As cruise demand surges and inflation rises in the post-pandemic era, cruise lines have been steadily raising prices to compensate. Major cruise lines including Carnival and Royal Caribbean are also working to pay down the debt that piled up when they were forced to stop sailing during the pandemic.
With demand at an all-time high and the costs of labor, food, and fuel continuing to rise, cruise lines are confidently passing their cost increases on to their passengers. And it’s not just base cruise fares that are rising.
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Passengers are paying more for onboard extras like beverage packages, specialty dining, WiFi, and spa services. Port fees and gratuity charges have gone up too (but port fees are not set by the cruise lines).
When it comes to gratuities, most major cruise lines raised their rates in the last two years, and a few have increased them twice. Carnival’s Princess Cruises is one of those cruise lines.
Princess Cruises last raised its gratuity rates in February 2023, increasing the gratuity charge for most staterooms from $14.50 per person per day to $16 per person per day. And now the cruise line has quietly raised gratuity fees again.
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Princess Cruises increases daily crew appreciation charge by $1
As of August 2024, Princess Cruises, which refers to its gratuity charges as "crew appreciation," has added another dollar to its per person per day gratuity rates.
Like most mainstream cruise lines, Princess Cruises automatically adds the daily gratuity amount for each passenger to the guest’s onboard account. The amount of the crew appreciation gratuity charge varies based on the stateroom category.
For most Princess Cruises stateroom categories – interior, oceanview, and balcony cabins, the crew appreciation charge increases from $16 per person per day to $17 per person per day. Passengers who book Princess mini suite, cabana, and club class cabins will see an increase from $17 per person per day to $18 per person per day. For Princess suites, the gratuity rate is now $19 per person per day, up from $18 per person per day.
With these new crew appreciation rates, a family of four in an interior stateroom can expect to pay $476 in gratuities on a 7-day Princess cruise – an increase of $28.
While cruise gratuities are customary, the fees are suggested amounts and can be adjusted if you choose. The Princess Cruises Crew Appreciation and Service Charge Policy states that:
“Guests have complete discretion to adjust these crew appreciation while onboard; however, crew appreciation may only be adjusted prior to disembarking the ship and not refundable post cruise.”
Related: Carnival’s Princess Cruises adds a generous new offer
How Princess Cruises gratuities stack up, and how to save
This gratuity charge increase brings Princess Cruises’ rates in line with sister cruise line Holland America Line, which raised its daily crew appreciation rate to $17 in February 2024. Both cruise lines are owned by Carnival Corporation.
Carnival Cruise Line has not yet followed suit. Carnival’s gratuity rates remain at $16 per person per day for standard staterooms.
Princess Cruises’ gratuity rate increase comes shortly after the cruise line introduced a new, nearly all-inclusive cruise package, and you can save on gratuity costs when you purchase it.
With its recently enhanced top-tier onboard cruise package, the Princess Premier package, Princess Cruises is offering passengers impressive unlimited perks from high-speed WiFi to unlimited drinks, specialty dining, premium fitness classes, and more. For even more value, daily gratuities are included in the package price.
The Princess Premier package costs $90 per person per day and is paid for at booking. Crew appreciation payments are bundled into your cruise fare when you add the Princess Premier or Princess Plus package.
The Princess Plus package offers some of the Premier options with set limits. It costs $60 per person per day, with daily gratuities included.
Both packages are available to all Princess cruise passengers and all stateroom types. When you purchase one of these packages for your cruise, your onboard folio statement will show that Princess Cruises has paid the suggested crew appreciation fee on your behalf.
