Cruise Pricing Help

Royal Caribbean & Celebrity Cruise FAQ

Straight answers about cruise add-on and cabin pricing — drink packages, dining, Wi-Fi, excursions, fares, and the best time to buy — backed by the prices we track every day.

About Royal Price Tracker

What is Royal Price Tracker?
Royal Price Tracker is a free tool that monitors Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises prices every day — cabin fares and add-ons like drink packages, specialty dining, Wi-Fi, and shore excursions — and emails you the moment a price drops below your target so you can rebook at the lower rate. It's run by M&P Travel, a Royal Caribbean and Celebrity specialist agency, and is not affiliated with the cruise lines.
Is Royal Price Tracker free?
Yes — completely free for all Royal Caribbean and Celebrity guests, with no credit card required. Create a free account to set up alerts.
Is Royal Price Tracker legit and safe?
Yes. It's a real price-monitoring service run by M&P Travel and has sent over a million price-drop alerts. We never ask for payment or your cruise-line password — you only provide an email for alerts.
Is Royal Price Tracker affiliated with Royal Caribbean or Celebrity?
No. We're independent — not affiliated with, endorsed by, or operated by Royal Caribbean International or Celebrity Cruises. We track their publicly listed prices to help guests save.
How does it work?
Add the add-ons or cabin you want to watch and set a target price. We check prices daily and email you the moment one drops below your target. See our add-on price guide to explore current prices first.
Do I need an account?
No account is needed to browse price history, the add-on price guide, and ship and itinerary pages. You only need a free account to set up price-drop alerts for your sailing.

Using Royal Price Tracker

How do I know if an add-on or cabin is a good price?
When the current price of something you're tracking is the lowest we've recorded since we started tracking it, its dashboard card shows a "🔥 Lowest price yet" badge — an at-a-glance signal that it's a great time to buy. You can also open any item's price-history graph to see its full high, average, and low and judge where today's price sits.
How do I set a target price?
On any add-on or cabin you track, set a target price and we'll email you when the price drops below it. Prefer to hear about every decrease? Clear the target and we'll alert you on any drop.
Can I turn alerts on or off for cabins and add-ons separately?
Yes. In Settings you can toggle email alerts for add-ons and cabins independently — keep one on and the other off — or turn all email alerts off globally, without deleting anything you're tracking.
Can I change the price currency?
Yes — change it in Settings under Price Currency. It currently applies to add-on tracking (cabin currency support is being added), and switching currencies means re-adding your tracked add-ons so they price-check correctly in the new currency.
How often do you check prices, and how do alerts reach me?
We check Royal Caribbean and Celebrity prices once a day and email you the moment a tracked item drops below your target (or on any drop if you haven't set one). It's free — create an account to start.
How do I add a cabin or add-on to track?
From your dashboard, choose your ship and sail date, pick the add-on (drink package, dining, Wi-Fi, excursion) or cabin type, and optionally set a target price. We watch it daily and email you on a drop. Want to look first? Browse current prices in the add-on price guide.
Do I need a password to sign in?
No — you can sign in with just your email. We send a one-time magic link that logs you in, so there's no password to remember (you can use a password if you prefer).
Will I get too many emails?
No. You only hear from us when a price you're tracking actually drops, target prices keep alerts meaningful, you can toggle add-on and cabin alerts separately in Settings, and we cap how many alert emails you can get per day — so you're never flooded.
How do I stop tracking something?
Delete it from your dashboard anytime to stop its alerts, or turn off add-on or cabin alerts entirely in Settings without removing what you track.

Saving money & price drops

How much can I save?
It varies by sailing, but add-on prices like drink packages routinely swing 15–30% before a cruise, and cabin fares can drop hundreds of dollars. Catching a drop often saves $50–$300+ per item.
Can prices drop after I've already bought an add-on or booked a cabin?
Yes. Royal Caribbean and Celebrity price dynamically and run frequent pre-cruise sales, so the same package or fare can get cheaper later. Pre-cruise add-ons can usually be cancelled and rebooked at the lower price, and cabin drops can sometimes be repriced through your travel agent.
What should I do when I get a price-drop alert?
For an add-on (drink package, dining, Wi-Fi, excursion), cancel it in the Cruise Planner and rebook at the new lower price — the difference is refunded to your original payment. For a cabin fare drop, contact your travel agent or the cruise line to ask about repricing.
When is the best time to buy add-ons or book?
Buy add-ons during pre-cruise sale events rather than waiting for a fixed countdown, and never wait until you're onboard. The reliable way to catch a sale is to track the items you want and let us alert you when they dip.

Drink & beverage packages

What's the typical price of a Royal Caribbean drink package?
The Deluxe Beverage Package usually runs about $60–$100 per person, per day, and Celebrity's packages are similar — but it's set per sailing and changes daily. See the real recorded high, average, and low for your ship on our drink package prices page.
Is the Deluxe Beverage Package worth it?
It usually pays off at roughly 5–7+ drinks a day (cocktails, beer, wine, specialty coffee, sodas, and bottled water all count). Use our beverage package calculator to find your exact break-even.
When is the cheapest time to buy a drink package?
Prices are lowest during pre-cruise sales, not at a fixed number of days out, and pre-cruise always beats onboard. Watch the trend on the drink package prices page and buy when it dips.
Does everyone in the cabin have to buy the drink package?
Royal Caribbean and Celebrity generally require all adults (21+) in the same stateroom to buy the Deluxe Beverage Package if one does. Refreshment (non-alcoholic) packages don't have that rule.
What's the difference between the Deluxe and Refreshment packages?
The Deluxe Beverage Package covers alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks (cocktails, beer, wine, plus sodas, specialty coffee, and water) and is for guests 21+. The Refreshment Package is non-alcoholic only (sodas, mocktails, specialty coffee, juices, water) and is open to all ages.
Do kids need a drink package?
Kids don't need the adult Deluxe package (21+). For unlimited sodas, mocktails, and specialty drinks, the non-alcoholic Refreshment Package is available for children — or you can simply pay per drink.

Specialty dining

How much does the specialty dining package cost?
Dining packages vary by ship and number of nights, and individual specialty restaurants typically add about $30–$120 per person. See the real tracked prices for your sailing on our dining package prices page.
Is the specialty dining package worth it?
If you plan to eat at specialty restaurants more than once or twice, a multi-night package usually costs less per meal than booking each à la carte — and prices drop during pre-cruise sales, so it's worth tracking.

Wi-Fi & internet

How much does Royal Caribbean Wi-Fi (VOOM) cost?
VOOM internet typically runs about $20–$35 per device, per day, is cheaper pre-cruise than onboard, and has multi-device discounts. See real recorded prices for your ship on our internet package prices page.
Is cruise Wi-Fi worth it?
If you need to stay connected for work or streaming, VOOM's "Surf & Stream" tier is fast enough for video calls; "Surf" is fine for messaging and browsing. Buy pre-cruise and during a sale for the best rate.

Shore excursions

How much do Royal Caribbean shore excursions cost?
They range widely by port and tour — roughly $40–$60 per person for a beach or city tour up to $200+ for premium experiences. See tracked add-on prices on our price guide, or browse tours on our excursions page.
Are cruise-line excursions worth it vs. booking independently?
Cruise-line excursions guarantee the ship waits for you if a tour runs late, which is their main advantage; independent tours are often cheaper but carry that risk. Either way, cruise-line excursion prices fluctuate, so it pays to track them.

Royal Caribbean costs & policies

Are taxes and gratuities included in the cruise price?
No — taxes and port fees are added at checkout, and daily gratuities are charged separately, so they aren't part of the advertised base fare. Add-on prices (drink, dining, Wi-Fi) are shown per person and don't include the 18% gratuity except where noted.
How much are gratuities on Royal Caribbean and Celebrity?
Automatic daily gratuities are typically around $18–$21 per person, per day (higher for suites), added to your onboard account, and drink/dining purchases usually add an 18% gratuity. Rates change, so confirm the current amount with the cruise line.
Can I get money back if my cruise price drops after I book?
Often, yes. Before final payment you can usually have a lower fare repriced (or cancel and rebook a refundable fare) through your agent or the cruise line, and pre-cruise add-ons can be cancelled and rebooked at the lower price. Catching those drops is exactly what Royal Price Tracker alerts you to.
When does Royal Caribbean have sales on drink packages and add-ons?
Royal Caribbean and Celebrity run frequent pre-cruise sales in the Cruise Planner rather than on a fixed calendar, so the lowest prices line up with those events. Since the timing varies, the reliable way to catch one is to track the item and get alerted when it dips.
Where do I buy add-ons, and are they cheaper than onboard?
You buy them in the Royal Caribbean or Celebrity Cruise Planner online before you sail. Pre-cruise prices are almost always lower than onboard and drop further during sales — so buy ahead and watch for a price drop. See typical prices in our add-on price guide.

Cabin fares & booking

Can my cruise cabin price drop after I book?
Yes — cabin fares move the whole time a sailing is open for sale. If the fare for your category drops, you can often have it repriced (or pick up onboard credit) through your travel agent. Track your sailing's fares on our cabin price history page.
How do I track a specific cabin or sailing's price?
Use the price history explorer or cabin price history to pick your ship, date, and cabin type and see how the fare has moved — then create a free account for a drop alert.
What's the best time to book a cruise?
There's no single magic window — fares rise and fall throughout the sales period. The practical approach is to book a fare you're happy with, then track it so you can request a reprice if it drops.

Royal Caribbean vs. Celebrity

Does Royal Price Tracker work for Celebrity Cruises too?
Yes — we monitor both Royal Caribbean and Celebrity cabin fares and add-ons (drink packages, dining, Wi-Fi, excursions) and alert you to drops on either line. Browse both fleets on our ships page.
What's the difference between Royal Caribbean and Celebrity?
Both are part of Royal Caribbean Group. Royal Caribbean International runs large, activity-packed ships geared toward families and groups; Celebrity Cruises is more premium and adult-oriented, with a focus on dining and design. Pricing and add-ons work similarly on both.
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