Christmas gifts for ship's crew - suggestions?

[Gonzo70]

There are three things all crew members desire:

 

1) To be treated with respect.

 

2) Gratuities - especially extra gratuity above and beyond the daily service charge Celebrity assesses.

 

3) Recognizing good service/hard work via expressing in writing to their supervisors (and naming them by name) as having done a great job (i.e. Attention to Detail Cards, Comment Cards at the end of a cruise, letters to the Hotel Director, or letters or e-mails sent to Celebrity after your cruise).

 

These three things are greatly appreciated 100% of the time by 100% of the crew. Gifts are hit-and-miss as to whether they will be useful and appreciated, with many gifts being discarded in the trash (though they will pretend to be happy when they receive the gift as that is how they are instructed to act). Instead of gambling on a gift that may or may not be wanted/useful/desired, just put that money towards an extra gratuity (and write them a card if you feel the need to make it more personal). When giving non cash gifts to crew of a cruise ship you are really acting more out of your own self-interest/desire to feel good rather than being truly concerned about the well being of the recipient.

[WALKER1313]

Gift giving threads... the new tipping treads.

[A Sixth?]

Gift giving threads... the new tipping treads.

 

Naw!!!!

 

We'll always have tipping threads and we'll always have Paris. :p

 

[waterbug123]

I ask myself....

 

On payday at work, would I rather be paid cash, phone cards, or candy?

 

As a christmas bonus, would I rather get cash, phone cards, or candy?

 

Cash for me.

 

And I suspect, most of the crew likes cash too.

 

Bingo, we have a winner!

 

Cash is great. But if you have every seen the crew light up when that Celebrity Santa Guy gives them a hat, watch, jewelry, etc. you might feel differently. If you have the luggage room...

 

I've read other threads where people say the same thing: "Oh, when I gave our room steward blah blah blah, he said thank you three times and was so appreciative, I know he like it." Now seriously... do you really think any crew member is going to receive a gift and go, "thanks, but I have nowhere to put this/don't eat sweets/hate that color etc.? No. Because they know you will be insulted and might not give them their regular tip at the end of the cruise. Don't be fooled by words of gratitude, no matter how sincere they may sound. Haven't you ever received something awful, but acted as though it was exactly what you wanted so that the giver wouldn't be upset?

[waterbug123]

we gave small stockings to staff who had served us. In each was a chocolate santa, a holiday ornament from our state, and cash.

 

These things seem small, but again- imagine over the course of 2 or 3 December cruises each crew member gets 8 chocolate Santas, half a dozen ornaments, 27 candy canes, 7 baseball hats or t-shirts from places they've never heard of, etc.? I just see a lot of waste. Someone else mentioned ornaments too... where are they supposed to hang them? It's not as though they have room to put up Christmas trees in their cabin. I get that you are trying to "dress up" the cash, (same as the person who suggested putting the cash inside a wallet) but I guess I just don't see the need. Skip the fancy wrapper and extra doodads and just add that extra $5 or $10 to the cash you're giving them. These are low wage workers, and I'm sure most don't give a flip about how the cash is presented, they are just thrilled to get extra cash. (and/or a letter written to the hotel director mentioning them by name, of course!)

 

I keep imagining a tiny deck zero cabin with four room stewards sharing, full of cheap hats, t-shirts and dollar store pens. :p

 

Now toss in a few tins of cookies, a dozen fruit cakes (that nobody wants here) and ten pounds of chewing gum. :cool:

 

 

Yep.

[Fouremco]

Odd that someone would copy a November 2010 post taken from an unrelated thread without indicating where it came from. :confused:

 

As to gift giving, my parents taught me that the act of giving a gift should be for the benefit of the recipient, not for the giver.

 

I guess that my beliefs are more in line of helping others rather than helping myself. :rolleyes:

Play nicely swsfrail. :) If you look carefully, you'll see that this is the November 2010 thread, newly revived, and the post that you find odd is Poutre's original post, not a copy.

Edited December 19, 2013 by Fouremco

[sawyer_boy]

If you would take a minute and do even a rudimentary amount of research, you would quickly learn that people of Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism faiths don't celebrate Christmas. Those religions amount to the majority of the world's population.

 

Making foolish comments like yours makes you the "back end" you referred to.

 

 

I love closed minds like yours. The highest population of any religion in the world is Christianity. Anyways enjoy your closed minded ways.

[Fouremco]

If you would take a minute and do even a rudimentary amount of research, you would quickly learn that people of Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism faiths don't celebrate Christmas. Those religions amount to the majority of the world's population.

 

I love closed minds like yours. The highest population of any religion in the world is Christianity. Anyways enjoy your closed minded ways.

Sawyer_boy, while it is true that Christianity is the largest single faith, SantaFeFan isn't arguing against that. He is correctly pointing out that, when totalled together, the religions he cites form a majority of the world's religious population. Going back to his initial post, he was also correct in saying that the majority of the world's population does not observe Christmas, as the Christian faith comprises only 1/3 of the world's total population.

 

[SantaFeFan]

Sawyer_boy, while it is true that Christianity is the largest single faith, SantaFeFan isn't arguing against that. He is correctly pointing out that, when totalled together, the religions he cites form a majority of the world's religious population. Going back to his initial post, he was also correct in saying that the majority of the world's population does not observe Christmas, as the Christian faith comprises only 1/3 of the world's total population.

 

 

Thanks, Foremco, for backing up a fact that I have known since I was an altar boy. It never ceases to amaze me how some high horse riding Christians will prevent themselves from learning anything beyond what their biases allow them to.

 

Sawyer_boy, you really need to open you mind to real facts, and not only what you have read in your church newsletter.

[swsfrail]

Play nicely swsfrail. :) If you look carefully, you'll see that this is the November 2010 thread, newly revived, and the post that you find odd is Poutre's original post, not a copy.

 

Oh my, that's twice in one week that I have to eat crow. Maybe it's time for me to find a caretaker to proofread my comments on these boards! :)

 

[swsfrail]

My workplace is very diverse -- many from India, Turkey, Eastern Europe. As a result we have folks with Jewish, Hindu, Islam, Western-rites Christains, Eastern-rites Christains, Buddists.

 

• When my Catholic boss treated the department to a holiday-themed breakfast, the Buddist and Hindus participated.
  
• When the lead contractor from India got together with his Hindi friends at work and put on a "pig out" (his words) for Holi. I participated (even bringing in a curried carrot slaw from a recipe I had gotten from a former co-worker).
  
• I was not "offended" when I got a plastic Easter egg filled with milk chocolates -- I am Eastern Orthodox and that year Pascha (Orthodox Easter) was celebrated three weeks later.
  
• Growing up a German-Irish Catholic in a Dutch Catholic town - I appreciated my friends tradition of putting out a wooden shoe for St.Nick even though I put up a stocking for him. I still make construction paper stockings and put in a candy cane for the folks on my team for St.Nick's day even though in this part of the country NO ONE celebrates St.Nick's day.
  
• The Brits, South Africans, and the Costa Rican who were our tablemates two years back on our Med cruise over American Thanksgiving -- gamely tried the special Thanksgiving dinner and asked us all sorts of questions about the holiday.
  

One of the reasons many of us travel is to experience new things and different cultures. Sharing my traditions with others may make them better appreciate my culture. A holiday greeting and a small token is not an outragous gesture. It is a small kindess that most folks in the hospitality industry will likely appreciate in the spirit in which it is given.

 

What you experience at your workplace is an entirely different situation than with the workforce you will find on a cruise ship. Those people you mentioned are coworkers in YOUR workplace, not you being a guest on a cruise ship, which is THEIR workplace. I you want to share cultures, enjoy the cultures you experience while travelling, but don't bring yours to them. If they want to experience your culture, they will visit wherever you are from to do so. To think that your culture is so great that you need to force it on other people while in their environment is arrogant, which is yet another reason why some cultures see us as "Ugly Americans".

[Fouremco]

Oh my, that's twice in one week that I have to eat crow. Maybe it's time for me to find a caretaker to proofread my comments on these boards! :)

 

Love the photo! Good thing it's a big one, as there are many of us here who need a meal of crow from time to time!

[A Sixth?]

Oh my, that's twice in one week that I have to eat crow. Maybe it's time for me to find a caretaker to proofread my comments on these boards! :)

 

 

The menu quality has slipped a bit hasn't it... :p

[sawyer_boy]

Thanks, Foremco, for backing up a fact that I have known since I was an altar boy. It never ceases to amaze me how some high horse riding Christians will prevent themselves from learning anything beyond what their biases allow them to.

 

Sawyer_boy, you really need to open you mind to real facts, and not only what you have read in your church newsletter.

 

 

Again assuming why would you think I'm Christian. So to disappoint you but I am not.

[WALKER1313]

Bingo, we have a winner!

 

 

 

I've read other threads where people say the same thing: "Oh, when I gave our room steward blah blah blah, he said thank you three times and was so appreciative, I know he like it." Now seriously... do you really think any crew member is going to receive a gift and go, "thanks, but I have nowhere to put this/don't eat sweets/hate that color etc.? No. Because they know you will be insulted and might not give them their regular tip at the end of the cruise. Don't be fooled by words of gratitude, no matter how sincere they may sound. Haven't you ever received something awful, but acted as though it was exactly what you wanted so that the giver wouldn't be upset?

 

 

 

Yet, I have seen the staff wearing the hats, jewelry, and watches during the cruise. So, I wouldn't be to sure that the crew doesn't truly like these small gifts. As I said; gifting is like tipping, do what you want and don't worry what others think.

[SantaFeFan]

Yet, I have seen the staff wearing the hats, jewelry, and watches during the cruise. So, I wouldn't be to sure that the crew doesn't truly like these small gifts. As I said; gifting is like tipping, do what you want and don't worry what others think.

 

Yep, and don't worry what the recipient thinks. either. It's all about that "feel good feeling" YOU get, not the gift's value to the recipient. :rolleyes:

Edited December 20, 2013 by SantaFeFan

[Dunelm]

Fact: most religions (e.g. Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism) don't recognize Christmas as they believe it is an ancient Christian festival. Considering where most of the crew come from, I would guess that for the majority of them Christmas is not a holiday they celebrate.

 

The chocolate Santa and your state's holiday ornament are inappropriate gifts for most of the crew. The cash is perfect, however. Instead of wasting your money on, and their time throwing out, your symbols of Christmas, just give them the cash you spent to purchase them. Why force your religious or secular beliefs on them?

 

Obviously, you have no idea of my background. Let me just say that I have an assortment of friends who are Buddhist, Hindu, and Muslim. I have been to Shiva's when the husband of a Jewish neighbor died (I was the only Gentile in attendance.) The world would be a much better place if we could tolerate all those who have a different belief system than ours, and could freely share our traditions without a backlash from those who may be less tolerant themselves. BY the way, the ornaments had nothing to do with religion. By the way, many people love the idea of Santa and have no religious beliefs whatsoever. By the way, we were on a Princess cruise and the crew sang Christmas carols in the atrium and it was packed at all levels. Yes! Your reply sounded very condescending to me.

[WALKER1313]

Sorry, we only bring gifts for crew we know, and only specifically picking items they should like. Never seen any of the crew open our gifts as we give them on the last day on ship, probably brought the wrong things a few times.

 

Just noting that fellow cruise critic members are quick to judge and tell others what is right and what is wrong.

[waterbug123]

Yet, I have seen the staff wearing the hats, jewelry, and watches during the cruise. So, I wouldn't be to sure that the crew doesn't truly like these small gifts. As I said; gifting is like tipping, do what you want and don't worry what others think.

 

Interesting. When I see the crew during a cruise they are working, in uniform, so they aren't generally wearing hats and such. Watches and jewelry? I don't know. But then, I don't recall many people saying they give the crew watches and jewelry as gifts. But across various threads, hats and t-shirts and other similar "trinket" items pop up as suggestions time and again. Those are the ones I'd almost guarantee that the crew receive, thank profusely for it to ensure a cash tip at the end of the cruise, and then walk off thinking, "oh yippee, another hat to put with the 50 hats I've already collected this year. Hey Joe, you want this hat?"

[cruzeluver]

Yep, and don't worry what the recipient thinks. either. It's all about that "feel good feeling" YOU get, not the gift's value to the recipient.

 

That about sums it up. Agreed.

[BonnieVA]

Why have some of the interactions here turned mean?

 

The idea of gift giving is supposed to be to please the gift recipient, not to make oneself proud of how great/creative you are when coming up with gift ideas.

 

I am VERY good friends with a Celebrity crew member from Asia. He is Christian. This is what he hopes for at the end of each sailing, in order of importance & regardless of whether it's a Christmas cruise or not:

#1 - no less than "excellent" reviews & comments from each of his guests

#2 - extra gratuities

#3 -

there is no #3

!!

 

Of course those are HIS preferences & each crew member will (maybe) have different preferences. But remember that they have to pack their suitcases to return home & have to be careful of weight limits too. They shop for gifts to bring to their families during their contracts so usually already have heavy bags.

 

Bottom line, he doesn't want "stuff". He just hopes for positive reviews & more cash. (Oh, they don't need calling cards either!)

[Fouremco]

For a number of years, there has been a similar year-round debate among tourists to Cuba, one side advocating that staff like to receive everything from tooth paste to Crocs and the other side advocating monetary gifts. I think that the trinkets crowd is slowly diminishing and coming to the belated realization that with money the staff can buy what they actually want or need.