Tipping the crew with items other than cash...

I enjoy tipping and like to be generous when good service is provided. I have no problem with the gratuities that the cruise lines add onto my bill. I sometimes tip additional cash at the start of the cruise to crew members such as the cabin steward and a special bartender and have noticed that the service for the rest of the cruise seems to be better than if I don't. A friend mentioned that many of the crew members, with guest contact, are appreciative of things such as hard candies or chocolate bars. They may have a hard time accessing these items or they have to pay for them directly and don't feel a splurge is good since they are not paid well to begin with. Has anyone heard the same thing and if so, what type of items did you find that were most appreciated or wanted? Thank you all in advance.

They prefer cash.

This question crops up quite often and the general consensus is that the crew value cash above anything else!

Cash tips, and mention them by name for outstanding service on your post cruise survey.

Honestly, all they really want is CA$H! (y)

Yes, priority is cash but you can also do some little things for crew members on top of that.

Keith

On an 8 day cruise I normally give them $5 each day and a chocolate bar. (On top of my prepaid gratuities)

I give them extra cash but also bring them a little something...I am Canadian so I give them a little bottle of maple syrup with a note explaining what it is and how we eat it...I was also on board on Valentine's Day and had brought several small marshmallow chocolate hearts and given them to those who served us....cash is king but something edible I think is a nice touch...they don't want it, they can throw it away.

Cash is king.

Different faiths and nationalities have differing tastes in foods.

Besides, we travel epwith carry on only. No room for trash and trinkets.

They don't have a hard time accessing sweets and chocolates. They get shore leave, and there are usually shops within easy distance of the ship.

We canno t know possible food allergies, who may have diabetes or other reasons they wont' eatt crtain foods. CASH is king. . forget trinkets, give c ash.

Cash tips, and mention them by name for outstanding service on your post cruise survey.

Yes, Yes, Yes and Yes. ^ This

Ok..think about it. Say YOU are the employee and someone gives you a hand-made sign from their home state or a keychain with your state bird on it, instead of cash. How would YOU like it?

Cash is king. Give the folks what they're working for...and that is MONEY!

The crew gets GOOD discounts on whatever they buy onboard...and they frequently are sending their cash home to their families....money rocks!

We are from California and always bring sees candy. we get rave thank yous! I think something special from your own region makes them feel appreciated and thought about.

If you worked for an employer who gave Christmas bonuses, would you prefer cash or some gift the CEO’s wife picked out for you?

If you worked for an employer who gave Christmas bonuses, would you prefer cash or some gift the CEO’s wife picked out for you?

Well-said!

We are from California and always bring sees candy. we get rave thank yous! I think something special from your own region makes them feel appreciated and thought about.

The intention may be good but how would something you picked out at home without having any idea who you are buying it for make someone feel special? Yes, they'll thank you profusely for anything you give them, because they're trained to be polite and 'personable' and know that's what you want to hear. Give them cash, along with a written mention on your survey, a big smile and "Thank You".

Not to mention that their living quarters are quite cramped and they don't have room for a lot of nick nacks.

We did pre paid gratuity plus gave our room steward $100 bill and a bottle of wine. She cried!

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I am going to stick to the issue raised by the OP....based on more than forty years of cruise experience. And over those years we have developed some real friendships with a few crew members....but that is not the issue. If you want to reward a crew member, please just slip them some extra cash. Keep the gifts for your family (or yourself). The crew wants money. They leave their families for months at a time...to make money...not get silly gifts for themselves. They do not want phone cards (some cruisers still give out those obsolete items), they do not want food, they do not want candy......but they always appreciate a little cash.

Another issue is that the crew on most ships share relatively small cabins. They do not have room to store gifts, and most are at their luggage weight limits when they fly home....and have no extra space (or weight) for gifts. So if you want to give them something special, money is most appreciated. Most crew are gracious and will say all the right things if you give them a special gift......but its money that they want. And if you give them something silly like chocolate...it will likely end up being shared with other crew. And what makes you think that a particular crew member even likes chocolate In all our years of cruising there was one exception to the rule above. We were on a cruise with a crew member (who we had known for years) who recently had their first child. Some passengers did bring some small (and light weight) things for the baby :).

Hank

I agree cash is the best. One time our waitress in the Diamond lounge was not able to get off the ship in port and she mentioned a certain kind of chocolate that she was hoping to buy, so we picked some up for her. That was the only time we gave something other than cash because we knew she wanted it. I would never usually give anything other than cash.

We do auto tip, extra tips and generally take small gifts when we travel, not just on cruise ships/ typical items candy, lipstick, eye shadow, ties, pens.

We do auto tip, extra tips and generally take small gifts when we travel, not just on cruise ships/ typical items candy, lipstick, eye shadow, ties, pens.

I have to ask: by ties, do you mean neckties?

I enjoy tipping and like to be generous when good service is provided. I have no problem with the gratuities that the cruise lines add onto my bill. I sometimes tip additional cash at the start of the cruise to crew members such as the cabin steward and a special bartender and have noticed that the service for the rest of the cruise seems to be better than if I don't. A friend mentioned that many of the crew members, with guest contact, are appreciative of things such as hard candies or chocolate bars. They may have a hard time accessing these items or they have to pay for them directly and don't feel a splurge is good since they are not paid well to begin with. Has anyone heard the same thing and if so, what type of items did you find that were most appreciated or wanted? Thank you all in advance.

You have a number fo things wrong in your assumptions.

1. The crew is paid very well, maybe better than half the passengers.

2. Items like candy are not hard to come by at all, there are stores on board just for crew, and they can often go ashore and get the same things that you can get.

3. They do not want food items and usually take them and then throw them away. They take them to avoid insulting a passenger and they toss them because they don't want them.

4. They do not have room in their cabins for stuff.

Don't give them anything except cash.

I’ve got to say if I were in a service position and someone gave me an eye shadow or whatnot or a piece candy like you’d reward a child, I’d smile and thank the giver while silently praying they don't stiff me on my tip.

Treat staff like the adults they are.