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Gratuities

Gratuity Price and Policy


Cruise Gratuities

What do gratuities cost in total per cruise? Most cruise lines automatically add gratuities to your cruise. You may pre-pay your gratuities or it is charged at the end of your cruise. Cruise gratuities are given to all service-oriented crew members. The amount you pay will vary by cruise line, number of nights sailed, and type of cruise cabin. See below each of our cruise line's gratuity policies:


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Azamara Cruises


Gratuities are included in the price of an Azamara cruise, so there is no need to tip individual crew members. However, additional tipping is always welcome for exceptional service.


Carnival Cruises


It is customary for our guests to extend gratuities to the shipboard staff in appreciation for their hard work and exceptional service. 100% of your gratuities are distributed to the crew who you interact with, such as your stateroom attendants, dining and culinary services staff, as well as others who work behind the scenes to enhance your overall cruise experience. Applying this charge automatically streamlines the recognition process and ensures our crew will share in your generosity.  

 To help you plan, we have provided the recommended guidelines:

  • Standard Staterooms:  $13.99 USD per person, per day *
  • Suite Staterooms:  $15.99 USD per person, per day *
  •  

*Effective with all cruises departing on or after May 1, 2022, Carnival is making adjustments to thier recommended onboard gratuity guidelines, as follows:

  • Standard Staterooms: $14.50 USD per person, per day
  • Suite Staterooms: $16.50 USD per person, per day

 You may pay this daily gratuity in two different ways:

Pre-Pay

Gratuities can be added at the time of booking or anytime up to the sail date. Guests who booked directly with Carnival may add their pre-paid gratuities on Carnival.com. If a guest booked with a travel agent, they may contact their travel professional to add pre-paid gratuities to their booking. Prepaid gratuities are reflected in the 'Miscellaneous Charge' field on the confirmation and in the guest's E-Documents. 

Sail & Sign®

If guests have not pre-paid their gratuities, the recommended, per person, amount will be posted to their Sail & Sign account on the second to last day of the cruise. Should a guest not be satisfied with the service they receive, they can contact the Guest Services desk while on board. This will allow us to address their concerns in a timely and appropriate fashion. At the discretion of the guest, gratuities may be adjusted after they have been posted on the guest's account, while on board. Gratuities, as posted on a guest's Sail & Sign account, will be considered final after a guest disembarks and no changes will be made after the cruise.

 

Additional Information

  • Gratuities are assessed on all guests, with the exception of children under the age of 2.
  • Gratuities apply regardless of the dining options selected, such as eating at the casual dining restaurant or open seating dining.
  • For beverage purchases, an 18% service charge will be added to the bill.
  • An 18% service charge will be added to the cover charge for the Chef’s Table and Bonsai Teppanyaki as well as the nominal à la carte fee at Bonsai Sushi, Emeril’s Bistro 1396, Guy’s Pig & Anchor Smokehouse | Brewhouse and Seafood Shack; additional gratuities can be added at the guest's discretion.
  • A gratuity may be extended to room service staff as service is rendered.

Thank you for your generous recognition of Carnival's onboard team. The Carnival crew works hard to provide you with a great vacation and takes pride in being part of the best team in the cruise industry.


Celebrity Cruises


For your convenience, Celebrity automatically add gratuities for your restaurant and stateroom services to your onboard SeaPass® account on a daily basis in the following amounts, which may be adjusted at your discretion:

  • $14.50 per person, per day in standard accommodations
  • $15.00 per person, per day in Concierge Class and AquaClass® staterooms
  • $18.00 per person, per day in suites

This gratuity is shared by your stateroom attendant, dining services staff, and housekeeping staff members who help enhance your vacation experience. At your discretion, the gratuity payments may be adjusted onboard at Guest Relations, in which case they will not automatically be added to your onboard SeaPass® account. An 18% gratuity will be automatically added to all beverages, mini bar purchases, spa and salon services. Additional gratuities may be added at your discretion.


Celestyal Cruises


When you sail with Celestyal, all your port fees, service charges, and gratuities are included with the cost of your ticket.

 


Costa Cruises


The service charge, which is calculated daily according to the length of the cruise, the destination, and the ship, is used to provide incentive to staff who perform hotel duties and to continually improve the quality of service offered onboard Costa Cruises ships. The service charge is an integral part of the cruise and therefore the amount cannot be altered. As a convenience, Costa Cruises will add a modest service charge per person, per night to the onboard account as a gratuity for cabin and dining services. Bartenders, servers, deck stewards and other staff may be tipped as service is received. A 15% gratuity is added to beverage purchases which are added to the onboard account.


Cunard Cruises


The “hotel and dining service charge” is a daily amount for each guest that will be automatically added to your onboard account for your convenience, to recognize the efforts of a wide variety of crew members who contribute to the White Star service experiences of all our guests.  The crew members eligible to receive these funds work in various departments, many of whom rotate among different ships, throughout our fleet of ships. The hotel and dining service charge amounts vary by the type of accommodations and are charged on the daily basis to the guest’s onboard account. The amount of the hotel and dining service charge will be based on the stateroom category: 

Inside, Oceanview, and Balcony: $14.50 USD
Grill Suite: $16.50 USD

Cunard prids themselves on excellent guest satisfaction and our Purser’s Office onboard is available to immediately address any concerns you may have about your cruise. In the unlikely event you remain dissatisfied for any reason, the hotel and dining service charge is subject to adjustment, at your discretion, at any time during the cruise up to the time you settle your onboard account prior to disembarkation. If you do not choose to adjust this daily charge while on board, your payment becomes final and nonrefundable.

There is no need for additional “tipping” for our hotel and dining crew.  Should you wish to individually reward any other crew members who have made your time on board particularly memorable, we welcome them to do so.  Pre-payment of these charges is available prior to boarding the ship.  Please contact Cunard at 1-800-728-6273.

In addition, other service charges apply to other onboard products and services that are not part of the voyage fare.  A 15% service charge is automatically added to your account for all bar and wine purchases that are not part of the voyage fare.  This is shared across all beverage staff.  A 12.5% salon service charge is passed directly to the crew member who looks after you.  

This charge is added to your onboard account.  Other optional products and services such as Alternative Dining, Specialty Food Items, Drinks not covered by the Drinks Package, Corkage Fee, Private Group Functions, and Spa Services that are not part of the voyage fare may contain a separate service charge which will automatically be added to your account and distributed to our crew members.  

If the voyage fare on your booking includes the hotel and dining service charge (or previously called “gratuities”), this amount will be prepaid by Cunard. (i) the payments are bundled into your fare; (ii) the payments are nonrefundable from the time of purchase, except as part of the voyage fare, which refund shall be provided in accordance with our cancelation policy; and (iii) no additional amount will be added to your onboard account for the hotel and dining service charge covered by such package.


Disney Cruises


We'll make it easy. Of course, you should never feel that a reward is automatically expected from you. But it is customary to give gratuities in recognition of service, which you will most likely be treated to in abundance aboard the ship. As a guideline, may we suggest the following:

  Per guest/Per cruise

 

3-Night

4-Night

7-Night

10-Night

14-Night

Dining Room Server

$12

$16

$28

$40

$56

Dining Room Asst. Server

$9

$12

$21

$30

$42

Dining Room Head Server

$3

$4

$7

$10

$14

Stateroom Host/Hostess

$12

$16

$28

$40

$56

Dining Manager

Your Discretion

Room Service

Your Discretion

Total

$36

$48

$84

$120

$168

For your convenience, a 15% gratuity is automatically added to bar, beverage, wine and deck service tabs. All gratuities can be charged to your room charge.


Emerald Cruises


Gratuities/Tips. Gratuities and tips are included on tours and cruises operated by Emerald and that are listed on your itinerary. All other gratuities and tips are the customer’s responsibility.


Holland America Cruises


Our crew works very hard to make sure that every aspect of your cruise meets the highest standards. This includes those crew members who serve you directly, such as Dining Room wait staff and the stewards who service your stateroom each day. There are also many others who support their efforts whom you may never meet, such as galley and laundry staff. To ensure that the efforts of all of our crew members are recognized and rewarded, a daily Hotel Service Charge is automatically added to each guest’s shipboard account.

The daily Hotel Service Charge for suites is US$12.00 per guest per day, and US$11.50 per guest per day for other staterooms. (The charges are subject to change without notice)

If our service exceeds or fails to meet your expectations, you are free to adjust this amount at the end of each segment and/or voyage. The Hotel Service Charge is paid to Holland America Line crew members, and represents an important part of their compensation. A 15% Bar Service Charge is automatically added to bar charges and Dining Room wine purchases. In terminals, airports, ports of call and on shore excursions, we suggest that you extend gratuities consistent with customary local practices.

 


Hurtigruten Cruises


It is not common practice to tip on Hurtigruten ships on the coastal voyage, but if you feel that crew members should be rewarded for providing exceptional service, tip boxes and envelopes are available in the restaurant.


MSC Cruises


At the end of the cruise it is international custom to pay service charges to restaurant and cabin staff in recognition of good service. Passengers will receive written communication regarding this in their cabin. For your convenience and as an indicative suggestion we have arranged for an all inclusive daily service charge of 6 Euros per adult and 3 Euros per child (4-17 years) for cruises in the Mediterranean and Northern Europe; 12 US dollars per adult and 6 US dollars per child for cruises in the Caribbean and North America; 6 US dollars per adult and 3 dollars per child for cruises in Brazil and Argentina (including Ocean Cruises); 5 US dollars per adult and 2,50 US dollars per child for cruises in South Africa. This sign of appreciation, valid on all ships in the MSC Cruises fleet is of course optional. Therefore, passengers may freely decide whether to increase or decrease it, communicating their decision to the Accounting Office before 22.00 of the last day. This Office is at your disposal for further information. For your convenience, should you give no indication to change the amount; the sum will automatically be debited to your final extras account.


Norwegian Cruises


Effective April 1, 2018:

Norwegian’s discretionary daily service charges make it easy for guests to provide gratuities to key onboard staff who provide superior guest service during the cruise, including their room steward, restaurant servers and behind-the-scenes support staff.
 

The new rates for all ships:

  • $14.50 per person per day for any category up to a Mini-Suite Stateroom.  
  • $17.50 per person per day for any suite or Haven category. 

Any guest that has made a booking by March 31, 2018 will have the option of prepaying their service charges at the current rate if done prior to sail date. Guests with existing cruise reservations who have already pre-paid their service charges at the current rate are not affected.

Guest satisfaction is the highest priority at Norwegian Cruise Line. We have structured a guest satisfaction program designed to handle any concerns about service or on-board product quickly and efficiently. However, in the event a service issue should arise during your cruise please let NCL's on-board reception desk staff know right away, so that NCL can address these in a timely manner. It is NCL's goal to reach a satisfactory solution to any issue when it happens and make sure NCL's guests can focus on enjoying their cruise. Should your concerns not be met with satisfaction you can adjust the charges.


Oceania Cruises


How much you choose to tip is a personal matter and completely at your discretion. For your convenience, gratuities of $15.00 per guest, per day are automatically added to your shipboard account. An additional $4.00 per guest, per day will be added for guests occupying Penthouse, Vista or Owner's Suites where Butler Service is provided. Naturally, guests may adjust gratuities at their sole discretion.


Paul Gauguin Cruises


Gratuities are included in your Paul Gauguin cruise fare. If guests feel strongly about expressing their gratitude to the crew, they should be encouraged to make a donation to the Crew Welfare Fund at the Purser Office. This money is utilized for crew parties and events.


Ponant Cruises


Tips are usual practice on cruise ships and are left to your discretion. We suggest an amount of 10 to 12 euros per day/per passenger that will be distributed among the Crew. You will find an envelope for this purpose in your cabin at the end of the cruise. You may deposit this envelope in the receptacle provided at the Reception Desk.


Princess Cruises


In order to ensure our guest service on board remains among the best in the cruise industry, Princess Cruises will increase its daily gratuities charge on all voyages departing on or after May 21, 2019.

The daily gratuity amount will increase by $1, and will be as follows:

Interior/Oceanview/Balcony -- $14.50 USD per guest, per day
Mini suites (including Club Class) -- $15.50 USD per guest, per day
Full Suites -- $16.50 USD per guest, per day

Additionally, booked passengers have the opportunity to prepay their daily gratuities at the current gratuity amount through May 14, 2019 at 11:59PM PST.

This gratuity will be shared amongst those staff who have helped provide and support your cruise experience, including all waitstaff, stateroom stewards, buffet stewards, and housekeeping staff across the fleet. A 15% gratuity is added to bar charges and dining room wine accounts.


Regent Cruises


Gratuities are included in the cruise fare for all RSSC vessels. If guests feel strongly about expressing their gratitude to the crew, they should be encouraged to make a donation to the Crew Welfare Fund at the Purser Office. This money is utilized for crew parties and events.


Royal Caribbean Cruises


As of January 2, 2018, Royal Caribbean will automatically add a $14.50 USD gratuity ($17.505 USD for Suite guests) to each guest’s onboard SeaPass® account on a daily basis. This gratuity is shared by Dining Services staff, stateroom Attendants other Housekeeping Services Personnel that work to enhance your cruise. The daily automatic gratuity amounts are recommended and are based on customary industry standards. As with previous gratuities, you will still have the option to prepay before sailing, rather than having the automatic gratuities applied onboard. Bookings that prepay their gratuities before sailing will not be charged daily onboard.  As with previous gratuity guidelines, the amount of the automatic gratuity is at your discretion. In the unlikely event you're completely satisfied with the service while onboard, you may visit Guest Services to modify the amount of the daily gratuity. Other onboard gratuity policies remain the same: a 15% gratuity is automatically added to beverages, mini bar items, and spa & salon services, and will be itemized on your receipt.

Note: These gratuities apply to guests of all ages. Gratuities for other service personnel are at your discretion. A 15% gratuity will automatically be added to your bar bill or wine check when you are served. Notice to Guests: Gratuities may be shared with other crew members depending on the particular service requirement. Envelopes for gratuities will be provided in your stateroom on the last night of the cruise. Gratuities may be paid in the following ways: Pre paid by having them added to your reservation by your booking agent. Added to your onboard SeaPass account. Paid in cash at the end of the cruise.


Scenic Cruises


Tipping and gratuities are not included in the fare price.


Seabourn Cruises


Tipping is neither required nor expected. Prices do not include gratuities for local shore excursion guides, drivers, and related service staff. Independent, subcontracted ground operator companies employ all ground staff and these entities do not participate in Seabourn Cruises' on board "no tipping" practice. Tipping of guides, drivers and other independent ground staff is at the individual guest's discretion, anticipated and appreciated.


SeaDream Yacht Club Cruises


SeaDream's European style, award-winning service is provided by a very professional and meticulous international service staff. Guests aboard our yachts do not have to carry cash or sign tabs. Tipping is included in the fare and not expected.


Silversea Cruises


All gratuities aboard ship are included in your cruise fare; none are expected.


Star Clippers Cruises


Gratuities on board the ship are not included in "Just Cruising Rates" and are at the sole discretion of each guest based on the level of services performed. However, we are often asked by our guests for guidance regarding gratuities, and we suggest gratuities of 8 euros per guest per day. 


Viking Cruises


It is customary to give cruise gratuities, subject to your satisfaction of services rendered. Gratuities on board and on land are not included in your full fare.


Virgin Voyages Cruises


Tipping is not required


Windstar Cruises


HOTEL SERVICE CHARGE
Windstar crew works very hard to make sure that every aspect of your cruise meets the highest standards. This includes those crewmembers who serve you directly, such as wait staff, beverage servers and the stewards who service your stateroom each day. There are also many others who support their efforts whom you may never meet, such as galley and laundry staff. To ensure that the efforts of all of Windstars crewmembers are recognized and rewarded, a Hotel Service Charge of $16 per passenger is automatically added to each guest's shipboard account on a daily basis. If Windstars service exceeds or fails to meet your expectations, you are free to adjust this amount at the end of the cruise. In addition, a 18% Beverage Service Charge is automatically added to bar charges and dining room wine purchases. These charges are paid entirely to Windstar crewmembers, and represent an important part of their compensation.

In terminals, airports, ports of call and on shore excursions, Windstar suggest that you extend gratuities consistent with customary local practices.



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