Service and tipping

Royal Caribbean's service is solid for its price category. Crewmembers are polite and professional, but guests should not expect anyone to remember their names.

Historically, officers were most often from Norway, but over time more and more hail from Britain, Germany, and farther afield.

Crewmembers are recruited from around the world, with particularly strong representation from Central and South America, the Caribbean, the Philippines, Indonesia, and India.

Gratuties / Tipping

Royal Caribbean recommends gratuities of $9.75 per day, per guest and offers an option for those who wish to have this charged to their onboard account (rather than tipping in cash). RCI allocates this as follows:

• Dining room waiter: $3.50 per day per guest
• Assistant waiter: $2.00 per day per guest
• Stateroom attendant: $3.50 per day per guest
• Head waiter (essentially the maitre d' for that section): $0.75 per day per guest

In addition to this, the following tips apply:

• 15% is added to bar bills, and there is a line inviting any additional gratuity
• specialty restaurant prices include gratuity, but there is a line on the bill for any additional amount
• room service tips "at your discretion"