Cruise Gratuities 2026: What Every Line Charges Now
Six lines have raised their daily rate this year. Here is the full list, and who is still holding.
Last updated: 1 September 2026
Six cruise lines raised their automatic daily gratuities during 2026, and Royal Caribbean is not one of them. As of today the standard cabin rates run from $16 per person per night on Disney up to $22 on Margaritaville at Sea, with most of the big mainstream lines clustered between $17 and $20. Celebrity moved most recently, on 29 July, taking standard cabins to $19.50.
That is the answer. Now here is what it actually costs you, and which lines still have a prepay window open.
Key facts
Six lines raised daily gratuities in 2026: Margaritaville at Sea (1 February), Princess (8 March), Carnival (2 April), MSC (11 May), Holland America (1 June) and Celebrity (29 July)
Royal Caribbean, Norwegian and Disney have not announced increases this year
Royal Caribbean last changed its rate in autumn 2024 and still sits at $18.50 for standard cabins
Celebrity's rise was announced and applied on the same day, so there was no prepay window
Rates are charged per person per night, for every guest in the cabin, usually regardless of age
The daily charge is separate from the 18% or 20% added to drinks, specialty dining and spa
What does every cruise line charge in gratuities in 2026?
These are the current standard published rates in US dollars, per person, per night. Where a line has more than two tiers, the higher tiers are listed in the notes.
Cruise line | Standard cabin | Suite / top tier | Changed in 2026? |
Disney Cruise Line | $16.00 | $27.25 (concierge and suites) | No |
Carnival | $17.00 | $19.00 | Yes, 2 April |
MSC (Caribbean and Alaska) | $17.00 | $23.00 (Yacht Club) | Yes, 11 May |
Princess | $18.00 | $20.00 | Yes, 8 March |
Holland America | $18.00 | $20.00 | Yes, 1 June |
Royal Caribbean | $18.50 | $20.50 | No |
Celebrity | $19.50 | $24.50 (The Retreat) | Yes, 29 July |
Norwegian | $20.00 | $25.00 (The Haven) | No |
Virgin Voyages | $20.00 prepaid, $22.00 onboard | Same | No |
Margaritaville at Sea | $22.00 | $25.00 | Yes, 1 February |
Two tiers worth spelling out. Princess sits at $18 standard, $19 for mini suites, Cabanas and Reserve Collection, then $20 for full suites. Celebrity is $19.50 for inside, oceanview and veranda, $20.50 for Concierge Class and AquaClass, then $24.50 in The Retreat.
One honest caveat on Royal Caribbean's suite figure. Royal Caribbean Blog lists the current suite rate as $20.50, while several other outlets publish $21.00 following the autumn 2024 adjustment. Junior Suites pay the standard rate either way. If you are in a full suite, check the figure on your own booking rather than trusting any blog, this one included.
Which cruise lines raised gratuities in 2026?
Margaritaville at Sea went first on 1 February, jumping to $22 standard and $25 for suites, and unusually those charges cannot be removed at guest services. Princess followed on 8 March with a $1 rise across its three tiers, and quietly took its bar and dining service charge from 18% to 20% at the same time. Carnival moved on 2 April to $17 and $19, its first change since 2023. MSC raised North American sailings on 11 May, adding $1 for standard cabins and $3 for the Yacht Club. Holland America added $1 per tier on 1 June.
Then Celebrity, as reported by Royal Caribbean Blog on 29 July, added roughly $1.50 to every tier. The line describes the charges as "discretionary", though in practice almost nobody treats them that way.
So that is six lines in six months. The pattern is unmistakable, and it is the reason the Royal Caribbean question keeps coming up.
Will Royal Caribbean raise gratuities in 2026?
Royal Caribbean has not announced anything, and there is no confirmed increase to report. What we can say is this: the line has not touched its rate since autumn 2024, its entire competitive set has repriced above or alongside it, and its cruise ticket contract gives it the right to adjust the charge whenever it wants. Historically, when one Royal Caribbean Group brand moves, the others have tended to follow within a few months.
Royal Caribbean also ran a survey earlier this year asking past guests how they prefer to handle gratuities: prepaid, charged onboard, or removed. Lines do not usually survey a fee they have no plans to touch. That is inference, not news, and I am not going to pretend otherwise.
If you are booked on Royal Caribbean, prepaying now locks in $18.50. If nothing changes you have lost nothing. If it moves before your sail date, you are covered.
What does this actually cost on a real booking?
Take a couple in a balcony cabin on a 7 night sailing, standard rate, before a single drink:
Disney: $224
Carnival or MSC: $238
Princess or Holland America: $252
Royal Caribbean: $259
Celebrity: $273
Norwegian: $280
Double it for a family of four. Royal Caribbean becomes $518. Celebrity becomes $546. Norwegian becomes $560. On a fare of £1,400 for that family, you are adding something close to a tenth of the holiday cost after you thought you had finished paying.
Celebrity's $1.50 daily rise sounds trivial on its own. Across four people and seven nights, it is $42. Across a 14 night sailing it is $84. That is the point people miss with these announcements: the headline number is per person, per night, and both multipliers are working against you.
What about the percentage charges?
The daily gratuity is not the whole story, and this is where most fee comparisons fall apart. Every line also adds a percentage to individual purchases, and that portion generally cannot be removed at all.
Royal Caribbean adds 18% to drinks, beverage packages, specialty dining, room service and minibar, then 20% on spa and salon. Carnival, Celebrity, Norwegian and Princess all use 20% on beverages. Holland America and Disney use 18%. Princess raised its percentage from 18% to 20% on 8 March in the same move as the daily rise, which got far less coverage than the headline change did.
So if you buy a drinks package at roughly $88 a day, you are adding another $15 to $18 daily in service charges on top of your daily gratuity. Budget for both or you will be surprised on the last night.
Do UK cruisers pay any of this?
Often not, and that is worth knowing before you compare fares between British and American lines.
P&O Cruises, Marella and Fred. Olsen include gratuities in the fare, and so does MSC on UK bookings, so there is nothing extra to add. At the luxury end, Regent Seven Seas, Silversea, Explora Journeys, Scenic, Emerald and Azamara also build them into the published price. That is a genuine cost advantage that never shows up in a fare comparison table.
Cunard is the awkward one. Its daily Hotel and Dining Service Charge is published at roughly $17 to $18 per person per night in Britannia and $19 in Grill suites, but the US and UK pages have shown different figures during 2026, and the bar service charge appears as 15% in some places and 18% in others. If you are sailing Cunard, take the figure from your own booking confirmation rather than any published guide.
FAQ
How much are Royal Caribbean gratuities in 2026?
$18.50 per person per night for interior, oceanview, balcony and Junior Suite cabins, and $20.50 for full suites. The charge applies to every guest in the cabin regardless of age. Royal Caribbean has not announced an increase in 2026, though sources differ slightly on the suite figure, so confirm yours at booking.
What fee changes has Celebrity made in 2026?
Celebrity raised all automatic daily gratuities on 29 July 2026 by about $1.50 per tier: standard cabins to $19.50, Concierge Class and AquaClass to $20.50, and The Retreat to $24.50. Because it was announced and applied the same day, there was no window to prepay at the old rate. Anyone who had already prepaid keeps the old figure.
Which cruise lines raised gratuities in 2026?
Six: Margaritaville at Sea in February, Princess in March, Carnival in April, MSC in May, Holland America in June and Celebrity in July. Royal Caribbean, Norwegian and Disney have not announced increases this year.
Can you remove daily gratuities on a cruise?
On most mainstream lines, yes. Royal Caribbean, Carnival, Celebrity, Princess, Holland America, MSC, Disney and Cunard let you adjust or remove the daily charge at guest services before the morning of disembarkation. Norwegian does not allow onboard adjustment, and Margaritaville at Sea's charges are mandatory. The percentage added to drinks and spa cannot be removed anywhere.
Does prepaying gratuities lock in the old rate?
Usually yes. Every line that raised rates in 2026 honoured the previous figure for guests who had already paid, and the rate locks when you pay rather than when you book. That is why prepaying is worth doing on any line that has not yet moved.
Do children pay cruise gratuities?
On most lines, yes, at the full adult rate. Royal Caribbean charges every guest in the cabin regardless of age, and Disney charges all ages. Norwegian applies the charge from age 3 upwards. A family of four is genuinely paying four times the daily rate.
Are gratuities included on P&O Cruises and Marella?
Yes. P&O Cruises, Marella, Fred. Olsen and MSC's UK bookings all include gratuities in the fare, with nothing added onboard. Most luxury all-inclusive lines do the same.
Do cruise gratuities actually go to the crew?
Yes, the daily charge is pooled and distributed among the crew who serve you: cabin stewards, dining and buffet staff, and the behind the scenes teams in galleys, laundry and housekeeping. For many crew it makes up a large share of total pay. Cunard states that no admin fee is deducted from it, and most lines describe the pool the same way, though few publish a full breakdown.
What will gratuities cost a family of four on a 7 night cruise?
Between $448 and $560 on the mainstream lines, depending which one you pick. Disney is the cheapest at $448, Royal Caribbean is $518, Celebrity is $546 and Norwegian is $560. None of that includes drinks or spa service charges.
The bottom line
Six increases in seven months is not a coincidence, it is a repricing. The daily gratuity has quietly become one of the biggest gaps between the fare you are quoted and the money that leaves your account, and it is now large enough to change which line is genuinely cheapest for a family.
My advice is simple. Prepay if your line has not moved yet, and check the figure on your own booking rather than any published table, because these change without much notice. I will keep this page updated every time a line adjusts its rate, so bookmark it before your next booking.
Sailing on any of these lines soon and want to know what else has crept up? Drop a comment below, and subscribe on YouTube for the full walkthroughs.
