HAL-Holland America Line is the latest cruise line to announce that it will soon be increasing daily gratuities/“crew appreciation” charges.
According to the company’s Crew Appreciation & Service Charge Policy webpage, starting February 1st, 2023, daily gratuities are to be increased by 50¢ for both suite & non-suite staterooms. Currently, non-suite passengers are charged US$15.50 per person, per day while suites are charged US$17 per person, per day. This will be increased to US$16 and US$17.50, respectively.
The daily gratuities go towards crew in various departments around the cruise ship, including those that passengers may never personally interact with.
The charge can be removed/the amount adjusted at any time during the cruise up until the onboard account is settled before disembarkation.
The current rate is to be honored for booked passengers who have prepaid their gratuities/have them included as part of a bundle package.
The webpage also gives transparency about how the gratuities are distributed to the crew:
“All of the Crew Appreciation and Service Charge payments made by all guests on all ships in our fleet are pooled, net of credit card transaction fees. The pooled 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.”
HAL-Holland America is the latest major cruise shipping company to announce upcoming daily gratuity increases. Sister company Princess Cruises raised gratuity rates by US$1.50 per person, per day for all cabin categories. Now, non-suite Princess passengers pay US$16 per day, while those in suites pay US$17-18 depending on the specific suite category.
NCL-Norwegian Cruise Line will soon increase its daily gratuities starting January 1st. Depending on the cabin category, they will be increased by US$2 to US$5 per person, per day.
Other brands that have also increased gratuities over the past months include DCL-Disney Cruise Line in July and RCI-Royal Caribbean in September.