SHould I bring a gift for my room Steward when I arrive?

I have heard people say be sure to bring a gift for your room Steward to present to them when you arrive, because they make very little money and work so hard, and have so little, or to guarantee great service... I have heard suggestions of Int'l phone cards, candy bars, snacks,gift representing your home state, etc... and others say they don't want your stuff they have all the food and snacks they want and phone cards... Just give them CASH. What do you all think? WHat do you do? I will be on Carnival Sensation and I plan to tip but this is in addition to the tips.

I have heard people say be sure to bring a gift for your room Steward to present to them when you arrive, because they make very little money and work so hard, and have so little, or to guarantee great service... I have heard suggestions of Int'l phone cards, candy bars, snacks,gift representing your home state, etc... and others say they don't want your stuff they have all the food and snacks they want and phone cards... Just give them CASH. What do you all think? WHat do you do? I will be on Carnival Sensation and I plan to tip but this is in addition to the tips.

Cash is King. That's what they want.

Crew cabins are minuscule. No room for junk. We leave auto grats in place and might cash tip extra at the end of the cruise.

Cash!!

You answered your own question when you said this: " they make very little money and work so hard."

Cash

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cash!

Duplicate post ugh!

Cash and a nice note. While family and friends may appreciate a thoughtful gift, cruise staff are very limited on space and are there to earn a living for them and their family. IMHO giving a gift other than money is more for the giver to feel good than for the benefit of the recipient in cases like this.

How much money? I'm going on a 5-day/4-night cruise. Should I add $100 or $50?

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Don't give $2 bills. Many do not believe they are real, even in the States.

Almost better than an extra tip is a written note. These go into their employment files and help with recognition and contract assignments.

We work for cash and so do they.

How much money? I'm going on a 5-day/4-night cruise. Should I add $100 or $50?

 

 

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It depends on how much you feel is deserved. I also leave the auto-grats in place and if I've asked for extra service or if they've gone above and beyond in some way I will give them an extra tip at the end of the cruise, typically at least $20 but maybe more depending.

No. Tip them appropriately. They are like every other worker, they work for $, not trinkets or snacks.

We always give them a candy bar a day accompanied with a $5. That's on top of the auto-gratuities.

Don't go with the $2.00 bills! I usually tip $20.00 to begin the cruise. Add some more at the end. It's all a personal decision.

What you do with YOUR money is up to you. Some more generous than others. Many "feel" they paid enough. To each their own.

Yes they do make good money for the countries the workers come from, however put the hours worked in American form and it's a different story.

We asked for ice and extra towels daily so gave her $20 the first day, in addition to the auto tip. Left $20 more the last night at turn down service. We feel cash is the best gift to give them for their service.

In addition to giving a staff member, such as your cabin steward, extra cash, there is something else you can do that will be much better than a candy bar or some other gift. Write a letter to Carnival about the staff member, explaining how that person made your cruise an enjoyable and memorable vacation. Be sure to mention the person by name, and give details of what that person did to make you feel special. Letters of praise go into the member's personnel file, and mean a lot when it's time for a promotion.

In addition to giving a staff member, such as your cabin steward, extra cash, there is something else you can do that will be much better than a candy bar or some other gift. Write a letter to Carnival about the staff member, explaining how that person made your cruise an enjoyable and memorable vacation. Be sure to mention the person by name, and give details of what that person did to make you feel special. Letters of praise go into the member's personnel file, and mean a lot when it's time for a promotion.

All true, even earn them a day off, which is VERY meaningful to them.

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I think this is a great idea and thing to do. I want to do this when we go in November. Although we dont need to do it to guarantee great service they already do a fantastic job. I have left extra tips before but i do like the gift idea as well.

I have heard people say be sure to bring a gift for your room Steward to present to them when you arrive, because they make very little money and work so hard, and have so little, or to guarantee great service... I have heard suggestions of Int'l phone cards, candy bars, snacks,gift representing your home state, etc... and others say they don't want your stuff they have all the food and snacks they want and phone cards... Just give them CASH. What do you all think? WHat do you do? I will be on Carnival Sensation and I plan to tip but this is in addition to the tips.

In addition to giving a staff member, such as your cabin steward, extra cash, there is something else you can do that will be much better than a candy bar or some other gift. Write a letter to Carnival about the staff member, explaining how that person made your cruise an enjoyable and memorable vacation. Be sure to mention the person by name, and give details of what that person did to make you feel special. Letters of praise go into the member's personnel file, and mean a lot when it's time for a promotion.

Absolutely. When you get that survey after your cruise from Carnival, make sure you mention the worker by name. This goes towards their raises etc.

We always give a $20 at first meeting on Day 1. Then we may leave another $20 at the end.

Another big thing...... ASK them about themselves and their family. Ask where they are from! No kidding, just spend 10-15 minutes talking to them and you will be amazed at how much they appreciate it. It makes them a person, not just a worker. We always try to chat with a few crew members every cruise, as long as they aren't swamped or in the middle of something. They always love to talk about their home and families. Many will tell you why they work for Carnival, too. Make their day.

Let's put it this way. Come payday, would you rather receive a keepsake from your employer's home town or a paycheck?

A nice gift would be a wallet-sized portrait of a US President such as Andrew Jackson or Abraham Lincoln.

I agree with just giving cash.

We brought a jumbo bag of Hershey miniatures and left them on the desk. We told our steward to help himself to some each day and he did. Then we left the remaining candy for him at the end of the cruise.

Well totally agree, cash is the best reward for the room stewards but I always take a thank you card to fill out and personalize depending on the service for the week. As far as the amount that is all relative to the type of service they provide during the week, we always leave auto tips on however sometimes we just seem to get a great week of service above and beyond past cruises. In the end you need to give what you feel it was worth to you or if not, we have had some cruises where the steward wasn't that great and we had to chase him down to get simple requests. We don't look at it as if it is fair compensation for their industry and country but what we feel is deserved based on their service.