need thank you gift ideas for stewards

[serene56]

serene56, I would never consider lowering my tips, and we have 4 children sailing with us that will also be paying $10 a day each for tipping. Do the waiters, cabin stewards, etc. that do receive tips, not get any salary at all, or is it just a smaller percentage of what everyone else gets? I am the sort of person that tends to tip too much, rather than not enough and I was thinking that if they do a very good job, I would tip them more.

The reason I ask about the cooks and dishwashers is that my kids have worked in restaurants for the summer, and they always got a percentage of the tips. Thank you for your reply, I would have felt bad for everyone else otherwise! lol:)

 

 

Yes- the wait staff get a very low pay- I think its 5 0 bucks per month. Its like a 1.25 per day. I never felt comfortable asking them how much they got paid from the cruisline. But they do nicely if people tip. I have a friend who is a waiter on Royal and he said at least once each week someone will not pay the tip at all.

[Lsimon]

I read someone else's suggestion that they've asked their stewards if they can get them anything while ashore. Point was that sometimes these people can't get off the boat very often and their stewards have been pleasently surprised by the offer.

 

Another offered use of their cell phone to their steward while at port in US, for them to make an international call home.

[luv2ski2]

Years ago a frequent cruiser advised me to give a $10-20 tip to my steward/ess at the very BEGINNING of the cruise when you first meet him/her (this is addition to the tip at the end of the cruise). At that time take a few minutes to get to know them (ask where they're from, if they have a family etc.) and advise him/her of any special requests you might have (such as ice in the cabin each evening). This has proven to be a very useful tip and has always paid off.

As for the other ideas...I think the personal Thank You Cards would be well received (and I plan to start this practice) as would mentioning any person who gave exceptional service in the review at the end of the cruise (which I always do). And when I receive truly exemplary service, I also write a note to the home/corporate office when I get home.

And, it goes without saying, if you treat all of the employees as you would any friend or associate you will be rewarded by exceptional service.

[MrsPete]

I agree with the majority here: Cash tips tucked into a personalized thank-you card are the way to go. If you want to give "a little something" make sure it's in addition to the tip, certainly not in place of the tip, and something small and consumable is best. Candies or phone cards, I believe are the best choices. If the recipient cannot use them himself, he can certainly pass them off to a friend onboard. T-shirts, etc., I fear, would end up in the trash can.

[Velvet446]

I agree with the cash idea, but we take $2.00 bills and use them on a daily basis. Some of the workers had never seen them before and were quite excited about the unusual denomination. They also take up less room in your wallet than a bunch of one dollar bills.

[kalamari]

My sweetie is a long time employee on one of the ships, and he says "ALWAYS cash" (straight from the horses mouth!). Many crew are 4 to a cabin (depending on "rank") and basically live in something the size of a VERY small cabin (sardine cam if you will!). The phone cards are nice, but they can't always use them depending on the card, and if they have cash they know where to buy the right ones. Cash also lets them buy cards to use the internet, etc. Also, cash is ideal becuase on some of the ships where there is "auto tipping" they do NOT realize much of the auto tip as it's divided up amongt crew in a myriad of ways (too complicated to explain here)

 

Besides cash, he says the best gift by far is when you fill out the comment cards and write something using specifically a crew members name,as firing, raises, and promotions are based on this. It's also good to personally write a letter to customor service with their name mentioned and put in it specficially how they helped you, etc. Those letters are shared MUCH faster with the crew member by a supervisor then the comment cards (which they may not find out out about for weeks). When such a good letter is received by a supevisor, a crew person may be rewarded with extra time off, which is probably the best "gift" by far given the excruitating long hours they work.

 

What the other poster mentioned about asking them what they need offshore is also good, because time off is extremely limited for the majority of the crew and they can't always get ashore. Half the time when I go to see my darling I am bringing him things he needs. But also know, they have to be very careful receiving "things" in this manner from passengers, as if the "wrong" person gets wind of it or sees it, it can be reported as "passenger fraternization" and that's another whole thread to post about!

 

So there you have it, straight from the horse's (and the girlfriend's) mouth! It's not that the small gifts aren't appreciated, its just that 99% of the time they are either not practical or they may not have the room. And given the low wages earned, a little cash for some crew can go a long, long, way. So there you have it, straight from the horse's (and his girlfriend's) mouth :) Menina

 

 

I agree with the cash idea, but we take $2.00 bills and use them on a daily basis. Some of the workers had never seen them before and were quite excited about the unusual denomination. They also take up less room in your wallet than a bunch of one dollar bills.

[smudge's mom]

Cash is always the right size - the right style - easy to store - always - always needed.

 

I know a lot of you want to add a personal touch when thanking the people who make your cruise great - but other than a nice - individual - thank you card - I think CASH is always a perfect gift.

 

Stop thinking like an American - where we have huge houses, everything we need - start assuming most of the staff on the ship have a great need for as much cash as they can get their hands on.

 

Think of what is good for them - not what makes you feel good.

 

Cash is not "cold" or "impersonal" - when one needs it to make life comfortable.

[kalamari]

We support A's (my darling) family, and you are not kidding about the cash thing. The majority of anything he makes goes to them, and when his mom had a very serious health issue it drained him dry due to no socialized medicine, etc. in their country. I have lived in Asia and traveled extensively throughout the world, and unless you've been able to do that, it's hard to understand culturally the value of money and resources, sometimes. Even when I cook for him (or others) we never throw food out, any leftover rice is used for another dish, etc. Many people say that crew are making a fortune off tips, etc but I can vouche first hand that they are not, and the wages vary anywhere between $50-$1000 US per month, but by time you add up everything they must pay for themselves there isn't a lot left to send home. I digress, the best gifts are personal letters to their supervisors, and cash, cash, cash. And there are also many cultural reasons why they do not leave their ships for better working opportunities here and elsewhere. Enough said!

 

 

Cash is always the right size - the right style - easy to store - always - always needed.

 

I know a lot of you want to add a personal touch when thanking the people who make your cruise great - but other than a nice - individual - thank you card - I think CASH is always a perfect gift.

 

Stop thinking like an American - where we have huge houses' date=' everything we need - start assuming most of the staff on the ship have a great need for as much cash as they can get their hands on.

 

Think of what is good for them - not what makes you feel good.

 

Cash is not "cold" or "impersonal" - when one needs it to make life comfortable.[/quote']

[SpecialBarb]

You do not have to do the automatic $10 per person tip. You can opt out of the automatic system and do your own tipping. Go to the purser and tell them that you want to opt out of automatic tipping. We love handing the money directly to our waiter, asst. waiter, room steward, etc. I also really appreciated the idea of taking personal thank you notes to put the money in.

[Are we there yet?]

Yes- the wait staff get a very low pay- I think its 5 0 bucks per month. Its like a 1.25 per day. I never felt comfortable asking them how much they got paid from the cruisline. But they do nicely if people tip. I have a friend who is a waiter on Royal and he said at least once each week someone will not pay the tip at all.

 

Thanks again serene56. How could anyone not tip if they knew how much these people are making.........they should be ashamed of themselves!!!:mad:

 

So is it better to opt out of the automatic tipping then and give it to them personally, I am still a little confused about which is better?

 

I really like the idea of asking if they need anything ashore, I would do that happily.:) I will also make a point of writing to customer service, thank you for that tip.

 

What amount would you consider tipping (besides the $10 per day) at the beginning or end of the cruise for 3 people per room, and 6 people per table?

Thanks again :)

[OC Mom]

Thanks for the info guys!:). I hadn't even thought about "gifting" the staff, but I now think a note for them would be really nice. I usually just fill out the comment card, but this is better. (We even write notes on our credit card charge slips when we eat out). How much, above and beyond the $10 per day, do you generally tip the steward and wait staff??? I don't want to underdo it.

[leelee1966]

Don't forget the Casino workers!! Even if you don't win, but they are giving you a great time at losing...please tip...believe me a $1.00 for entertaining you every half hour or more is worth it....I have lost many of times in Casinos, but almost all of the dealers *men and women* have made losing fun therefor, I tip!!! They split the tips that are made at the end of the cruise, so when you think about all of the dealers on the ship and the entertainment and sometimes training they provide...DON'T BE STINGY....Give them $$ for their pocket....they will remember you!:D

[kalamari]

But like I posted earlier, it can take weeks and in some cases months for the comment card reviews to reach staff, as they are usually not gone over with staff until the following month. But I do know in the majority of cases when a letter reaches corporate offices and directly mentions a staff members name, it's not unusual for it to be faxed within a few days to a supervisor and then the feedback (and any rewards) are faster for the crew person. The handwritten notes are nice gestures as well. Menina

 

Thanks for the info guys!:). I hadn't even thought about "gifting" the staff, but I now think a note for them would be really nice. I usually just fill out the comment card, but this is better. (We even write notes on our credit card charge slips when we eat out). How much, above and beyond the $10 per day, do you generally tip the steward and wait staff??? I don't want to underdo it.

[Sea Breeze]

I am always confused with the tipping thing with various ships doing it differently. I was at my local book store and picked up Cruise travel magazine Feb 2005 and it has a whole section on tipping which ships do what and how it all works.. so now I am up to date for a while until they change it again... Deb

[noelbows]

Before cruising, we also get $2 bills and $1 coins for tips. It is something different, and makes us more memorable to the service provider.

 

I always provide at least a $10 tip to the steward on the first day, but it has not always made a difference. On our last cruise, I didn't get a towel animal until the final night, often didn't get things replaced and only saw our steward once. He never answered the pages I sent either. This was my first bad experience though, and I expect it to be the exception and not the rule.

 

Due to the automatic tipping, I believe all the extra cash goes right to them. Can anyone confirm this? If I am going to give extra $ to a service provider, I want to make sure they get it themselves.