Your next cruise may cost you more because two major cruise lines are increasing their gratuities starting in 2023.
Norwegian Cruise Line
Norwegian Cruise Line is upping gratuities for passengers in suites and regular staterooms. The biggest increase comes with the booking of a Haven or Suite room. Those rooms will now run you $25 daily per person, for an increase of $5. All other rooms, including Club Balcony suites, will pay $20 per person per day, a $2 increase for Club Balcony rooms and $4 increase for all others.
“At Norwegian Cruise Line, we are committed to delivering exceptional guest experience at every step of the cruise journey, and with the dedication of our shipboard team, we are able to turn your vacation dreams into reality,” an NCL spokesperson said in an email. “As such, we make it easy for guests to show their appreciation for these vacation heroes with discretionary daily services charges, which provide gratuities to key on-board team members, including room stewards, restaurant servers, and behind-the-scenes support staff.”
Princess Cruises
Princess Cruises is also announcing increased gratuities, which it calls the “crew appreciation” fee. Starting in February 2023, the fee will go up to $16 per person for interior, ocean view, and balcony staterooms. That’s an increase of $1.50. The fee goes up to $17 for guests in mini-suites and Club Class staterooms, also a $1.50 increase. Guests in all other high-end staterooms will pay $18 per person per day.
But gratuities aren’t the only fee to go up on Princess; the daily Wi-Fi charge is also increasing. This one is a bigger jump, with daily prices going from $9.99 to $15 per day for one device.
Industry Standard
The gratuity increase on NCL and Princess are in line with what other major cruise lines are doing, as a way to combat rising costs around the globe. In September, Royal Caribbean upped its gratuities anywhere from 5–10 percent, depending on the room type. The cruise lines maintain that higher fees are necessary to hire and maintain quality staff.
Thinking about cruising in 2023? Here’s our guide to what to do and what not to do, plus what to know if you’re looking to book a cruise during hurricane season.