Royal Caribbean gratuity rates are unchanged. You can still adjust them.
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Royal Caribbean’s gratuity rates, on the policy page read 22 Oct 2026, are the rates already published. A social post dated 19 Oct that says you can no longer take the daily charge off is not the line’s policy.
Royal Caribbean Blog, Elizabeth Wright, updated 21 Oct, says that post was written to look like an announcement and that it is not from the cruise line. The policy page still tells you how to change the charge.
The photo on this page is the image on that policy page, Oasis of the Seas at Labadee. It is not a picture of a bill, and it is not the fake announcement.
What you can still change onboard
The policy page says gratuities are optional. You may modify or remove any gratuity at the Guest Relations desk onboard, at any time before the morning of disembarkation. After the sailing ends, you cannot.
The blog says that sentence covers the daily charge and the service charges on drinks, the spa, and specialty dining. The policy page itself says “any gratuity,” and it says the 18 percent and 20 percent charges on purchases may be adjusted or removed at your discretion.
If you are in a group booking, the page says to check with the group leader or the travel agent. That line is the limit on the do-it-yourself rule.
The daily amount
If you did not prepay, the page adds a daily amount to the SeaPass account.
| Stateroom | Per guest, per day |
|---|---|
| Any suite | $21.00 |
| Every other category | $18.50 |
A footnote says those amounts do not apply where the law prohibits them.
The blog’s seven-night example for four people is $518 in a standard cabin and $588 in a suite. Those totals match the table. Four times $18.50 times seven is $518. Four times $21 times seven is $588. The blog also says the suite costs an additional $68. The two totals are $70 apart. Use $518 and $588, or multiply the daily rate. Do not use $68.
The blog says the daily rates have not changed since November 2024. The policy page does not print that date. The date is the blog’s.
Drinks, dining, and the spa
The policy page 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 beverage-package FAQ, read the same day, says an 18 percent gratuity is added to a beverage package except where the law prohibits it, and that you may modify it at Guest Relations before the morning you get off. That FAQ says “modified.” The policy page says the purchase gratuities may be adjusted or removed.
A Royal Caribbean spokesperson told Royal Caribbean Blog that an FAQ had stated gratuity information incorrectly, that the FAQ has been corrected, and that beverage and dining gratuities remain at 18 percent. The spokesperson said there has been no change to the rates. The policy page read on 22 Oct matches the 18 percent line. It also still shows 20 percent for the spa and salon. The blog’s account of the spokesperson does not mention the spa percent.
Prepaid gratuities, before you sail
The prepaid FAQ, read 22 Oct, is shorter than its title. If you already added prepaid gratuities and have questions, you sign in, open Manage Reservation, and go to Add Ons. The page does not say that screen removes the charge.
The removal sentence you can act on is the one on the policy page, at Guest Relations, before the morning you get off.
What this means on your bill
Use the policy page, not a screenshot of a 19 Oct announcement. The daily charge is still $18.50, or $21 in a suite. Drinks and specialty dining are still 18 percent. The spa and salon are still 20 percent. You can still ask Guest Relations to modify or remove a gratuity before the morning of disembarkation.
If a page you opened last week said 20 percent on drinks, the spokesperson’s statement to Royal Caribbean Blog is that the FAQ was wrong and has been corrected. The page checked for this post shows 18 percent on drinks and dining.
An older guide on this site, Royal Caribbean Raised Gratuities Again, says the 18 percent charge covers bar and spa. The policy page read 22 Oct puts drinks at 18 percent and spa and salon at 20 percent. Use the policy page for that split. The daily $18.50 and $21 amounts in the guide match the page.
More Royal Caribbean reporting is on the news hub. The line page is Royal Caribbean.
Related stories
Questions
- Did Royal Caribbean stop letting guests remove daily gratuities?
- No. The gratuity policy page, read 22 Oct 2026, says you may modify or remove any gratuity at the Guest Relations desk onboard at any time before the morning of disembarkation. You cannot change them after the sailing has ended. Royal Caribbean Blog on 21 Oct says a message dated 19 Oct, written like a cruise-line announcement, claimed the opposite for sailings from 19 Oct. The blog says that message is not from Royal Caribbean.
- What does Royal Caribbean charge for daily gratuities?
- The policy page, read 22 Oct 2026, says $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. The amounts do not apply where the law prohibits them. Royal Caribbean Blog says those rates have not changed since November 2024. That date is the blog's. It is not printed on the policy page.
- What percent does Royal Caribbean add to drinks, dining, and the spa?
- The policy page says 18 percent for beverages and beverage packages, specialty dining and specialty dining packages, room service, and minibar purchases, and 20 percent for spa and salon services. It says those gratuities are optional and may be adjusted or removed at Guest Relations before the morning of disembarkation. A spokesperson told Royal Caribbean Blog that an FAQ had stated gratuity information incorrectly, that the FAQ was corrected, and that beverage and dining gratuities remain 18 percent. The beverage-package FAQ, read the same day, also says 18 percent.
- Can you take prepaid gratuities off a booking before you sail?
- The prepaid-gratuity FAQ, read 22 Oct 2026, says that if you already added prepaid gratuities and have questions, you sign in to your guest account, open Manage Reservation, and go to Add Ons. That page does not say the Add Ons screen removes the charge. The onboard removal rule is the policy page: Guest Relations, before the morning you get off.
Sources
Tier 1 = the cruise line’s own published material · Tier 2 = an established cruise-news outlet- TIER 1Royal Caribbean gratuity policy page, read 22 Oct 2026: gratuities are optional, and guests may adjust or remove them at their sole discretion as the page describes. 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 are pooled for onboard crew, including dining, bar, culinary, stateroom attendants, and hotel services. 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. Those purchase gratuities are optional and may be adjusted or removed at the guest's sole discretion. Guests may modify or remove any gratuity at 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 in October 2026, and it does not mention a fake announcement. The page image is Oasis of the Seas at Labadee.
Royal Caribbean, checked 22 Oct 2026 · Load-bearing policy. The daily rates, the 18 percent and 20 percent lines, and the Guest Relations window are this page. - TIER 1Royal Caribbean beverage-package FAQ, read 22 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. Gratuities are optional and may be modified at the guest's sole discretion at the Guest Relations desk onboard at any time prior to the morning of disembarkation.
Royal Caribbean, checked 22 Oct 2026 · Agrees with the policy page on 18 percent for a beverage package. This FAQ says modified. The policy page says adjusted or removed. - TIER 1Royal Caribbean prepaid-gratuity FAQ, read 22 Oct 2026: if you have already added prepaid gratuities and have questions, sign in to the guest account, select Manage Reservation, and go to the Add Ons section. The page does not say that path deletes the prepaid charge, and it does not print a dollar amount.
Royal Caribbean, checked 22 Oct 2026 · The page title asks whether you can remove prepaid gratuities. The answer, as read this day, sends you to Add Ons and does not state a removal. - TIER 2Royal Caribbean Blog, Elizabeth Wright, updated 21 Oct 2026: a fake press release dated 19 Oct 2026 has circulated on social media, claiming that daily gratuity charges can no longer be removed or adjusted at Guest Services, effective for sailings departing on or after 19 Oct 2026. The blog says the announcement is not legitimate. It quotes the policy page: guests may modify or remove any gratuity at Guest Relations onboard at any time prior to the morning of disembarkation, and modifications cannot be made once the sailing has ended. The blog says that wording applies to daily gratuities and to service charges on beverages, spa treatments, and specialty dining. Daily rates as of October 2026 are $21.00 per guest per day for suites and $18.50 for standard cabins, unchanged since November 2024. A family of four in a standard cabin on a seven-night cruise pays $518. The same family in a suite pays $588. The blog also prints an additional $68 between those two totals. Service charges are 18 percent for beverages and beverage packages, specialty dining and specialty dining packages, room service, and minibar, and 20 percent for spa and salon. A Royal Caribbean spokesperson told the blog there has been no change to gratuity rates, that an FAQ error incorrectly stated gratuity information, that the FAQ has been corrected, and that gratuities for beverages and dining remain at 18 percent as previously communicated.
Royal Caribbean Blog, checked 21 Oct 2026 · Source for the fake announcement and for the spokesperson. The $518 and $588 totals match the daily rates on the policy page. The $68 gap does not. $588 minus $518 is $70. The November 2024 line is this article's. The hero on the blog is an image of the fake announcement. This story does not use that image.
Prices and policies move. This page was last checked on Oct 22, 2026, 8:10 AM ET.