Goody bags

[alleghator]

A couple of years ago when I cruised on the Paradise I got the idea from these boards of making a Goody Bag for our cabin steward. She was delighted with it and took very, very good care of us.

 

But, I haven't seen anything on the boards recently. Has something happened to this idea? Is it discouraged? Frowned upon?

 

We're looking to cruise again in January and I'm doing research already.

 

--Heidi Dugan

[Oma24boys]

...I think this is a wonderful idea. I hope those who have done this will post their suggestions as I will do this for our room steward in November. In all of my cruises I have never heard of this! I have done goodie bags for friends who were first time cruisers but not for our stewards. I look forward to the posts!!!

[LimeNoSalt]

Heidi, What type of goodies were in the bag that you made?

This is a really nice idea.

[Coolcruise02]

It could be a little difficult before hand, not knowing if you will have a male or female room steward. You might stick with snacks, phone card, disposable camera, dollar bills. :)

[addicted to cruising]

I would have never thought of such a thing... This is a great idea. Think about stationary/stamps, snacks are great(maybe something unique to where your from. In Ohio, Buckeyes are good (peanut butter and chocolate) and Cheryls cookies, similar concept to Toll house or mrs. Fields. They go into port as well and have to pay for personal items...magazines. Thanks for bringing this up!

It could be a little difficult before hand, not knowing if you will have a male or female room steward. You might stick with snacks, phone card, disposable camera, dollar bills. :)

[3x's]

A great idea! I am going to do this on our next cruise! :D

[OC Mom]

I read a similar thread recently that said that some people used to give little gifts and items from home, like t-shirts. But after speaking with some crew members, they found out how little space each crew member has in their shared cabin and how hard they work to send money home to their families, that these gifts aren't as helpful as good 'ol cash. They made a good point- imagine how many cabins each steward has and the potential piles of t-shirts, candy bars, and toiletries they could accumulate very quickly. They did say that a nice hand-written note, great comments on the comment card, and an extra tip are especially appreciated.

[Suesan Jean]

You know, the "Goody Bag" sounds really nice, BUT, I still think that good old cash would still be the BEST gift you could give as a tip, then that person can go and get whatever they need/want.

That is just MPO.

 

Suesan:):):)

[alleghator]

But, to me tipping is something of a thank you for good service...I don't give it out in advance. Someone who'd worked on cruiseships had posted something about little things that were hard to get onboard ship in the brief amount of shopping time the crew has.

 

I kept the stuff gender neutral and included stationery, a phone card, some gum and mints...and there my memory runs out. There were a bunch of threads on it when I was getting ready to cruise the last time with bunches of ideas.

 

--Heidi

[Oma24boys]

You know, the "Goody Bag" sounds really nice, BUT, I still think that good old cash would still be the BEST gift you could give as a tip, then that person can go and get whatever they need/want.

That is just MPO.

 

Suesan:):):)

 

I have always given our room steward an extra $10/$20 the first time we meet...this has just been our way. In addition to this I think a small goody bag would also be welcome. I hope that more ideas will be posted. Thanks for the idea and input.:D

[megr1125]

We gave our atttendant a phone card and i think $20 in advance with a little note.........it was our first cruise......she really liked the card...said nothing was necessary but once she realized what it was she was excited as she'd be able to call her daughter.

 

Some people get international ones...we got one at target that can be used to callin the caribbean.....i think it's a little less minutes....like if it was a 100 minute card, maybe you really only get 80 or 90 international....but hey...she didn't have to pay for it!! We had GREAT service all week.

 

We also had a couple sodas or waters left, and a package of cookies or something that we never opened so we left it for her. And since we bought some air freshner in port (the cabin smelled a TINY bit at first) we gave that to her too! Seems the attendants sometimes supply their own room spray and stuff so she was glad to inherit some from us!

[Longboysfan]

You should try talking to the room attendent first.

 

They may have a small item you can get them from shore that they may have a hard time getting at.

Worked great last trip.

[OceanDreams]

Of course we also do the tipping at the end of our cruise.....

 

On my cruises what I like to do is bring something from my State. Usually chips and salsa, chili pachitios...etc. I don't just give to the cabin stewards but also any other crew member that may have made our trip special.

 

OceanDreams

[patrice1]

On our last cruise, we brought extra international phone cards for tips. We had a wonderful waitress in one of the lounges who was Russian and missed her daughter. Gave her the card & she about fell over. We always tip our steward on the first day and keep alot of ones for tips for all staff. They work so hard.