Understanding Gratuities on Your Disney Cruise (And What You Can Adjust)
As a travel agent who helps families sail with Disney, I’m often asked about gratuities and how they work onboard.
I totally understand! This part of cruising can feel confusing at first. Let me walk you through everything you need to know so you can budget confidently and enjoy your vacation without any surprises.
What Your Gratuities Cover
Disney Cruise Line automatically distributes your daily gratuities to the crew members who play the biggest role in your vacation experience:
- Dining Room Server – The person who gets to know your preferences and takes care of you each night at dinner
- Assistant Server – Helps with drinks, refills, and overall dining support
- Head Server – Oversees the dining room team and checks in throughout the cruise
- Stateroom Host or Hostess – Keeps your room spotless, handles turndown service, provides fresh towels, and makes everything feel like home
These cast and crew members work incredibly hard behind the scenes, and gratuities are their primary way of being recognized for their service.
Also, the gratuities go directly to the crew! The additional money helps support them and their families. Often, you will find that many of the crew go months without seeing their families back home, trying to earn as much as possible to send back to them.
Prepaying vs. Paying Onboard
You have two options for how to handle your gratuities:
- Prepay before your cruise: Many families prefer this to have one more thing checked off the list before vacation even begins.
- Have them charged automatically at the end: If you don’t prepay, Disney Cruise Line will add your gratuities to your onboard account and charge your card at the end of your sailing.
As a reminder, gratuities were NOT included in your cruise fare. They are a separate expense you need to take care of.
How Much Does Disney Charge?
Disney Cruise Line currently charges:
• $16.00 per person (including children), per night for standard staterooms
• $27.25 per person (including children), per night for Concierge-level staterooms
For example:
- A family of four in a standard stateroom on a 4-night cruise would pay $256 in total gratuities.
- A family of three in a standard stateroom on a 7-night cruise would pay $336.
- A family of two in a Concierge-level stateroom on an 8-night cruise would pay $436.
These amounts are subject to change, but this gives you a good idea of what to expect when budgeting.
Can You Adjust Your Gratuities?
Yes! If you receive exceptional service and want to increase your gratuities, Disney makes that easy.
• Visit Guest Services during your sailing and ask them to adjust the amounts.
• You can also leave additional cash directly in the gratuity envelopes provided in your stateroom on the last evening.
On the other hand, if something didn’t meet expectations, you can also request to lower the preset amounts by speaking with Guest Services. It’s not common, but it is an option.
Lastly, you will be happy to know that Disney never forces additional tipping beyond what’s automatically added. You can rest easy knowing you won’t be constantly pressured to tip more!
What other gratuities/tips can you expect?
First, some other purchases on the ship will automatically include an 18% gratuity. These include:
- Bar and beverage purchases. This includes any extras that are bought at dinner, the pool, lounges, the coffee shop, etc.
- Specialty dining: These servers are not part of your rotational dining team.
- Spa and salon services
You’re welcome to add more, but it’s not required.
Second, there are a few things where a gratuity is not automatically included, but it’s common to tip.
- Room Service: The food is complimentary, but it’s nice to tip the Cast Member at the time of delivery, either with cash or by charging it to your onboard account, often around $1-$2 per item.
- Excursions: Whether it’s a Port Adventure booked through Disney or you use a third-party company, it’s common to tip the excursion leader if you have a great time.
- Porters: It’s standard to tip a few dollars to the people who help get your luggage onto and off the ship!
I hope this breakdown makes Disney Cruise Line gratuities feel much more straightforward as you plan your vacation.
Once you understand who the tips support and how the process works, it becomes one less thing to worry about before you set sail. If you ever have questions or want help planning your next Disney Cruise, I’m always here to guide you every step of the way.
