Christmas Gift for your Cabin Attendant

[happyholsssj]

What Christmas gift do you buy for your Cabin Attendant.....looking for ideas !!!!:)

[RMM75]

Cash?

[paul929207]

Unless you know him/her and what the have a need for, money is the best.

[happyholsssj]

I always give money as a tip.....but would also like to take something a little personal gift to open Christmas day

[Morgsmom]

I always give money as a tip.....but would also like to take something a little personal gift to open Christmas day

 

You can either go the route of something from where you live that is consumable (your candies, chocolate, jams, etc) or something very very small, knowing that their cabins are smaller than inside staterooms and shared by 2. For Christmas I have given small wall calendars (to mark off the days, as I am sure that they all start to run together on a ship), small frames with a note about framing a picture of their loved ones, etc. For Easter week I bring Peeps and explain the tradition of those lovely pastel marshmallows (most onboard workers have never seen a peep and since you are from the UK you might have to google it!)

 

While everyone likes cash, I believe that cash and a little something is nice.

[uppitycats]

Cash, but then I try to be sensitive to the fact that not everyone is Christian (and so Christmas doesn't mean much); that their cabin space is very very small and if everyone brought them a "tiny gift", even a "tiny consumable gift" they'd be overwhelmed (and holidays are the time when passengers most often bring stuff); that I don't really know these people and what their likes/dislikes are, dietary restrictions might be, etc....

 

and so cash seems best. A nice note, thanking them for their work.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Some of them do not celebrate Christmas.

Also they have tiny cabins and not a lot of space for extra gifts.

CASH -- that is the best gift you could give to any crew member.

[Marie51]

I always give money as a tip.....but would also like to take something a little personal gift to open Christmas day

 

Please keep in mind that even though you have good intentions, many of the crew are not Christian and do not celebrate Christmas. A thank you card with extra cash in it is always a good idea and this is what I do on the last day of the cruise.

Also the crew live in tight quarters and do not have room for trinkets. Cash is always best.

[sail7seas]

We giv more in added tips on Holiday cruises. Crew do not want all kinds of doo dads and how much candy do you think those slender young fellow on HAL ships eat? :eek: Cash is always best. It travels light, takes no extra space in their tiny cabins, size is always correct as is color and they can purchase what they need and/or want.

[luddite]

Donuts and cash.

[cuyahoga11]

Donuts and cash.

 

I have seen donuts mentioned many times. Is this a joke or serious?

[luddite]

I have seen donuts mentioned many times. Is this a joke or serious?

 

Very serious.

 

Have you EVER seen donuts on a ship?

[cruisemom42]

Very serious.

 

Have you EVER seen donuts on a ship?

 

Yes, Princess has quite good doughnuts sometimes in the breakfast buffet.

[Marie51]

Very serious.

 

Have you EVER seen donuts on a ship?

 

Yes, I have seen donuts on several ships.

[jlp20]

NOTHING, if you want to give anything make it cash. Crew members have ZERO storage in thier cabins and I'm pretty

sure he/she has extactly what they want in the room...

[sail7seas]

Yes, I have seen donuts on several ships.

 

 

HAL puts out trays of donuts every morning. They always have at least 2 or 3 varieties including powdered sugar. :)

[Langley Cruisers]

OP, you are very thoughtful. I will echo what most have said - nothing is needed or desired by your steward. Cash is king - please give them only cash, in a nice card, if you desire. Most of them are supporting their families back home and extra cash is always welcome.

 

Have fun. :)

[Taxguy77]

I remember a bartender asking me one time if I celebrated Christmas. Since I knew he was from Bali, I made the correct guess that he was Hindu. :)

Unfortunately he knew about Christmas but I didn't know what their main holiday is. :o

[THEWIFE]

There was a previous thread regarding Christmas gifts on cruise ships. I believe it was on the Royal Caribbean boards. Quite lengthy, as I remember.

[highflyingrealtor]

I've heard even Santa prefers cash. Tie a ribbon around it and make it look festive...:D

[kitty9]

Happy, while you might think that giving a gift is a great idea, and for most it may be, but for crew members who live in a tiny cabin, sharing it with as many as three others, gift giving isn't practical. They don't need caps or shirts from your town (they don't have time to be wearing things like that because they work long hours and don't have off time to be wearing such things), they don't need knick knacks like magnets or whatever because they don't have places to keep them, and as for food, you don't know who has to follow special diets for religious, allergy or other reasons.

 

Put yourself in their position. You clean about 16 cabins every week. If even half of your passengers give you a shirt, or cap or a box of candy, what would you do with it? These hard workers are doing their jobs for one reason, money to send home to their families. Get a holiday card, put extra cash inside and give it to them. Also, if they're really good at their job, a short note to the Hotel Director on the ship goes much farther than a gift. Those notes can mean a raise, promotion or a bonus in their paycheck.

[kitty9]

Very serious.

 

Have you EVER seen donuts on a ship?

 

Crystal and Celebrity have fantastic donuts. They have chocolate covered, powdered sugar, cinnamon and sugar covered, and even glazed.

[luddite]

Crystal and Celebrity have fantastic donuts. They have chocolate covered, powdered sugar, cinnamon and sugar covered, and even glazed.

 

Yeast donuts, fried in oil? Wow. I've never seen 'em. I do admit that I don't eat from buffets and maybe that has a bearing. I've not seen 'em in a MDR. Ah well.

Say law vee.

They still like 'em. It's a thing that that don't really hafta store in the cabin.