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If you are sailing with Princess Cruises and notice a daily gratuity charge on your onboard account, you may wonder whether you can remove it. Princess Cruises refers to these daily gratuities as Crew Appreciation, and the charge is automatically added to your onboard account unless it has already been included in your fare or package.
The good news is that Princess allows guests to adjust Crew Appreciation while onboard. However, there are important timing and package rules to understand before asking for a change.
This guide explains how to remove gratuities on Princess Cruises, what the current daily amounts are, when you can request an adjustment, and why some guests cannot remove the charge after purchasing an applicable package.
Princess Cruises calls its standard daily gratuity Crew Appreciation. It is an amount automatically added to each guest's onboard account to recognize the work of crew members across areas such as housekeeping, dining, entertainment, guest services, the galley and other onboard operations.
For current U.S.-dollar pricing, Princess lists the daily Crew Appreciation amounts as:
Suites: $20 per person, per day
Mini-suites, Cabanas and Reserve Collection: $19 per person, per day
Other stateroom categories: $18 per person, per day
The exact treatment can vary by market and itinerary, so passengers should check the terms attached to their booking.
Yes, Princess Cruises allows guests to adjust Crew Appreciation while they are onboard.
This does not mean you can simply remove the charge from your booking before sailing whenever you want. Princess states that guests have discretion to adjust the daily Crew Appreciation during the cruise.
The important deadline is before you disembark. Once you have settled your onboard account and left the ship, the payment becomes final and is not refundable.
In practical terms, if you have a genuine concern about the service or simply want to discuss the charge, you should contact the onboard Guest Services team before the end of your cruise.
If you want to request an adjustment, follow these steps:
First, review your stateroom folio to confirm that the Crew Appreciation charge is actually being added to your account.
This is important because some Princess packages already include Crew Appreciation.
While you are onboard, go to the ship's Guest Services desk and explain that you want to adjust your Crew Appreciation charge.
You do not necessarily have to wait until the final day. If you have a concern, addressing it earlier gives the onboard team an opportunity to resolve the issue.
Princess encourages guests who are dissatisfied to raise their concerns with the onboard team. Explain the problem clearly and ask Guest Services what adjustment options are available for your account.
If your concern involves a specific service issue, provide useful details such as the location, date and nature of the problem.
After the adjustment is processed, check your onboard account again to make sure the requested change has been reflected correctly.
Keep in mind that Crew Appreciation is separate from other charges that may appear on your folio.
This is the most important step.
Princess states that Crew Appreciation can be adjusted up to the time you settle your onboard account before disembarkation. If you do not request an adjustment while onboard, the payment becomes final and nonrefundable after the cruise.
This depends on how the Crew Appreciation was purchased.
Princess allows guests to prepay Crew Appreciation through Manage Booking. However, prepaid amounts and amounts included as part of applicable packages can have different refund rules.
If you have already paid Crew Appreciation as part of an applicable package or fare, you should not assume that it can simply be removed and refunded before sailing.
The safest approach is to review your booking terms and contact Princess if you believe the charge has been applied incorrectly.
This is where many passengers get confused.
If Crew Appreciation is included in your Princess Plus or Princess Premier package, you generally cannot remove it separately.
Princess explains that Crew Appreciation included through these packages is bundled into the package price. It cannot be removed, exchanged or refunded as an individual benefit.
Therefore, if your reason for choosing not to purchase a package is to avoid gratuities, removing Crew Appreciation from the package after purchasing it is not a straightforward option.
The package should be evaluated as a complete bundle rather than treating the crew gratuity component as a separate charge.
Crew Appreciation and service charges are not exactly the same thing.
Crew Appreciation is the daily amount automatically added to the onboard account for eligible guests.
It is distributed through Princess's crew compensation system and recognizes contributions from crew members working in multiple departments.
Princess also applies service charges to certain optional purchases.
For example, its current policy states that a 20% nonrefundable service charge is automatically added to certain optional purchases, including drinks, dining and specialty dining, private group functions and other selected products or services that are not included in the cruise fare.
Adjusting your daily Crew Appreciation does not mean that these separate service charges disappear.
This distinction is important when reviewing your final onboard bill.
Generally, no.
The service charge attached to eligible optional purchases is separate from the adjustable Crew Appreciation. Princess describes these service charges as nonrefundable.
For example, if you purchase an item that carries an applicable service charge, reducing your daily Crew Appreciation does not automatically remove the service charge from that purchase.
Always check your folio carefully so you know which type of charge you are questioning.
If poor service is the reason you want to remove or reduce gratuities, speak with Guest Services during the cruise rather than waiting until after you return home.
Princess specifically encourages guests with concerns to give the onboard team an opportunity to address the issue.
A useful approach is to explain:
What happened
When it happened
Which service was affected
Whether the issue was resolved
What adjustment you are requesting
This gives the onboard team a clear understanding of the situation.
No. Timing matters.
Princess states that Crew Appreciation may be adjusted while onboard, but the adjustment must be made before disembarkation and before the onboard account is settled.
Once the cruise is over, you generally cannot request a refund simply because you later changed your mind about the gratuity.
If you believe the amount on your final statement is incorrect, that is different from simply wanting to remove a gratuity. In that situation, contact Princess and provide the relevant details about the disputed charge.
No. The daily amount depends on the stateroom category.
For the current amounts listed by Princess:
Stateroom CategoryCrew Appreciation
Suites$20 per person/day
Mini-suites, Cabanas and Reserve Collection$19 per person/day
Other staterooms$18 per person/day
For example, two guests staying in a standard stateroom for seven days would have a daily Crew Appreciation total of $36 for two guests, assuming the standard $18 rate applies throughout the voyage.
A suite with two guests would be $40 per day at the listed $20 rate.
These figures can vary depending on the applicable market, itinerary and booking terms, so your own booking documents and onboard folio are the best sources for your specific cruise.
Adjusting Crew Appreciation does not prevent you from giving an individual crew member an additional tip for exceptional personal service.
For example, you may choose to give a direct tip to a cabin steward, dining team member or another crew member who provided particularly helpful service.
However, direct tipping is separate from the standard Crew Appreciation system. Removing or adjusting the daily charge does not mean that you are required to replace it with an equivalent cash payment.
Whether you should adjust the charge depends on your circumstances.
If you are satisfied with the service, many guests simply leave Crew Appreciation in place because it contributes to compensation for a wide range of crew members, including people guests may never interact with directly.
If you experienced a genuine service problem, however, Princess provides a mechanism for adjusting the charge while onboard.
The key point is that you should make the decision before settling your onboard account and leaving the ship.
Before your cruise, keep these points in mind:
Check whether Crew Appreciation is already included in your fare.
Review whether Princess Plus or Princess Premier covers the charge.
Check your onboard folio during the cruise.
Don't confuse Crew Appreciation with purchase-specific service charges.
If you have a concern, contact Guest Services while you are still onboard.
Request any adjustment before disembarkation.
Don't wait until you are home to raise a gratuity adjustment request.
Keep a copy of your final onboard statement for your records.
If you are wondering how to remove gratuities on Princess Cruises, the process is relatively straightforward: handle the request while you are onboard and speak with Guest Services before you settle your account and disembark.
Princess calls its standard daily gratuity Crew Appreciation, and the amount depends on your stateroom category. Guests have discretion to adjust this charge during the cruise, but the opportunity ends when the onboard account is settled before leaving the ship.
Also remember that Crew Appreciation is different from service charges on certain purchases. If you have Princess Plus or Princess Premier and Crew Appreciation is included in your package, it generally cannot be removed separately.
The best strategy is to check your booking and onboard folio, understand which charges you are actually seeing, and raise any concerns with Guest Services before the cruise ends.
Can I completely remove gratuities on Princess Cruises?
Princess allows guests to adjust Crew Appreciation while onboard. The adjustment must be requested before you settle your onboard account and disembark.
How do I remove gratuities on Princess Cruises?
Visit Guest Services while onboard and request an adjustment to your Crew Appreciation. Princess allows adjustments before the onboard account is settled at the end of the cruise.
Can I remove gratuities before my Princess cruise starts?
Crew Appreciation can be prepaid, but the rules are different when it has been included in an applicable package or fare. Package-included Crew Appreciation generally cannot be removed or refunded separately.
Can I remove gratuities from Princess Plus?
No. When Crew Appreciation is included as part of Princess Plus, Princess states that it is bundled with the package and cannot be removed, exchanged or refunded separately.
Can I remove gratuities from Princess Premier?
No. Crew Appreciation included with Princess Premier is part of the bundled package and cannot be separately removed or refunded.
What is the current Princess Cruises gratuity rate?
Princess currently lists Crew Appreciation at $18 per person per day for most staterooms, $19 for mini-suites, Cabanas and Reserve Collection, and $20 for suites.
Can I reduce gratuities instead of completely removing them?
Yes. Princess describes Crew Appreciation as adjustable while onboard, so you can discuss an adjustment with Guest Services rather than assuming the only choices are paying the full amount or removing it completely.
Can I get gratuities refunded after leaving the ship?
Princess states that Crew Appreciation must be adjusted before disembarkation. Once the onboard account has been settled, the payment becomes final and nonrefundable.
Are drink service charges included in gratuities?
Not necessarily. Crew Appreciation and purchase-specific service charges are separate. Certain optional purchases can carry their own service charge, so check your folio to identify exactly what you have been charged.
Can I dispute an incorrect gratuity charge?
If you believe your account contains an incorrect charge, contact Princess and provide the details. An incorrect billing issue is different from simply choosing to adjust Crew Appreciation.
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