Royal Caribbean staff get ‘surprise’ bonus
Royal Caribbean is to pay 66,000 of its staff a surprise bonus of $80 million after meeting its two financial goals last year.
All shipboard, shoreside, full-time and part-time staff all over the world will receive 5% of their 2017 salaries. Corporate officers are excluded.
The company doubled its earnings per share last year and recorded a double-digit return on invested capital.
"Exceptional results require exceptional effort," said chairman and CEO Richard D. Fain. "Reaching the double double required remarkable focus and discipline from our employees, and they delivered."
The ‘Thank You, Thank You Bonus’ will be paid out in the form of equity grants over three years. At the same time, the company will contribute to the Crew Welfare Fund for upgrades to crew living and recreational areas.
Fain said the bonus would enable employees to see the company as shareholders do. "Ours is a people business," he added." We want to thank every one of our people for the hard work that got us to today’s announcement, and give them a stake in our success going forward."
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Global tourism exceeds 1.5 billion travelers announces UN-Tourism
Qatar Airways offers reduced timetable to over 60 destinations
WTTC global tourism reached record economic impact of 11 trillion in 2025
Hands In, UATP join forces for airline multi-card payments
Overseas travelers to the United States declined by 2.5% in 2025