Ocean Cruise Line Charges for Gratuities
Posted on 01/03/2019
Ocean Cruise Line Charges for Gratuities
One of the additional costs or charges for most cruise lines are gratuities.
While it’s important to recognize that gratuities are a primary way of rewarding onboard crews that make the experience of sailing special, most cruise lines allow guests to adjust (either increase or decrease) the amount automatically billed for gratuities by going to guest services during the cruise. But, a lot of guests don’t know or do that.
Here is an outline of what each major cruise line currently charges or bills for gratuities:
Azamara Club Cruises
Azamara Club Cruises includes gratuities in its fares.
Carnival Cruise Line
Carnival Cruise Line charges $13.99 per person, per day for guests in standard rooms; and $15.99 per person, per day, for guests in suites. All the gratuities collected are split and divided between the housekeeping team, dining team, and alternate staff.
Celebrity Cruise Line
Celebrity charges $14.50 per person, per day for those in standard accommodations; $15.00 per person, per day for Concierge Class and AquaClass guests; and $18.00 per person, per day for those in suites. Collected gratuities are shared between stateroom attendants, dining services staff, and housekeeping staff.
Celebrity also adds an 18 percent gratuity to all beverages, spa, salon, and minibar purchases.
Crystal Cruises
All of Crystal Cruises’ sailings are all-inclusive, so gratuities for its staff — housekeeping, restaurant, bar, and Penthouse butler staff — are already included in the cruise fare.
Holland America
Holland America charges $14.50 per day, per person for all guests staying in standard rooms; and $16.00 per person, per day for suite guests. Gratuities collected go toward compensating onboard crew members.
MSC Cruises
MSC’s services charges vary by sailing. For most of its Caribbean sailings, MSC charges $12.50 per night, per adult; and $6.25 per night, per child over the age of two. The same goes for its South America sailings.
For MSC’s South Africa Cruises, guests will pay $8 per night, per person for adults; and $4 per person, per night for children. Guests on the Grand Voyages from South Africa (Northbound) will be charged $12.50 per night, per person for adults; and $6.25 per night, per person for children.
For its Mediterranean, Northern Europe, Antilles, Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Oman cruises, MSC automatically charges 10 euros per person, per night for adults; and half that for children.
Norwegian Cruise Line
Norwegian Cruise Line charges $14.50 per day for standard cabins and $17.50 per person per day for suites and Haven guests. Gratuities on Sky and Sun, its two all-inclusive ships are $19.99 for standard guests and $22.99 for suite guests.
Oceania Cruises
Oceania automatically adds $16.0 per person, per day for standard guests; and $23.00 per person, per day for suite guests.
Oceania also adds an 18 percent charge to all beverage purchases, spa services, and specialty dinners.
Paul Gauguin Cruises
All onboard gratuities are included in Paul Gauguin’s all-inclusive fare.
Regent Seven Seas Cruises
Gratuities are included in the cruise fare for all of Regent’s sailings. The cruise line also offers another option for guests who want to go above-and-beyond for their crew — donations to the Crew Welfare Fund, which is used for crew events, are welcomed at the Purser Office onboard.
Royal Caribbean International
Royal Caribbean’s gratuity charge is $14.50 per person, per day for standard guests; and $17.50 per person, per day for suite guests. Gratuities are shared among dining, bar and culinary services staff, stateroom attendants and other hotel services teams who work behind the scenes to enhance the cruise experience.
Seabourn
Gratuities are neither required nor expected on Seabourn ships on Seaborn sailings.
Silversea
All gratuities onboard, including all service gratuities except spa, are included in Silversea’s all-inclusive fare.
Viking Ocean Cruises
Viking adds a discretionary hotel and dining charge of $15.00 per person, per day to shipboard accounts. Those charges are shared among the waitstaff, stateroom stewards, buffet stewards, galley staff, laundry staff, and others.
That fee does not include Viking’s 15 percent gratuity for bar and deck service.
Windstar
Windstar gratuity is $13.50 per person, per day for gratuities for all guests.
Windstar also adds a 15 percent service charge for bar service.
Prepared by:
Gordon Mackey
TRENT TRAVEL