Disney’s $16 nightly gratuity is the lowest of the three biggest family cruise lines. It’s also the only one that charges for infants, and that changes the math fast.
Disney Cruise Line has a reputation as the expensive option, and on base fare it usually is.
Its recommended tip is the cheapest of the three.
Disney recommends $16 per guest, per night for standard staterooms. Carnival charges $17. Norwegian charges $20.
For two adults on a seven-night cruise, that works out to $224 on Disney, $238 on Carnival and $280 on Norwegian before anyone orders a drink. Then kids get involved and everything flips.
Do Disney cruises charge gratuities for kids?
Yes, for every guest, including infants.
Disney’s own guidance says the $16 applies “per stateroom Guest, including infants and children.” That’s the line families miss.
Carnival charges everyone except children under 2. Norwegian charges guests 3 and older.
So the lowest adult rate turns into the highest family rate the moment a baby is on the reservation.
How much are cruise tips for a family of four?
Here’s a seven-night sailing, standard cabin, two parents and two kids.
With a 1-year-old and an older child: Carnival $357. Norwegian $420. Disney $448.
With a 2-year-old and an older child: Norwegian $420. Disney $448. Carnival $476.
With two kids 3 and older: Disney $448. Carnival $476. Norwegian $560.
What do suite guests pay?
The order changes again.
Disney’s Concierge staterooms and suites carry a $27.25 nightly recommendation, which covers the concierge lounge team and an assistant stateroom host on top of the usual crew. Norwegian charges $25 for The Haven and suites. Carnival charges $19 for suites, the lowest by a wide margin.
How much is the Carnival drink package?
CHEERS is $69.95 per person, per day if you buy it before you sail, and $5 more if you wait until you’re on board.
Carnival’s terms add “a 20% service charge” to every drink package, which brings the real price to $83.94 a day. The package allows up to 15 alcoholic drinks in a 24-hour period, and state and local tax gets charged on each drink when the ship is in U.S. waters.
The soda package, Bottomless Bubbles, rose from $9.50 to $11.99 a day for adults this spring. The kids’ version stayed at $6.95.
Carnival also raised gratuities by a dollar on April 2, from $16 to $17 for standard rooms and $18 to $19 for suites.
What does Disney include that the others charge for?
Soft drinks, for a start. Disney includes sodas and its rotating dining rooms in the fare.
Everything else carries a charge. Disney adds 18 percent to bar and beverage tabs, wine, its adults-only and premium restaurants, deck service and the spa. Palo and Remy, the adults-only restaurants, are extra.
What is Norwegian’s Free at Sea?
The biggest bundle of the three, with conditions.
For bookings made on or after Nov. 5, 2025, on sailings of two nights or longer, Free at Sea includes an open bar, specialty dining (one meal on a short cruise, three on a seven- or eight-night one), 150 minutes of Starlink Wi-Fi, and a $50 shore excursion credit at each port for the first guest on the booking.
The catch is that gratuities must be prepaid, and Norwegian’s are the highest of the three. A paid upgrade, Free at Sea Plus, launched Feb. 1 at $49.99 per person, per day, adding Starbucks, premium wine and streaming-speed Wi-Fi.
Can you change cruise gratuities?
On all three lines, yes. You can adjust or remove them at Guest Services on board. Disney calls its amount a recommendation, Carnival lets guests adjust after it posts, and Norwegian says its charges are fully refundable if you cancel.
Most people pay them anyway, and most people should. The crew is paid partly through that money.
The fare is the number every booking site shows you. The tips, the drink charges and the kids’ rules are where these three lines actually differ, and none of them show up until the bill does.
Article compiled with the help of the Pirates & Princesses newsroom.
Pirates and Princesses is your destination for Disney news, theme park updates, and the pop culture you love. From Disney cruises and travel tips to Disney fashion, food, collectibles, and movie news, PNP covers it all. Visit us at piratesandprincesses.net for daily coverage. Follow PNP on Facebook and Instagram, and listen to the Pirates & Princesses podcast on Apple Podcasts and YouTube.
Hat Tips:
Disney Cruise Line gratuities FAQ (accessed Sept. 20, 2026), the $16 and $27.25 recommendations, the infant and child policy and the 18 percent charge on bar, dining and spa
Carnival Cruise Line service gratuities and CHEERS terms (accessed Sept. 20, 2026), the $17 and $19 rates, the under-2 exemption, the $69.95 CHEERS price and the 20 percent service charge
Norwegian Cruise Line service charge FAQ and Free at Sea page (accessed Sept. 20, 2026), the $20 and $25 rates, the age 3 threshold and the Free at Sea terms
Cruise Critic (2026), Carnival’s April 2 gratuity and Bottomless Bubbles increases
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