Princess Cruises Ups Daily Gratuity Charges for All Guests

Princess is boosting the automatic gratuity charges for all of its guests.

Starting tomorrow on Enchanted Princess, and then on other ships on a rolling basis starting in September, Princess is increasing automatic gratuity charges, which it calls crew appreciation charges.

The charges will go from $18 to $19 for suite guests; from $17 to $18 for mini suite, cabana, and Club Class guests; and from $16 to $17 for all other guests. Those numbers are per person, per day. Those numbers are also in USD, for ships outside of the U.S., the numbers will be adjusted to local currency.

The charges can be adjusted by guests, but only during the sailing, and are not refundable post-cruise.

According to Princess, the funds are “distributed throughout the year in the form of compensation, including bonuses, to crewmembers fleetwide who interact directly with guests and/or behind the scenes throughout every cruise, including those in the Bar, Dining, Entertainment, Housekeeping, Guest Services, Galley and Onboard Revenue areas.”

Schedule for the changes

While Enchanted Princess guests will see the increase tomorrow, other ships in the fleet will see the increase starting on Sept. 1. The schedule will follow the timeline for the change with the Princess Premier Package, which will now include unlimited beverages and unlimited specialty dining, along with that crew appreciation fee. That timeline is as follows:

• Enchanted Princess, Aug. 31
• Majestic Princess, Sky Princess: Sept. 1
• Crown Princess, Sept. 2
• Ruby Princess, Sept. 3
• Grand Princess, Sept. 4
• Emerald Princess, Discovery Princess, Sun Princess: Sept. 7
• Caribbean Princess, Regal Princess: Sept. 12
• Royal Princess, Sapphire Princess: Sept. 14
• Island Princess: Sept. 25
• Diamond Princess: Sept. 26
• Coral Princess: Oct. 17