Candy for Cabin Stewards?

[Seavoyage]

Hi All -

 

Does anyone ever bring candy or a treat for the cabin stewards? Is that allowed? If so then what would you suggest?

 

Thank you!!

[Wakepatrol]

Hi All -

 

Does anyone ever bring candy or a treat for the cabin stewards? Is that allowed? If so then what would you suggest?

 

Thank you!!

 

 

They much prefer cash to candy:)

[Seavoyage]

Yes indeed Wakepatrol - thank you.:)

 

I meant in addition....

[sail7seas]

Cash is king. If you wish to give your steward something extra, give him/her cash to purchase what they want.

 

You won't know if it is Ramadan with dietary restrictions or if (s)he has a religious event which bars them from treats at the time or if they have health reasons to not eat candy etc

 

If you give them money, they can get what they need/desire. :)

[uppitycats]

Yes, we bring an extra treat: Cash, in addition to any service charge the cruise line suggests. And we take the time to fill out any survey cards or sheets if we've gotten exemplary service.

 

The crew has very limited space in their quarters. And very little need for candy or other trinkets. Cash is a wonderful all-purpose "thank you". If only a tiny percent of the vacationers brought candy, just think how much that would be, week after week!

 

On one occasion, however, we asked our steward if she knew about possible shopping locations at the next port. She did, and told us about several. In the course of her description she mentioned one store in particular and how much she liked a particular food item at that store, and how she looked forward to the return voyage when she would have the day off and could go shopping for it. We went to that store, found the item, and brought some back for her, much to her surprise and delight.

 

Otherwise...cash is always gratefully accepted.

[peaches from georgia]

Aside from candy, they also don't need t-shirts or other mementos from pax' hometowns. Those kind of items always come up in threads about gifts for crew.

[gerryl12]

Cash, Cash, Cash.

The crew has no use for sweets as they get all they need for free on the ship. Money they can send home, candy and tourist junk is not a treat for them.

[dobiemom]

Hi All -

 

Does anyone ever bring candy or a treat for the cabin stewards? Is that allowed? If so then what would you suggest?

 

Thank you!!

I bring a candy dish and fill it with Hershey kisses or other individually wrapped candies (candy canes at Christmas time). I then put a note in it that says "Help Yourself" or something. Just for a little pick-me-up when they service my cabin. :)

[sail7seas]

I bring a candy dish and fill it with Hershey kisses or other individually wrapped candies (candy canes at Christmas time). I then put a note in it that says "Help Yourself" or something. Just for a little pick-me-up when they service my cabin. :)

 

 

That's a lovely thing to do. :)

I wonder if any stewards actually do 'help themselves'. I hope they do as you clearly want them to. :)

 

I think I'll do that on our Maasdam cruises this summer where I don't have to worry about how much everything weighs for flying.

 

[Seavoyage]

I bring a candy dish and fill it with Hershey kisses or other individually wrapped candies (candy canes at Christmas time). I then put a note in it that says "Help Yourself" or something. Just for a little pick-me-up when they service my cabin. :)

 

That's a kind gesture and exactly what I was thinking!! I guess if they cannot eat it - they will pass.

 

We always tip above and beyond - I just want to do something different and thoughtful (like dobiemom does) to let the stewards know that we put thought into and appreciate what they do for us everyday....if anything maybe it will put a smile on their face...

 

:eek:Oh my gosh who would give a them a pax hometown t-shirt...too funny!! Here I got you this t-shirt!! :D That's a riot...

[sail7seas]

:rolleyes: :D You'd be surprised the folks who mean well but lug along t-shirts, key chains, mugs and whatever from their hometowns to give to the stewards. Their heart is in the right place but I can't imagine why they think the steward would have any use or want things from hometown U.S.A. :eek:

 

Paper souvernirs from the U.S. Mint with images of various former Presidents are first on the 'wish list'. :D

 

[erewhon]

During our last Trans Pacific Cruise, many of the crew told us that they were looking forward to visiting Dunedin, so they could visit the Cadbury Chocolate factory.

At the first NZ port we bought lots of chocolate and gave to them.

( Yes, we did give tips at the end of the cruise)

[tip]

Paper souvernirs from the U.S. Mint with images of various former Presidents are first on the 'wish list'. :D

 

 

You are right on target, me lad!;)

[Jean1946]

Last time we were on the Eurodam, we purchased t shirts from St Thomas for our favorite cruise worker for his 2 boys, along with some cash for him. He skyped the shirts to his boys and they were thrilled to see part of what he was taking them when he went home.

[Seago2]

Cash is king! I've seen threads where people want to being phone cards, but again- not practical. Who knows who has which provider or type of phone? Plus they all skype back home. Cash, cash, cash. Bring it early and often;)

[cruz chic]

 

:eek:Oh my gosh who would give a them a pax hometown t-shirt...too funny!! Here I got you this t-shirt!! :D That's a riot...

Back in the day before the HSC one of my table mates made a CD of all the pictures she took on the trip...no cash! I don't know that some people are thinking:rolleyes:.

[cavewoman]

of course we always tip generously, but at the end of every cruise I have always asked if the room steward wants anything I have used during the week, such as decorations for the door,magnets, etc. We have NEVER had anyone say no and they seem to LOVE it. Their spaces are small, but they love the decorating part or at least seem to.

 

I love the idea of candy too in a dish and will do so in a couple of months for our next trip.

 

Nina and Earl from Baltimore

[bermuda triangle]

If we have unopened snacks, soda, water, etc we will ask the cabin stewards if they would like them. Once it included a bottle of champagne which I won onboard. They too have to pay in the crew bar for soda and alcohol.

We always leave cash, but they seem so happy to have little extras!

Laura

[Cruiser4310]

Well, I could leave them pictures of me, priceless, or of my puppy, even better, but really why be a dope? Money honey, makes the world go around and the gods smile. Love ya, that's what you'll hear and it will be music in your ears. Have fun!

[Typhoon1]

The almighty American greenback.

 

Those stewards bust their tails on the ships, there's nothing they appreciate more than the American dollar.

[PathfinderEss]

We always give them cash but once at the beginning of our cruise I gave them one of those large bags of M&M's and they seem to be thrilled, then of course the cash at the end. I just wanted to do a little something extra..besides money.

[nothriver]

We will be on the Eurodam early in the summer; do the staff really care what currency we tip them in, considering they'll be in Europe all summer? Do we just assume the dollar is "almighty" because we are Americans? Why would the dollar be better than any other currency for an international crew?

[dot73]

The HAL stewards are amazing and I always tip extra. I know that they love treats that they won't spend their hard-earned money on so I spoil them on arrival at the ship. I usually arrive with a bag of pringle chips, chocolate covered almonds, and M&Ms. I've been told they are favourites among the room stewards. Before my last cruise, Walgreens had a sale on pringles and I ended up getting six of them in various flavours. One of the guys almost jumped for joy when he saw them. It's just a little treat on top of the daily hotel charge and cash to let them know how much they are appreciated.

[jhannah]

Why would the dollar be better than any other currency for an international crew?

Because that is the currency in which they are paid. They will not turn down any common currency you give them, though. They appreciate anything.

[FrankNJ]

We met a very nice lady and her husband from Florida on the Noordam a couple of years ago and the crew loved her . She made some kind of traditional Indonesian candy at home and brought it on the ship to give to the crew .

Made me think , "there really are still some very nice people out there " .