Non-Cash Gifts for Staff

[BrandiGreg]

What has been the experience of anyone with giving of gifts to crew/staff? I know cash tips are pooled. How do they pool gifts? What gifts are most appreciated? Thanks

[Happy2cruise]

If you leave the auto tips on your onboard account, the crew member can keep any extra cash given them. If auto tips are removed, any extra cash is then pooled.

 

My opinion, cash is the most appreciated as they can do what they want/ need to with it.

Edited April 25, 2014 by Happy2cruise

[Spender Nui]

If you leave the auto tips on your onboard account, the crew member can keep any extra cash given them. If auto tips are removed, any extra cash is then pooled.

 

My opinion, cash is the most appreciated as they can do what they want/ need to with it.

 

I agree and that's what we do. I see cruisers post that they bring something from home, snacks, crafts, etc. They may feign appreciation but they are working on the ships for $$$$$ and that's the best way to reward them.

Edited April 25, 2014 by Spender Nui

[boaterette]

Since they all share cabins they have no room to put anything. Money is always appreciated.

[Ldyandrea]

I remember hearing that they appreciated getting DVD's which they could share amongst the crew, as well as magazines.

[Colo Cruiser]

My take is leave the trinkets home and give them cash. ;)

[cr8tiv1]

I am one of those that still brings a "token" of my appreciation on the first day. Be it foods from Hawaii or from Trader Joes. I know that a lot of the staff shop at Walmarts. I haven't given them a gift card from there, yet. I understand that cash gifts are appreciated, but always wondered if they had to "turn them in" too. I always bring consumable gifts. They work hard and I feel that they. then, don't need to use their money to purchase munchies.

 

I do leave a cash tip at the end of the cruise.

[USNUZULOOSE]

I guess if they get candy or snacks as gifts they could leave it in their break room for everyone to share. I have never done that. Maybe they would enjoy a little pack of mints or something to have in their pocket through out the day. But nothing bigger than that. I know I would appreciate that. Makes for fresh breath and something to snack on till I ate.

 

But we always leave cash for them as it is what is needed more than anything.

[Pam in CA]

If you leave the auto-tip on, they get to keep the extra cash tip. It's fine to give them something as long as it's in addition to as much cash as you would have given anyway. They much prefer cash and will smile and thank you for a non-cash gift but that's not what they really want. If they get cash, they can buy a CD they want to share with others. :)

[OCruisers]

Thing is ... they so most appreciate CA$H. When you leave the auto tip, they can keep any additional cash you give them as a tip.

 

LuLu

~~~

[cr8tiv1]

If you leave the auto-tip on, they get to keep the extra cash tip. It's fine to give them something as long as it's in addition to as much cash as you would have given anyway. They much prefer cash and will smile and thank you for a non-cash gift but that's not what they really want. If they get cash, they can buy a CD they want to share with others. :)

 

 

How does this work at the beginning of the cruise? Do they hand it over to someone I'd it is cash? What about gift cards? I'm not talking about the final tip. And my initial gift is not a bribe but a sincere thank you ahead of time. It's a local Hawaii thing.

[Starfish55]

Give cash. Then they can buy what they want.

[Pam in CA]

How does this work at the beginning of the cruise? Do they hand it over to someone I'd it is cash? What about gift cards? I'm not talking about the final tip. And my initial gift is not a bribe but a sincere thank you ahead of time. It's a local Hawaii thing.

Yup. They turn it in and if you keep the auto-tip on, they get to keep the cash. Don't know about gift cards. It wouldn't occur to me to tip for services not yet provided. Edited April 26, 2014 by Pam in CA

[Loonbeam]

Instead of bringing stuff on board they may not want or need, if your port schedule allows (or if you are on a back to back), offer to pick them up something in port. We've gotten laundry detergent, soda, candy and premium toilet paper for our stewards and servers in the past.

 

Other than that, cash.

 

As for tipping, from my (Updated!) FAQ:

 

Princess Hotel Charge (Auto-Tip) – Standard Policies

 

Official Princess standard guidelines as follows for ships other than those based in australia, however individual ship’s pursers have latitude to modify the process as appropriate for their ships.

 

1> The auto-tip added to your bill is pooled among dining servers and housekeeping and their support staff. If you remove the hotel charge any cash tips are put into the pool up to the pool amount. If you retain the hotel charge, the individual receives the additional amount. It is that individuals decision to ‘tip-out’ any support staff from the overage.

1a (added 4/25/14) – It has been reported that Princess now pools the hotel charge across ship classes in an effort to make things a little more consistent for crew members. A point system is in place that determines how gratuities are divided (the exact nature of the point system is not available). The individuals involved in the pool have not changed.

 

2> The 15% bar charge added to bills are pooled among the bar and bar support staff. I have not confirmed if this is across all bars or specific to venue. Cash tips given directly to a server or bartender are retained by that individual. Tip outs are at the discretion of the individual, tho most servers will feed a little back to the bartender, and the bartender often tips out to the support staff. It’s also not unheard of for bar staff to tip out a particularly productive server, hence the sometimes hard sell.

 

3> Casino tips are pooled among all dealers and cashiers (not sure if even split) and MUST be deposited in tip boxes by the dealer/host. Drink tips in the casino follow the rules above.

 

4> Servers in specialty restaurants receive a portion of the service charge (pooled). They would not tell me what this amount is. Additional tips may be kept or pooled depending on the policy at that particular venue and ship. There does not appear to be a corporate guideline for this.

 

5> Tips given to other activity/support staff (passenger services, kids programs, etc) are generally pooled by department but there is no set policy.

 

Again, I must stress these are Princess guidelines as confirmed by corporate, however specifics may vary from cruise to cruise based on ship operations policies. If you have questions on your cruise, the purser may be the best resource to ask.

 

ETA - I did make an exception to this once. I had bought a pair of boots for Alaska. Fit fine in the store, on the ship, not so much. I did leave them behind with a note saying - worn for 10 mins, please give them a good home. They were good boots!

Edited April 26, 2014 by Loonbeam

[cr8tiv1]

Instead of bringing stuff on board they may not want or need, if your port schedule allows (or if you are on a back to back), offer to pick them up something in port. We've gotten laundry detergent, soda, candy and premium toilet paper for our stewards and servers in the past.

 

This, too, makes a lot of sense. Thanks for the suggestions (and you too, Pam).

[DrivesLikeMario]

Last Christmas, I got quite a few things for our cabin steward ahead of time, wrapped them and gave them to him on the 25th. He didn't seem that excited but I had fun getting it all for him. I think the thing they appreciate the most other than cash is calling cards. They're hard to find though. Finally found them at a CVS store after getting blank stares from workers at numerous other stores ("What's that?" lol )

[PescadoAmarillo]

We gave our waiter a Vancouver cap as he is trying to secure permission for his wife and daughter and him to join his sister's family in living there. (thank you Rhonda for bringing it on board for me). He LOVED it, and wore it during all his Skype calls home to his wife in Macedonia. We always kept our autotip on, and tipped extra, so it was obviously a gift, not a tip.

 

We gave our assistant waiter a new baby card and cash as a gift (and wrote GIFT on the envelope) so he could purchase more internet time to hear and see his son over Skype every day. Again, autotips were in place and we tipped extra. He said he'd have no trouble treating the gift as just that.

 

And we purchased a candy bar for our room steward every turnaround day. He loved chocolate; we made sure he got some to cope with turnarounds. No issue there, either, and he said it never made it further than the housekeeping locker he worked out of down the hall before it was eaten.

 

We think that, sometimes, small gifts in addition to money, not in lieu of money, are a very nice touch.

Edited April 26, 2014 by PescadoAmarillo

[RickEk]

We've brought boxes of See's Candies lollypops that we've given to the Purser's desk, 'cause no one is tipping those folks and they get a ton of abuse. They do appreciate it...:)

[caribill]

Last Christmas, I got quite a few things for our cabin steward ahead of time, wrapped them and gave them to him on the 25th. He didn't seem that excited but I had fun getting it all for him. I think the thing they appreciate the most other than cash is calling cards.

 

Many of the crew have religions that do not celebrate Xmas so possibly that is why he was not excited.

 

Calling cards are not as important as they were in the past before most cruise members have personal computers or cell phones that can be used to keep in touch with family.

[jackieo]

In addition to auto tip and extra tip at end of cruise. If we are joining in NY. We go to Juniors and get a cheesecake for the bar staff we like to frequent. I always bring along paper plates and forks so they can have a little afternoon snack when the bar is less busy. This has always gone down well.

[tip]

Every few weeks these threads seem to pop up. There are posters who insist that the crew members really want bricabrac and trinkets despite the fact that folks have said over and over again, that they really appreciate CASH and positive comments on the survey cards. Despite all of this, some folks still want to purchase other stuff. It must make them feel good.:rolleyes:

[whitecap]

Every few weeks these threads seem to pop up. There are posters who insist that the crew members really want bricabrac and trinkets despite the fact that folks have said over and over again, that they really appreciate CASH and positive comments on the survey cards. Despite all of this, some folks still want to purchase other stuff. It must make them feel good.:rolleyes:

 

We sailed on Ruby Princess for 18 days in January during which we met and spoke often with a young wait staffer from Serbia. During our many conversations the subject of "magnets" came up and she said that when her time comes to be able to leave the ship, while in port, she gets a magnet from that port and has a nice collection. In April we were once again onboard the Ruby and continued our conversations with this young lady. Our first stop she was not able to leave the ship and we remembered that she had stated she had never been to the port, so we picked her up a magnet. Once back on board we ran into her and gave her the "trinket". She got tears in her eyes, hugged us both and couldn't say thank you enough. A small token of appreciation, trinket as you would call it, certainly appeared to make her day. Maybe it isn't always about "money" but just the thought that someone thought about them while ashore having fun. Take the time to talk to your room steward, wait staff and others and listen to what they have to say.

[EddieCruzer]

I am one of those that still brings a "token" of my appreciation on the first day. Be it foods from Hawaii or from Trader Joes. I know that a lot of the staff shop at Walmarts. I haven't given them a gift card from there, yet. I understand that cash gifts are appreciated, but always wondered if they had to "turn them in" too. I always bring consumable gifts. They work hard and I feel that they. then, don't need to use their money to purchase munchies.

 

I do leave a cash tip at the end of the cruise.

 

These type of gifts wind up in the trash as soon as you are out of sight. The crew are there for the almighty dollar.

[swedish weave]

My experience with small gifts is totally different from many of you who insist that "cash is king".

 

Each time I have given an item to one of the crew, many others see it and soon they are all asking if they can have one or more. Of course, the answer is YES.

 

I have even had officers tell me they knew I was onboard because they saw the "kids" wearing the items I had given them.

 

YOU can give all the cash you want, but I will continue to take the items I know they like.

[Colo Cruiser]

My experience with small gifts is totally different from many of you who insist that "cash is king".

 

Each time I have given an item to one of the crew, many others see it and soon they are all asking if they can have one or more. Of course, the answer is YES.

 

I have even had officers tell me they knew I was onboard because they saw the "kids" wearing the items I had given them.

 

YOU can give all the cash you want, but I will continue to take the items I know they like.

 

I agree, however there are some that think they are being smart and doing the crew a favor by substituting trinkets for tips. :(