Frequent Royal Caribbean Cruiser Shares a Key Beverage Hack

Here's how to get the most out of Royal Caribbean's Deluxe Beverage Package (or Prime Casino Royale free drinks in the casino).

For many cruise passengers, bars play a pretty large role in their experiences. 

People associate umbrella drinks and colorful tropical concoctions with cruising, and fancy-looking martinis have become a nighttime staple at sea.

Royal Caribbean (RCL) - Get Free Report has certainly embraced this trend by not only putting bars pretty much everywhere on its ships but also adding new concepts to make those bars stand out. 

You might grab a bacon-topped-Manhattan at the brand new Mason Jar on Wonder of the Seas, try a tequila flight at Sabor on the handful of ships that offer that Mexican concept, or sip a frozen drink at the cruise line's Lime & Coconut pool bars, which are dotted around its pool decks.

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To take advantage of the many bar concepts available across the Royal Caribbean fleet, many passengers opt for the Deluxe Beverage Package, a true all-you-can-drink offer. For a set price each night of your cruise -- the price for the package varies -- you get unlimited drinks for any beverage costing up to $14.

That's pretty much every drink because aside from some high-end spirits and glasses of wine, along with novelties like drinks served in a pineapple, $14 is generally the top menu price. Once people pay for the package, however, they generally want to make the best use of it.

In many cases, that means trying a lot of drinks in many different bars. That's certainly the approach I take when I cruise with the drink package. 

But there's one major hack I use to ensure I'm rarely sitting with an empty glass when I'd prefer to have a full one.

Here Is My Royal Caribbean Drink Hack

Royal Caribbean cruise ships have been sailing at nearly 100% capacity for the past few months. That's a major contrast to the early days of the return to sailing after the cruise line's 15-month covid shutdown. 

On some of those first cruises back, when capacities were severely limited, the ratio of bartenders to passengers who wanted a drink often felt like roughly 1-to-1.

That's certainly not the case now, as most bars are crowded and bartenders are generally very busy. That's why I tip liberally and make an effort to make a human connection with the people making my drinks. 

Technically, tips are not required when you get the deluxe beverage package (because you paid an 18% gratuity) or if you have free drinks the ship's casino because you have Prime status or higher. 

The bartenders appreciate tips, however, and I follow a very specific regimen that rarely fails to get me noticed, even at a crowded bar. 

First, on day one I pick a few bars I'm going to frequent. That usually means the Solarium Bar near the adults-only pool, the British pub (where I like to listen to the acoustic guitarist) and the casino bar.

In all three cases, I go to the bar early -- before they get busy -- and say hello to the bartender(s), order a drink, ask some questions about them, and tip a $20 bill. 

I'm genuinely interested in the human-connection piece of it and want to strike up a friendship, even if it's only a casual one. The tip helps, of course, but it's also important to build a real relationship and treat the person making your drink like a human being. Doing this has led me to some lovely friendships.

After that first interaction, I always make time to say hello, even if it's just a nod of acknowledgement, and I back that original tip with at least $1 on most drinks. (At the pool, I'll often just drop by later with a $5 bill because I don't carry cash when I'm in a bathing suit.)

At the casino, where my Prime status gets me free drinks even when I don't have the all-in drink package, I tip on every drink and am more generous when I'm winning.

The casino bar is often the busiest bar on the ship; that's because a lot of people have reached Prime status to earn free drinks, which can be used only at the casino bar. Since there's no fee and the gratuity on free Prime drinks isn't mandatory, I'm more generous there because there's no built-in tip.

Bartenders onboard genuinely do their best to serve everyone, but being a known friendly face ensures that you don't get lost in the crowd, And while it will cost you some money on top of an already pricey package, that's an easy cost to bear when you know your money is going to someone you actually get to know a little.

Related Articles:

• When Should You Buy Royal Caribbean's Deluxe Beverage Package?
• How Do You Earn Prime (and Free Drinks) in Royal Caribbean's Casino Royale