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Cruise gratuities can be confusing, especially when you are booking a trip and see an option to pay tips in advance. Many travelers wonder whether prepaying is mandatory, whether they can wait until the cruise begins, and what happens if they decide not to pay gratuities before sailing.
In most cases, not prepaying gratuities does not mean you avoid them. Depending on the cruise line and itinerary, the applicable gratuity or crew appreciation amount may simply be added to your onboard account during the cruise. You then settle the balance before leaving the ship.
The exact rules vary by cruise line, destination, fare type, and package. Princess Cruises, for example, uses a daily Crew Appreciation amount on many sailings. The amount is automatically added to the onboard account unless it has already been covered by the applicable fare or package.
Understanding the difference between prepaid gratuities, automatic onboard gratuities, and optional additional tips can help you budget accurately and avoid surprises on your final bill.
Prepaid gratuities are tips or crew appreciation amounts that you pay before your cruise begins.
Instead of having the gratuity added to your onboard account each day, you arrange for the expected amount to be paid in advance. This can make budgeting easier because part of your cruise expenses is handled before you board.
Prepaid gratuities are generally intended to recognize the crew members who contribute to your cruise experience, including people working in areas such as:
Housekeeping
Dining
Galley operations
Guest services
Entertainment
Bar and beverage operations
Other behind-the-scenes services
Prepaying does not necessarily mean you are paying an extra fee. In many situations, it simply changes when the gratuity is paid.
If your cruise line normally applies automatic gratuities, failing to prepay usually means the applicable amount will be charged to your onboard account instead.
For example, Princess Cruises currently describes Crew Appreciation as a daily amount automatically added to the guest's onboard account. The current published rates are $18 per person per day for most standard staterooms, $19 for mini-suites, cabanas, and Reserve Collection accommodations, and $20 for suites. Rates and policies can vary by sailing and market.
So, if you book a cruise without prepaying Crew Appreciation, you should generally expect the applicable daily amount to appear on your onboard folio.
Suppose two adults are traveling for seven nights in a standard stateroom and the applicable rate is $18 per person per day.
The calculation would be:
2 guests × $18 × 7 nights = $252
If you did not prepay, that amount could be reflected in your onboard account rather than being paid before the cruise.
The important point is that not prepaying does not automatically eliminate the gratuity.
Usually, prepaying and paying gratuities are two different questions.
A cruise line may allow you to choose whether to pay the applicable gratuity before sailing or have it added to your onboard account. In that situation, prepayment itself is not the important requirement.
What matters is the cruise line's policy regarding the actual gratuity or crew appreciation charge.
Some cruise lines automatically apply a daily amount. Others may have different arrangements depending on the itinerary or fare. Certain cruise packages may also include gratuities as part of the package price.
Always check the specific terms attached to your booking rather than assuming every cruise line handles gratuities in exactly the same way.
When gratuities are not prepaid, they can become part of your onboard spending balance.
Your onboard account may include several types of charges, such as:
Daily crew appreciation
Specialty dining
Drinks
Shore excursions
Spa treatments
Shopping
Internet packages
Other onboard purchases
At the end of the cruise, the applicable balance is settled using the payment method connected to your onboard account.
Princess Cruises states that guests can receive an itemized post-cruise statement, while guests who provide a credit card in advance can use express checkout.
This means you should review your onboard account during the voyage rather than waiting until the final morning to check everything.
On some cruise lines, yes.
This is an important distinction because prepaid gratuities and automatically charged onboard gratuities may have different rules.
For Princess Cruises, Crew Appreciation is described as a daily adjustable amount. Guests have discretion to adjust it while onboard, provided the adjustment is made before settling the onboard account prior to disembarkation.
If you have a genuine service concern, the better approach is to speak with Guest Services while you are still onboard. This gives the cruise line an opportunity to address the issue and gives you a clear way to request an adjustment if appropriate.
Do not wait until you are already off the ship.
If there is a serious service problem, consider contacting Guest Services as soon as possible. Explain:
What happened
When it happened
Which area of service was affected
Whether you already reported the issue
What resolution you are requesting
Keeping the discussion specific is usually more useful than simply saying that you do not want to pay gratuities.
One of the most common questions from Princess passengers is how to remove gratuities on Princess Cruises.
The answer depends on the type of gratuity or package involved.
For standard Crew Appreciation that is being added to your onboard account, Princess states that guests can adjust the amount while onboard, including before settling the account at the end of the cruise.
If you want to request an adjustment, contact Guest Services before disembarkation and explain your situation.
However, there is an important exception involving Princess Plus and Princess Premier.
Generally, no.
Princess states that when Crew Appreciation is included as part of Princess Plus or Princess Premier, it is bundled into the package. The included Crew Appreciation cannot simply be removed, exchanged, or refunded separately.
This is different from an ordinary daily Crew Appreciation charge on your onboard account.
Therefore, before purchasing an all-inclusive package, look carefully at what is already included in the fare. Removing a bundled benefit later may not be possible.
There is no universal answer. It depends on how you prefer to manage your travel budget.
Prepaying can be useful if you want to:
Reduce the amount of your final onboard bill
Budget for the cruise ahead of time
Avoid thinking about daily gratuity charges
Take care of expected crew appreciation before departure
Make your onboard spending easier to track
For travelers who like to pay for major expenses before vacation, prepayment can make the cruise feel financially simpler.
Waiting until the cruise may make more sense if you:
Want to keep more money available before departure
Prefer to review your onboard experience first
Want to understand the final charges before settling them
May need to discuss an adjustment with Guest Services
However, you should not interpret paying onboard as a way to avoid an applicable gratuity automatically.
Usually, there is no reason to panic.
If your cruise line automatically charges gratuities onboard, the applicable amount can simply be added to your shipboard account.
The practical thing to do is check your booking before departure and review your onboard folio once you are on the ship.
If you are traveling on Princess, you can also check whether Crew Appreciation has already been covered through your fare or package. This helps prevent confusion when you see charges appearing on your account.
This depends on the cruise line and its current policy.
Princess currently states that its standard daily Crew Appreciation amounts apply per guest, including children, for the applicable stateroom categories.
Because family policies can differ between cruise companies, parents should check the gratuity rules for their specific sailing rather than assuming children are excluded.
For a family of four, even a seemingly small daily amount can become a significant part of the final bill over a week-long cruise.
Sometimes.
Cruise lines increasingly sell packages that bundle multiple onboard benefits together. Depending on the package, crew appreciation or certain service charges may already be included.
Princess Plus and Princess Premier, for example, include Crew Appreciation as part of the package.
That means you should avoid paying the same gratuity twice simply because you see a gratuity-related item on your booking or onboard account.
Check whether the amount is:
Already included in your cruise fare
Included in a package
Prepaid separately
Being charged daily to your onboard account
These are not necessarily the same thing.
Not always.
A daily crew appreciation amount is different from a percentage-based service charge attached to certain purchases.
For example, a cruise line may add a service charge to:
Alcoholic beverages
Specialty drinks
Wine
Specialty dining
Certain onboard services
Spa treatments
These charges may continue to apply even if your daily crew appreciation has already been paid.
This is why your final onboard statement can contain several different types of service-related charges.
Start by reviewing your folio.
Check:
The date of the charge
The number of guests
The stateroom category
Whether gratuities were prepaid
Whether a package included Crew Appreciation
Whether the charge is actually a service charge from a purchase
If something appears incorrect, contact Guest Services while you are still onboard.
For Princess guests, the cruise line also provides a process for reporting incorrect onboard folio charges after the cruise. However, resolving an issue before disembarkation is generally more convenient.
It is better not to think of gratuities as something you can simply ignore.
If a cruise line applies an automatic daily gratuity, the charge becomes part of your onboard account unless the cruise line's policy allows you to adjust it.
If you have a legitimate concern about service, communicate it to the cruise line rather than allowing the issue to remain unresolved.
The purpose of an adjustment policy is generally to give passengers a way to address genuine dissatisfaction, not to create confusion about whether normal cruise expenses need to be paid.
A little preparation can prevent most billing surprises.
Look at your booking confirmation and package details.
Determine whether gratuities are:
Included
Prepaid
Added automatically
Adjustable
Covered by a promotional offer
Before departure, estimate the daily gratuity multiplied by the number of guests and nights.
For example:
Daily rate × number of guests × cruise nights = estimated gratuity
This gives you a realistic idea of what could appear on your final account.
Do not wait until the last day.
Checking your account during the cruise allows you to spot incorrect charges early and gives Guest Services more time to investigate.
If you purchased an all-inclusive package, check what is already included before paying anything separately.
This is particularly important for Princess Plus and Princess Premier because Crew Appreciation is bundled into those packages.
The simplest way to understand the difference is timing.
Prepaid gratuities:You pay the applicable amount before your cruise.
Automatic onboard gratuities:The applicable amount is added to your onboard account during the cruise.
Adjusted gratuities:You request a permitted change to an onboard gratuity according to the cruise line's policy.
Additional tipping:You voluntarily give extra money to an individual crew member for exceptional personal service, where permitted.
These categories should not be treated as interchangeable.
What happens if I don't prepay gratuities on a cruise?
If your cruise line automatically charges gratuities, the applicable amount will generally be added to your onboard account instead of being paid before departure. You then settle the balance before leaving the ship.
Can I remove gratuities on Princess Cruises?
Princess allows guests to adjust Crew Appreciation while onboard, subject to its current policy and deadlines. If you have a service concern, speak with Guest Services before settling your onboard account.
Can I remove gratuities from Princess Plus?
Crew Appreciation included in Princess Plus is bundled into the package and is not separately removable, exchangeable, or refundable.
Are Princess gratuities automatically charged?
For applicable Princess sailings, Crew Appreciation is automatically added to the onboard account on a daily basis unless it has already been covered by the fare or an applicable package.
Is it cheaper to prepay gratuities?
Not necessarily. Prepayment primarily changes when you pay. Any promotional discount or special prepayment offer depends on the sailing and applicable terms, so check your specific booking.
Do children have to pay cruise gratuities?
Policies vary by cruise line. Princess currently states that its applicable daily Crew Appreciation amount is charged per guest, including children.
Can I wait until the end of the cruise to pay gratuities?
If your cruise line permits onboard payment rather than requiring prepayment, the applicable gratuity can be charged to your onboard account and settled before disembarkation.
Can gratuities be removed after the cruise?
Do not assume they can. Cruise lines often have specific deadlines for adjustments, and Princess states that Crew Appreciation may be adjusted before you settle your onboard account but is not refundable after the cruise.
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