Prepay or pay onboard?
You can usually prepay gratuities when you book or any time before sailing, or let them post daily onboard. I recommend prepaying for three reasons. First, it locks today's rate, and the lines have raised rates repeatedly in recent years, with prepaid bookings honored at the old amount. Second, it moves a known cost into the trip budget instead of letting it swell the final-night bill. Third, for group travel it keeps everyone's onboard accounts cleaner, which matters more than you would think when four cabins of family are settling up. The only argument for paying onboard is cash-flow timing, and it is a thin one.
Can you remove cruise gratuities? The honest answer
On Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, and most U.S. lines, yes: the charges are technically adjustable, and guest services will reduce or remove them if you ask (prepaid gratuities generally cannot be removed onboard). Now the honest part. Crew compensation on mainstream lines is structured around this pool; it is not a bonus on top of a full wage, it is a large share of how your steward and dining team are actually paid. Removing gratuities while enjoying full service does not send a message to the corporation, it shorts the specific people who cleaned your cabin twice a day. If service genuinely failed, the right move is to report the problem and let the line make it right, not to quietly zero out the pool. In years of booking cruises, the travelers I have seen happiest with this line item are the ones who prepaid it and never thought about it again.
What automatic gratuities do fairly is remove the last-night envelope mathematics older cruisers remember. What they do not cover: bar and dining service charges (added separately at 18 to 20 percent, so you are not double-tipping a bartender), porters at the terminal (a couple of dollars a bag is customary), shore excursion guides and drivers, and room service on some lines.
One budgeting habit makes the whole topic painless: treat gratuities as part of the fare from the first quote. When you compare two cruises, add the daily charge times nights times people to each price before you decide. A fare that looks $150 cheaper can be the more expensive cruise once a higher gratuity rate and a pricier drink menu are counted, and that comparison is exactly the kind of thing I run for travelers before they put a deposit anywhere.
Should you tip extra on a cruise?
Extra cash is never required and always appreciated, and most experienced cruisers do some version of this: a modest cash tip at the end of the week to the cabin steward and, on traditional-dining ships, the waiter who looked after your table all week, in the range of $20 to $50 per person you tip, scaled to the service and the length of the cruise. Hand it over in person on the last evening with a thank-you; it means more than the amount. Kids' club staff, a bartender who learned your order on day one, and your favorite barista are also common extras.
[NEEDS-CHRISTINE: what she personally tips extra on her hosted sailings, and the guidance she gives her groups]
[NEEDS-CHRISTINE: confirm whether her group bookings ever include prepaid gratuities as a group amenity, and on which lines]
If all of this is landing on you two weeks before your first sailing, take a breath: gratuities are the last genuinely confusing part of cruise pricing, and a good advisor quotes them up front so nothing on the final bill surprises you. That is standard practice in my first-time cruiser planning service, which costs you nothing because the cruise lines pay my commission.
Cruise gratuities FAQ
How much are gratuities on a 7-day cruise?
As of late 2026, roughly $115 to $150 per person for standard cabins on the major U.S. lines, or roughly $225 to $300 per couple, with suites higher. Virgin Voyages and the luxury lines include gratuities in the fare.
Do you tip on top of cruise gratuities?
You can, and many guests hand a small extra cash tip to their cabin steward or regular waiter at the end of the cruise. It is optional. Bar and spa purchases already include an automatic 18 to 20 percent, so no extra is expected there.
Are gratuities charged for children on a cruise?
On most major lines, yes, every guest in the cabin is charged the daily gratuity regardless of age, though a few lines discount or waive it for infants. Check your specific line's policy when you book.
Is it cheaper to prepay gratuities on a cruise?
Often, yes. Prepaying locks the rate in effect when you pay, and the lines have raised daily gratuity rates repeatedly in recent years. At worst it is the same price with one less charge on your onboard account.
