Reviewed October 15, 2026. Part of our drinks, gratuities and Wi-Fi comparison. US-market rates per person per day.
Gratuities are the line item nobody shops for and everybody pays.
They’re also the one that changed most this year. Here’s what each line charges now, what it adds to your bar tab, and which bundles quietly cover it.
What will tips add to your cruise?
Daily crew gratuities for your whole party, every line side by side. Drink and dining service charges come on top.
For 2 guests over 7 nights in a standard cabin, daily crew gratuities run from $224.00 (Disney) to $280.00 (Virgin Voyages).
- Disney$224.00$16.00 a day · children and infants pay too
- MSC$238.00$17.00 a day · suite rate is Yacht Club; Caribbean and Alaska
- Carnival$238.00$17.00 a day
- Princess$252.00$18.00 a day · mini-suites $19
- Holland America$252.00$18.00 a day
- Royal Caribbean$259.00$18.50 a day
- Celebrity$273.00$19.50 a day · suite rate is The Retreat; Concierge and AquaClass $20.50
- Norwegian$280.00$20.00 a day · suite rate covers The Haven and suites
- Virgin Voyages$280.00$20.00 a day · prepaid; $22 if charged onboard
Suite rates use each line’s top published suite rate; Celebrity’s Concierge and AquaClass are $20.50 and Princess’s mini-suites $19.
01Daily crew gratuities, line by line
Per person, per day, added to your onboard account unless you prepay. “Since” is when the current rate took effect, from the line’s notice or the reporting on it.
| Line | Standard cabin | Suites | Current rate since |
|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Caribbean | $18.50 | $21.00 (any suite) | November 1, 2024 (from $18.00 and $20.50) 67 |
| Celebrity | $19.50 | $20.50 Concierge and AquaClass · $24.50 The Retreat | July 29, 2026 (from $18, $19 and $23) 89 |
| Norwegian | $20.00 (through Club Balcony Suite) | $25.00 The Haven and suites | Bookings from January 1, 2023; unchanged in 2026 2 |
| MSC | $17.00 | $23.00 Yacht Club | May 11, 2026, Caribbean and Alaska (from $16 and $20) 1011 |
| Carnival | $17.00 | $19.00 | April 2, 2026 (from $16 and $18) 1213 |
| Princess | $18.00 | $19.00 mini-suites · $20.00 suites | March 2026 (from $17, $18 and $19) 1415 |
| Holland America | $18.00 | $20.00 | Sailings from June 1, 2026 (from $17 and $19) 1617 |
| Disney | $16.00, children and infants included | $27.25 concierge and suites | Sailings from January 23, 2025 (from $14.50 and $23.50) 118 |
| Virgin Voyages | $20.00 prepaid · $22.00 onboard | Same rate for every cabin | Bookings from October 7, 2025; before that, tips were included 319 |
02The service charge on drinks
This is separate from the daily gratuity, and it’s the one that turns a $69.95 package into $83.94. On most lines it’s added at checkout, so the price you see in the planner isn’t the price you pay.
| Line | On drink packages | On drinks bought one at a time | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Caribbean | 18% per the beverage FAQ 20 | 20% per the gratuity FAQ 6 | The two pages disagree on packages; checkout settles it |
| Celebrity | 20% on top 21 | 20% | Included when the package comes inside All Included 22 |
| Norwegian | The $28.50 or $32 Free at Sea charge is the gratuity 5 | Not published on Norwegian’s own pages | Free at Sea Plus has its gratuity built in |
| MSC | Included in the price 4 | 18% on North American sailings 10 | 15% on some other regions |
| Carnival | 20% on top 23 | 20% | Rose from 18% around December 2025 24 |
| Princess | 20% (package terms still say 18%) 2526 | 20% 27 | Raised in early March 2026 |
| Holland America | 20% 28 | 20% | From 18%, for sailings from June 1, 2026 17 |
| Disney | No unlimited package | 18% 1 | Also applies to wine, adult dining, deck service and the spa |
| Virgin Voyages | No unlimited package | None 3 | No extra tipping expected for drinks, dining or the spa |
03Which bundles prepay the gratuity
Prepays the $20 or $25 daily crew charge for everyone 3 and over in the cabin. It doesn’t cover the $28.50 bar gratuity, specialty dining gratuities, the spa or the casino 295.
Doesn’t include crew appreciation 16.
Hasn’t included crew gratuities since October 4, 2023. It covers the beverage gratuity on the drinks only 22.
Tips used to be in the fare. For bookings from October 7, 2025 they’re charged separately, at $20 a night prepaid or $22 onboard 319.
Include the service charges on their drink and dining benefits. Carnival doesn’t say whether daily gratuities are in, so assume they aren’t 33.
When a bundle prepays tips, take that value back out before comparing it with a standalone package. Our value rankings do this for you.
04What changed, and when
If you booked a while ago, the rate on your invoice may not be today’s rate. Several lines let guests who prepaid before an increase keep the old one.
- Jan 23, 2025Disney
- Oct 7, 2025Virgin Voyages
- Dec 2025Carnival
Drink service charge 18% → 20% 24
- Mar 2026Princess
- Apr 2, 2026Carnival
$16 → $17 standard, $18 → $19 suites 12
- May 11, 2026MSC
$16 → $17 standard, $20 → $23 Yacht Club (Caribbean, Alaska) 1011
- Jun 1, 2026Holland America
$17 → $18, $19 → $20; drink service charge 18% → 20% 17
- Jul 29, 2026Celebrity
05Prepay, or let it post daily?
- Prepaying can lock the rate. Royal Caribbean guests who prepaid before November 1, 2024 kept the old rate, Carnival guests who prepaid before April 2, 2026 did too, and MSC guests who prepaid before May 11, 2026 don’t pay the difference 71311.
- It also takes it off the onboard bill, which makes your final folio easier to read and your budget easier to keep.
- Virgin charges less to prepay: $20 a night versus $22 onboard, and the prepaid amount is non-refundable 3.
- Some lines let you adjust it onboard. Royal Caribbean and MSC both describe changes through Guest Relations 610. The crew counts on it, though, and the rate is what the line pays them from.
Q&AQuick answers
How much are cruise gratuities per day in 2026?
In a standard cabin, $16 to $20 per person per day: Disney $16, MSC and Carnival $17, Princess and Holland America $18, Royal Caribbean $18.50, Celebrity $19.50, Norwegian and Virgin Voyages $20 (Virgin $22 if charged onboard). Suites run up to $27.25 on Disney.
Are gratuities included in Celebrity’s All Included fare?
No, not since October 4, 2023. All Included covers the beverage gratuity on its drinks, but the daily crew gratuity of $19.50 to $24.50 is extra.
Does Norwegian Free at Sea Plus include gratuities?
It prepays the daily crew service charge of $20 or $25 for everyone 3 and over in the cabin. It doesn’t cover the $28.50 or $32 open-bar gratuity, specialty dining gratuities, the spa or the casino.
Do children pay cruise gratuities?
It depends on the line. Disney charges the $16 rate for children and infants. MSC doesn’t charge guests under 2 on its Caribbean and Alaska sailings. On other lines, check the age rule when you book.
Is there a service charge on cruise drink packages?
On most lines, yes: 18% or 20% added at checkout. MSC includes it in the package price, Norwegian’s Free at Sea charge is itself the gratuity, and Virgin Voyages adds nothing to drinks.
Want the all-in price for your sailing?
Seabound Journeys prices the fare, the packages and the gratuities together, so the number we quote is the number you pay.
SourcesWhere this comes from
Checked October 15, 2026, US market. Several rate changes come from guest notices reported by trade and cruise news sites; those are marked secondary, with their dates.
- 1Disney Cruise Line — Gratuities · Official · undated
- 2NCL — Onboard service charge FAQ · Official · undated
- 3Virgin Voyages — VoyageFair Choices FAQ · Official · undated
- 4MSC (US) — Drinks packages · Official · undated
- 5NCL — Promotion terms (US) · Official · current terms, sailings from May 1, 2026
- 6Royal Caribbean — Gratuities FAQ · Official · undated
- 7TravelPulse — Royal Caribbean to increase crew gratuities · Secondary · Oct 14, 2024
- 8Cruise Critic — Celebrity gratuity increase · Secondary · Jul 30, 2026; updated Oct 9, 2026
- 9Cruise Hive — Celebrity raises gratuities · Secondary · Jul 29, 2026
- 10MSC (US) — Service charges · Official · undated; cites May 11, 2026 change
- 11Cruise Critic — MSC raises daily service charges · Secondary · 2026
- 12Cruise Industry News — Carnival to raise gratuities and drink package cost · Secondary · Feb 4, 2026
- 13Cruise Critic — Carnival raises gratuities · Secondary · Feb 4, 2026
- 14Princess — Crew appreciation · Official · shows 2026 rates
- 15Nautical Flock — Princess raises gratuities, March 2026 · Secondary · 2026, undated
- 16Holland America — Crew appreciation · Official · undated
- 17Cruise Hive — Holland America raises gratuities and service charges · Secondary · Apr 7, 2026
- 18Cruise Radio — Disney Cruise Line increases gratuities · Secondary · January 2025
- 19Cruise Critic — Virgin Voyages structures fares into three options · Secondary · Sep 25, 2025
- 20Royal Caribbean — Beverage package gratuities policy · Official · undated
- 21Celebrity — Beverage packages FAQ · Official · undated
- 22Celebrity — All Included FAQ · Official · undated; terms effective Oct 4, 2023
- 23Carnival — CHEERS! package · Official · undated
- 24Cruise Mummy — Carnival quietly raises service charge · Secondary · Dec 3, 2025
- 25Princess — Beverage packages (USD) · Official · undated
- 26Princess — Plus Beverage Package terms · Official · undated
- 27Cruise Critic — Princess raises service charge · Secondary · Mar 10, 2026
- 28Holland America — Beverage packages · Official · undated
- 29NCL — What's included in Free at Sea Plus · Official · undated
- 30Princess — Plus & Premier packages · Official · shows current pricing
- 31Princess — Princess Plus and Premier · Official · undated
- 32Holland America — What's included in the Early Booking Bonus · Official · undated
- 33Carnival — FunPacks · Official · booking Oct 13–30, 2026