/images/2023/09/14/woman_using_laptop.jpg)
/images/2019/12/06/smart_strategies_to_save_money_on_car_insurance.jpg)
:format(webp)/images/2024/12/23/cruise-liner-on-adriatic-sea-at-sunset.jpeg)
/authors/amanda-teague-headshot_7YgQRKX.jpg)
/authors/sara-albertelli-headshot.jpg)
Add Us On Google
Cruising built its reputation on being the closest thing to an all-inclusive vacation. One fare covers endless food, a cabin that moves between destinations while you sleep, and entertainment every night. That reputation is getting harder to defend. Across several of the biggest names in the industry, gratuities have climbed, drink and dining packages have shrunk, and small perks that used to come standard now carry a price tag. For anyone trying to travel on a budget, the gap between what a cruise fare promises and what actually shows up on the final bill has never been wider.
None of this is guesswork or internet grumbling. It's a pattern of dated, documented fee increases and cutbacks announced across major lines over the past several months, backed by passenger surveys, company emails, and industry reporting. Here's a look at the cruise lines where the numbers back up what passengers have been saying. While these cruise lines still appeal to many travelers, recent fee hikes and shrinking inclusions mean they may no longer deliver the value they once did.
Norwegian Cruise Line
Norwegian didn't just get mediocre marks. It finished dead last among 19 cruise lines in a survey conducted in January 2026, based on responses from 18,850 cruisers rating their trips from the past three years. The complaints line up with specific, dated changes rather than general grumbling. Main dining portions have gotten smaller, and getting a second entree now costs $5, a fee that didn't exist before last fall.
The printed daily schedule that used to land in cabins each night is no longer delivered to cabins automatically. Show reservations have also been scrapped in favor of first-come, first-served entry, a change that has led to long lines outside theaters before showtime. In October 2025, the line also made major changes to preset itineraries to strengthen partnerships with excursion and port vendors, a shift that left many passengers frustrated when ports they'd booked around were swapped out, and the picture is one of a mainstream cruise line trimming small inclusions until loyal passengers started keeping score.
Royal Caribbean International
Royal Caribbean also landed near the bottom of that same satisfaction ranking, and its beverage packages are where the cuts have been most visible. Starting March 15, 2026, the Coca-Cola Freestyle souvenir cup, once bundled free with the Deluxe and Royal Refreshment packages, now costs $4.99 extra.
The line closed a longtime workaround that let one drinker in a cabin buy the package while a non-drinking companion skipped it. Now every adult sharing a stateroom has to buy in, a shift that can push a couple's beverage costs past $1,600 for a single sailing even when only one person is actually drinking.
Carnival Cruise Line
Carnival raised its automatic gratuities for the first time since 2023, moving from $16 to $17 per person per day in standard cabins and from $18 to $19 in suites, effective April 2, 2026. The same email to guests announced that the Bottomless Bubbles soda package was jumping from $9.50 to $11.99 per day, a roughly 26% increase.
That followed a quieter move in December 2025, when Carnival bumped its onboard service charge on drinks and specialty dining from 18% to 20% without a public announcement. None of these are large individually. Stacked together over a seven-night cruise, a couple in a balcony cabin now pays $238 in gratuities alone.
Earn a travel bonus worth $250 with this incredible card
With the Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card you can earn 25,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of account opening.
The 25,000 bonus points can be redeemed for a $250 statement credit toward travel or dining purchases.
The best part? There's no annual fee.
MSC Cruises
MSC also scored low in the same satisfaction survey, and it raised its own gratuity structure, which it brands a Hotel Service Charge, for all Caribbean and Alaska sailings booked on or after May 11, 2026. Standard staterooms moved from $16 to $17 per person per night, while MSC Yacht Club suites jumped from $20 to $23, a $3 nightly increase.
For a family booked in Yacht Club accommodations on a weeklong cruise, that alone adds more than $80 to the final bill compared to bookings made before the change.
Holland America Line
Holland America followed its sister brand Carnival into a gratuity hike, raising its "crew appreciation" charge by $1 per person per day starting June 1, 2026, to $18 in standard cabins and $20 in suites. The line also increased its onboard service charge on drinks and specialty dining from 18% to 20% on the same date.
A family of four in a balcony cabin on a seven-night sailing now pays $504 in gratuities instead of $476, an increase that arrived just two months after Carnival's own hike, underscoring how closely Carnival Corporation's brands are moving in lockstep on fees.
Bottom line
The fee hikes and cutbacks documented above aren't isolated incidents or one-off guest complaints. They're dated, verifiable changes that landed within months of each other across five of the industry's biggest names, and they help explain why Norwegian, Royal Caribbean, Carnival, and MSC all showed up near the bottom of the same satisfaction survey. For anyone trying to save money on travel, the practical lesson is to price out gratuities, drink packages, and dining fees separately from the base fare before booking, since the advertised rate increasingly tells only part of the story.
One detail worth noting is that not every line is playing this game. Regent Seven Seas, Silversea, Seabourn, and Explora Journeys build gratuities directly into the cruise fare, so there's no daily charge creeping upward on a booking that's already paid for. That predictability is part of why some past-loyal mainstream cruisers are shifting toward smaller or more all-inclusive lines. Record profits and rising fares across the major players have coincided with shrinking inclusions, and as the gap between what a cruise costs and what it actually includes keeps widening, more travelers are deciding that paying more upfront for a line that doesn't nickel-and-dime is the better long-term value.
More from FinanceBuzz:
- 12 ways to pocket up to $300.
- Are you a homeowner? Get a protection plan on all your appliances.
- 10 little weird hacks Costco shoppers should know.
- Learn how to escape the paycheck-to-paycheck grind.
/images/2019/08/22/the_ultimate_beginners_guide_to_travel_rewards.jpg)
/images/2019/12/06/smart_strategies_to_save_money_on_car_insurance.jpg)
/images/2025/01/24/adobestock_657213156_2.jpg)
/images/2024/06/25/delta-airlines-boeing-767-300er-adobe.jpg)
/images/2022/07/06/southwest_airlines_737-800_max_aircraft.jpg)
/images/2019/06/16/african-couple-talking-about-high-yield-savings-account.jpg)
Intro Offer
Earn 25,000 online bonus points after you make at least $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of account opening - that can be a $250 statement credit toward travel purchases
Annual Fee $0 Why we like it
/images/2024/12/16/bofa-travel.png)
/images/2019/08/27/airport_lounge_access.jpg)
/images/2019/08/19/the_5_travel_credit_cards_that_are_awesome_for_beginners.jpg)
/images/2020/03/02/man-using-atm.jpeg)
/images/2022/03/09/close_up_traveler_hand_man_getting_many_cash_for_travel_in_the_trip.jpg)
/images/2024/03/27/umbrella-chair-outdoor-in-luxury-resort.jpeg)
/images/2023/08/14/telephone-besides-bed-in-hotel-room.jpeg)
/images/2025/05/21/titusville_florida_riverfront_park.jpg)
/images/2026/07/16/child-on-airplane.jpg)
/images/2024/07/03/angler-sitting-on-fishing-chair.jpg)
/images/2026/07/16/handing-out-a-tip-in-cruise-or-hotel.jpg)
/images/2022/04/22/messy-hotel-room.jpg)
