Like every other cruise line, MSC requires the payment of gratuities.
On the official documents, the company refers to these fees as a daily hotel service charge that is automatically added to the shipboard account.
In this article, we’re going to see the cost of gratuities on MSC, how you can pay for them, if they’re compulsory, and any other questions related to this topic.
I hope you find all the information you need, if you still have doubts remember that you can leave a comment at the bottom of the page. I will get back to you as soon as I can!
Are gratuities included on MSC cruises?
No, gratuities are not included in the booking price.
You usually pay for them at the end of your cruise. In fact, you will find them added to your shipboard account and you will have to settle them before you leave the ship.
The price of gratuities on MSC
The amount of gratuities on MSC can change based on your chosen itinerary and the number of days of your cruise.
Below, I’ve created a list of the gratuities amount for the most common itineraries.
For cruises to the Caribbean, Bermuda, Canada, and New England:
Adults (from 12 years old) $16 per night
Children (2 to 12 years old) $8 per night
Children (under 2 years old) no charge
For cruises to South America:
Adults (from 12 years old) $14.50 per night
Children (2 to 12 years old) $7.25 per night
Children (under 2 years old) no charge
For cruises to Asia:
Adults (from 12 years old) $14.50 per night
Children (2 to 12 years old) $14.50 per night
Children (under 2 years old) no charge
For cruises to the Mediterranean, Northern Europe, Antilles, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Qatar, MSC World Cruise, Egypt, Red Sea, and Saudi Arabia:
Adults (from 12 years old) 12€ per night
Children (2 to 12 years old) 6€ per night
Children (under 2 years old) no charge
Can you prepay gratuities on MSC?
Yes, I asked MSC directly and they confirmed that it is possible to prepay gratuities for cruises departing from the US.
To do this you can contact your travel agent or you can contact the company directly. The total amount will be added to the cruise price which must be paid in full before departure.
Opt out of MSC gratuities
I want to clarify that gratuities are compulsory on MSC Cruises because they’re considered hotel service charges (as I said at the beginning of the article).
However, there’s a way to remove them. If you do not receive satisfactory service you can go to the guest services desk and ask to modify the amount or completely remove them.
As I already said in the article on how to remove gratuities on Royal Caribbean, they will probably ask you what the problem was to investigate what happened.
You are free not to answer if you don’t want to, but it would be better to use this possibility ethically.
If the service provided was good, consider leaving and paying gratuities, they will be equally distributed among all the crew members.
Do I still have to tip while onboard?
No, you don’t have to! MSC does not recommend tipping individual members of staff.
This is because the tips you leave individually are not equally shared. Keep in mind that there are many workers that you don’t see but who do a lot of work. For example those in kitchens, laundries, engine rooms…
Only with automatic gratuities, these people can have access to a small extra amount at the end of the month.
However, if you really want to, it’s not forbidden to tip individual people if you particularly liked their service.
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