Cruise passenger removes daily gratuities in favor of cash tips

David Zhu posted a TikTok showing himself visiting a cruise ship’s guest services desk to have automatic daily gratuities removed from his onboard account. His caption said he preferred to tip individual hospitality workers in cash.

According to the report, the automatic gratuities were removed. Zhu displayed an envelope of cash that he said he planned to distribute, but the video did not establish whether any money changed hands at the desk. He did not identify the cruise line or ship, and he did not disclose how much cash was in the envelope.

Cruise gratuity policies vary. The report lists Royal Caribbean’s automatic daily gratuity at $18.50 per guest. Carnival says all gratuities are distributed to crew members who interact with guests and those working behind the scenes.

Forbes reportedly says passengers can remove gratuities on most mainstream cruise lines, although the practice is rarely encouraged. The report also says Virgin Voyages and Oceania include gratuities in their fares rather than imposing a separate daily gratuity charge.