Key Aspects:
- MSC Cruises is raising hotel service fees for all guests beginning May 11, 2026.
- Rates will go up by $1 per guest, per night for standard staterooms and $3 for MSC Yacht Club staterooms.
- Guests can adjust their gratuity rates onboard if they do not receive satisfactory service during their cruise.
Following similar hikes by other cruise lines, MSC Cruises is quietly raising the fees for its “hotel service charge” (aka, gratuities) for all guests. The new rates will go into effect for all sailings on or after May 11, 2026.
Booked guests have been emailed about the rate increase, while the cruise line’s website does have the new rate listed. The change is an increase of $1 per night per guest for standard staterooms, and $3 per guest per night for the exclusive MSC Yacht Club.
The increase makes the new rates $17 (previously $16) for standard staterooms, and $23 (previously $20) for MSC Yacht Club suites.
No hotel service charges are assessed for children under the age of 2, regardless of stateroom type.
There are limited options for guests to adjust the hotel service fee onboard if they wish. While the cruise line states that the daily amounts have been calculated with high service standards in mind and “cannot be modified,” guests can contact the Guest Relations Manager onboard if they wish to remove any of the charges due to unsatisfactory service.
Because MSC Cruises is a strongly global line, the hotel service charge rates do vary in different sailing regions. This specific increase is only impacting Caribbean and Alaska rates.
Cruise Hive has already reported that MSC Poesia, just out of a dry dock refreshment, is now on her way to begin the line’s first-ever season in Alaska. That first departure from Seattle is on May 11, the same day the hotel service charge increase takes effect.
Guests on upcoming sailings who have already pre-paid for gratuities will not need to make up any difference, even if their cruise departs after May 11.
“We are happy to honor the current Hotel Service Charge for guests who have already paid, as well as those who choose to prepay before the policy change on May 11, 2026,” the cruise line states.
In other sailing regions, MSC Cruises’ hotel service charges are not changing. The rate ranges from $14-19 (USD) for standard staterooms and from $19-23 for MSC Yacht Club staterooms in different regions. In some areas, children ages 2-11 have slightly lower service charge rates, but children younger than 2 never have the charges assessed.
Other Lines Also Making Gratuity Adjustments
Multiple cruise lines have been making gratuity adjustments in recent weeks. Margaritaville at Sea was one of the first to raise rates with an increase from February 1, 2026. Standard staterooms now pay $22 per person, per night while suites pay $25 per person, per night.
Carnival Cruise Line announced an increase to $17 for regular staterooms and $19 for suites in early February. That price change took effect on Thursday, April 2.
More From Cruise Hive
Holland America Line has also announced a $1 per person, per day gratuity increase for all stateroom types, though that change will not impact guests until June 1, 2026.
Budget-savvy cruise guests who may be undecided between different cruise lines can calculate their gratuities and compare across lines to decide what rates work best for their vacation plans.
While small increases of just a dollar or two a day may not seem like much, they can add up significantly for a weeklong family cruise when all family members are assessed gratuities. This type of budget planning is even more important when other service charges and amenities, such as specialty dining and drink packages, add up as well.
It is not uncommon for multiple cruise lines to adjust gratuity rates all within a few weeks, and additional cruise lines may yet be planning rate increases of their own soon.
