gratuities are optional, that you may choose whether to prepay them, and that you may modify or remove them at any time prior to disembarkation. NAD said that modified advertising is supported. It also recommended a clear optional line in the learn-more tab and on the final checkout page. Royal Caribbean's statement in the summary says it has implemented NAD's recommendations. No Royal Caribbean press release was found for it. The full decision text is in a paid archive.
- Does a prepaid package gratuity come back to your card?
- No source checked for this post says whether removing the 18 percent on a beverage package or a dining package you already paid for is refunded to the card or posted as onboard credit. Ask Guest Relations before the morning of disembarkation. The policy page says you cannot make the change once the sailing has ended.
Sources
Tier 1 = the cruise line’s own published material · Tier 2 = an established cruise-news outlet- TIER 1Royal Caribbean gratuity policy page, read 23 Oct 2026: Gratuities are optional. Guests may adjust or remove them entirely at their sole discretion, as described below. If you do not prepay, a daily amount posts to the SeaPass account: $21.00 USD per guest, per day, in any suite, and $18.50 USD per guest, per day, in all other stateroom categories. A footnote says the amounts are not applicable wherever expressly prohibited by law. Gratuities collected are pooled and applied toward the compensation of onboard crew, including dining, bar and culinary services staff, stateroom attendants, hotel services teams, and others. An 18 percent gratuity is added to beverages and beverage packages, specialty dining and specialty dining packages, room service, and minibar purchases. A 20 percent gratuity is added to spa and salon services. The page then says: These gratuities are optional and may be adjusted or removed at the guest's sole discretion. Guests may modify or remove any gratuity by visiting the Guest Relations desk onboard at any time prior to the morning of disembarkation. Modifications cannot be made once the sailing has ended. Guests in a group should check with the group leader or travel agent. The page does not say the rates changed, and it does not say whether a removed package gratuity returns to the card or as onboard credit. The page image is Oasis of the Seas at Labadee. This story does not use that image.
Royal Caribbean, checked 23 Oct 2026 · Load-bearing FAQ. The 18 percent and 20 percent lines, the optional sentence, the Guest Relations window, and the daily rates are this page. It is an FAQ, not a newsroom post. - TIER 1Royal Caribbean beverage-package FAQ, read 23 Oct 2026: except where prohibited by law, an 18 percent gratuity is automatically added to the pre-cruise or onboard purchase of a beverage package. The footnote says gratuities are optional and 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. The footnote does not say adjusted or removed. The page does not say whether a modified package gratuity returns to the card or as onboard credit.
Royal Caribbean, checked 23 Oct 2026 · Agrees with the policy page on 18 percent for a beverage package and on the Guest Relations deadline. The verb here is modified. The policy page says adjusted or removed. - TIER 1BBB National Programs, National Advertising Division decision summary, NAD Case #7561, Royal Caribbean Group, public page read 23 Oct 2026. The visible dateline is McLean, Virginia, 21 Oct 2026. The page says NAD's routine monitoring found that Royal Caribbean Group's voluntarily modified advertising is supported, and recommended further changes to disclosures about optional pre-payment of gratuities. During the inquiry, Royal Caribbean modified its online booking flow to clearly and conspicuously disclose that gratuities are optional, that customers may choose whether to prepay them, and that they may modify or remove gratuities at any time prior to disembarkation. NAD said the booking flow highlights the lead price and discloses that gratuities are optional. NAD recommended that Royal Caribbean modify the gratuities information in the learn-more tab to disclose that gratuities are optional, and disclose that gratuities are optional on the final checkout page. The advertiser statement, as printed, says Royal Caribbean thanks NAD for its careful review and has implemented NAD's recommendations. The page says the release may not be used for promotional purposes, and that the full NAD text is in a subscription archive. The page does not print $18.50, $21.00, 18 percent, or 20 percent. It does not say a removed charge returns to the card or as onboard credit. It does not use the words morning of disembarkation. The lead image is the NAD case-decisions graphic. This story does not use that graphic.
BBB National Programs, checked 21 Oct 2026 · Primary decision summary. It describes a booking-flow disclosure. It is not a Royal Caribbean press release. This check did not open a live checkout page. - TIER 2Royal Caribbean Blog, Elizabeth Wright, updated 19 Oct 2026, article text retrieved 23 Oct 2026: the headline says Royal Caribbean has not increased drink gratuities to 20 percent. The article says influencers claimed the FAQ had moved beverages, beverage packages, specialty dining, dining packages, room service, and minibar to 20 percent, and that the new language made that charge optional. A Royal Caribbean spokesperson told the blog: We recently identified an error in an FAQ that incorrectly stated gratuity information. To clarify, there has been no change to our gratuity rates. Gratuities for beverages and dining remain at 18 percent as previously communicated. The FAQ has been corrected, and we apologize for any confusion this error may have caused. The article also prints the daily rates as of October 2026: $21.00 per guest per day for suites and $18.50 for standard cabins. The spokesperson quote does not mention spa or salon. The lead image is a promenade cocktail bar. The retrieved article text does not name a photographer or a ship for that photo.
Royal Caribbean Blog, checked 19 Oct 2026 · Only source here for the spokesperson. A direct HTML request returned 403. The quotes are from the article text retrieved the same day. The hero is this post's lead image.
Prices and policies move. This page was last checked on Oct 23, 2026, 5:20 PM ET.