Cruise gratuities are a daily charge per guest that most cruise lines add to your onboard account automatically, and on the big mainstream lines they run from $16 to $20 per person per day in a standard cabin, and up to $27.25 in a suite. For two people on a seven-night cruise, that is roughly $220 to $310 on top of the fare, before a single drink.
The number is easy to miss when you book, because the advertised fare usually leaves it out. It also changes more often than most people expect: Carnival, Princess, Celebrity, Holland America and MSC all raised their rates during 2026. Below you will find the current rate for each major line, the separate percentage added to drinks and spa bills, what the total comes to for a couple or a family, and when prepaying or adjusting the charge makes sense.
Cruise Gratuities by Line: The Daily Rates
Every line uses a different name for the same money. Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity and Disney call it gratuities. Princess and Holland America call it Crew Appreciation. Norwegian calls it a daily onboard service charge, and Virgin Voyages calls it a crew gratuity. On your bill, it is the same per-guest, per-day line item.
These are the rates each line publishes for its own ships, in US dollars per guest per day, as of autumn 2026:
| Cruise line | Standard cabins | Suites and higher grades | Drinks and spa |
|---|---|---|---|
| Disney Cruise Line | $16.00 | $27.25 Concierge and suites | 18% |
| Carnival | $17.00 | $19.00 suites | 20% |
| MSC (Caribbean) | $17.00 | $23.00 Yacht Club | 18% bar |
| Princess | $18.00 | $19.00 mini-suites, $20.00 suites | 20% |
| Holland America | $18.00 | $20.00 suites | 20% drinks, 18% spa |
| Royal Caribbean | $18.50 | $21.00 any suite | 18% drinks, 20% spa |
| Celebrity | $19.50 | $20.50 Concierge, $24.50 The Retreat | 20% |
| Norwegian | $20.00 | $25.00 The Haven and suites | 20% |
| Virgin Voyages | $20.00 prepaid | $22.00 if paid on board | None |
Cheapest and most expensive lines
Disney and Carnival sit at the low end, while Norwegian and Virgin sit at the top for a standard cabin. The spread between the cheapest and the most expensive line is only $4 a day, so for most travelers the line itself matters less than the cabin grade and the number of people in it.
What changed in 2026
Carnival added $1 to both tiers on April 2, 2026, moving standard rooms to $17 and suites to $19. Princess added $1 in early March. Celebrity raised its rates from July 29, 2026, and Holland America now lists $18 and $20 after its own increase. MSC's new $17 and $23 Caribbean rates apply to bookings made from May 11, 2026, so earlier bookings keep the old $16 and $20.
Royal Caribbean is one of the few big lines that held its rate through the year. Its last increase came on November 1, 2024.
Cruise Ship Gratuities for Suites, Children and Hawaii
The per-day rate is only half of the calculation. The other half is who is charged, and the rules differ more than the headline numbers.
Suites pay more because more crew serve them
A suite guest pays $1 to $6 more per day on most lines, and on Disney the jump is from $16 to $27.25. Disney explains why: the higher amount covers the assistant stateroom host who services Concierge rooms and the Concierge Lounge team, on top of the dining and stateroom crew every guest tips. Celebrity splits its premium grades in two, with Concierge and AquaClass at $20.50 and The Retreat suites at $24.50.
Children are usually charged in full
This is the rule that surprises families most. Royal Caribbean, Princess and Celebrity publish one rate for every guest regardless of age. Disney recommends its $16 per night for every guest, infants and children included. Carnival and MSC exempt children under 2, and Norwegian charges every guest aged 3 or older.
A family of four on Royal Caribbean pays four times the daily rate, $74 a day in a standard cabin, which comes to $518 for a seven-night cruise.
Regional exceptions
Norwegian adds a 4.275% Hawaii General Excise Tax to prepaid service charges on Hawaii sailings. Princess does not charge Crew Appreciation to residents of Australia or New Zealand on voyages that depart from those regions, and ships sailing in Australian dollars charge the equivalent of the USD amounts.
Where the Money Actually Goes
The daily charge is pooled rather than handed to the people you happen to meet. Royal Caribbean states that gratuities collected are pooled and applied toward the compensation of onboard crew, including dining, bar and culinary staff, stateroom attendants and hotel services teams. Holland America describes its Crew Appreciation the same way, as support for roles you see every day and those working quietly in the background.
Disney is the most specific. Its prepaid gratuities go to the dining room server, the assistant server, the head server and your stateroom host. Carnival says plainly that gratuities allow team members to earn above their minimum guaranteed pay.
That last point is why the charge matters to the people on board. For many hotel crew, the gratuity pool is a large share of what a contract at sea earns. Families of those crew members follow the same ships from home, and the "Loved One Working at Sea" purpose in Primo Nautic turns the vessel's live AIS position, weather at sea and arrival estimate into plain updates for them.
Norwegian adds a nuance. Certain staff, such as concierges, butlers, youth program staff and beverage servers, serve only some guests and do not benefit from the overall service charge, so the line encourages guests who use them to tip those staff directly.
The Second Charge: 18 to 20 Percent on Drinks and Spa
The daily gratuity is not the only service charge on a cruise. Almost every mainstream line adds a separate percentage to individual purchases, and it applies even if you never touch your daily gratuity.
Royal Caribbean adds 18% to beverages, drink packages, specialty dining, room service and minibar purchases, and 20% to spa and salon services. Carnival, Norwegian and Princess add 20% to drinks and specialty dining. Holland America applies 20% to beverages, bar retail and specialty restaurant cover charges, with 18% on spa services. Disney charges 18% on bar, beverage, adult dining and spa tabs.
This matters most if you buy a drink package. The percentage is calculated on the package price itself, so a package with a high daily price carries a high daily service charge. If you are weighing one, our breakdown of the Carnival drink package shows how that 20% changes the value math.
Virgin Voyages is the exception: it adds no extra percentage to drinks, specialty dining or spa services, and its daily gratuity is meant to cover the crew who serve you throughout the voyage.
What Gratuities Add Up To on a Seven-Night Cruise
A daily rate looks small until you multiply it by guests and nights. Here is the daily charge alone for two adults in a standard cabin on a seven-night cruise:
| Cruise line | Two adults, 7 nights | Two adults, suite | Family of four |
|---|---|---|---|
| Disney Cruise Line | $224 | $381.50 | $448 |
| Carnival | $238 | $266 | $476 |
| Princess | $252 | $280 | $504 |
| Holland America | $252 | $280 | Not stated |
| Royal Caribbean | $259 | $294 | $518 |
| Celebrity | $273 | $343 The Retreat | $546 |
| Norwegian | $280 | $350 | $560 |
The family column assumes two children old enough to be charged under each line's own rule, so on Carnival or MSC a child under 2 would lower it, and on Norwegian a child under 3 would.
On a 14-night sailing, every figure doubles, and a couple pays roughly $500 in gratuities on the big lines. That is why a premium fare that already includes gratuities can sit closer to a mainstream fare than the headline prices suggest.
Budgeting for the full picture
Add the daily figure to your fare first, then estimate drinks and specialty dining with the 18 or 20% already included. Travel planners increasingly compare cruises on this all-in basis, because a line with a cheap fare and a high service charge can cost more than one with the reverse.
Prepay or Pay On Board?
Most major lines let you prepay gratuities before you sail, and for most travelers it is the better choice for two reasons.
Prepaying locks in today's rate
Lines raise these charges regularly, and the rate you pay is often set when you pay it. Princess charged $1 a day less to guests who prepaid before March 8, 2026. Celebrity emailed booked guests before its July increase and let them prepay at the old rate. On Virgin Voyages the difference is permanent: $20 per night prepaid against $22 if you wait until you are on board.
Prepaying also moves a few hundred dollars out of the final bill. Norwegian allows prepaid service charges to be added up to 24 hours before sailing and refunds them in full if you cancel the cruise.
When prepaid money cannot come back
The rules on refunds differ. Virgin Voyages makes prepaid gratuities nonrefundable, which means you give up the option to adjust them based on the service you receive. Disney refunds prepaid gratuities only in full, back to the original form of payment. Princess lets you adjust Crew Appreciation up to the moment you settle your account before disembarking, and not afterward.
If you like to keep the option of adjusting, leaving gratuities on your onboard account keeps it open. If certainty matters more, prepay.
Can You Remove or Adjust Gratuities?
Yes, on most lines. Royal Caribbean states on its own gratuity policy page that gratuities are optional and guests may adjust or remove them entirely. Carnival allows adjustments at Guest Services before the end of the cruise, and Disney and Holland America handle it the same way on board.
Norwegian takes a firmer line. Its service charge FAQ asks guests to raise any service issue with guest services first, and allows an adjustment only if the concern is not resolved. The Princess Crew Appreciation policy lets you adjust the daily amount at your discretion, but its 20% service charge on purchases is nonrefundable.
Removing the charge does not earn a discount from the line. It reduces the pool shared among the crew, and the percentage on drinks and spa bills usually stays.
The 2026 rulings on how lines disclose gratuities
In decisions published October 21, 2026, the National Advertising Division of BBB National Programs reviewed how Royal Caribbean and Virgin Voyages explained gratuities during booking. As Cruise Spotlight reported, both lines agreed to make clearer that gratuities are optional and can be adjusted or removed.
Royal Caribbean changed its checkout to say that gratuities are optional, that prepaying is a choice, and that they can be modified before disembarkation. Its updated FAQ now also describes the 18% and 20% charges as adjustable. Virgin was asked to explain that prepaid gratuities become nonrefundable, that waiting until you board costs more, and how guests who do not prepay can change them. The review also noted that Virgin had called gratuities a "service charge" at the final checkout step, which could make them read as mandatory.
Carnival's prepaid sticker
Gratuities drew attention again at the end of October. On October 28, a passenger on Carnival Panorama shared a video of a new sticker on her cruise card that read "Crew love, I pre-paid my gratuities." Fox News reported criticism from passengers who felt the sticker singled out guests by whether they had prepaid.
Fares That Already Include Gratuities
You can avoid the daily charge altogether, but on mainstream lines only by buying a bundle. Princess Plus and Premier fares include Crew Appreciation, along with drinks and Wi-Fi. Norwegian's Free at Sea Plus includes the daily service charges, while the base Free at Sea package does not. Celebrity's All Included fare covers drinks and Wi-Fi but still charges staff gratuities.
Virgin Voyages moved the other way. Gratuities used to be built into its fares, until its VoyageFair Choices pricing in October 2025 separated them to advertise lower starting prices. Most luxury lines, Regent Seven Seas among them, still include gratuities in an all-inclusive fare.
If you are planning your first sailing, these are the kinds of costs our first cruise tips cover alongside packing and boarding day. Relatives who stay home can follow the ship itself in Primo Nautic, which tracks any cruise ship by name, MMSI or IMO number and sends arrival and delay alerts in a warm, plain tone for the "Loved One on Cruise" purpose.
Key Takeaways
Cruise gratuities on the big lines run from $16 to $20 per guest per day in a standard cabin and up to $27.25 in a suite, and most lines raised them during 2026. Children are usually charged at the full rate, so a family's total grows faster than a couple's.
The daily charge is only one of two. Drinks, specialty dining and spa services carry a separate 18 or 20% on most lines, and that percentage applies to drink packages too.
Prepaying locks in the current rate and clears the final bill, but on some lines it also removes your ability to adjust the amount. Gratuities are optional on paper and pooled among crew in practice, and since October 2026, two major lines explain that more clearly at checkout.
