Carnival Princess Cruises levy a key fee

As cruise demand rises and inflation rises in the post-pandemic era, cruise lines have steadily raised prices to compensate. Major cruise lines, including Carnival and Royal Caribbean, are also working to pay down debt that accrued when they were forced to stop sailing during the pandemic.

With demand at an all-time high and labor, food and fuel costs continuing to rise, cruise lines are confidently passing on cost increases to their passengers. And it’s not just basic cruise fares that are going up.

Related: Forget Dress Codes, Carnival Shares New Dining Room Controversy

Passengers pay more for onboard extras such as beverage packages, specialty dining, WiFi and spa services. Port charges and complimentary charges have also increased (but port charges are not set by the cruise lines).

When it comes to gratuities, most major cruise lines have raised their fares in the past two years, and a few have raised them twice. Carnival’s Princess Cruises is one of those cruise lines.

Princess Cruises last increased its gratuity rates in February 2023, increasing the gratuity fee for most cabins from $14.50 per person per day to $16 per person per day. And now the cruise line has quietly raised gratuity fees again.

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Princess Cruises is increasing its daily crew appreciation fee by $1

Beginning in August 2024, Princess Cruises, which refers to its gratuity rates as “crew appreciation,” added another dollar to its per-person-per-day rates.

Like most regular cruise lines, Princess Cruises automatically adds the daily complimentary amount for each passenger to the guest’s onboard account. The value of the complimentary crew appreciation fee varies by cabin category.

For most Princess Cruises cabin categories – interior, ocean view and balcony cabins, the crew appreciation fee increases from $16 per person per day to $17 per person per day. Passengers booking Princess Minisuites, Cabins and Club Class cabins will see an increase from $17 per person per day to $18 per person per day. For Princess suites, the complimentary rate is now $19 per person per day, up from $18 per person per day.

With these new crew appreciation rates, a family of four in an inside cabin can expect to pay $476 in gratuities for a 7-day Princess cruise – an increase of $28.

Although cruise gratuities are common, charges are suggested amounts and may be adjusted if you choose. Princess Cruises’ Crew Appreciation and Service Fee Policy states that:

“Guests have full discretion to adjust crew discretion while on board; however, crew appreciation can only be adjusted before the ship disembarks and cannot be refunded after the cruise.”

Related: Carnival’s Princess Cruises is adding a generous new offering

How Princess Cruises gratuities stack up and how to save

This gratuity increase brings Princess Cruises’ rates in line with sister cruise line Holland America Line, which increased its daily crew appreciation rate to $17 in February 2024. Both cruise lines are owned by Carnival Corporation.

Carnival Cruise Line has yet to follow suit. Free carnival rates remain at $16 per person per day for standard cabins.

Princess Cruises’ complimentary fare increase comes shortly after the cruise line introduced a new nearly all-inclusive cruise package, and you can save on the complimentary fare when you buy it.

With its newly enhanced flagship cruise package, the Princess Premier Package, Princess Cruises offers passengers impressive unlimited benefits, from high-speed WiFi to unlimited drinks, specialty dining, premium fitness classes and more. For even more value, daily freebies are included in the package price.

The Princess Premier Package is $90 per person per day and is payable upon booking. Crew appreciation payments are included in the cruise fare when you add the Princess Premier or Princess Plus package.

The Princess Plus package offers some of the Premier options with set limits. It costs $60 per person per day, with daily gratuities included.

Both packages are available to all Princess cruise passengers and all cabin types. When you purchase one of these cruise packages, your statement on board will show that Princess Cruises has paid the suggested crew appreciation fee on your behalf.

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