Carnival increases automatic gratuity price

Carnival Cruise Line has officially increased the price of its automatic gratuities for any sailing on or after April 1.

The company announced that the daily price would increase from $14.50 to $16 per guest after March 31. Suite guests will now pay $18 per day, per guest, up from $16.50. While this may not sound like a large price increase, families may be particularly affected by this hike. $1.50 per guest over a 7-night cruise adds up to $10.50 per guest. Multiply that over a large family and the costs could add up.

For anyone already booked with pre-paid gratuities before April 1, the price is locked in at $14.50 per guest, per day.

This is the second time in a year's time that Carnival Cruise Line has raised the daily gratuity rate. The last increase was in May of 2022 when it changed from $13.99 per guest, per day for traditional staterooms and $15.99 for suites.

Carnival's price increase is comparable to that of other cruise lines. Norwegian, Holland-America Line, and Princess cruises have all raised prices for gratuities in the past year. The prices for Carnival cruise line are at or below industry standard.