Thank You Notes to Crew Question

[serendipity1499]

I enjoy making cards, invitations etc. on my "Print Artist" program & just finished making up a generic "Thank you" note for our Nov. Cruise.. I always hand address the written Thank You's to our Steward's by name & put the extra tip inside the note..

 

DH thinks that I'm wasting my time, should just slip the tip into the envelope & forget the note.. :eek: I use the red Chinese envelopes for our tip..

 

We always verbally Thank the Stewards when giving them the envelopes as well..:)

 

Do most of you enclose a note, or am I just showing off my old fashioned ideas which Mother taught me? :confused:

 

Please everyone, This question is not meant to be a discussion about extra tips, only about those notes enclosed!;)

 

Next will tackle the Invite to our Annual Boat Parade party which will be about two weeks after we return from our cruise..

Edited August 16, 2015 by serendipity1499

[Krazy Kruizers]

I don't write any notes.

We just give whomever we are giving extra tips to a handshake as we pass the money to them while thanking them.

[cruz chic]

I just write a note on the paper provided in the room. I leave the envelope in the room as I find it embarrassing to give it to them and putting them on the spot to show appreciation. Of course in the MDR I do hand it to them when I tip. Sometimes I don't because I have open dining.

[sail7seas]

We always 'mixed it up'. For those who we really don't know but appreciate extra nice things they made our cruise special, we often put the cash in an envelope. We would write their name on the front and a brief thank you and good wishes.

 

For those we know, we used note cards to thank them and name specifically that which we really appreciated about their service and enclose the cash. :)

[kazu]

I enjoy making cards, invitations etc. on my "Print Artist" program & just finished making up a generic "Thank you" note for our Nov. Cruise.. I always hand address the written Thank You's to our Steward's by name & put the extra tip inside the note..

 

DH thinks that I'm wasting my time, should just slip the tip into the envelope & forget the note.. :eek: I use the red Chinese envelopes for our tip..

 

We always verbally Thank the Stewards when giving them the envelopes as well..:)

 

Do most of you enclose a note, or am I just showing off my old fashioned ideas which Mother taught me? :confused:

 

Please everyone, This question is not meant to be a discussion about extra tips, only about those notes enclosed!;)

 

Next will tackle the Invite to our Annual Boat Parade party which will be about two weeks after we return from our cruise..

 

yes, you can call me old fashioned. I still do notes. I bring some with me and when I find exceptional things, I use the stationary and dash off a note for the GRM.

 

I may also use that for extra thanks that I wasn't expecting.

 

Traditionally, I do notes to the Mgr at the hotel (ie Embassy Suites) if they pre-arranged our meeting, all the officers/staff that come to the M & G, our stewards, waiters, wine steward, PG staff (if I am in an NS), etc.

 

Our service was so exemplary on the Prinsendam and the Westerdam that I ran out, so I used the HAL stationary

 

And sure, you can just use an envelope with to: from: on the front.

 

they are happy with that too I am sure, but there are times when a note is a must, at least for me. So you are NOT alone :)

 

edited to say, that when I did the note for the "what can we do to make your cruise better" and included my hand written note commending our PG manager, cellar master, etc., I was personally thanked by the PG manager and Ingo along with others. So kudos do matter ;)

Edited August 16, 2015 by kazu

[bobpatj]

I also make my own thank you notes to give to the cabin & dining room stewards. The "extras" go inside.

[zoncom]

What a nice idea. They can tape it to their mirror or bulletin board for a while and others can see it. Doesnt take up any room either. Just do not forget the $$.

Edited August 16, 2015 by zoncom

[mysticsailor]

Yes I think a note included in the envelope enhances the gift and of course shows respect.

 

Having learned on this HAL forum recently about the red Chinese envelopes I eagerly also created a generic thank you card to insert. Thanks to cruise critic advice my note made it obvious that this thank you was extra, thus obvious that the hotel service remained in place.

 

Unfortunately my paper cutter malfunctioned and out of desperation I discovered that 2x4inch mail labels fit perfectly on the back of the red envelopes. Eureka! No more tedious cutting. Now you have simple peel and stick notes, designed with your personal touch, to affix to the envelope back.

 

With a desk top publishing program I would think it easy to also copy and paste into the label your photo along with the ‘thank you’ message. This way the stewards and servers would have a memento and a face to match the ‘thank you.’

[CowPrincess]

We do thank you notes to anyone who receives "extra". One reason is that possibly that crew member can use that note during whatever performance review they have. Another reason is that it gives the crew member an audit trail, if they are ever asked about where money came from. The third reason is that one concierge team mentioned that in their department on their ship, a thank-you note got them points towards bonus hours on shore.

[Randyk47]

I don't write any notes.

We just give whomever we are giving extra tips to a handshake as we pass the money to them while thanking them.

 

99.5% of the time this is what we do. I think maybe in 22 years we've written very short thank you notes to four or five people for extraordinary kindness or service.

[take us away]

Also do the envelope with the tips discretely handed to the person. For a few individuals, I enclose my card which is fun as still email with 2 dining stewards from cruises many moons ago. It is not often that I leave a note for the stewards but rather complete a the thank you form (think it is called 'Between Us') from the front desk or from the stash in the cabin, to specifically cite the excellent service by the named individuals. These are sent to their management who then share these with the people, then the notes go into their file. Feel that a more formal 'thank you' is warranted for the excellent service plus hopefully, it may be reflected in their salary or taken into account for a promotion.

[Fouremco]

I don't write any notes.

We just give whomever we are giving extra tips to a handshake as we pass the money to them while thanking them.

This is our approach as well. While thanking them, we will personalize it by mentioning something that they did to make our cruise that much more enjoyable.

[POA1]

Put us down for thank you note cards. I have used room stationery when we've forgotten cards, or when our Bag of Politeness has run out, but it's usually a card and a short note.

[sue1898]

I always take notecards for this purpose and hope that the notes of thanks with the tip are appreciated!

[rkacruiser]

Using the small note paper pads from hotels I frequent, I always write a note of thanks and enclose it in an envelope along with an additional gratuity as warranted.

 

I have learned about using regular note cards for this purpose and I intend to start doing so. Really never thought about doing that before recent posts about this issue.

 

I prefer to hand the envelopes to those receiving them. Trying to do so for my cabin stewards that last evening often is a challenge: trying to find them! I have resorted to leaving the envelope on the bed, but I don't like to do that. (Since cabin stewards now work in teams, I address both in only one note. I started doing this when, maybe, I could find one of them and not the other.)

[Mary Ellen]

We like the note in addition to an extra tip for anyone who has gone 'above and beyond'. This might come in handy for them to show management they were appreciated. Of course, mentioning them in the post cruise survey also helps, but one can't go wrong with written documentation. There is nothing in a handshake they can show their supervisor. ;)

[Barrheadlass]

I always write a note too, and if warranted name our stewards in the evaluation.

[whogo]

I do not enclose notes. I think the best thing you can do is mention the employee's good service in a mid-cruise comment card, the boss will be sure to see the compliment. We don't spend time on the post cruise survey, it is just too time consuming.

[serendipity1499]

Thanks everyone for your reply's.. Looks like most enclose a little note..

 

In our generic Thank you note, I could not actually figure out how to put in writing that this was a little extra in addition to the Hotel Service Charge.. When we give the envelopes we always tell them that this a little something extra for them..

 

Instead on the note, we just Thanked them for taking such good care of us on our delightful cruise...Also said that we appreciated their excellent service & how fortunate HAL was to have them for an employee.. If someone does something extra special for us, I'll hand-write our note of Thanks in the generic card..

 

Never thought about putting a picture in there, but always tell them which cabin we stayed in & signed it "Sincerely, The Smith's":D (not our real name, LOL)

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[serendipity1499]

Using the small note paper pads from hotels I frequent, I always write a note of thanks and enclose it in an envelope along with an additional gratuity as warranted.

 

I have learned about using regular note cards for this purpose and I intend to start doing so. Really never thought about doing that before recent posts about this issue.

 

I prefer to hand the envelopes to those receiving them. Trying to do so for my cabin stewards that last evening often is a challenge: trying to find them! I have resorted to leaving the envelope on the bed, but I don't like to do that. (Since cabin stewards now work in teams, I address both in only one note. I started doing this when, maybe, I could find one of them and not the other.)

 

We always try to chase down our Cabin Stewards on the last night, rather than leave it on the bed.. If we find one we'll ask where the other one is so we can give him his own envelope.. They both know where the other one is..

[GUT2407]

Better to address the note o the head of department, where it may help with career advancement or contract renewal.

[CowPrincess]

>SNIP<

 

In our generic Thank you note, I could not actually figure out how to put in writing that this was a little extra in addition to the Hotel Service Charge.. When we give the envelopes we always tell them that this a little something extra for them..

 

 

SIZE]

 

Our thank you notes always mention "we have left the HSC in place, so this is a little extra "thank you" from us" and then mention something specific that we appreciated.

 

As for Comment Cards, we regularly write them while onboard to note a crew member who is really contributing to our enjoyment of the cruise.

[Saphire]

I love thank-you notes. I love to receive them and to give them. I bring some from home so I am prepared. I save the business cards that the stewards hand out at the beginning of the cruise so I can print their names correctly on the envelope.

 

Serendipity, I think it is really nice that you make your own cards. Along with a note of thanks and an extra tip makes it very special.

[sail7seas]

Many years ago, we stayed in a beautiful hotel in Venice. The concierge was extremely helpful to us and went out of his way to give some excellent suggestions. At the end of our stay, my DH used a sheet of the hotel stationery and wrote a brief thank you telling the concierge he had greatly contributed to our full enjoyment of his fabulous City. Put the note and cash in an envelope and handed it to the concierge. A polite thank you and we were gone.

 

A few months later we were reading a very well known, upscale travel magazine. We were so surprised to see a photo of 'our concierge' and included in the interview that was published was a comment how he finds it so much more polite when a much appreciated tip is presented in an envelope. He said he certainly was happy for all he is given but feels more comfortable when given in that polite manner.

 

DH strutted around for days telling me what good 'taste and manners' he had. :D

 

Edited August 16, 2015 by sail7seas

[Cruising-along]

We do thank you notes to anyone who receives "extra". One reason is that possibly that crew member can use that note during whatever performance review they have. Another reason is that it gives the crew member an audit trail, if they are ever asked about where money came from. The third reason is that one concierge team mentioned that in their department on their ship, a thank-you note got them points towards bonus hours on shore.

 

This is what we do too, and for the same reasons. :)