Virgin Voyages is among the cruise lines that includes gratuities in its cruise fares.
Courtesy of Virgin Voyages
This story was originally published in August 2022; and was most recently updated with new information on September 18, 2026.
Cruise lines are very upfront about their tipping policies. Unless you are on an all-inclusive ship that covers all or the majority of gratuities in the cruise fare, such as luxury cruise lines Seabourn, Silversea, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Explora Journeys, Crystal Cruises, and Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection, or upscale lines such as Azamara Cruises, Oceania Cruises, Virgin Voyages, and Viking, it is typically recommended that you tip the crew.
Major cruise lines provide precise tipping guidelines and even automatically add a suggested amount to passengers’ onboard accounts. So, there’s usually no need to determine how much to tip each individual crew member, such as the waiter or the housekeeper—you can often do it all in one lump sum. While not technically required, tips are generally expected when noted by the cruise line. Passengers who are impressed by the service might add more, if they make any adjustment at all.
Here’s what to know about tipping on cruise ships.
How much should you tip on a cruise per day?
The total daily tipping rates for cruise waitstaff, cabin stewards, and other shipboard personnel are typically outlined both on the cruise line’s website and on passengers’ cruise documents that they receive prior to their cruise.
The average suggestions for cruise tips for standard cabins among the major cruise lines (that don’t include gratuities in their fares) amount to about $18 per passenger, per day—which on a seven-night cruise comes to about $126 per person, or $504 extra for a family of four. There may be an additional suggested amount (averaging another $5 per day) for those staying in a suite with a personal butler. Some cruise lines (but not all) will suggest waiving gratuities for children under the age of three.
Some river cruise lines such as Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours, Uniworld Boutique River Cruises, and Riverside Luxury Cruises include the gratuities, but for those that don’t, such as Viking and AmaWaterways, the suggested range is usually $20 to $25 per passenger, per day. There may be a separate suggested gratuity for the cruise director, such as $200 to $245 for a week.
Similarly, some expedition cruise lines include gratuities while those that don’t recommend a gratuity of around $15 to $30 per person, per day.
The money collected for tips is divided up between the dining service team (servers and assistant servers, for instance) and the cabin steward team (the people responsible for tidying accommodations). In the past, passengers had an assigned table and the same waitstaff throughout the entirety of their cruise. But now, on most cruise lines, guests can choose to dine wherever and whenever they like—a tipping pool ensures that everyone who takes care of passengers receives a tip.
While there may be consumer comments galore on social media, and sometimes in traditional media, too, whenever a cruise line increases its tipping policies, the changes do not happen often and are generally an effort to keep up with inflation. As the industry newsletter Cruise Week recently reported, when Celebrity Cruises increased its daily gratuities $1.50 a day across its fleet in July 2026, it was the first such increase in three years.
Celebrity Cruises’ automated gratuity program now ranges from $19.50 to $24.50 per day, per passenger, depending on your room class. Guests can adjust the rate onboard at guest relations up until the morning of departure. On Celebrity, a 20 percent gratuity is also automatically added to spa and salon purchases, specialty dining, beverages, room service, and mini bar purchases—and this is typical for the industry on cruise lines that don’t include gratuities.
Personally, when I have a great housekeeper, even on a ship that includes gratuities, I will leave a cash bonus (maybe $20 to $50 per passenger, or more for extraordinary service) at the end of the cruise. The same goes for waiters. It’s also a nice gesture to hand a small tip ($2 to $5) to service attendants, especially if they come to your cabin with heavily laden trays when you, for instance, order breakfast in bed.
While the bulk of tips may be made by credit card at the end of the cruise, having some small bills on hand during your cruise vacation is never a bad idea for some of the added gratuities you may want to provide. For these smaller tips, U.S. dollars are typically fine, though it doesn’t hurt to offer it in the local currency if you have some available.
Also expecting tips of around $2 to $5 per bag are the porters who collect bags at the pier. If a cruise includes a pre- or post-cruise hotel night, consider leaving a gratuity for the housekeeping staff at the hotel—I typically leave around $5 per day.
Tipping at cruise restaurants, bars, and spas
Heading to the spa at Regent’s newly relaunching Seven Seas Prestige? Be sure to check the bill to see if a gratuity had automatically been added.
Courtesy of Regent Seven Seas Cruises
At specialty restaurants where meals cost extra, gratuities are typically (but not always) included in the added fee, so be sure to ask about whether or not they are. Even if included, you are free to add more for service that goes above and beyond.
Tips for bar personnel are usually included in the bar bill at a rate of 18 to 20 percent of the total bill. The same automatic tipping applies in shipboard coffee bars and ice cream shops. Note that there may be a space on the bill for a tip, which passengers can use to add anything extra on top of the included gratuity, but it’s not necessary.
Some cruisers like to give a bartender a tip of around $20 to $40 at the start of a sailing hoping that they will get extra attention, but this strategy is completely at each passenger’s own discretion. At the end of a cruise, some may also hand a few dollars to a favorite bar waiter.
Big ships will automatically add a gratuity of about 20 percent to your massage at the spa or to a blowout in the salon. There may also be a space for an extra tip if you want to add one. Small ships might not automatically add a tip, so be sure to check the bill and leave around 15 to 20 percent if a gratuity wasn’t included and you feel the service warrants it.
Also, the spa is one service for which a tip often isn’t included even on luxury cruises that cover all other gratuities. So again, be sure to take a close look at the line’s policy regarding tipping.
Tips on shore excursions
On shore excursions, it’s expected that passengers tip tour guides and bus drivers. How much you tip on cruise excursions is entirely up to you, but a suggested starting price is $5 to $10 per person for a half-day tour and $10 to $20 per person for a full-day tour for the guide and $2 to $5 for the bus driver. You can, of course, increase that amount based on your experience on the excursion. Had an amazing snorkel guide? Feel free to increase the tip.
Don’t tip everyone on a cruise
While cruisers can get overwhelmed by the extraordinary service and generous amount of tipping that can take place on any given sailing, there are some circumstances under which reaching into your wallet is neither expected nor customary—for instance, it is generally considered bad form to try to tip the captain, officers, and the rest of the management team, such as the hotel director, cruise director, and executive chef.
The same is true with the entertainment team, with the exception of a piano player performing at a bar who may have a bowl for both tips and song requests.
No tipping is expected for the youth counselors who watch children at kids clubs aboard, although passengers can offer a gratuity to them if they would like.
