How do I add gratuities to my Carnival Cruise?

Gratuities can be added at the time of booking or anytime up to the sail date. Guests who booked directly with Carnival may add their pre-paid gratuities on Carnival.com.



You can add gratuities to your Carnival cruise in two main ways: Pre-paid or Onboard. Pre-paying is the most recommended method; you can add them at the time of booking or anytime up to the day before you sail via the "My Cruise Manager" portal on Carnival.com. This allows you to lock in the current rate and budget your trip more accurately. If you don't pre-pay, Carnival will automatically charge a set daily amount (typically $16 to $18 per person, per day, depending on your stateroom category) to your Sail & Sign onboard account. These funds are distributed to your cabin stewards, dining room staff, and other behind-the-scenes crew members. You can adjust these amounts by visiting the Guest Services desk on board if you feel the service was exceptional or lacking. Additionally, an automatic 18% gratuity is added to all bar bills, specialty dining, and spa services at the time of purchase. In 2026, many cruisers prefer pre-paying to avoid a "large bill" on the final morning of their vacation.

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You can prepay gratuities when you book or pay them as part of your onboard bill at the end of your sailing. You can look for a package that offers a discount on prepaid gratuities or a promotion offering free prepaid gratuities. Whether prepaid gratuities are worth it is up to you and how you budget for travel.

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While gratuities are automatically added to guest's shipboard accounts, the amount can be adjusted on board at the guest's request.” Passengers can choose to either pre-pay the gratuities before they sail or add them to the onboard account and pay on the second to last day of their cruise.

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It's easier to budget If you pay for your gratuities in advance, it makes it easier to plan for how much you want to spend during your cruise. It's possible to enjoy a Carnival cruise without spending a penny onboard, especially if you also buy a drinks package.

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Carnival Cruise Line Automatic gratuity charge: $14.50 to $16.50 per person, per day. Details: Passengers in most cabins pay $14.50. Those in suites pay $16.50. Children younger than 2 are exempt from the charges.

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General Cruise Cash provides an immediate credit to a guest's Sail & Sign account. This credit is good for any charge made to their account including taxes and gratuity charges.

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Carnival Cruise Lines In standard cabins, Carnival charges $14.50 per person, per day in tips. Travelers in suites are charged $16.50 per person, per day. The amount does not apply to passengers younger than 2. An automatic 18% gratuity is added to all bar bills, specialty restaurant cover charges and spa services.

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On Carnival Cruise Line, the automatic gratuity rate is $16 (USD) per person, per day as of April 1, 2023. This covers guests in all standard staterooms, whether interior, ocean view, or balcony cabins.

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Carnival Cruise Line's service gratuities are currently $16 per guest, per day for standard staterooms and $18 per person, per day for suites.

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There aren't any hard-and-fast guidelines for this type of tip since it's contingent on your experience, but $25 to $40 on behalf of a couple roughly works out to an extra $2 to $3 per person, per day, for a seven-night cruise.

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If you want to manage your budget more effectively, it's a good idea to prepay your gratuities for your Princess cruise. The only time you would be better off waiting is if you want to use any onboard credit towards the gratuity amount.

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Gratuities to the shipboard staff are customary on Carnival as well as other cruise lines, and you can cover these using your OBC. If you plan to use onboard credit to pay for these gratuities, be sure not to pre-pay them at the time of booking -- your onboard credit could take care of the rest.

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On embarkation day, an initial bank hold of up to $200 (depending on cruise length) is placed on all credit card and debit card accounts to verify that the card is valid: 2 - 6 day cruise: $100 USD for each stateroom charged using the same credit card or debit card.

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So how much money do you need? The answer to this question varies a lot by person, their travel habits, spending preferences, length of the cruise and destination. Many people suggest $100 per day, and this has generally worked well for me in my cruising experiences, but there are a lot of variables to consider.

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In our buffet restaurant, special drinks dispensers provide you with coffee, tea, hot chocolate, lemonade and ice tea around the clock and free of charge. In addition, you can book beverage packages for the entire duration of the cruise on the day of embarkation.

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Your auto-gratuities will cover all waitstaff in the main dining room, buffet restaurants and specialty dining venues alike. If you dine at the same table and enjoy regular service from one or two particularly excellent waiters, consider leaving an additional $10 to $20 at the cruise's end.

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You Might Be Allowed to Use Onboard Credit for Crew Gratuities Onboard credit is an ideal way to pay the daily tips that are usually added to your stateroom bill. Using onboard credit for tips is allowed on all lines, but check before the start of your cruise so you can plan accordingly.

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Again, cash might be the only thing they will take, and in most of the Caribbean you can tip in U.S. currency. As a side note, it can be nice to have some cash on your cruise so you can also tip people like street performers while in port.

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As mentioned above, not all members of the ship staff receive a share of the gratuities paid by passengers. Bartenders, main show entertainers and third-party shop employees are some of the more obvious ones, but they're not the only ones.

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If your bill is not paid, as you try to leave the ship, your SeaPass card will bong, and someone from Guest Services will take you aside to make provisions for payment. Maybe you have friends with you that can lend you some cash or a credit card. You may have to call someone to get a valid credit card number.

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