Princess Cruises Increases Daily Gratuities

August 26, 2024 Randy Young

Last week, Princess Cruises quietly updated their daily gratuities policy. According to their website, the daily gratuities will increase by $1 per person per day, a roughly 5% increase. The last change, which was a 10% increase, was in February 2023.

About Princess Cruises Daily Gratuities

Like most cruise lines sailing out of North America, Princess Cruises charges guests a daily gratuity for services provided onboard the ship. They use slightly different terminology, calling it “Crew Appreciation and Service Charge” rather than “daily gratuities,” but the purpose is the same.

“The ‘Crew Appreciation‘ is a daily amount for each guest that will be automatically added to your onboard account for your convenience, to recognize the efforts of a wide variety of crewmembers who contribute to the experiences of all our guests. The crewmembers eligible to receive these funds work in various departments, many of whom rotate among different ships, throughout our fleet of ships.” – Princess Cruises Website

You can adjust the crew appreciation / daily gratuities at your discretion by visiting guest services while onboard the ship.

Princes Cruises Daily Gratuities for 2024 and Beyond

Here are Princess Cruises’ new daily gratuity charges according to their website.

	Previous Pricing	New Pricing
Suite	$18	$19
Mini-Suite and Club Class	$17	$18
Interior, Oceanview and Balcony	$16	$17

Princess Cruises’ “Crew Appreciation” fees (per person per day)

For a family of four in a standard cabin on a 7-day cruise, that would be an additional $476 to pay.

Princess Cruises’ Gratuity Change Does Not Affect Princess Plus and Premier Packages

Guests who book the Princess Plus and Princess Premier packages do not need to worry. The daily gratuities are already included in the cost of those packages. The cost of Princess Plus did not increase, and two weeks ago, the Princess Premier package increased by $10 per day but it also included a few enhancements (read about the changes here).

Increased Service Charges Are Hidden Price Increases

Unfortunately, these charges are not subject to the California price transparency law that recently added all taxes and fees to the base published cruise fare. That’s because the cruise lines position these as “optional.”

The staff on cruise ships work incredibly hard and deserve to be paid well. The fact that cruise lines position these service charges as “optional” is misleading. Many crew members depend on these daily gratuities, and taking them off your account hurts them. Cruise lines must recognize that these aren’t optional and they should be included in the cruise cost.