gift bags for room stewards

I was just wondering if I could get your ideas for things you put in a gift bag for your room stewards. Thank you!

Cash.

Cash is KING.

Cash. Room stewards neither want nor need gifts. Nor do they have room to store these things in their cabins. Think of a cabin the size of yours. Cut the size down by perhaps a third. Put four people in it. Storage in a locker the size of a hall locker in school, and a drawer under the bed. A member who has crewed on cruise ships (engineer) said that two or three times a week there is a bazaar/flea market in a corridor of the crew quarters, where crew members sell and trade things the do not need/want. They also trade services, such as barber/manicure, sewing, etc. I would bet that 99% of the stuff in your gift bag would end up on a table there. Well, perhaps he might welcome it as something to trade. EM

This question comes up often, especially around the holidays.

Cash, cash and nothing but cash and the first person that says.." I always give a little gift and they appreciate it!" ...I will scream.

Of course they will pretend to appreciate it. What are they going to say?????? "Ugh, more junk to throw in the dumpster"

Cash. Room stewards neither want nor need gifts. Nor do they have room to store these things in their cabins. Think of a cabin the size of yours. Cut the size down by perhaps a third. Put four people in it. Storage in a locker the size of a hall locker in school, and a drawer under the bed. A member who has crewed on cruise ships (engineer) said that two or three times a week there is a bazaar/flea market in a corridor of the crew quarters, where crew members sell and trade things the do not need/want. They also trade services, such as barber/manicure, sewing, etc. I would bet that 99% of the stuff in your gift bag would end up on a table there. Well, perhaps he might welcome it as something to trade...

This question comes up often, especially around the holidays.

Thank you and very well-said. The question indeed comes up often like a bad penny. The long and the short of it is that crew members would appreciate folding paper with pictures of dead presidents!;)

Cash.

I was just wondering if I could get your ideas for things you put in a gift bag for your room stewards. Thank you!

Welcome to Cruise Critic. I see this is your first post.

If you would like to give the stewards something in addition to whatever you do in terms of a monetary gift I would recommend items that they would not have to take home with them.

In the old days I would have said a phone card but those are really not used anymore.

Things such as candy or other packaged food items are always nice as they can be consumed and enjoyed and would not take up precious room in luggage.

Keith

The cabin attendants share a teensy cabin with other staff members. Give them money...that's why I work, and probably why you work...and that's why they do what they do...for money...not gifts they have no room for. Cash allows them to buy what they might want. Most buy nothing, as they send their funds home to their families.

I've never taken "gifts" for hotel housekeeping....and I've never given "gifts" to the cabin attendants. Just tips!!

I have been a member of CC for over ten years and indeed this topic comes up quite often. I have yet to see it come up where the vast majority were not in agreement that cash is the answer. Positive feedback to the cruise line is also great as it can help them get a promotion or additional time off. No candies, no t-shirts, no nothing. Of course they will smile and thank you for your gift. They are in the hospitality industry. Besides what would one expect them to say? "Thanks for the useless crap lady. Just one more thing for me to toss in the garbage." ;)

This is the original poster's first post on CC so its a fair question. But really, save yourself the trouble of making a gift bag.

I was just wondering if I could get your ideas for things you put in a gift bag for your room stewards. Thank you!

NOTHING. they do not need nor have room in their cramped quarters for ANYTHING other than cash.

if I sail the same ship regularly, in the same cabin and had the same cabin steward so often that his next child gets named after me, I'd consider asking him directly if there was any item that the couldn't get regularly or inexpensively that I could provide him.

otherwise, all he needs or wants is moolah.

I have been a member of CC for over ten years and indeed this topic comes up quite often. I have yet to see it come up where the vast majority were not in agreement that cash is the answer. Positive feedback to the cruise line is also great as it can help them get a promotion or additional time off. No candies, no t-shirts, no nothing. Of course they will smile and thank you for your gift. They are in the hospitality industry. Besides what would one expect them to say? "Thanks for the useless crap lady. Just one more thing for me to toss in the garbage." ;)

 

This is the original poster's first post on CC so its a fair question. But really, save yourself the trouble of making a gift bag.

T hey want cash and a good word on the cruise survey. Ho w would you know if your steward has dietary restrictions s which mean s)he cannot eat candy? Why would they want a key chain or t shirt from some townct/dcity they likely will never see ?

Nothing. They don't want anything but cash and a good review. Leave the stuff at home.

T hey want cash and a good word on the cruise survey. Ho w would you know if your steward has dietary restrictions s which mean s)he cannot eat candy? Why would they want a key chain or t shirt from some townct/dcity they likely will never see ?

Right!

Five minutes writing a comment which identifies a individual who has gone out of his/her way to make your cruise good is worth more than a bag full of whatever.

Of course, some of your cash, and not your friendship, is why they are on the ship with you.

Just go with cash-that's what they want and need. And do it at the end of the cruise.

Room stewards don't want your trash, trinkets, or candy. They want cash.

Would you leave a waiter in a restaurant a tip or would you leave him/her some sort of gift?

Cash and nice words on post-cruise survey.

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CASH. And, if they did a good job for you, a heartfelt "thank you" at the last encounter. And, a good review on the comment card.

I don't understand people who think it is helpful or cute to give trinket or other junk. Do you give trinkets to your servers at restaurants or the Housekeeping staff or Bellmen at hotels??? Why would it be any different on a cruise ship for staff?

At one of my hotels, we had this gentleman stay for a few days for a medical conference. He was from somewhere in the Greater Baltimore/Chesapeake area. He brought keychains and fridge magnets from home that he bought at a tourist store and gave them out as tips. He became the joke of the hotel. And, that cheapskate never gave out a single penny as a gratuity for anyone.

Someone on a CC board used to brag that they gave staff photos of themselves as tips - that the staff was so happy to receive them. Want to bet the staff had a good laugh over the idiocy of that "tip" and then either used them for darts or spitball targets or went straight into the circular file???

My room steward on my last sailing got a brand new floppy hat that I never wore and left hung up on the wall :(

Cash is appreciated.

Filling out a staff compliment card and/or end of cruise survey with a positive remark is also appreciated.

Passengers treating the staff with respect is appreciated.

We always keep a neat cabin ,picking up our stuff and keeping things in order helps the steward to do his/her job of servicing our cabin.

Cash is the only thing that fits nicely in their cabin, as it goes right into their pocket.

A nice wallet full of cash?

I was just wondering if I could get your ideas for things you put in a gift bag for your room stewards. Thank you!

You really should avoid giving any of the crew anything other than cash. They really do not have any rom.

Take a look at this video. The crew member is part of the kids camp group and as such only has to share with one other person. Most stewards have four in a cabin like this.

It would never cross my mind to give a cabin steward a gift bag???????

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Welcome to Cruise Critic. I see this is your first post.

 

If you would like to give the stewards something in addition to whatever you do in terms of a monetary gift I would recommend items that they would not have to take home with them.

 

In the old days I would have said a phone card but those are really not used anymore.

 

Things such as candy or other packaged food items are always nice as they can be consumed and enjoyed and would not take up precious room in luggage.

Keith

Really dumb idea. How much candy or food junk have you ever received that you did not like. What did you do with the stuff? They will do exactly the same thing.

The the money that you will waste on the junk food and add it to the cash pille.

DON