For those who want to give the crew gifts here is a list from Chris

[Itchy&Scratchy]

I had all the intentions of getting something special for a crewmate from my country of origin I was hoping to find. In the end, I didn't find a single person from that country onboard Harmony.

Instead, we left extra generous tips for the 4 people who took fantastic care of us and who weren't even from the same continent. 🙂 We also took the survey and made sure to tell RCI about these wonderful workers.

[not-enough-cruising]

On 12/2/2021 at 6:23 PM, Cru1s1ng2009 said:

I always tip an extra dollar when I order a drink from the drink package that I always get. Do you think I should do cash or is on the receipt ok? I hate carrying cash but I will do it. 

Chances are, if you have the drink package, you will never see a receipt to add a tip to 

[bburf42]

Infrequent cruiser here, Going on Mariner over Christmas. I get that cash is king in the crew gift world but who all should I give that cash to? I know room steward but bartenders, dining staff etc change all the time. If I want to gift extra on Christmas Day, who do you recommend?

[leisuretraveler223]

1 hour ago, bburf42 said:

Infrequent cruiser here, Going on Mariner over Christmas. I get that cash is king in the crew gift world but who all should I give that cash to? I know room steward but bartenders, dining staff etc change all the time. If I want to gift extra on Christmas Day, who do you recommend?

 

You don't even need to bother or worry about it anymore.  With automatic gratuities, you can just go enjoy your vacation.

[LGW59]

16 minutes ago, leisuretraveler223 said:

 

You don't even need to bother or worry about it anymore.  With automatic gratuities, you can just go enjoy your vacation.

While this is very true and perfectly acceptable, many still like to add additional cash tips for the wonderful service.  I give $1 cash for each drink I order, end of cruise cash to the wait staff in each restaurant I ate in, cash to the butler, room steward, cleaning staff and anyone else I feel has gone over and above (there are usually quite a few) YMMV but this works for me.

[ReneeFLL]

2 hours ago, not-enough-cruising said:

Chances are, if you have the drink package, you will never see a receipt to add a tip to 

You don't need a receipt. Just give them the cash.

[LGW59]

7 minutes ago, ReneeFLL said:

You don't need a receipt. Just give them the cash.

And green m&m’s

[not-enough-cruising]

27 minutes ago, ReneeFLL said:

You don't need a receipt. Just give them the cash.

exactly my point to the post i was responding to

[brillohead]

On 12/2/2021 at 7:23 PM, Cru1s1ng2009 said:

I always tip an extra dollar when I order a drink from the drink package that I always get. Do you think I should do cash or is on the receipt ok? I hate carrying cash but I will do it. 

I haven't seen ANY receipts being signed unless it was for someone actually purchasing a drink, no beverage package. (Probably limiting touching of things for COVID, etc.... pens handed back and forth and such.)

 

So you'd be better off tipping cash, or you'll have to ask them every time to bring you a receipt and a pen.  If you use the same bar/servers on a regular basis, you could also just bring them a $10 or whatever bill at the end of the cruise, too, if you didn't want to carry cash all week.

[Markmom18]

Hi,

  I have posted on the Carnival Board regarding these gifts to crew members.  Basically CASH or I guess gift cards of your choice is the ideal gift. 
 

  Our son has worked onboard Carnival ships as a Fun Squad Member for a number of years now. He is currently onboard the Panorama. Even with a nice “new” ship the cabins themselves & the closets are very small. Of course,he has always shared a cabin. 
 

 I have pointed out that if even a tiny 1/2 of a fraction of the thousands of guests onboard each week gifted sweatshirts, baseball caps, personal items, etc etc etc …where on earth would he keep them?? He doesn’t have the room , nor does his position warrant such gift gifting.

 

 BUT, The cabins of your room steward are tiny too. Gratitude for a job performed well, to say hey we think you are GREAT, and IMO can be said with cash and yes those notes writing down the wonderful things He/She did to make your vacation spectacular!

 

 CASH.

 

🛳🛳

Bobbi 

[Itchy&Scratchy]

12 hours ago, Markmom18 said:

yes those notes writing down the wonderful things He/She did to make your vacation spectacular!

Don't know about Carnival, but RCI doesn't do paper notes. I asked. They said - survey only.

[Markmom18]

11 hours ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

Don't know about Carnival, but RCI doesn't do paper notes. I asked. They said - survey only.

  I’m showing my age, I meant writing a note literally and mailing to RCCL. With a stamp [mailing]?  OR go to RCCL headquarters, under ‘Contact Us’ and write a note online.  I believe it’s still ok to write without a Survey prompt. ☺️☺️
🛳🛳

Bobbi 

[Itchy&Scratchy]

10 hours ago, Markmom18 said:

  I’m showing my age, I meant writing a note literally and mailing to RCCL. With a stamp [mailing]?  OR go to RCCL headquarters, under ‘Contact Us’ and write a note online.  I believe it’s still ok to write without a Survey prompt. ☺️☺️
🛳🛳

Bobbi 

However, your paper note mailed to a "contact us" address or given to a random employee on the ship may NOT help the recipient of your praise, whereas filling out the field on a survey specifically dedicated to employees who made your cruising more enjoyable does.

[Baowen]

I know this thread is a few months old, but I wanted to give my recent experiences on the Navigator regarding this. The crew has not been able to get off the ship since October. So, we went around and asked (13 different crew members) what they wanted.  We were stopping in Puerta Vallarta which has a Wal Mart right across from the port.  Everyone wanted an ATT phone card with data.  Chips, snacks (indian) and chocolates were the next requested items.  We also got toothpaste, long black socks, vitamin D, and hair color dye. When we went back last week we brought everyone another round of items. They were all  happy.  

 

A few of the crew were able to get off in Ensenada last Sunday for the first time. They all had to go together in one bus to a Wal mart  (I think) outside of town.  For the cabin stewards, one cabin steward for each floor was picked to go. They put their names in a hat and drew out the winner.  

[Morecruisesplz]

Cash is king!

[joeyancho]

On 10/31/2021 at 7:45 AM, time4u2go said:

I'm curious...can they order things from Amazon?  How/where do they receive deliveries?

Yes.  They receive it at their home port.

[LGW59]

7 minutes ago, fredmdcruisers said:

Cash is king!

it's not like they don't have body wash products on the ship, come on.  Hair dye, stop it please, the food mess for crew is pretty plentiful, they DO NOT starve!  You go Walmart shopping on your cruise, makes you feel special it seems but never never have I heard tell of all of this.

[joeyancho]

Most crew members respond well to chocolate.  

[Morecruisesplz]

52 minutes ago, LGW59 said:

it's not like they don't have body wash products on the ship, come on.  Hair dye, stop it please, the food mess for crew is pretty plentiful, they DO NOT starve!  You go Walmart shopping on your cruise, makes you feel special it seems but never never have I heard tell of all of this.

?

[LGW59]

36 minutes ago, joeyancho said:

Most crew members respond well to chocolate.  

Just like Forrest Gump 🥳

[LGW59]

4 minutes ago, fredmdcruisers said:

?

What is the?

[Morecruisesplz]

1 hour ago, LGW59 said:

What is the?

Chocolate,  really?

[vacationlover_mn]

On 12/5/2021 at 10:10 AM, not-enough-cruising said:

Chances are, if you have the drink package, you will never see a receipt to add a tip to 

On odyssey, I always had to ask for the receipt, so that I could add a tip…. 

[time4u2go]

10 hours ago, joeyancho said:

Yes.  They receive it at their home port.

That's what I thought.  So then wouldn't cash be the better option since the crew can then order exactly what they want from Amazon?

 

Edited February 18, 2022 by time4u2go

[jean87510]

I will be on Symphony next week and I am thinking of striking up a conversation about this subject with various staff members on that ship.  Im not going to ask them for a shopping list.  Im going to ask are you able to make purchases for necessary items?, do you like chocolate as a gift?, do you like used clothes left for you?,  just basically do you want physical items on top of tips and salary?