Cruise Line Gratuities by Cruise Line, Compared

Cruise gratuities, also called auto-gratuities, service charges, or crew appreciation, are daily per-person fees charged automatically to your onboard account. Most mainstream lines charge roughly $16 to $25 per person per day, with suites at the higher end. Most lines let you prepay before sailing and adjust at guest services before you disembark.

Gratuities surprise more first-time cruisers than almost any other cost. You research the cabin, the drink package, and the dining, and then notice a $20-per-person-per-day charge building in your booking summary. On a 7-night sailing for two, that is around $280 before you order a drink. For the full spending picture, see our Cruise Costs & Money hub.

Rates below are approximate and lines adjust them periodically, usually upward. Verify the current figure on your line’s own site, such as Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Princess, Norwegian, MSC, or Disney Cruise Line, before finalizing a budget.

How cruise ship tipping works

Most major lines use automatic gratuities, also called daily service charges. Instead of leaving cash at the end, a fixed amount per person per day is posted to your onboard account. The money is pooled and shared among crew, including many who never meet guests: cabin stewards, dining room servers and assistants, buffet staff, and galley and housekeeping crew. Ships employ crews in the high hundreds to over a thousand, many with no direct guest contact, and the pool exists so everyone who contributes is paid.

Automatic gratuities typically cover cabin stewards, main dining room and buffet staff, and behind-the-scenes hotel crew. They generally do not cover bar staff, specialty restaurant servers, the spa, room service, or shore excursion guides, which have their own tipping arrangements, covered below.

How much are cruise gratuities per day?

Most mainstream lines charge roughly $17 to $20 per person per day for standard cabins, and the charge applies to every guest in the cabin, including children. Suites and premium categories cost a few dollars more per day because of the extra service. Rates as listed by each line at time of writing, per person per day (check the current rate before you sail):

Carnival: $17 standard and $19 suites, per Carnival’s help center (children under 2 are exempt)
Royal Caribbean: $18.50 standard and $21 suites, per Royal Caribbean
Princess: $18 standard, $19 mini-suites, cabanas and Reserve Collection, and $20 suites, per Princess
Norwegian: $20 for Club Balcony Suites and below and $25 for The Haven and suites on bookings made on or after 1/1/2023, per Norwegian
Celebrity: $19.50 for inside, oceanview and veranda, $20.50 for Concierge and AquaClass, and $24.50 for The Retreat, per Celebrity
Holland America: $18 non-suite and $20 suites, per Holland America
MSC: $17 standard and $23 Yacht Club for North American sailings, per MSC
Disney: about $16 standard, with higher rates for concierge-level cabins (Disney’s terms say stateroom and dining gratuities are added to your folio on embarkation day and can be adjusted at Guest Services; check Disney for current amounts)

To estimate your total, multiply the daily rate by the number of guests and nights. A couple in a standard cabin on 7 nights pays roughly $238 to $280 depending on the line: $238 on Carnival and MSC, $252 on Princess and Holland America, $259 on Royal Caribbean, $273 on Celebrity and $280 on Norwegian. A family of four at $18 per day on 7 nights owes around $500. On a 14-night sailing, double those figures.

Luxury and all-inclusive lines, along with Virgin Voyages, generally build gratuities into the fare, so there is no separate daily charge.

Line-specific notes

Carnival posts the charge to your Sail & Sign account daily and applies an additional automatic gratuity to bar drinks, specialty dining, and spa services; check Carnival’s current percentage.
Royal Caribbean uses two tiers, standard and suite, and adds an automatic 18% gratuity to beverages, specialty dining, room service and minibar purchases, and 20% to spa and salon purchases (source). Celebrity adds 20% to all of those, and Holland America adds a 20% service charge to beverages.
Princess calls it “Crew Appreciation” and bundles it into the Plus and Premier fare tiers, so you do not see it as a separate daily line item on those fares.
Norwegian calls it the Daily Service Charge. Its “Free at Sea” promotions often credit or waive it, so verify what your fare includes before assuming it is covered.

Are cruise gratuities mandatory?

Not legally, but they are automatic and effectively expected. Nearly every mainstream line adds the daily gratuity by default. You can usually ask to adjust it, but if you do nothing, you pay. On luxury lines gratuities are simply built into the fare with no opt-out.

The distinction matters. A truly mandatory charge cannot be removed. An auto-gratuity can be, at least on most mainstream lines, though lines discourage it and some frame the charge as non-negotiable. Policies differ, so read your line’s current terms. Three realities reinforce the default:

It is applied automatically, so inaction means you pay.
Crew pay depends in part on the pool.
Lines may ask why if you request a change.

Bar and specialty-dining service charges, added per purchase, generally cannot be removed.

Can you remove cruise gratuities?

On most mainstream lines you can reduce or remove the daily auto-gratuity, but it takes a deliberate request at guest services, and the line will gently push back. To adjust it:

Visit guest services, usually near the atrium, with your cabin key card.
Ask to modify the gratuity. You can reduce the daily amount, remove it, or in some cases redirect it.
Do it before the final night or morning. After your account closes, changes are much harder, and none are possible after you leave the ship.
If you prepaid, contact the line before sailing, since the process may differ onboard.

Auto-gratuities are not a bonus that goes to the company. Removing the charge cuts the take-home pay of crew you never see. If you had poor service, the better path is to raise the specific concern at guest services while still onboard, so the line can address it in real time. If your goal is to reward standout individuals, you can tip them in cash, but the wider crew in the pool gets nothing if you remove the charge entirely.

Limits on removal: prepaid gratuities can be harder to reverse, luxury lines build the charge into the fare, and some suite fares include service charges as part of the package.

Should you prepay cruise gratuities?

Prepaying is a budgeting choice, not a savings one. With most lines you pay the same rate whether you prepay or let the charge post daily. The benefits:

Rate protection. Lines raise gratuity rates every year or two. Prepaying before an increase generally locks in the older, lower rate.
A smaller onboard bill. Your folio shows only drinks, excursions, and shopping, making your real spending easier to watch.
A known total. For families, it turns a per-person, per-day charge into one number you can build into the budget early.

It matters less if you are sailing soon, since there is no increase to beat. Prepaid and onboard gratuities enter the same pool and are distributed the same way. Prepaid gratuities are returned with your fare if you cancel, and even prepaid charges can usually be adjusted at guest services onboard. Prepaying does not cover the separate automatic gratuity on drinks or spa treatments. Check promotions as well, since lines sometimes include or credit gratuities as a booking perk.

Where do cruise gratuities go?

To the crew, not the company. The daily charge is pooled and distributed across a wide group of staff: the cabin steward and dining servers you meet, and the galley cooks, dishwashers, and laundry workers you do not. For many crew it is a structured part of take-home pay, not a casual tip. That is why lines treat it as close to expected.

Bar purchases and specialty dining usually carry their own separate service charge on top, which goes to the bar and restaurant staff.

You can hand cash to a standout steward or server, and it is appreciated, but it sits on top of the pooled system rather than replacing it.

What auto-gratuities do not cover

Bar and beverage staff. An automatic gratuity of roughly 18 to 20 percent is added to drink orders, and drink packages typically carry their own service charge. See our drink package ranking.
Specialty dining. A similar percentage is usually added to the bill.
Spa and salon. Typically 18 to 20 percent added automatically. Check your bill before signing.
Room service. A delivery gratuity or fee is often added. If not, $2 to $5 per delivery is a common cash tip.
Shore excursion guides. These are contracted third parties, not ship crew. Around $5 to $10 per person per guide and $2 to $5 for a driver is a common norm for organized tours.
Kids’ club staff. Disney explicitly discourages tipping youth staff, and others generally follow suit.

For what else a fare does and does not cover, see what’s included in your cruise fare.

Should you tip extra?

If a cabin steward or server went above and beyond, a cash tip on the last evening or morning is a meaningful gesture. Typical amounts for exceptional service run about $20 to $40 extra for a cabin steward on a 7-night cruise, $10 to $20 for dining servers, and $10 to $20 total for a bartender you frequented. There is no obligation.

How lines set gratuity rates

Lines adjust rates in response to crew wage pressures, inflation, and competition, and several often move within the same window. Prepaying before a published cutoff is the simplest way to lock in a lower rate. Each line publishes its own policy, so check it before you book.

Quick answers

Which lines do not charge gratuities? No mainstream line waives them outright. Luxury and all-inclusive brands build them into a higher fare.
How much for a 7-day cruise? For two guests in a standard cabin, roughly $225 to $280 depending on the line, before drink, dining, and spa charges.
Are gratuities cheaper if you prepay? No discount, though you may lock in the current rate.

Part of our Cruise Costs & Money hub.