Cruise gratuities, explained
Updated 2026-07 · 6 min read
Gratuities are the add-on with the least visibility and the least opt-out in practice. Unlike a drink package or an excursion, nobody actively chooses to buy them — they're added to your onboard account automatically, per person, per day, from the moment you board.
Current rates by tier
| Tier | Per person, per day | 2 adults, 1 week |
|---|---|---|
| Budget (Carnival, MSC) | $17 | $231 |
| Mainstream (Royal Caribbean, Norwegian) | $18 | $252 |
| Premium (Celebrity, Princess, Holland America, Virgin Voyages, Disney) | $19 | $259 |
| Luxury (Viking, Regent, Silversea) | Included in fare | Included |
Because the charge applies per person regardless of age, a family of four on a mainstream line pays $504 in gratuities alone for a week — two adults and two kids, all charged the same daily rate.
Add your family size to see the real gratuity total →How the charge actually works
The daily rate is split by the cruise line across housekeeping, dining, and (on most lines) a portion to guest services and other behind-the-scenes crew. It's charged to your onboard account daily and settled with your final bill — you'll rarely see it as a single line item until checkout, which is part of why it's easy to forget when budgeting.
Every major line allows you to adjust the daily gratuity at guest services, in either direction. In practice, adjustment rates are extremely low — crew compensation is structured around guests paying the standard rate, and removing it entirely is generally discouraged by the lines (some will ask you to instead tip crew directly in cash, which defeats the purpose of removing the auto-charge).
Our take
Budget for gratuities as a fixed cost of the cruise, not a tip you can meaningfully opt out of — treat it the same as taxes and port fees in your planning math. If service genuinely falls short, adjusting at guest services is a legitimate option, but going in planning to skip it as a "discount" is the wrong mental model; crew wages are built around that charge landing.
Frequently asked questions
Are cruise gratuities mandatory?
They're charged automatically to your onboard account by default, but nearly every line lets you adjust or remove them at guest services. Very few guests do — partly because it feels awkward, partly because most don't realize it's an option.
Do kids pay the same gratuity rate as adults?
Yes — on almost every mainstream and premium line, the daily gratuity charge applies per person in the cabin regardless of age, including infants and toddlers on most lines.
Is the gratuity on top of the drink package tip?
Usually yes. Drink packages typically already include an 18% gratuity baked into the package price, separate from the daily per-person gratuity charged to your cabin account. They're two different charges covering different crew.
Should I prepay gratuities or pay onboard?
The total is the same either way on most lines. Prepaying just moves the charge to before your cruise instead of a daily charge to your onboard account — useful mainly for budgeting, not for saving money.