One of the most contentious fees a cruise ship may impose is a gratuity. The majority of cruise lines let passengers to modify (increasing or decreasing) the amount paid in gratuities by visiting guest services during the voyage, even though it's crucial to acknowledge that gratuities are the main means of appreciating the onboard workers who make sailing an exceptional experience.
The gratuity amounts that each major cruise line charges or does not charge are listed below.
Azamara | Atlas Ocean Voyages | Carnival Cruise Line | Celebrity | Celestyal | Crystal | Cunard | Disney Cruise Line | Emerald | Explora Journeys | Holland America Line | HX | MSC Cruises | Norwegian Cruise Line | Oceania Cruises | Paul Gauguin | Ponant | Princess Cruises | Quark Expeditions | Regent Seven Seas | Royal Caribbean International | Scenic | Seabourn | Silversea Cruises | Swan Hellenic | UnCruise | Viking | Virgin Voyages | Windstar
AZAMARA - Gratuities are included in the prices for Azamara Club Cruises.
ATLAS OCEAN VOYAGES - Atlas Ocean Voyages includes gratuities.
CARNIVAL CRUISE LINE - For basic accommodations, Carnival Cruise Line charges $16 per person per day; for suites, the fee is $18 per person per day.
Gratuities are all given to the Carnival onboard employees. The sum is distributed among its dining team, housekeeping team, and substitute personnel, per its website.
CELEBRITY CRUISE LINE - Celebrity charges $18.50 per person per day for Concierge Class and AquaClass visitors, $23 per person per day for those staying in The Retreat, and $18 per person per day for those in ordinary accommodations. The personnel that work in dining services, housekeeping, and stateroom attendants split gratuities.
Additionally, all drinks, spa, salon, and minibar purchases at Celebrity come with an 18% gratuity added.
CELESTRYAL CRUISES - The cruise fee includes gratuities in full.
CRYSTAL - Gratuities for Crystal's employees, including housekeeping, restaurant, bar, and Penthouse butler services, are already included in the cruise cost because all of its sailings are all-inclusive.
CUNARD LINE - Britannia Staterooms have a daily service fee of $16 per person, whereas Queens and Princess Grill Suites have a daily fee of $18 per person.
For purchases and services at the bar, spa, and salon, there is an additional 15% service charge.
DISNEY CRUISE LINE - For all ages, Disney charges $14.50 per person, per night, for stays in regular rooms. Concierge Stateroom and Suite occupants will automatically be charged $15.50 per person, per night.
Stateroom attendants, dining room servers, and assistant servers all receive gratuities.
EMERALD WATERWAYS - The price for Emerald's yacht sailings includes all gratuities.
EXPLORA JOURNEYS - Explora Journeys cruise line fares include gratuities and service charges.
HOLLAND AMERICA LINE - For all customers staying in regular rooms, Holland America offers gratuities (sometimes known as a daily Crew Appreciation charge) of $17 per person per day; for guests overnight in suites, the amount is $19 per person per day.
All purchases of beverages, bar retail items, specialty restaurant cover costs, all a la carte menu items available for purchase, and all Spa & Salon services are immediately subject to an 18% service fee.
HX - On HX trips, gratuities are not required, although passengers are welcome to add to their account or leave a cash tip.
MSC CRUISES - The service fees charged by MSC differ per sailing. MSC charges $16 per person per day for non-Yacht Club passengers and $20 per person per day for those staying in the Yacht Club on its sailings via the Caribbean, Bermuda, Canada, and New England. Children under the age of two are admitted free of charge.
MSC automatically charges 12 euros per person per night for adults in standard cabins on its Mediterranean, Canary Islands, Northern Europe, Antilles, Middle East, and World Cruises; children aged 2 to 11 pay half that amount. A night's stay at the Yacht Club costs 16 euros per person; children under the age of 11 pay half that amount.
Adult passengers on MSC's South Africa Cruises will pay $10 per night per person; children ages two to eleven will pay $5 per person per night.
NORWEGIAN CRUISE LINE - For travelers sleeping in The Haven and suites, Norwegian Cruise Line charges $25 per person per day; for everyone else, ages 3 and above, the cost is $20 per person per day.
Onboard, gratuities cannot be changed. If a guest wishes to have their gratuities reimbursed, they must provide a letter stating their good reason for not wanting to pay them after the voyage.
OCEANIA CRUISES - For ordinary guests, Oceania automatically adds $18 per person per day; for suite guests, it adds $23 per person per day.
Additionally, all beverage purchases, spa services, and specialty dinners are subject to an 18% tax at Oceania.
PAUL GAUGAIN CRUISES - Paul Gauguin's all-inclusive cost includes gratuities for every onboard meal.
PONANT - Although not required, gratuities are suggested at 10 to 12 euros per traveler every day.
PRINCESS CRUISES - At Princess, the recommended daily gratuity is $19 for suite guests, $18 for cruisers staying in mini suites, cabanas, and Club Class rooms, and $17 for all other visitors.
QUARK EXPEDITIONS - Although not required, gratuities are suggested at $13 to $15 each day, per person.
REGENT SEVEN SEAS CRUISES - For all Regent's sailings, gratuities are part of the cruise fee. For those who wish to go above and above for their crew, the line also provides an additional choice: contributions to the Crew Welfare Fund, which is utilized for crew events, are accepted at the Purser Office onboard.
ROYAL CARIBBEAN INTERNATIONAL - The default gratuity for regular guests at Royal Caribbean is $18 per person per day, and for suite guests it is $20.50 per person per day.
The cruise line states on its website: "Gifts are shared among dining, bar, and culinary services staff, stateroom attendants, and other hotel services teams who work behind the scenes to enhance the cruise experience as a way to reward our crew members for their outstanding service."
SCENIC - The cost of a Scenic yacht tour includes gratuity for the entire crew.
SEABOURN - As stated on their website, "On Seabourn ships, gratuities are neither expected nor required."
SILVERSEA CRUISES - Silversea's all-inclusive pricing includes gratuities for all onboard services, with the exception of spa gratuities.
SWAN HELLENIC - The cruise fee includes gratuities.
UNCRUISE - At the conclusion of the voyage, a gratuity of $315 per person, each week ($45 per day), is assessed.
VIKING CRUISES - A discretionary $17 per person, per day hotel and dining fee is added by Viking to shipboard accounts. The wait crew, laundry staff, galley staff, buffet stewards, stateroom stewards, and others split these costs.
VIRGIN VOYAGES - The cruise fee includes gratuities in full.
WINDSTAR CRUISES - All guests of Windstar are required to pay a daily Hotel Service Charge of $16 per person.
In addition, a service charge of 18% is added for bar service.
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