Gratuity Changes by Major Cruise Lines

Trying to keep up with these gratuity hikes is like chasing socks in a dryer—hopeless. Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, Disney—they all rolled out new rates and rules, usually right when you’re scrambling to book a cabin.

Carnival Cruise Line Gratuity Updates

I unpacked after a trip and, oh look, Carnival had quietly updated my gratuity line. Standard cabins? Now $16 per guest, per day. Suites? $18. No warning, just a random email months after I’d already paid the deposit.

They claim it goes to the staff, but every time I walk by guest services there’s a line of confused folks asking if the charges are optional. Technically, you can remove them at the desk, but the guilt trip is real. Blog posts can’t even agree. Cruzely has the latest numbers if you want to compare, but honestly, it’s a mess. And yeah, they even charge for kids. I’m not convinced my eight-year-old ever made anyone’s bed, but sure, let’s tip for that too.

Royal Caribbean’s Latest Policy Shift

Royal Caribbean’s always got this weird thing where they copy whatever Carnival does, but this 2025 move? They’re bumping up gratuities for regular staterooms to $18 and suites to $20 per guest, per day. Not a peep on social or anywhere obvious—just a line buried in the FAQ, which, by the way, I only found after clicking through five dead links.

I stared at their official chart until my eyes hurt. The jump from two years ago is wild. These new rates? They slap them on every booking: Interior, Oceanview, Balcony—$18 a head. Suites, $20. More detail if you’re bored: recent policy changes. Some retired travel agent at my dinner table kept ranting that you still have to tip specialty restaurant staff separately. I mean, if I slip my cabin attendant a ten, does it count? Does anyone know? Nobody spells this out, ever.

Norwegian Cruise Line Adjustments

Norwegian’s logic—honestly, does anyone get it? (Let’s not even talk about their WiFi.) They just hiked auto-gratuities again: $20 per person, per day in a regular cabin, $25 for The Haven and suites. I caught it right before boarding—just showed up in my cart like it’d been there all along.

Their excuse? “Reward excellent service.” Sure. There’s some official blurb on their site, but try reading it after a 2 a.m. muster drill. Crew definitely work hard, but Norwegian managed to raise these rates twice in a year, as if nobody would notice. It’s all here. Supposedly you can “adjust” the charge at guest services. But rumor has it, that process takes forever and makes everyone in line cranky. Good luck.

Disney Cruise Line Fee Modifications

Disney Cruise Line—can they make anything straightforward? Nope. They nudged their “suggested” gratuity to $16 per guest, per day. Doesn’t matter if you’re in a broom closet or the fanciest suite, you’re paying it. They say it’s “suggested,” but try taking it off—everyone in line glares at you like you just cancelled Christmas.

There’s a 2025 increase, but the real kicker is that Disney still hands out those little envelopes at the end. So, yeah, you get billed automatically and then guilted into tipping again. “It’s for the staff,” they say, but I noticed they skip infants. Guess that’s the only Disney discount left. And I still get anxious I’ll blow the whole trip by under-tipping and missing some secret handshake.

Virgin Voyages and Princess Cruises: New Approaches

So, gratuities again—no memo, just another change. Feels like a running joke. One line drops tips, another sneaks in a fee hike, and you’re left holding a room card and a migraine. Not even platinum status shields you from this nonsense.

Virgin Voyages Gratuity Philosophy

Virgin Voyages—yeah, the adults-only, tattoo-parlor-at-sea one—just killed off the whole gratuity thing. I tried telling my aunt, and she kept asking where to leave the envelope. Virgin’s site says all tips are “included” in your cruise fare. No opt-out, no forms, no “oops, you missed a charge” on your bill.

But does anyone talk about how the crew actually feels? I chatted up a bartender on Valiant Lady—he shrugged. “It’s fine, I guess? Base pay’s higher, but tips from guests basically vanished.” Weirdly, some people now just skip tipping altogether, like “inclusive” means “service doesn’t matter.” Virgin claims it’s about transparency and freedom, but every time I order a fancy coffee on their app, I wonder if I’m funding someone’s mojito syrup stash. Who’s actually getting paid here?

Princess Cruises Fee Structures

Princess Cruises—oh man, they hiked gratuities again and acted like nothing happened. No warning, no nothing. Spring 2025, rates went up: interior and oceanview rooms get hit with higher daily charges, which just show up on your account. Cruise Hive covered it. Balcony and mini-suite guests? Even worse. My last bill looked like an ancient phone statement.

Princess insists all this money goes to housekeeping, dining, and cabin crew. They say it’s fair, and there’s some internal breakdown (I once saw someone demand to know if the Crooner’s bar guy gets a cut—he does, but it’s tiny). You can go to the desk and try to adjust or remove the tips, but all I’ve ever seen is midnight arguments with receipts everywhere and zero results. Why call it “recommended” if it’s auto-charged before you even leave the ship? Maybe I’ll put that on my next survey. Not holding my breath for a straight answer.