Small gifts i can leave my room attendent?

[texasnana]

What are some ideas?

[madforcruising]

What are some ideas?

 

Pictures of US-Presidents;)

[PrincesScuba]

Pictures of US-Presidents;)

Pretty, green rectangular ones. :D

[madforcruising]

Pretty, green rectangular ones. :D

 

Oh you´ve seen them in the "gift shop" too;)

[cb at sea]

Cash---don't bring "trinkets"...they have no room for them. They share cabins with others that are smaller than the inside cabins for the passengers.

 

Just out of curiousity, do you bring gifts for the housekeeping staff in hotels????? No--most folks leave a tip...and that's what these folks are working for---MONEY!

[bluegirlum]

I'll be more blunt---straight cash. :)

 

There was a thread on this last week, I think. People vary on their thoughts on this, but most of the employees on the ship share very tight living quarters and don't have room for a lot of stuff. They work hard to send money back to their families, and while they would probably not refuse it or be ungrateful to your face, they would probably most appreciate money if you want to give them something.

[TEXASMUNK]

This is a kind gesture....but...they have extraordinarily limited space, they are ot looking for "gifts" they truly do appreciate a few extra dollars.

 

No matter how "sweet" you think the idea is, stick will extra $$$.

[marrkid79]

What are some ideas?

 

 

agreed, money is probably the best, HOWEVER, in my experience phone cards (international) tend to also be very popular so they can call their familes

[ncchick]

We;ve given them international phones cards so they can call home.

[PrincesScuba]

We;ve given them international phones cards so they can call home.

If you would take the exact amount of cash that you would have spent on those calling cards, and give it to them as cash and NOT as cards, they can buy MORE cards than you can. (they get big discounts on calling cards)

 

Cash still rules.

[DeepWaterMariner]

The only reason they work on ships is for the money. Giving extra money is right on target.

[megr1125]

cash is king....although i have heard that people will ask their cabin attendant for instance, if they need anything, in case that person can't get off the ship...(i've seen crew in grocery stores stocking up on junk food!:D)

 

when one of the stylists in the salon got engaged (we loved her, took great care of mom), we were going to send her something..but after asking a few other crew members, we too decided to just give her extra cash.,..we wrote in the card to use it next time she and her fiance would be in port together.....(both work on different ships) and go have some celebratory beverages!

[Colorado Kat]

Cash is best. Another thing you can do is mention them by name in a complimentary fashion when you fill out your "how was your cruise?" card. Or a separate letter to the hotel manager.

[BecciBoo]

I've heard our servers tell us they love Wal-Mart gift cards, they love to run to Wal-Mart when in port and one couple we ran across on B2B was going to run their room steward up to Wal-Mart in Galveston when they returned just to be nice so she wouldn't have to catch the bus or take a cab. I thought that was nice, but we've only ever overtipped our people.

[Chigirlcruzin]

I've heard our servers tell us they love Wal-Mart gift cards, they love to run to Wal-Mart when in port and one couple we ran across on B2B was going to run their room steward up to Wal-Mart in Galveston when they returned just to be nice so she wouldn't have to catch the bus or take a cab. I thought that was nice, but we've only ever overtipped our people.

 

 

But why bother with a gift card? If the crew member wants to make a Walmart run, cash will work just as well. And they can use it at Kroger, Target, Walgreens, etc.

[shaphonie]

Agree that cash is what they really want. If you must, perhaps you can bring some home baked goodies, brownies, fudge, etc...

[mtchg]

..we always take small thank you cards, and put the cash in it; with a personalized thank you...

 

...we also pick out our favorite cocktail server of the trip and do the same..and usually our

MDR servers. We use auto tip but put extra in the cards.

 

Mitch

[cruiseguy1016]

Agree that cash is what they really want. If you must, perhaps you can bring some home baked goodies, brownies, fudge, etc...

 

And what if they are allergic to some of the ingredients? How do you know what home baked goodies they like? Maybe they don't like chocolate. If you give them cash, they can buy whatever goodies they want.

[brnibaby]

We always give cash but also leave little trinkets of different sweets from our home area. If they don't like them or are allergic to them, they can always pass them on to their friends on board. I think its a nice gesture to give a little something along with cash. Its not like we take away from the amount of cash we give, just a tiny bit extra throughout the week. Our room attendant always states they like them. We leave them with a cute note stating a little sweet because you are so sweet.

[AZ Karaoke Girl]

I agree with the cash. I've heard some give international calling cards so they can call home when in ports and they don't take up any space but you are better of just giving them a tip.

 

What I like to do is wrap a $5 bill around a small candy bar like a snickers or kit kat when I ask for something. Then at the end of the cruise if they did everything that was asked or just did a good job, I hand them $20 in cash in addition to my auto-tips. They work hard and rely on tips for their income since their base pay is peanuts.:rolleyes:

[BecciBoo]

But why bother with a gift card? If the crew member wants to make a Walmart run, cash will work just as well. And they can use it at Kroger, Target, Walgreens, etc.

 

I couldn't tell you why, that is just what the wait server told me so I guess the horse's mouth will do just as well as yours.

[Mark_K]

The best thing you can do for them, other than cash, is to compliment them by name on the comment card.

[AZ Karaoke Girl]

The best thing you can do for them, other than cash, is to compliment them by name on the comment card.

 

Very true. They get perks and rewards for this. I usually leave comment card as well as writing a letter to the cruiseline after a cruise to let them know what was fantastic and what could use a little improvement and I always comment about my steward/dining room waiters too and provide their names. One of the first things I do when I meet my steward and waiter is ask their name and write it down in my diary/book that I use to write a review for cruise critic that way I can easily provide the name in written form to the cruiseline. Sometimes their names are hard to pronounce or spell so I have had to have them write it down for me so I get it right. They are always happy to oblige.

[bluegirlum]

Very true. They get perks and rewards for this.

 

Do they actually get recognized by the cruise line? I've always wondered. We always write down the names of good people in our comments and I've wondered if that ever gets any recognition. I would hope that RC takes it in to consideration because we have had some folks that have gone above and beyond and I hope they get rewarded for their good work.

[MrsPete]

I agree with everyone else: Cash is best. They can then use it to buy their own calling cards, Walmart items, etc.

 

IF you feel strongly about bringing a small gift, make it something consumable; that is, something they'll use up, something that they won't have to store. Everyone likes snacks, and if, by chance, you happen to give the person something that he or she doesn't like personally, it's easy to pass it on to a friend.