Advertising Watchdog Tells Royal Caribbean and Virgin Voyages to Clarify Gratuities
Gratuities and cruising are always a hot topic. Spend just a few minutes online, and you’ll find message boards and social media filled with heated debates on the subject. Where does the money go? Should gratuities be required? Why aren’t cruise lines paying the wages themselves?
But now it’s more than just cruisers debating the ethics of gratuities.
The National Advertising Division (NAD) of BBB National Programs has been taking a closer look at how cruise lines disclose gratuities. They’re concerned about potentially misleading advertising and the fact that the advertised price isn’t necessarily what you’ll end up paying. While cruise lines have started including more fees in their advertised prices, gratuities are still commonly left out.
Now, Royal Caribbean and Virgin Voyages are changing how they explain gratuities during the booking process, following separate NAD reviews.
In decisions published October 21, 2026, the advertising watchdog examined whether the cruise lines were doing enough to explain these charges to customers. Both cruise lines agreed to make their disclosures clearer, particularly around the fact that gratuities are optional and can be adjusted or removed.
Royal Caribbean Makes Gratuities More Clearly Optional
On October 21, NAD issued a press release explaining that, as part of its routine, ongoing monitoring program, it reviewed Royal Caribbean’s advertising and how the cruise line disclosed gratuities during booking.
The review looked at “whether Royal Caribbean’s advertising disclosed all mandatory fees” and whether customers were getting an accurate impression of the total cost of their vacation.
During the inquiry, Royal Caribbean voluntarily updated its online booking process to make it clearer that gratuities aren’t mandatory.
The cruise line modified its booking process to more clearly explain that gratuities are optional, that guests can choose whether to prepay them, and that they can modify or remove them before disembarkation.
The NAD determined that these changes were sufficient to explain the costs to consumers. But it still had some additional recommendations.
It recommended that Royal Caribbean make the optional nature of gratuities clearer in its “Learn More” section and on the final checkout page.
Royal Caribbean responded that it has already implemented those additional recommendations.
What Are Royal Caribbean’s Current Gratuities?
Royal Caribbean currently charges the following daily gratuities:
- Standard cabins: $18.50 per person, per day.
- Suites: $21 per person, per day.
Guests who don’t prepay will automatically see these charges added to their onboard account each day.
If you don’t want to pay those gratuities, you can head to Guest Relations during the sailing and have them removed, something that’s frequently discussed online.
But here’s something that might surprise even frequent Royal Caribbean cruisers. It’s not just the daily gratuities that are optional.
Royal Caribbean also automatically adds gratuities to certain purchases made before or during your cruise:
- 18% on beverages, drink packages, specialty dining, dining packages, room service, and minibar purchases.
- 20% on spa and salon purchases.
But these are apparently optional as well. Royal Caribbean’s current FAQ explicitly states that the 18% and 20% gratuities are optional and may be adjusted or removed at the guest’s discretion.
The policy also states that guests can visit Guest Relations to modify or remove any gratuity before the morning of disembarkation.
It’s not clear if this is a new policy or just wasn’t fully disclosed before. And that uncertainly really illustrates NAD’s point.
Virgin Voyages Agrees to Explain Gratuities More Clearly
Similarly, during a routine review, NAD took issue with how Virgin Voyages disclosed gratuities during booking.
When Virgin Voyages first launched, one of its biggest selling points was its more inclusive pricing. Unlike other major cruise lines, gratuities were already included in the cruise fare.
That changed in October 2025 when Virgin introduced its new VoyageFair Choices pricing structure. The cruise line separated gratuities from the base fare, allowing it to advertise lower starting prices.
Now, the NAD has raised concerns about how Virgin explains those gratuities during booking.
In its review, the NAD found that Virgin didn’t do enough to explain that gratuities are discretionary, how they are applied, and how guests can remove them. It also pointed out that Virgin referred to gratuities as a “service charge” during the final checkout step, potentially making customers think the charge was mandatory.
The NAD recommended that Virgin make several things clearer throughout its booking process, including:
- Gratuities are optional, but become nonrefundable when prepaid.
- Guests pay more for gratuities if they wait until they’re onboard.
- Guests who don’t prepay can modify or remove gratuities before disembarking, with clear explanations of any conditions that apply.
Virgin Voyages agreed to comply with the recommendations.
Virgin Voyages’ Current Gratuities
Virgin Voyages charges $20 per sailor, per night when gratuities are prepaid, or $22 per sailor, per night if guests wait until they’re onboard.
That $2 difference might encourage guests to prepay, but there’s an important catch. Once you prepay Virgin’s gratuities, they’re nonrefundable.
If you choose to have them added to your onboard account instead, you can visit Sailor Services to adjust or remove them before disembarkation.
So, prepaying saves you some money, but it also means giving up the option to adjust those gratuities based on the service you receive.
Unlike Royal Caribbean, Virgin doesn’t add extra gratuities to drinks, specialty dining, or spa services. The daily service gratuity is intended to cover the crew members who serve you throughout the cruise.
My Take: Gratuities Should Already Be Included in Cruise Fares
I’m glad to see more attention being paid to cruise pricing transparency and that advertising watchdogs are keeping an eye on the cruise companies.
Cruise lines want to advertise the lowest possible starting price to attract customers. Gratuities are an easy way to keep those advertised prices low, even though most passengers end up paying them.
And let’s be clear, this isn’t about whether crew members deserve gratuities. They work incredibly hard, and the service they provide is part of what makes cruising special.
My issue is with how the cruise lines handle the charges. If gratuities are such an important part of compensating crew members, why aren’t they simply built into the cruise fare in the first place?
That’s one of the things I originally loved about Virgin Voyages. When you booked a cruise, gratuities were already included. You didn’t have to think about them, budget for them separately, or worry about another charge appearing on your account. I really feel that Virgin took a step backward when it changed that model in 2025.
I think it’s deceptive to advertise a cruise at one price when you know most passengers will end up paying substantially more in gratuities. I’d much rather see cruise lines include these costs in their advertised fares and offer a more straightforward price from the start.
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