Virgin Voyages gratuities are $20 per Sailor, per day if you prepay, or $22 per day if you wait and settle onboard. As of October 7, 2025 they are a separate line item instead of being folded into your fare.
Here is the part almost every article gets wrong: this is not a new cost. Virgin lowered the base fare by roughly the same amount, so a voyage that used to price at $2,100 with gratuities inside now prices at $2,000 with $100 in gratuities sitting beside it.
The key thing: people don’t understand that part.
I’m Christine Lozada, travel Youtuber that has sailed Virgin Voyages over three dozen times. My partner JC is a top Virgin Voyages First Mate who works these bookings every day, which matters here, because the change rules sitting underneath this policy are where people actually get caught.
Below is what you pay, what it covers, the legacy fare rule that surprises anyone who booked before October 7, and my honest answer on whether you should tip on top.
What Changed on October 7, 2025
For years, one of the genuinely refreshing things about Virgin Voyages was that gratuities were included. No daily service charge quietly stacking up on your final bill.
On October 7, 2025, Virgin moved to a new tiered fare structure and pulled gratuities out of the base fare. It now works the way most other cruise lines work, as a separate daily charge.
JC put it plainly when we recorded this: the cruise did not get more expensive, the invoice got more detailed. A $2,100 voyage with $100 of gratuities baked in became a $2,000 voyage plus $100 in gratuities.
What changed is what you can see. If you have cruised other lines, that line item is familiar. If this is your first Virgin voyage, it reads as a surprise, and that is the whole reason this post exists.
How Much Are Virgin Voyages Gratuities in 2026?
Two numbers, and they apply to every cabin type on the ship.
- $20 per Sailor, per day if you prepay before you sail.
- $22 per Sailor, per day if you let it post to your account onboard.
For a couple on a seven-night voyage, that is $280 prepaid or $308 onboard. Prepaying saves you $28 for doing nothing except paying earlier.
Prepay it. There is no scenario where waiting works in your favour, with one exception that I will get to further down.
What Your Gratuities Actually Cover
All of it goes to the crew. Not a portion, not a pool that gets split with the company.
It covers the people you see and the people you never will: your cabin host, the teams across the restaurants, and the crew working behind every door marked crew only.
Once it is paid, nothing else is expected of you anywhere on the ship. No cash at the bar, no envelope at the end of the week, no awkward math.
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Booked Before October 7? Read This Before You Change Anything
If you booked before October 7, 2025, you are on a legacy fare and your gratuities are still included. Nothing to add, nothing to prepay.
Here is the part that is not written on any policy page. If you change the date of your sailing, gratuities become payable on that new date.
Virgin makes date changes easy and does not charge a change fee, which is exactly why this catches people. The move feels free, and then the gratuities appear.
The same applies if you add a second Sailor to your cabin later. You will owe gratuities for that person, even though your own booking stays legacy.
JC’s advice, and I agree with it: if you think a Sailor two might join you, add them at the start. The fare itself can move as well, so waiting can cost you twice.
What Does Not Trigger Gratuities on a Legacy Fare
Changing your cabin type does not. You can move from an Insider to a Sea Terrace on a pre-October 7 booking and your gratuities stay included.
That distinction matters more than it sounds. A date change and a cabin change feel like the same kind of edit, and they are not.
If you are holding a legacy fare and thinking about any change at all, ask your First Mate to confirm what it does to your gratuities before you commit to it.
Don’t forget to pack THIS!
Virgin Voyages has reimagined sailing and what you need to pack on for this trip is DIFFERENT than a normal cruise line. There are many items I wish I knew to bring (that I didn’t have with me on my first sailing).
Get a free printable pack list and save yourself the headache!
OR if you’re just looking for some inspo! See the curated list of Amazon items I’ve put together (and use!) for Virgin Voyages.
How to Pay Your Gratuities, Including With Sailor Loot
Two ways. Prepay before you sail, either in the app or by asking your travel agent to handle it when you book.
Or let it post to your onboard account at $22 per day and settle it at the end of the voyage.
Here is the one real reason to choose the second option. Gratuities that post onboard can be paid with Sailor Loot. If you booked through a First Mate who gave you onboard credit, that credit can absorb the charge.
That is a genuine trade. You pay $2 more per Sailor per day, but you cover it with money you were given rather than money you brought. Look at how much Sailor Loot you actually have and decide from there.
Where to Get Cash on Board
If you decide to tip on top, you need small bills, and the ship runs close to cashless.
There are two ATMs. One is in the casino, which most people find. The second is tucked inside Sailor Services, in a cubby on the right as you walk through the main door.
The casino cashier will also break a larger bill into ones, which is faster than an ATM and does not cost you a fee.
The Thank You That Costs You Nothing
Fill out the survey. Not just the one at the end of your voyage, the ones that arrive throughout it.
Crew read those, and specific praise gets read out loud to their teams. JC has walked back into a restaurant the next day and had the crew tell him his comment was read in front of everybody.
Naming a person and saying exactly what they did is worth more to that crew member’s week than a folded bill. Do both if you want to, but do this one.
Not sure if we can get you the best deal? Learn more about us in Virgin Voyages Facebook group by clicking here!
Do You Still Tip on Top? My Honest Take
No, you do not have to. Your daily gratuity covers it, and nobody on that ship will think less of you for paying exactly what you owe.
I do tip on top, and it has earned me a pile of hate comments, so let me give you the reasoning rather than just the behaviour.
Virgin lets crew be themselves. Tattoos visible, hair whatever colour they want, personality fully intact. That freedom is why the service feels personal instead of scripted, and when someone crosses the ship to track down the specific drink I asked for, I want to say thank you in the currency they came to work for.
My cabin host is the other one. When I have made a week of requests, a steamer for two hours before Scarlet Night, fifteen extra hangers, a mattress topper, the bed split, that is real work and not a room refresh.
This is completely optional and it is your money. The exact amounts I give, broken down by level of service, are in my printable Pocket Guide.
The One Group That Is Not Virgin Crew
The porters who take your luggage at the terminal do not work for Virgin Voyages. They are port employees, and your daily gratuity does not reach them.
If you want to tip them, that is the one moment on the whole trip where you need cash in your pocket before you board.
Bring a few singles for the curb. Everything after that is already handled.
Virgin Voyages Gratuities FAQ
Are gratuities included on Virgin Voyages in 2026?
Not on new bookings. Since October 7, 2025 they are a separate charge of $20 per Sailor per day prepaid, or $22 per day settled onboard. Bookings made before that date still have gratuities included.
How much are Virgin Voyages gratuities?
$20 per Sailor, per day prepaid, or $22 per Sailor, per day onboard. For two Sailors on a seven-night voyage that is $280 or $308.
Do I have to tip extra on Virgin Voyages?
No. Once your daily gratuity is paid, nothing more is expected anywhere on the ship. Tipping on top is entirely optional.
I booked before October 7, 2025. Do I owe gratuities?
Not on your booking as it stands. But if you change your sail date, gratuities become payable on the new date. Changing your cabin type does not trigger them.
Can I pay my gratuities with Sailor Loot?
Yes, if you let them post to your onboard account rather than prepaying. That is the trade-off for the $22 rate instead of $20.
Are there ATMs on Virgin Voyages ships?
Two of them. One in the casino, and one inside Sailor Services in a cubby to the right of the main door. The casino cashier will also break larger bills into singles.
So, What Changed With Virgin Voyages Gratuities in 2026?
The number moved out of your fare and onto its own line. That is the whole change. It is $20 per Sailor per day prepaid, $22 onboard; all of it goes to the crew, and nothing is expected on top.
If you booked before October 7, 2025, you are still covered, right up until you change your sail date. That is the one rule worth knowing before you touch a legacy booking.
And if you want someone watching these changes as they happen and telling you what they mean for your specific booking, that is exactly what JC and I do. No fees, ever.
