Paying tips and gratuities depends on which cruise line you choose. Some have a no-tipping policy while others offer a discretionary gratuity option. Cruise lines that have a discretionary policy will apply a charge to your onboard account which can be adjusted or removed once onboard.
Please be advised that some cruise lines will charge a service charge when you order a drink onboard that is not included with your pre-paid gratuities.
No tipping required
- P&O
- Marella
- Carnival (Barbados departures)
- Azamara
- Luxury Cruise Lines
- Virgin Voyages
Tips at your discretion
- Royal Caribbean
- Celebrity
- Cunard
- MSC Cruises
- Princess
- Holland America
- Oceania
Compulsory tipping
- Norwegian Cruise Line
- Costa Cruises
- Virgin Voyages*
*October 2025 - new fare options available with Virgin Voyages. Guests may choose an option to pre-pay their gratuities, or they can opt to pay once on board.
Can gratuities be pre-paid?
Yes, with some cruise lines, you can pre-pay your gratuities before you travel. This can be done at the time of booking your cruise. Please ask our Sales Agent for further information. If you have already booked you can pre-pay for your gratuities via your cruise line booking portal (on their website) or by speaking to one of our Customer Service agents.
Further gratuity policy information
P&O
Marella
Carnival
Azamara
Celebrity
Royal Caribbean
MSC
Princess
Holland America Line
Oceania
Costa
Norwegian Cruise Line
I still need help.
{ "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "FAQPage", "mainEntity": [ { "@type": "Question", "name": "Would I be expected to tip or pay gratuities on my cruise?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Paying tips and gratuities depends entirely on which cruise line you choose. Some cruise lines have a strict no-tipping policy where gratuities are fully included in your cruise fare, while others apply a discretionary daily service charge to your onboard account which can be adjusted or removed while on board." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Which cruise lines do not require tipping?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "No tipping is required on cruise lines such as P&O Cruises, Marella Cruises, Carnival Cruises (Barbados departures), Azamara, Virgin Voyages (depending on the fare option selected), and most luxury cruise lines, as gratuities are already included in the holiday price." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Which cruise lines have discretionary tipping policies?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Cruise lines where tipping is at your discretion include Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises, Cunard, MSC Cruises, Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, and Oceania Cruises. These lines typically add automatic daily gratuities to your onboard account, which you can adjust at Guest Services." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Which cruise lines have compulsory tipping?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Compulsory tipping policies apply to Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) and Costa Cruises. For Virgin Voyages, guests booking certain fare options may choose to pre-pay gratuities or settle them on board." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Can cruise gratuities be pre-paid?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Yes, with many cruise lines, you can pre-pay your gratuities before you travel. You can arrange this at the time of booking through your sales agent, or after booking via your online cruise line customer portal or by contacting Iglu's Customer Service team." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Are there additional service charges on onboard drinks?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Yes, please be aware that some cruise lines will automatically add an additional service charge or gratuity to your account when you order a drink on board, unless it is already included within a pre-paid drinks package." } } ] }
