All eight lines in this guide publish a daily gratuity or service charge for each chargeable guest. It is separate from the percentage service charges added to drinks, specialty dining and spa. The amount depends on the line, your cabin type and, for MSC Cruises, your region and booking date. Six of the eight let you prepay it, according to their own pages; the rules for changing or getting money back differ a lot. The table below gives each line's figure as its page words it, and the sections after it cover children, extra charges, who gets the money and refunds.
This guide covers Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), Carnival, Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, MSC Cruises and Virgin Voyages. It does not cover other lines; read that line's own gratuity page.
Daily rates on each line's official page
| Line | Daily amount, as the page words it | Cabin type / who is charged | Effective date on the page |
|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Caribbean | USD 21.00 per guest, per day; USD 18.50 per guest, per day | Any suite; all other stateroom categories | No date shown |
| Celebrity | USD 19.50 per guest, per day; USD 20.50; USD 24.50 | Inside, Oceanview, Veranda; Concierge and AquaClass; The Retreat | No date shown |
| NCL | USD 25.00 per person per day; USD 20.00 per person per day | The Haven and Suites; Club Balcony Suite and below. Guests 3 years or older | Bookings made on or after January 1, 2023 |
| Carnival | USD 17.00 per person, per day (recommended); USD 19.00 | Standard staterooms; suite staterooms. All guests except children under 2 | No date shown |
| Princess | USD 20.00 per person per day; USD 19.00; USD 18.00 | Suites; Mini Suites, Cabanas and Reserve Collection; all other stateroom types | No date shown |
| Holland America | US $18.00 per guest per day; US $20.00 | Non-suite; suite | No date shown; page says rates are subject to change |
| MSC Cruises | Varies by region, booking date, age and cabin; per night | Mandatory hotel service charge, part of the total price | Dated tables, see below |
| Virgin Voyages | USD 22 per Sailor per day; USD 20 per night if prepaid | Added to the onboard folio; no cabin tiers on the page | Starting October 7, 2025 |
Where the table says "No date shown", the page has no effective date, so the rate on your own booking confirmation is the one that counts.
Sources for each row: Royal Caribbean's gratuity FAQ, Celebrity's gratuity FAQ, NCL's onboard service charge FAQ, Carnival's service gratuities help page, Princess's Crew Appreciation and Service Charge Policy, Holland America's Crew Appreciation FAQ, MSC's Hotel Service Charge page and Virgin Voyages' VoyageFair Choices FAQ.
How the charge is counted
The daily rate applies per guest, per day or per night, so what you pay depends on how many guests are charged and how long the sailing is. Read the guest count and the number of nights on your confirmation.
A few details on each line
- Royal Caribbean: the charge is applied to your SeaPass account daily unless you prepaid it. The page says it is not applicable wherever expressly prohibited by law.
- Celebrity: the page uses the same wording on SeaPass posting and the same legal exception.
- NCL: sailings to Hawaii carry an additional 4.275% Pre Paid Service Charge GET Tax.
- Carnival: the page calls the amounts recommended gratuities and says they apply regardless of the dining option you pick, such as the casual dining restaurant or open seating dining.
- Princess: the page calls it Crew Appreciation and says it does not apply to residents of Australia or New Zealand on voyages departing from those regions. For ships operating in AUD, guests pay the equivalent of the USD amounts.
- Holland America: the page calls it Crew Appreciation. It says the charges are subject to change without notice and tells you to contact customer service for the latest details before you sail.
MSC Cruises: read the row for your sailing
MSC's page says the hotel service charge is mandatory and built into the total price for new reservations on Winter 2021-22 departures and onwards. The tables show amounts per night. There is no single MSC figure, because the amount and the age bands change by region and by booking date. The examples below are rows copied from the page; for any other region, use the page's own table.
| Region | Booking-date rule on the page | Standard | MSC Yacht Club |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caribbean, Alaska, Bermuda, Canada and New England | New bookings from 11 May 2026 (bookings confirmed before that date are not affected) | US $17 per night, guests 2 and over | US $23 per night, guests 2 and over |
| Asia (China, Japan, Republic of Korea) | From July 2nd, 2024 onwards | US $18 per night, guests 2 and over | US $21 per night, guests 2 and over |
| Mediterranean, Canary Islands, Northern Europe, Antilles, Dubai, Abu Dhabi & Qatar, Egypt | New bookings from 2 July 2026 | EUR 12 per person per night for adults (18 and over); EUR 10 per person per night for children 2 to 17 | EUR 16 per person per night for adults (18 and over); EUR 13 per person per night for children 2 to 17 |
For every table on the page, children under 2 have no service charge applied. The page also lists South America, South Africa and Grand Voyages tables with other amounts and age bands (for South America and South Africa, the page's dates are from 2 March 2026).
Are gratuities automatic, and can you prepay or change them?
This table shows only what each page says. "Not stated" means the page says nothing on the point.
| Line | Automatic or prepay | Changing the amount on board | Refund |
|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Caribbean | Applied daily to SeaPass unless you choose to prepay at booking | At the Guest Relations desk any time before the morning of disembarkation; cannot be changed once the sailing has ended | Not stated |
| Celebrity | Same as Royal Caribbean | Same as Royal Caribbean | Not stated |
| NCL | Prepay through your travel professional; can be added up to 24 hours before sailing | Tell guest services about a service issue; if your concerns are not met, the page says you can adjust the charges | The page says service charges are 100% refundable if you cancel the cruise |
| Carnival | Prepay by phone from booking until sail date, or on carnival.com at booking or up to 11:59pm ET, 2 days before sailing; otherwise posted to your Sail & Sign account | Adjustable on board after posting, at the guest's discretion | Gratuities on the Sail & Sign account are final after you disembark, and no changes are made after the cruise |
| Princess | Added to your onboard account automatically; can be prepaid in Manage Booking | Adjustable at your discretion until you settle your onboard account before disembarkation | Not refundable after the cruise; if you do not adjust it on board, the payment becomes final |
| Holland America | Added to your onboard account automatically; the page does not describe prepaying | Adjustable on board before the account is settled, at Guest Services | Not stated |
| MSC | Mandatory, part of the total price | Not stated | Not stated |
| Virgin Voyages | Added to the onboard folio; USD 20 per night if you prepay before the voyage begins | If paid on board, you can modify or remove it at the Sailor Services desk before disembarkation | Prepaid gratuity is locked in and non-refundable |
A few points worth knowing:
- Poor service. Carnival and NCL both ask you to tell guest services during the cruise so they can fix the problem in the moment. Princess says its onboard team can address concerns and that you may adjust the charge. Holland America says the same about raising it with the onboard team.
- Packages on Princess. If you prepaid Crew Appreciation or the service charge as part of an all-inclusive or other package, the page says the payments are bundled into your fare and nonrefundable from the time of purchase, except as part of the cruise fare, which is refunded under Princess's cancellation policy. No additional amount is added to your onboard account for what the package covers.
- Group bookings. Royal Caribbean and Celebrity say guests in group reservations should check with their group leader or travel agent.
Do children pay, and do suites pay more?
Each page has its own age rule, and several pages don't state one.
- NCL: all guests 3 years or older.
- Carnival: all guests, except children under 2.
- MSC: no charge for children under 2. Above that, the amount and age bands depend on the region table. In the Mediterranean-type table (bookings from 2 July 2026), children 2 to 17 have their own amount. In the Caribbean, Alaska and Asia rows above, guests 2 and over pay one amount.
- Virgin Voyages: the page says the amount is per Sailor and describes the line as adults-only.
- Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Princess and Holland America: the pages say per guest or per person and give no age cutoff. Princess says its charge does not apply to residents of Australia or New Zealand on voyages departing from those regions.
Suites do pay a higher rate on most of these lines:
- Royal Caribbean's gratuity FAQ: USD 21.00 per guest per day for any suite, against USD 18.50 per guest per day for other categories; the page gives no age cutoff.
- Celebrity's gratuity FAQ: USD 24.50 per guest per day in The Retreat and USD 20.50 per guest per day in Concierge and AquaClass, against USD 19.50 per guest per day in Inside, Oceanview and Veranda; the page gives no age cutoff.
- NCL's onboard service charge FAQ: USD 25.00 per person per day in The Haven and Suites, against USD 20.00 per person per day in Club Balcony Suite and below, for guests 3 years or older.
- Carnival's service gratuities help page: recommended USD 19.00 per person per day in suite staterooms, against USD 17.00 per person per day in standard staterooms, for all guests except children under 2.
- Princess's Crew Appreciation and Service Charge Policy: USD 20.00 per person per day in Suites, USD 19.00 per person per day in Mini Suites, Cabanas and Reserve Collection, and USD 18.00 per person per day in all other stateroom types; the page gives no age cutoff. The charge does not apply to residents of Australia or New Zealand on voyages departing from those regions.
- Holland America's Crew Appreciation FAQ: US $20.00 per guest per day for suite guests, against US $18.00 per guest per day for non-suite; the page gives no age cutoff.
- MSC: the Yacht Club rows carry their own higher amounts, as in the table above.
- Virgin Voyages: the page gives one amount and does not split it by cabin.
Extra service charges on drinks, dining and spa
Most lines add a percentage charge to optional purchases on top of the daily amount. These are the figures as each page words them.
| Line | Percentage charge on the page |
|---|---|
| Royal Caribbean | 18% on beverages and beverage packages, specialty dining and specialty dining packages, room service and minibar purchases; 20% on spa and salon purchases. Applies to pre-cruise and onboard purchases |
| Celebrity | 20% on spa and salon services, beverages and beverage packages, specialty dining and specialty dining packages, room service and minibar purchases. Applies to pre-cruise and onboard purchases |
| NCL | The page gives no percentage service charge |
| Carnival | 20% service charge on beverage purchases; 20% on the reservation fee of all Specialty Dining venues and on the a la carte fee at Bonsai Sushi, Emeril's Bistro, Guy's Pig & Anchor Smokehouse / Brewhouse and Seafood Shack; 20% on certain Main Dining Room items (Steakhouse selections, Bonsai Sushi boat on the dinner menu, Emeril's Bistro selections and fresh pressed juices on Seaday Brunch and breakfast menus); 20% on beverages ordered from the bar through room service |
| Princess | A nonrefundable 20% service charge on optional purchases of drinks, dining room and specialty dining, private group functions and other elected products, services or amenities not included in the fare |
| Holland America | 20% on beverage purchases, bar retail items, specialty restaurant cover charges and for-purchase a la carte menu items; 18% on spa and salon services. Local taxes are added where required |
| MSC | The Hotel Service Charge page does not state one |
| Virgin Voyages | None. The page says no extra gratuities are added to drinks, spa services or dining |
Read the package terms before you buy a drink or specialty dining package on Royal Caribbean or Celebrity. Their gratuity FAQs say the percentage applies to those packages as well as to individual purchases.
Virgin Voyages: no tipping on board, but not gratuity-free
Virgin's page says you never need to tip on board. It does not add extra gratuities to drinks, spa services or dining. It still charges a daily service gratuity: from October 7, 2025, USD 22 per Sailor is added to your onboard folio automatically, or USD 20 per night if you prepay before the voyage begins. Virgin calls the prepay figure the discounted rate.
The page says that daily service gratuity is all you'll be asked to contribute and that it supports the entire Crew. Prepaid amounts are locked in and non-refundable. If you pay on board, you can modify or remove the amount at the Sailor Services desk at any time before disembarkation.
Who gets the money, and do you still need cash?
The pages describe the recipients in general terms and give no percentage splits.
- Royal Caribbean and Celebrity: gratuities are pooled and applied toward the compensation of crew members, including dining, bar and culinary services staff, stateroom attendants, hotel services teams, and others.
- Carnival: the page says 100% of gratuities are distributed to the crew you interact with, such as stateroom attendants and dining and culinary services staff, as well as team members who work behind the scenes.
- Princess: payments from all guests on all ships are pooled, net of credit card transaction fees, except spa service charges, which are not pooled for the fleet. They are distributed through the year as compensation, including bonuses, to crew fleetwide, including those in Bar, Dining, Entertainment, Housekeeping, Guest Services, Galley and Onboard Revenue areas.
- NCL: complimentary restaurant staff, stateroom stewards and behind-the-scenes support staff are compensated by a combination of salary and incentive programs that the service charge supports.
- Holland America: the amount is pooled to support team members across the ship, including roles you see every day and those working in the background.
- Virgin Voyages: the daily service gratuity supports the entire Crew.
- MSC: the page does not say who receives the charge.
On extra cash, the pages say little. Virgin says there is no need to tip on board. Holland America says gratuities are not automatically applied in ports, terminals, airports or on shore excursions, and that ashore you are encouraged to follow customary local practice. Carnival says additional gratuities can be added at your discretion for specialty dining and Main Dining Room items, and that a gratuity may be extended to room service staff as service is rendered. The other pages do not address cash tips.
Which should you choose: prepay or pay on board?
Only some lines give you a choice, and only some pages describe the terms. Route yourself by your situation.
- You want the amount settled before you sail. Prepay where your line allows it: Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, NCL, Carnival, Princess and Virgin Voyages all describe a prepay route. NCL's page frames prepaying as a way to plan your budget before the cruise.
- You want room to change the amount after you see the service. Pay on board where you can. Virgin says a prepaid gratuity is locked in and non-refundable, while an on-board payment can be modified or removed. Princess says a prepaid package amount is bundled and nonrefundable. Carnival's page describes adjusting after the charge posts to your Sail & Sign account, and says nothing about adjusting a prepaid amount.
- Your cancellation risk matters to you. NCL's onboard service charge FAQ says service charges are 100% refundable if you cancel the cruise. Princess's Crew Appreciation and Service Charge Policy says payments included in a package are nonrefundable except as part of a cruise fare refund under its cancellation policy. Virgin Voyages' VoyageFair Choices FAQ says prepaid gratuity is locked in and non-refundable.
- You are sailing with MSC. You do not get to choose. The hotel service charge is part of the total price.
- You are sailing with Holland America. The charge is added to your onboard account daily, and the page does not describe a prepay option. You can adjust it before the account is settled.
Questions to settle before you book
- Which row of the table applies: your cabin type, guest ages, region and booking date.
- Whether the daily amount is on your confirmation, and for how many guests and nights.
- Whether it is prepaid, posted on board, or covered by a package, and what the package covers.
- Which percentage service charges apply to the drinks, dining and spa purchases you plan to make.
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