A cruise fare looks all-inclusive, and the cruise lines are happy for it to look that way. Then the onboard account fills up: a daily gratuity for every passenger, a 20 percent service charge on every drink, a fee on the casino, and a pre-authorisation on your card that keeps growing all week.
Ashore, every port has its own rules about money. Some take your dollars at par, some take them at a poor rate, and a few want euros. Here is what cruising actually costs once you are on board, and how much cash to bring for the ports.
How the Onboard Account Works
Your cabin card is your wallet. On every major line, your key card, whether Royal Caribbean's SeaPass, Carnival's Sail & Sign or NCL's room key, is linked to an onboard account. Drinks, specialty dining, excursions, spa treatments, shop purchases and the casino are charged to it. Cash is not used on board, apart from the casino and tips you choose to hand over yourself.
The card on file. At check-in you link a credit or debit card. The line places a pre-authorisation on it, adds to that hold as you spend, and settles the bill at the end of the cruise. Holds can take days, and sometimes weeks, to drop off after the cruise; NCL, for example, starts with up to $300 and says holds can last up to 30 days. Use a credit card, not a debit card, so the holds do not tie up your checking balance.
Paying in cash. Every line lets you settle with a cash deposit at Guest Services instead, refunded at the end if unused. NCL asks for $150 to $450 per person depending on the length of the cruise. You lose nothing by doing it, but you need the cash.
Daily Gratuities by Line
Charged automatically. Every major line adds a daily gratuity, also called a service charge, to each passenger's account, children included on most lines. You can prepay it when you book, which locks in the rate if the line raises it before you sail, and on most lines you can adjust it at Guest Services.
2026 rates, per person per day: Royal Caribbean $18.50 in standard cabins and $21 in suites. Carnival $17, $19 in suites, after a rise in April 2026. Norwegian (NCL) $20, $25 in The Haven and suites. Princess $18, rising to $19 to $20 in mini-suites and suites. Celebrity $19.50, more in Concierge, AquaClass and The Retreat. MSC on North American sailings $17, $23 in the Yacht Club.
What that adds up to. A family of four on a seven-night Royal Caribbean cruise pays 4 x 7 x $18.50 = $518 in gratuities alone. Budget for it when you compare fares.
The 20 Percent on Drinks and Dining
A second gratuity. On top of the daily charge, most lines add an automatic service charge of 20 percent to drinks, drinks packages, specialty restaurants, room service and some spa services. Carnival raised its rate from 18 to 20 percent in December 2025, and Princess in March 2026. Royal Caribbean and NCL also charge 20 percent.
Drinks packages. The 20 percent applies to the package price too, so a package advertised at $80 a day costs $96, per adult, for every day of the cruise. Most lines require every adult in the cabin to buy one if any does.
The Ship's ATM and the Casino
The onboard ATM. Ships have cash machines, usually near the casino, that dispense US dollars. They charge a flat fee per withdrawal, commonly reported at around $5 to $7, on top of whatever your bank charges for an out-of-network or foreign withdrawal. Bring the cash you need from home instead.
Casino charges. Charging casino chips to your cabin account usually carries a convenience fee of a few percent, and taking a cash advance on a credit card at the casino counts as a cash advance with your card issuer, with interest from day one. Bring casino money in cash.
Pay Ashore in the Local Currency
A Wise card pays in pesos, florins or euros at the mid-market rate, with no foreign transaction fee, and holds US dollars for the ports that prefer them.
Get the Wise Card →Free account, ~$9 card fee. Want cash on arrival? Order currency before you fly →
The Conversion Offer to Refuse
If your card is not in US dollars. US lines run their onboard accounts in dollars, even in Europe. If your card is in pounds, euros or Canadian dollars, some lines offer to bill you in your own currency. Royal Caribbean's currency conversion programme, for example, has been reported to add a 3 percent conversion fee on top of its rate.
Say no. That is dynamic currency conversion in all but name. Let your card convert the dollar bill instead, ideally a card with no foreign transaction fee. Our explainer on dynamic currency conversion shows the arithmetic.
European lines. MSC and Costa bill in euros on Mediterranean and Northern European itineraries, and in dollars in the Caribbean. On a euro account, an American card with a foreign transaction fee pays it on every charge.
Cash for Caribbean Ports
US dollars go a long way. In most Caribbean ports, US dollars are accepted in shops, taxis and on excursions. The question is the rate and the change. Bring $20 to $50 per person per port day in small notes, mostly ones, fives and tens, for taxis, tips, water and small purchases.
At par. Nassau uses the Bahamian dollar at one to one with the US dollar, and change may come back in Bahamian money; spend it before you sail. St Thomas uses the US dollar. Grand Turk uses the US dollar too.
Fixed but not par. In Belize, two Belize dollars equal one US dollar. In Aruba and Curacao, about 1.79 florins or guilders buy a dollar. In Grand Cayman, the Cayman dollar is fixed at US$1.20, but shops typically take US dollars at 80 Cayman cents each, a little worse. Change usually comes back in local money.
Floating currencies. In Cozumel and Costa Maya, Roatan and Jamaica, US dollars are taken in tourist areas at the seller's rate, which is usually poor. Paying by card in the local currency, with a no-fee card, is cheaper for anything substantial.
Euros. Martinique, Guadeloupe and the French side of St Martin use the euro. Dollars are less welcome on the French islands than anywhere else in the region.
Private Islands
Cashless. The cruise lines' own islands, Royal Caribbean's Perfect Day at CocoCay, Carnival's Celebration Key and NCL's Great Stirrup Cay, run on your cabin card: food, drinks, cabanas and activities are charged to your onboard account. The exception is the straw market stalls run by local vendors on some of them, where cash is best. Bring a few small notes for those and for tips.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much are cruise gratuities per day in 2026?
Per person per day in standard cabins: Royal Caribbean 18.50 dollars, Carnival 17, NCL 20, Princess 18, Celebrity 19.50 and MSC 17 on North American sailings. Suites cost more. They are added to your onboard account automatically unless prepaid.
Should I bring cash on a cruise?
Yes, some. Bring small US notes for port days, about 20 to 50 dollars per person per port, plus cash for the casino and any tips you want to hand over in person. On board, everything is charged to your cabin account.
Is there an ATM on a cruise ship?
Yes, usually near the casino, dispensing US dollars, with a flat fee commonly reported at about 5 to 7 dollars per withdrawal plus your own bank's charges. Bringing cash from home is cheaper.
Can I use a debit card for my cruise onboard account?
Yes, but a credit card is better. Lines place a pre-authorisation hold on the card and add to it as you spend, and holds can take days or weeks to release after the cruise. On a debit card that money is tied up in your checking account.
Should I let the cruise line charge my card in my home currency?
No. If your card is not in US dollars, the line's conversion offer typically adds a markup, reported at 3 percent for Royal Caribbean. Let your card convert the dollar charges instead, ideally a card with no foreign transaction fee.
Can I use US dollars in Caribbean cruise ports?
In most of them, yes: the Bahamas, the US Virgin Islands and Turks and Caicos use dollars or a currency at par, and Mexico, Jamaica, Belize, Aruba, Curacao and Grand Cayman accept them in tourist areas, with change in local money. Martinique, Guadeloupe and the French side of St Martin use the euro.
The Bottom Line
The cruise fare is the start of the bill. Gratuities add 17 to 25 dollars per person per day, every drink carries 20 percent, and the ship's ATM and casino have fees of their own.
Prepay gratuities if a rise is coming, put the onboard account on a credit card with no foreign transaction fee, bring small US notes from home for the ports, and refuse any offer to convert your bill into another currency.
Our guide to tipping abroad covers tips ashore, and CEI Currency Exchange can ship small US notes or euros to your door before you sail.
Hero photo: the Carnival Ecstasy at Cozumel, by Andy P. Jung, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.