Complete Guide to Cruise Gratuities by Cruise Line (2026)

If you are new to cruising, you should know that not everything is included in your cruise vacation. In addition to your cruise fare, there are other services charges for which you will need to budget. This includes daily per person cruise gratuities as well as service charges added to purchases like drinks and spa treatments.

In this post, we explain everything you need to know about cruise gratuities broken down by cost for each cruise line.

What are cruise gratuities?

Cruise gratuities are service charges that are not included in a standard cruise fare on most contemporary cruise lines, similar to a hotel resort fee. These additional fees are a per person, per day dollar amount that are charged to all guests across all stateroom categories.

Guests are usually charged automatically for these additional fees. Depending on the cruise line, these charges are usually applicable to passengers two to three years of age and older. Though on some lines they apply to all guests, even babies.

These charges serve as a means to reward the hard-working crew for the excellent service provided during your cruise vacation. Cruise gratuities are divided among stateroom attendants, dining staff, and other behind-the-scenes crew members in a proportion determined by the cruise line. This method is meant to be more equitable across all staff.

As stated above, these service charges apply to all guests regardless of stateroom category. However, some stateroom categories do have higher fees than others.

These cruise gratuities also apply to all guests regardless of your dining options. Cruisers who opt to only eat in the buffet, who select anytime dining, or who choose more traditional dining will all pay the same amount based on their stateroom category.

Is it better to pre-pay gratuities on a cruise?

Guests can pay for these cruise gratuities in one of two ways. If you would prefer to pay ahead of time, most cruise lines allow guests to pre-pay their gratuities at the time of booking or anytime prior to sailing. These fees will then be added into your total cruise fare and covered with your final payment.

One major benefit of pre-paying your cruise gratuities is that you will pay the current rate. If the daily gratuity should happen to increase before your sailing, you will not need to pay extra for these increased costs.

If you do not pre-pay the gratuities, you will need to pay the current per day, per person dollar amount at the time of your sailing. This fee will be added to your stateroom account once onboard the ship.

How much are cruise gratuities in 2026?

The exact charge for these cruise gratuities does vary by cruise line and by stateroom category. While gratuities are part of the cruise fare on some luxury lines, cruisers should plan to pay the following fees based on their cruise line.

It is important to note that the exact gratuity dollar amount can change at any time, so check with your cruise line for the most up-to-date information prior to your sailing.

Gratuities on Royal Caribbean

The current gratuities on Royal Caribbean ships are:

• $18.50 per person, per day for guests in non-suites staterooms
• $21 per person, per day for guests in suites

This fee is applied to each guest’s SeaPass account on a daily basis.

In addition, guests will pay an 18% gratuity on all beverages and mini bar items. Spa & salon purchases incur a 20% gratuity. This is on top of the daily gratuity charges.

Gratuities on Norwegian Cruise Line

Norwegian Cruise Line’s cruise gratuities are:

• $25 for guests staying in the Haven and Suites
• $20 for all other staterooms (Club Balcony Suites and below)

There is an additional 20% gratuity for all spa and salon services. There is also a 20% service charge on all beverage purchases and all specialty restaurant dining and entertainment based dining. Further, cruises to Hawaii also have a 4.275% service tax applied.

Carnival Cruise Gratuities

Carnival Cruise Line‘s current gratuities are:

• Standard Staterooms: $16 per person, per day
• Suites: $18 per person, per day

On April 2, 2026, Carnival’s gratuities will increase to $17 per person, per day for standard staterooms and $19 per person, per day for suites.

For beverage purchases, an automatic 20% gratuity will be added to the bill in addition to the cruise gratuity.

Gratuities on Celebrity Cruises

Celebrity Cruises’ gratuities as of January 2026 are:

• $18 per person, per day for Inside, Ocean View, and Veranda staterooms 
• $19 per person, per day for Concierge Class and AquaClass staterooms  
• $23 per person, per day for guests of The Retreat

A 20% gratuity will be automatically added to all beverages, mini bar purchases, spa and salon services.

Princess Cruise Gratuities

Princess Cruises’ current gratuities are:

• $17 per person, per day for Interior, Oceanview, and Balcony guests
• $18 per person, per day for Mini-Suite, Cabanas, and Reserve Collection guests
• $19 per person, per day for Suite guests

The cruise line also offers more inclusive packages that include crew appreciation. If guests upgrade to the Princess Plus or Princess Premier Packages, they will not pay any additional gratuities once onboard the ship.

An 18% service charge applies to bar charges, dining room wine accounts, and Lotus Spa services.

Gratuities on Holland America

Holland America‘s gratuities are:

• $17 per guest, per day for non-suite stateroom guests
• $19 per guest, per day for suite guests
  

An 18% service charge is automatically added to all beverage purchases, bar retail items, specialty restaurant cover charges, for-purchase a la carte menu items, and spa and salon services.

Gratuities on MSC Cruises

For Bahamas, Caribbean, Bermuda, and Canada/New England sailings with MSC Cruises, cruise gratuities are as follows:

• The charge for kids and adults 2 and over staying in a standard stateroom is $16 per night
• The charge for kids and adults 2 and over staying in a Yacht Club stateroom is $20 per night
• For kids under 2 years old, there is no charge

An 18% Bar Service Charge also applies to all purchases on MSC Cruises as well.

The gratuities for other destinations do vary. If you are cruising to another destination with MSC, you will want to visit the cruise line’s website.

Disney Cruise Gratuities

On Disney Cruise Line, the recommended cruise gratuity is $16 per night, per guest, including infants and children. Guests staying in Concierge Staterooms and Suites are recommended a gratuity amount of $27.25 per night.

An 18% gratuity is automatically added to bar, beverage, wine, and deck service tabs.

Viking Ocean Cruise Gratuities

While considered a luxury brand, Viking is one of the few high-end cruise lines that does charge a daily guest gratuity. As of January 2026, all guests will be charged a hotel and dining gratuity of $20 per day regardless of stateroom category.

Further, a 15% gratuity is automatically added to bar, beverage, wine, and deck service tabs. 

This same fee applies to Viking expedition as well. However, Viking river service charges do vary by destination.

Cruise Gratuities on Virgin Voyages

As of October 2025, this adults-only cruise line now charges daily gratuities. Guests will automatically be charged $22 per person, per day. If you pre-pay prior to sailing, you’re only charged $20 per person, per day.

There are no additional service charges on other items like beverages or spa services.

Cruise Gratuities on Margaritaville at Sea

On the Margaritaville at Sea cruise line, guests can expect to pay $22 per person, per night for interior, oceanview, and balcony staterooms and $25 per person, per night for suites.

Guests are also charged up to $15 per person, per day for a fuel charge. Additionally, a 20% service charge is added to all bar, specialty dining, and spa tabs.

Windstar Cruise Gratuities

Guests sailing on Windstar Cruises should expect to pay cruise gratuities as well. This hotel service charge is $16 per passenger, per day and is automatically added to each guest’s onboard account.

Of note, Windstar Cruises also has an option for an all-inclusive package. This package includes WiFi, drinks, and gratuities. A 15% Beverage Service Charge still applies.

Other Luxury Cruise Lines

Other luxury cruise lines like Silversea, Oceania, Seabourn, and Regent include all gratuities except on spa services. Atlas Ocean Voyages also includes free pre-paid gratuities.

Do you have to pay gratuities on cruises?

Can you opt out of gratuities on a cruise? Not really.

Cruise gratuities are mandatory, in loosely defined terms. Most cruise lines apply these charges automatically. However, these charges can usually be modified or removed by guests while on the ship in the event that they did not receive satisfactory service.

Keep in mind that gratuities will be deemed undisputed unless a request to modify is received prior to disembarking the ship.

While cruise gratuities can be modified or removed, we never recommend that cruisers do so. This is such a small and well-deserved token of appreciation to all the hard-working crew onboard the ship. In fact, many cruisers choose to tip above and beyond this rate.

How do you get out of paying gratuities on a cruise?

You might be wondering how you can get out of paying these cruise service charges. Well, there is one big way you can avoid paying them. That is to keep an eye on your cruise planner and email for special promotions.

Cruise lines will often run sales, and travel agents will often offer perks that may include free gratuities for booking a cruise. Other perks may include onboard credit, free drink packages, free specialty dining, and so on.

Should I tip extra on a cruise?

On all cruise lines, additional gratuities may be added at your discretion. Beyond the standard service charges put forth by the cruise line, we always tip above and beyond for excellent service. Generally speaking, we provide additional monetary compensation at the end of the cruise to our stateroom attendant and our dining room waitstaff.

Keep in mind that the cruise line assigned gratuities do not include all staff members. These charges do not go towards individuals like bar servers, porters, shore excursion guides, casino staff, or youth staff. So, you should consider providing tips to these crew members for great service. We generally tip our favorite bartenders, staff at the onboard coffee shop, tour guides, bus drivers, and so on.

Comments

What are your thoughts on these cruise service charges? Do you tip beyond these required amounts? How you do like to reward the onboard staff for providing you a memorable cruise vacation?

This article was most recently updated on January 20, 2026.