A daily $20 tip? Why cruise lines are raising gratuity rates.

If you have a cruise coming up, you may spend more on tips than on your last sailing.

Several major cruise lines have raised their gratuity prices in recent months. Holland America Line's crew appreciation charge jumped from $16 to $17 for non-suite staterooms, and from $17.50 to $19 for passengers in suites on Monday. The changes apply to each ship's first full voyage on or after Feb. 14. The hikes follow similar moves from other lines like Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises.

But those kinds of changes aren’t new.

“I think this is very much in line with just an increase in costs, increase in wages,” said Danny Genung, CEO of travel agency Harr Travel. “Basically, across the board, things cost more … It’s a periodic thing that happens.”

How much have cruise lines raised gratuities recently?

• Royal Caribbean began charging passengers $18 per guest, per day for non-suite staterooms in November, up from $16. Passengers in suites now pay $20.50, increasing from $18.50.

• Celebrity – also part of Royal Caribbean Group – raised its rates in July. The cost for guests in standard staterooms increased from $17.50 to $18 per passenger, per day, while those in Concierge Class and AquaClass staterooms pay $18.50 per guest each day, up from $18. Guests in The Retreat suites now pay $23 per passenger, per day, an increase from $21.

• Carnival hiked its fees in April. Onboard gratuities increased from $14.50 per person, per day to $16 for guests in standard accommodations. For those in suites, the price increased from $16.50 per day for each guest to $18.

How much do tips cost on cruises?

Mainstream cruise lines typically add gratuities to passengers’ bills on a per-guest, per-day basis. The rates can range from around $15 to more than $20, depending on the line and stateroom category.

While the charges are automatically added, guests can adjust them up or down before disembarking. Passengers can also prepay their gratuities ahead of time.

Travelers can often find promotions and packages that bundle gratuities with their fares, and tips are included on many luxury lines.

Deborah Banks, a travel adviser and franchise owner at Cruise Planners with her husband Isaiah, said the gratuities are distributed to a range of employees, including cabin attendants and waiters.

Why do cruise lines raise gratuity rates?

Genung said the increases are typically based on “external influences,” like inflation or changes in economic activity.

“You look at the cost of hotels and transportation, fuel and food and everything else, and I think it's really just a normal response,” he said. “You know, compensating employees, offsetting costs that have increased.”

Overall prices rose 3.4% from a year earlier in December, according to the U.S. Department of Labor’s consumer price index. Cruise fares are up too.

Banks has seen prices rising "since after COVID," with high customer demand and shiny new vessels that can command a steeper price tag.

"Cruise lines (are) upgrading to ships that have more amenities and big bells and whistles they have on those ships so people want that, and because of that those prices are going up a little higher," she said.

Royal Caribbean, for its part, adjusted its recommended gratuities "to be in line with industry standards,” a spokesperson for the line said in an emailed statement at the time of the change. The line previously raised its prices in September 2022, The Points Guy reported.

Given the costs involved in recruiting and training employees, those kinds of moves are also aimed at taking care of existing staff. “Whatever they can do to retain their employees is a huge benefit to the company,” Genung said.

How do I know when a cruise line’s gratuity rates go up?

Cruise lines are transparent with customers about those kinds of increases, Genung said. They notify impacted guests and spell out their tipping policies on their websites.

Passengers can also typically lock in the old rate if prepaid gratuities are added to a booking before the new rate takes effect.

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“I think people that cruise often are used to it and understand it,” Genung said.

For four guests on a five-day cruise, for example, Royal Caribbean’s new rate amounts to a total of $360 for non-suite guests, up from $320. “Every penny matters,” said Genung, “especially when you have small kids like I do, but I think that, in general, it's in line with what we've seen in the history of the industry.”

Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Nashville. You can reach him at ndiller@usatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How much are gratuities on a cruise? Increasingly, more and more.