Gifts For Cabin Stewards, Or Others

[montana200024]

i WAS JUST WANDERING IF ANYBODY BROUGHT A GIFT FOR THE EMPLOYEES OF THE CRUISE SHIPS...i was thinking about cabin steward, waiter, etc...anybody ever do this..

or even little things like shampoo, toothpaste, etc...thanks

[BARBARA J.W.]

i WAS JUST WANDERING IF ANYBODY BROUGHT A GIFT FOR THE EMPLOYEES OF THE CRUISE SHIPS...i was thinking about cabin steward, waiter, etc...anybody ever do this..

or even little things like shampoo, toothpaste, etc...thanks

 

EXTRA MONEY IS THE BEST GIFT.............

MAYBE SOME CANDY,CANDY CANES,GUM ECT:: THAT THEY CAN SHARE WITH OTHERWORKERS..........

I AM GUESSING THEY CAN GET SAMPLES OF TOOTHPASTE AND SHAMPOO FROM THE SHIP............

HAPPY CRUISING.............

[Bequia]

The best gift for the staff is cash. ;)

[Pegleg1]

I plan on bringing a one pound box of See's chocolates for the cabin steward with a $20 inside..... :D

[Kiwi Kruzer]

i WAS JUST WANDERING IF ANYBODY BROUGHT A GIFT FOR THE EMPLOYEES OF THE CRUISE SHIPS...i was thinking about cabin steward, waiter, etc...anybody ever do this..

or even little things like shampoo, toothpaste, etc...thanks

 

One gift I have found that is really appreciated,is a pre paid phone card ,so that they can call family back home.

You just have to make sure it is one they can use shoreside.

[breenw]

We always take a card and write a personal message to our cabin steward and insert a $20 extra tip. We also bring t-shirts from the Indianapolis 500 track and give to our cabin steward and waiter and bus boy. They seem to really appreciate the gesture and it gives them something they can wear and something from a place they've probably never been.

[Cotton]

Although a nice gesture, what they really need is CASH. For several cruises, I took little gift happy-bags for my cabin steward and room service personnnel. I later found that they really have no extra space in their cramped, shared quarters for anything 'extra'...but that money is always welcome, as they can send it back home to their families. (I do, however, still leave a mini-pack of M&Ms on the dresser with a coupla dollars extra every day, and give a pack to the room service person, along with his little tip.):) I like seeing the smiles.

[madelinerose]

Cash

[davoni]

We are doing Christmas cruise on Pacific Princess and apart from extra cash I am taking a few Australian pottery Christmas tree decorations (koala) They are very small so as not to take up much of their cabin space and I thought they would be a unique gift to give out on Christmas Day, as we intend to give extra tip at the end of the cruise.:)

[kitty9]

Look at it this way: take the smallest inside cabin, divide it in half, and you get an idea of how much space the crew has to keep all their belongings in. Believe me, while your ideas of gifts are heartfelt, gifts of anything besides cash, is not a good idea. What if even half of their passengers gave them gifts? Where would they put them? They don't have much time off to wear t-shirts/caps or anything like that. Once their contract is over, they cannot ship all that stuff home as it would be cost prohibitive. And even the pre-paid phone cards don't necessarily work for them. Most of the phone cards you purchase here in the US don't work in many of the phones in foreign ports. Cash is the best gift for them, along with a good review on the end of the cruise survey, and a letter to the cruise director if your crew member has done exceptional work.

[davoni]

See your point Darcie, also think chocs are a good idea as they would not take up space and can be shared. Would not take gifts if it were not a Christmas cruise, as giving a small gift (other then cash which they will get on any cruise from most pax) is part of the festivity. If they like something that is given by any pax they will find a way of keeping and taking it home, otherwise if it's given away, donated to a charity or even thrown away it doesn't matter as it is the gift giving especially on Xmas Day that counts.:)

[Beulah]

On our last cruise we gave snacks to alot of crew members. They seemed to really appreciate these. We gave cash to 3 or 4 crew who gave us extra service during some very rough seas we had. Our favorite crew member we gave cash to him to take his girlfriend out to lunch when we got to Puerto Rico. We also gave him a water float that folded up into a mesh bag that I had brought with me. He really loved that as he and his girlfriend went to the beach when we were in port if they got the time . I slso found that alot of these crew members being youg and away from home just wanted someone to talk to and laugh with.

[sp29488]

How do you get the chocolates there without them melting? I like the idea but always thought it would melt before we got on the ship, even if you hand carry them.

[montana200024]

Thank you all very much..so many suggestions..very much appreciated..

[DEL67]

On Halloween I gave our waiters and cabin steward small bags of assorted candies. I believe that they were appreciated since they thanked me multiple times.

 

Of course, this was just an extra. I tipped them as I aways do.

[serene56]

Buying calling cards for them from the US may be a waste.

For one--the staff and crew members can get calling cards for a lot cheaper then we do..and they know which ones work and what dont. I did that msitake once and the waiter didnt have aphone at home.

 

What we do-- we buy a disposable camera and take pictures of our staff members during the week. On the next to last night we get the camera developed. On the last night we have our thank you cards and include the extra tip along with the photos so they can send those to their family at home.,

[kellanderson]

my nana was a cruise queen and always brought gifts for her stewards and waiters and for them to send to their families, she got to know some people really well. needless to say last year we have our cabin stewardess a bracelet and she cried....she was so excited....sometimes the smallest gesture means the most!

[beth4652]

See your point Darcie, also think chocs are a good idea as they would not take up space and can be shared. Would not take gifts if it were not a Christmas cruise, as giving a small gift (other then cash which they will get on any cruise from most pax) is part of the festivity. If they like something that is given by any pax they will find a way of keeping and taking it home, otherwise if it's given away, donated to a charity or even thrown away it doesn't matter as it is the gift giving especially on Xmas Day that counts.:)

 

 

 

How very well said, Davoni. It's the spirit of giving, the thought that goes into it and the warmth of the wishes that accompany the gift that count --- even if they throw it overboard. :eek:

[cruzincurt]

I hope my boss gives me a check for Christmas instead of a calling card or box of candy. Giving someone food (candy or such) on a floating grocery store seems redundant.

 

I think the thought with a gift is nice but cash is what they are working for.

[1cat4jan]

Yes, compared to the ship staff - we are rich Americans (Canadiens, whatever. )

 

We are trying to personalize our gift giving based on what we give to people we associate with - people who have decent incomes and homes to store "things" in.

 

Unless you personally know the family life and living conditions of the staff you come into contact with - don't presume to know what they would "like" in the way of gifts.

 

Think about it - there are 2,000 people on the ship - pare it down to less than 1,000 cabins. Even if only 10% of the pax give a "token" gift - that is a heck of alot of "junk" with no real usefulness.

 

Giving candy? They have their hands on candy everyday. Cookies? The ship is a floating dessert cart. Phone cards? If only 1% of the pax give them phone cards each cruise - what will they do with 10 phone cards a week? Ornaments? Even if they have a tree - what do they do with the ornament the other 50 weeks ahead.

 

And even if the stuff you give can be used by their families - they have to pay to have it shipped home. Most trinkets are not worth the price of shipping home.

 

Think about it. Cash is the only thing that makes any sense. You want to make it more personal? Give the cash with a letter stating how well you think they do their job - tell them a copy has gone to the office for inclusion in their file.

 

Recommendations and cash - the only two things worth giving.

 

Please stop thinking like a "rich person who has everything."

[Max Circus]

Excellent points 1cat4jan.

 

I can imagine the crew commiserating at the end of each sailing:

 

Steward 1: "So how did you make out in tips this week?"

 

Steward 2: "Oh, I got some more phone cards to add to my stack. I keep telling my son at home that these are the "new" Pokemon-type cards but I think he's starting to not believe me. My wife also tells me that she can't use any more blenders or coffee makers. Want a stale plate of cookies and a half-bottle of rum?"

[sp29488]

I can't speak for eveyone but when I give the stewards their extra something we don't give them this and nothing else. They get the tip that is added to the card and we also give them an extra tip.

[cruzincurt]

It's the thought that counts...the folding green counts even better.

 

Happy Holidays

[Bequia]

Excellent points 1cat4jan.

 

I can imagine the crew commiserating at the end of each sailing:

 

Steward 1: "So how did you make out in tips this week?"

 

Steward 2: "Oh, I got some more phone cards to add to my stack. I keep telling my son at home that these are the "new" Pokemon-type cards but I think he's starting to not believe me. My wife also tells me that she can't use any more blenders or coffee makers. Want a stale plate of cookies and a half-bottle of rum?"

 

That's pretty funny. :D

[TrentS]

The ONLY thing you should give them is CASH!!! They don't have space to store "stuff", they can buy the phone cards that work for their situation (they only have a small amount of time to call home anyway), and they get all the candy they need already. They need MONEY, PERIOD! With CASH they can buy what they need, and send the rest home to their families. They know where to get the best deal on the things they really need... Trust me, I cruise a lot and talk to them a lot, the ONLY thing they want and need is CASH, CASH and more CASH!