Cabin attendants

[sanmarcosman]

Nobody gives trinkets to waitstaff at land restaurants never understood why people would give trinkets to crewmembers.

Not even one fridge magnet from Mill Mountain Star? ;)

[jasmine_cruise_yeah]

One thing to consider is some workers are on the ship to send money back to their families. They can't buy food with a knick-knack.

 

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[Badfinger]

I’ll ask if the need anything from port. On occasion they’ll ask for something if they’re not getting off.

Only other time I made our three stewards some hats/ear warmers for Alaska a few weeks ago. It was on the Alaska Journeys cruise and the only time the Splendor’s in Alaska. Otherwise the Splendor is in Mexico. Many of the crew were cold.

 

"I made our three stewards some hats/ear warmers"

 

 

Yikes!

[Tapi]

Another 2 cents:

 

I’m an airline crew member. On occasion, specially around holidays, we’ll have some passengers who will gift us cookies, candy or some goodie bags with little souvenirs or trinkets. Yes, it’s very special and heart warming, specially considering that many passengers walk off the airplane as if it had flown itself and don’t even acknowledge our presence, smile or say thank you.

 

But as appreciative as we all feel for these tokens of appreciation, in reality majority of the time they end up in the trash which makes us feel horrible. For starters, there’s a level of caution any time someone gives us something edible. Other times when we get some trinket, unless it has some special meaning, most times they just get passed forward, placed in a bin at the crew lounge, or sadly end up in the trash. The only times when I see flight attendants genuinely excited about something that they received from a passenger is when they get cash.

 

I will say that cruise line crewmembers probably have similar mixed feelings when they receive something from a passenger, but I bet that the only times when they are truly grateful is also when they receive cash.

 

 

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[SadieN]

"I made our three stewards some hats/ear warmers"

 

 

 

 

 

Yikes!

 

 

 

It was a practical gift for the one time they’d be in cold weather. It wasn’t replacing their tips. Our ass’t night steward wore hers in Glacier Bay. If she threw it away afterwards, that’s her affair. At least she was a bit warmer at the time.

[cruise4kicks]

The only time I gave gifts was when I took a cruise on which I knew there would be a couple of lady crewmember friends from previous cruises. I gave each a pair of soft, fuzzy aloe socks for kicking back at the end of a long day on their feet. They were delighted. I made it clear that if they wanted to toss them at the end of their contract my feelings wouldn't be hurt. Otherwise...

 

Cash is king.

[BallFour4]

I believe most cabin stewards collect art. They are preferential to pictures of dead US presidents on greenish paper.

 

Been on Cruise Critic for sixteen years, one of the funniest posts ever...

[Cruiser 4 Life 66]

They'd prefer cash.

Cash is king!

[Saint Greg]

I’m on the cash side. Whatever you were going to spend on the gift, just give it in cash. I’ve seen people say “I’ll give them something they can use like a toothbrush.” If just two people per week have the same idea, that steward gets eight toothbrushes a month. Give cash and if they need a toothbrush, they can buy one.

[RWolver672]

Whenever I see a post like this, it reminds me of when after I retired, I went to work for our local school as a Maintenance/Custodian. The last day before Christmas break, the wastebaskets would be full of "gifts". I ask one teacher why she was throwing the gifts away. Her reply was that after twenty five years of teaching, had she saved all of the coffee cups with "Greatest Teacher" on them, she would have well over one hundred cups.

[AmberTeka]

very good:)

 

 

 

 

Witty and true.

We always call our cabin steward as soon as we can, and ask him/her to come to our cabin and when, they do, we ask for a sharps bottle ( my husband is a diabetic), and give him/her $20. We do that because we always get the best ones. We also tip extra when we leave. on the day before getting off day. Those people are a HUGE part in making cruising a very pleasant vacation for both of us. Ditto the Dining Staff. I know these are not huge sums of money, but the cost of living in many of the nations they call home is lower, and the money goes a lot further there.

[oldguysandgalls]

We usually wrap that well deserved extra Ca$h (tip) in a handwritten and personalised thank you note to our cabin attendant.

[bronxboy683]

I have been on at least 10 Cruises. I lived in Philippines for seven years. There are as you probably know there is a large part of the crew are Philipino, at every port I always see the pilipino crew members lining up to send the tips they have received back to the Philippines /their families who are waiting patiently to receive the money. Invariably they have a few children and a grandmother with them. Iam sure this money holds them over till they return home with their salaries? I always tip in cash my wife a filipina tips them at the beginning of the cruise and some smaller tips to dining room waiter and asst water knowing I will give them more on the last meal. That what works for us.

[wealwayswander]

I love to gift and I am one who hates to give $$ or gift cards because they feel so impersonal. However I would never give anything other than $ now that I have seen how small their living spaces are. I do love the idea of asking if they NEED something from port though.

 

Check out this utube video of how small their spaces are!

 

[Out of Iowa]

Cash is the thing they most appreciate.

 

Imagine servicing how many cabins per cruise, times how many cruises per week and month - that could be ~120+ gifts per month if every cabin gave a token gift (keychain, tree ornament, box of candy...). There is not space to store that in a regular cabin no matter about multiple staff sharing crew quarters.

 

Kind words, a kind word to Carnival when they meet/exceed expectations and CASH. The best trio.

[Toofarfromthesea]

Other than cash the best gift you can give a crew member is a positive mention on a response card. Trinkets end up in the trash, a place neither positive comments nor cash ever end up.

[SMSACE6]

They love cash!

 

It does not matter how much. I have gotten huge HUGS, from wait staff in the MDR, and from room stewards, after I have given them cash tips (over and above the already prepaid daily service charges).

 

You do not have to give extra, over and above the already daily service charge, and the staff will always treat you well regardless, but my experience is that a little extra cash is always very much appreciated by the ships staff, and hugs and huge smiles usually happen with a bit of cash put in the hand. Just my experience.

[SMSACE6]

Other than cash the best gift you can give a crew member is a positive mention on a response card. Trinkets end up in the trash, a place neither positive comments nor cash ever end up.

 

agree, cash, and or a positive mention on post cruise followup, and review to the cruiseline.