Princess Gratuities Explained: How Tipping Works (2026)
Quick Take
Tipping on a Princess cruise comes down to two things: a daily crew appreciation charge and an automatic 18 percent added to drinks and spa services. The daily amount runs $18 to $20 per person depending on your cabin, and it either posts to your account each day or comes bundled into a package you buy up front. Once you see how the two pieces fit together, budgeting for it is simple.
What Crew Appreciation Actually Is
Princess calls its daily gratuity "crew appreciation," and the name describes the purpose well. This pooled charge is shared among the staff who serve you across the ship, including your stateroom steward, the dining team, and the crew members working behind the scenes. It's the cruise industry's standard way of handling tips so you don't have to hand cash to a dozen different people.
The charge posts to your onboard folio each day of the sailing. On a seven-night cruise in a balcony cabin, for example, that's $18 per person, per day, which works out to $126 per person for the week. For two guests sharing that cabin, plan on $252 in crew appreciation across the trip.
Daily Rates by Cabin Type
Princess sets the daily amount based on your cabin category, and the tiers are easy to remember. Interior, oceanview, and balcony cabins pay $18 per person, per day. Mini-suites, cabanas, and Reserve Collection staterooms pay $19, and full suites pay $20.
The logic is that higher cabin categories come with a bit more service, so the appreciation scales up slightly. The difference between tiers is small, one or two dollars a day, but it adds up over a longer voyage. On a fourteen-night cruise, the suite rate costs a suite guest $280 versus $252 for a balcony guest.
The 18 Percent on Drinks and Spa
Separate from the daily charge, Princess adds an automatic 18 percent gratuity to individual drink purchases, bar tabs, and spa treatments. This is standard across the cruise industry, and it shows up right on the receipt when you buy a cocktail or book a massage. You don't need to add anything on top unless you want to reward exceptional service.
Here's a detail worth knowing. If you buy a drink package on its own, the 18 percent is applied to the package price at purchase. If your drinks are already covered inside Princess Plus or Premier, that gratuity is baked into the package price, so individual drinks won't show a separate tip line. The same 18 percent applies to spa services whether or not you have a package.
When Gratuities Are Bundled Into Plus or Premier
This is the part that saves people the most confusion. If you book the Princess Plus or Princess Premier package, your daily crew appreciation is included in the package price. You won't see a separate daily gratuity line on your folio, because it's already handled.
Princess Plus runs about $65 per person, per day, or around $70 on the newest Sphere-class ships, and it covers crew appreciation plus drinks, wifi, and other perks. Premier sits near $100 per day, or about 105 on Sphere-class ships, and includes the same gratuity coverage with richer benefits. If you buy either package, you can stop thinking about the daily tip entirely. I cover the full package math in my Princess cruise cost guide.
Prepay vs Pay Onboard
If you go cruise-only rather than buying a package, you get to choose when to settle your crew appreciation. Prepaying means you lock it in before you sail, either at booking or any time before departure, and it never touches your onboard account. Some guests like this because it locks the current rate and keeps the trip's onboard spending lower.
Paying onboard means the daily amount posts to your folio each day and you settle it with your final bill. Both paths cost the same total; the only difference is timing and whether you want the charge handled before you step aboard. If you're the type who likes a clean, predictable budget, prepaying is a tidy option.
Adjusting Your Gratuities
Crew appreciation is a suggested amount, and Princess does allow you to adjust it at the guest services desk during your sailing. If you feel service fell short or you want to change the amount for another reason, you can raise or lower it. Most guests leave it in place, since the pooled system rewards a wide team of crew members who work hard behind the scenes.
If you prefer to recognize an individual crew member for standout service, you're always welcome to hand them cash directly on top of the daily charge. That extra tip goes straight to that person. I usually keep a few small bills on hand for exactly that reason.
Budgeting for Gratuities
The cleanest way to budget is to multiply your cabin's daily rate by the number of nights, then by the number of guests. A couple on a seven-night balcony sailing should plan on about $252 in crew appreciation. Add a cushion for the 18 percent on any drinks or spa services you buy outside a package.
If you buy Plus or Premier, fold the gratuity into the package cost and don't budget it twice. That double-counting is a mistake I see people make when they estimate their trip. Knowing which bucket your tips live in keeps your all-in number accurate.
Why Princess Uses a Pooled System
Some first-time cruisers wonder why they can't just tip individuals and skip the daily charge. The pooled model exists because a cruise runs on far more people than you ever meet face to face. Your cabin gets cleaned twice a day, your food is prepped and served by a large team, and countless crew keep the ship running around the clock.
Pooling the daily amount spreads recognition across all of those roles fairly, including the crew you'd never think to tip on your own. It also means you don't have to carry a stack of cash and figure out who gets what at the end of the week. For most guests, leaving crew appreciation in place is the simplest and fairest choice, and it's what I recommend to my clients.
The rates also tend to rise a little each year as the cruise line adjusts for costs, which is one reason prepaying can appeal to some travelers. Locking the current rate before a scheduled increase protects your total, even if the difference is only a dollar or two per day. It's a small move, but on a long sailing with several guests, it can add up.
Comparing Princess Gratuities to Other Lines
If you've sailed other cruise lines, Princess crew appreciation will feel familiar. The 18 to $20 daily range and the 18 percent on drinks sit right in line with what most major lines charge. Some competitors run a dollar or two higher or lower on the daily amount, but the structure is nearly identical across the industry.
What sets Princess apart for budgeting is how cleanly the packages fold gratuities in. Because Plus and Premier bundle the daily tip, a lot of guests never think about it again after booking. That simplicity is one reason I often steer package-minded clients toward Princess when they want a predictable, all-in number rather than a stack of separate line items.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How much are Princess gratuities per day?
Crew appreciation is $18 per person, per day for interior, oceanview, and balcony cabins, $19 for mini-suites and Reserve Collection, and $20 for full suites. Drinks and spa services add an automatic 18 percent.
Are gratuities included in Princess Plus and Premier?
Yes. Both packages include your daily crew appreciation, so no separate gratuity line posts to your folio when you buy one.
Can I remove or adjust the daily gratuity?
You can adjust crew appreciation at the guest services desk during your cruise. Most guests keep it in place because it supports a large pooled team.
Should I prepay my gratuities?
Prepaying locks the rate and keeps the charge off your onboard account, while paying onboard settles it with your final bill. The total is the same either way, so it comes down to your preference.
Do I still tip on top of the daily charge?
It's optional. The daily amount covers the pooled crew, but many guests hand extra cash to individuals who go above and beyond.
Is the 18 percent on drinks charged if I have a package?
No separate charge appears on individual drinks if your beverages are covered by Plus or Premier, since that gratuity is already inside the package price.
Final Thoughts
Princess gratuities look complicated until you split them into the daily crew appreciation and the 18 percent on extras. Once you know your cabin's rate and whether your package already includes it, the math takes about a minute. Budget it correctly and there are no surprises on your final statement.
If you'd like help estimating your full cruise cost, gratuities and all, that's part of what I do for every client at no extra charge. Send me your dates and I'll lay out every line so you know your number before you sail.
More cruise reads:
- Princess Plus vs Princess Premier: The Drink Package Math
- How Much Does a Cruise Really Cost? A Full Breakdown
- Caribbean Princess Review: A Grand-Class Workhorse That Still Delivers
- Majestic Princess Review: A Royal-Class Ship Built for Comfort
- Cruise Line Drink Packages
- Are Cruise Drink Packages Worth It? How to Do the Math
