Cruise Gratuities Explained: What They Cover, How Much They Cost, and Whether You Should Remove Them
Cruise gratuities are one of the most confusing and controversial parts of cruising.
Some passengers view them as an important way to reward hardworking crew members. Others see them as hidden fees that should simply be included in the cruise fare.
After more than a decade working in the service industry myself, I understand both sides of the argument. I spent years working for tips as a bartender and server, so I know firsthand how important gratuities can be. At the same time, I also believe the modern American tipping culture has expanded far beyond what many people consider reasonable.
Whether you love them or hate them, cruise gratuities are something every cruiser should understand before boarding.
This guide explains exactly what cruise gratuities are, what they cover, how much the major cruise lines currently charge, and whether removing them is actually a good idea.
What Are Cruise Gratuities?
Cruise gratuities are daily service charges automatically added to your onboard account by most cruise lines.
These charges help compensate the crew members who work behind the scenes throughout your vacation, including:
- Cabin stewards
- Main dining room servers
- Assistant servers
- Buffet staff
- Housekeeping personnel
- Galley support staff
- Various hotel service team members
Unlike tipping at a restaurant, cruise gratuities are generally pooled and distributed among multiple crew members rather than being given directly to a single employee.
For most passengers, gratuities simply appear as a daily charge on their onboard account.
Who Receives Cruise Gratuities?
One of the most common questions first-time cruisers ask is where their daily gratuities actually go.
While the exact distribution varies by cruise line, gratuities are generally shared among the crew members responsible for the hotel and dining side of your vacation.
Cabin Steward
Your cabin steward is responsible for cleaning and maintaining your stateroom throughout the cruise. This includes making the bed, replacing towels, emptying trash, refreshing the bathroom, and handling special requests when possible.
Because cabin stewards work directly with guests every day, they are among the crew members most commonly associated with cruise gratuities.
Main Dining Room Server
If you dine in the main dining room, your server is one of the crew members who benefits from the gratuity system.
These team members take orders, deliver meals, answer menu questions, accommodate dietary requests, and help create a positive dining experience throughout the voyage.
Assistant Server
Many passengers interact primarily with their main server, but assistant servers often do just as much work behind the scenes.
They refill drinks, deliver dishes, clear tables, and help ensure service runs smoothly during busy meal periods.
Buffet and Casual Dining Staff
Even if you rarely visit the main dining room, part of your gratuities helps support crew members working in buffet areas and casual dining venues.
These employees prepare dining areas, clear tables, sanitize surfaces, restock stations, and assist guests throughout the day.
Housekeeping and Hotel Operations Teams
A portion of cruise gratuities also supports crew members working behind the scenes.
These may include housekeeping teams, laundry personnel, galley support staff, and other hotel operations employees who contribute to the overall guest experience but may never interact directly with passengers.
This is one reason many cruise lines pool gratuities rather than assigning them to a single employee. The goal is to compensate not only the crew members guests see every day, but also the many employees working behind the scenes to keep the ship operating smoothly.
How Much Do Cruise Gratuities Cost a Family?
A family of four sailing on a 7-night cruise with gratuities of $18 per person per day would pay approximately $504 in automatic gratuities during the voyage.
Can You Remove Cruise Gratuities?
Technically, yes.
Most major cruise lines automatically add daily gratuities to your onboard account, but many still allow guests to visit Guest Services and have those charges reduced or removed.
Whether you should remove them is where the debate begins.
Some passengers choose to remove gratuities because they prefer tipping crew members directly. In theory, that sounds reasonable. If you personally reward the cabin steward, dining room staff, and other crew members who helped make your vacation enjoyable, you may feel that your money is being distributed more fairly.
The challenge is that nobody really knows what happens after the gratuities are removed.
Some passengers undoubtedly tip generously on their own. Others may simply remove the charges to save money and never replace those tips. From the cruise line’s perspective, there is no practical way to tell the difference.
That’s one reason cruise gratuities remain such a controversial topic among experienced cruisers. Some view them as an outdated system that should be included in the cruise fare, while others see them as an important way to ensure hardworking crew members are compensated for the service they provide throughout the voyage.
Current Cruise Gratuity Rates by Cruise Line
Cruise gratuity rates change frequently, so always verify current pricing before sailing.
As of 2026, these are approximately what most passengers can expect to pay:
Carnival Cruise Line
- Standard Cabins: Approximately $16–18 per person, per day
- Suites: Approximately $18–20 per person, per day
Royal Caribbean
- Standard Cabins: Approximately $18–19 per person, per day
- Suites: Approximately $21–22 per person, per day
Norwegian Cruise Line
- Standard Cabins: Approximately $20 per person, per day
- Suites and Haven: Approximately $25 per person, per day
MSC Cruises
- Approximately $16–18 per person, per day depending on itinerary and region
Disney Cruise Line
- Approximately $16–17 per person, per day
Princess Cruises
- Standard Cabins: Approximately $17–18 per person, per day
- Suites: Approximately $19–20 per person, per day
Celebrity Cruises
- Standard Cabins: Approximately $18–19 per person, per day
- Suites: Approximately $23–25 per person, per day
These amounts can change at any time and generally trend upward rather than downward.
What About Suite Guests?
Passengers staying in suites often receive additional services beyond what standard cabins provide.
Depending on the cruise line, suite guests may have access to:
- Dedicated concierge staff
- Suite attendants
- Priority embarkation personnel
- Private lounges
- Butler services
- Dedicated dining teams
Because of these additional services, gratuity rates for suite passengers are usually higher than standard cabin rates.
Many suite guests also choose to provide additional cash tips directly to their concierge, butler, or suite attendant at the end of the cruise.
Do Drink Packages Include Gratuities?
In most cases, yes.
One thing that surprises many first-time cruisers is that the advertised price of a drink package is often not the final price you’ll actually pay. Most cruise lines automatically add gratuities to beverage packages during checkout, which can significantly increase the total cost.
For example, a drink package advertised at $80 per day may end up costing closer to $95 per day once gratuities and service charges are included.
The good news is that these gratuities are usually paid upfront when you purchase the package. That means you generally won’t see an additional gratuity added every time you order a drink onboard.
As with any cruise purchase, it’s always worth looking at the final checkout price rather than focusing solely on the advertised daily rate.
What If I Buy Drinks Individually?
Even if you don’t purchase a drink package, you’ll still encounter gratuities throughout your cruise.
Most cruise lines automatically add an 18% gratuity, or similar service charge, to individual beverage purchases. This typically applies to:
- Cocktails
- Beer
- Wine
- Specialty coffee
- Soda purchases
- Bottled water
The gratuity is usually added automatically at the time of purchase and will appear on your receipt and onboard account.
Because the service charge has already been included, additional tipping is completely optional. That said, some cruisers still choose to leave an extra cash tip for bartenders who provide exceptional service throughout the voyage.
Personally, if I find a bartender who consistently remembers my order, provides excellent service, or simply goes above and beyond during the cruise, I’m happy to reward that effort. But unlike the automatic gratuity, any additional tip is entirely at your discretion.
Embarkation Day Luggage Porter Tips
One gratuity that is separate from your daily cruise gratuities is the tip for the luggage porters at the cruise terminal.
When you arrive at the port, porters collect your large suitcases and ensure they enter the cruise line’s baggage handling system, eventually making their way to your cabin later that day.
While tipping porters is not mandatory, it is a long-standing cruise tradition. Most cruisers typically tip somewhere between $1 and $3 per bag, while others may tip around $5 per bag for heavier luggage or exceptional service.
Personally, I usually tip about $5 per bag.
The way I look at it is simple: these workers spend all day handling heavy luggage, often in hot and humid conditions, while helping thousands of passengers start their vacation. For a relatively small amount of money, it’s an easy way to show appreciation for a physically demanding job.
As with most tipping situations, the amount you give ultimately comes down to your own comfort level and budget.
Do Cruise Crew Members Actually Work Hard?
In my experience, absolutely.
This is probably the part of the discussion where my own background influences my opinion the most. Before changing careers, I spent more than a decade working in the service industry, including time as both a bartender and a server. I worked for tips, so I understand firsthand how demanding customer-facing jobs can be.
One thing many passengers don’t fully appreciate is that the physical work is only part of the job. Yes, cabin stewards clean rooms, dining staff serve hundreds of meals, and bartenders spend long hours on their feet. But they’re also expected to remain friendly, professional, and helpful every single day, regardless of what may be happening in their personal lives back home.
Many crew members spend months away from their families, work long contracts, and interact with thousands of guests throughout a single sailing. In my opinion, constantly providing great customer service can be just as exhausting as the physical labor itself.
Over the years, I’ve been fortunate to have some outstanding cabin stewards, dining room servers, and bartenders. Not every experience has been perfect, but the vast majority of crew members I’ve encountered have worked incredibly hard to make our vacations more enjoyable.
Whether you agree with the cruise gratuity system or not, it’s difficult to deny the amount of effort many crew members put into their jobs every day.
Do I Personally Remove Cruise Gratuities?
No, I don’t.
Over the years, I’ve sailed on numerous cruises and have never removed the automatic gratuities from my onboard account. That doesn’t mean everyone has to agree with my position, and I understand why some passengers have concerns about the system. It’s simply the approach that feels right to me.
Part of that perspective comes from my own background. I know what it’s like to depend on tips, and I know how much effort goes into providing good customer service day after day.
Personally, I view the automatic gratuities as helping cover the basic service team that supports my vacation throughout the cruise. That includes the cabin stewards, dining staff, housekeeping teams, and many of the crew members working behind the scenes that most passengers never meet.
That doesn’t mean I stop there. If a crew member goes above and beyond during the cruise, I’m often happy to tip extra. But I’ve always viewed the automatic gratuities as the baseline and any additional tips as a way to recognize exceptional service.
Do I Tip Extra?
Often, yes.
Even though I leave the automatic gratuities in place, I still bring cash specifically for additional tips throughout the cruise.
My cabin steward almost always receives an extra cash tip at the end of the voyage. On shorter sailings, that’s usually at least $40, and on longer cruises it’s often considerably more. The same applies to dining room servers, bartenders, and other crew members who consistently go above and beyond during the cruise.
That isn’t because I feel obligated to tip everyone. It’s because I believe exceptional service deserves recognition.
At the same time, I also understand why some passengers dislike the modern tipping culture. In many areas of American life, it can feel like gratuities are expected for almost everything. Personally, I think there is a difference between someone simply doing their job and someone genuinely providing outstanding service.
For me, cruise crew members often fall into that second category. Many work long contracts, spend months away from their families, and dedicate themselves to making sure guests have an enjoyable vacation. When I encounter crew members who consistently exceed expectations, I’m happy to reward that effort with an additional tip.
Whether you choose to tip extra is entirely a personal decision. But for me, recognizing exceptional service has always been part of the cruise experience.
The Cruise Gratuity Debate
Few topics in cruising generate as much discussion as gratuities.
Critics of the system argue that cruise lines should simply pay crew members higher wages and include all service costs in the advertised cruise fare. It’s a reasonable argument, and one that has become increasingly common as gratuity amounts continue to rise across the industry.
Supporters of the current system often point out that gratuities provide a direct way to compensate the crew members responsible for delivering the onboard experience. They also argue that simply eliminating gratuities doesn’t necessarily mean crew members would earn more money. In theory, cruise lines could increase fares and absorb those costs, but there is no guarantee that every dollar would ultimately reach the employees currently benefiting from the gratuity system.
Personally, I can understand both perspectives. Having worked for tips myself, I appreciate the role gratuities can play in rewarding good service. At the same time, I also understand why some passengers dislike seeing additional charges added to their cruise bill after they’ve already paid for the vacation.
At the end of the day, cruise gratuities remain a personal decision and a topic on which reasonable people can disagree. What matters most is understanding how the system works, knowing where your money goes, and making an informed decision that aligns with your own values.
Final Thoughts
Cruise gratuities remain one of the most misunderstood and debated aspects of cruising.
On one side, there are passengers who believe gratuities should simply be included in the cruise fare. On the other, there are those who view them as an important way to compensate the crew members who help make every cruise possible.
Regardless of where you fall in that debate, understanding how cruise gratuities work is important before you sail. These charges help support the cabin stewards, dining staff, housekeeping teams, and many of the behind-the-scenes crew members who contribute to your vacation every day.
For most cruisers, gratuities eventually become just another part of the cruise budget, much like taxes, port fees, beverage packages, shore excursions, and specialty dining.
As for me, I’ve never removed cruise gratuities. My years working in the service industry undoubtedly influence that perspective. I know how demanding customer-facing jobs can be, and I’ve always viewed the automatic gratuities as helping support the team members who work hard throughout the voyage.
Whether you choose to leave the automatic gratuities in place, tip additional crew members directly, or both, the most important thing is understanding the system before you board. That way, there are no surprises on your final bill and you can make the decision that feels right for you.
Before You Cruise
If you’re planning your trip, check out:
- Cruise cabin guides (which room is worth it)
- Our full cruise ship reviews (what the experience is really like onboard)
- Port guides (what to do vs skip)
