Alternative tips for staff

[GalFitness19]

I'm going in a seven day cruise & plan to purchase 7 candy bars. Inside the wrapper will be a $5 bill. One for each day. In addition to the tip that is auto-added to the bill. I stole this idea a few years ago & it went over well.

[texast518]

You give them third hand dirty clothes? How crude and disgusting.

 

You could also leave your toothbrush and half used toothpaste as well.

 

I'm glad my boss pays me in cash.

 

YOU are sooo smart (half a word), thanks for the ideas. I would fly them home on the Gulfstream 4, but schedules don't match.

Edited February 21, 2015 by texast518

[thinfool]

I think that as long as the gift is perishable (chocolate) or useful (toiletries etc) then theres no problem. We all like extra money but sometimes, just sometimes when home is a long way away a little personal gift may be welcomed. I remember on our recent cruise a couple from Portugal said they left a bottle of hot sauce from Costa Rica for their cabin steward as he joked the ships food was a little bland sometimes...a nice touch.

 

 

They may have some discretion here, but my take is that they bag it all up and throw it away.

 

Would you eat food items or use toiletries from a stranger?

[Velvetwater]

They may have some discretion here, but my take is that they bag it all up and throw it away.

 

Would you eat food items or use toiletries from a stranger?

 

 

Sealed and new...absolutely I would and have.

 

I get gifts at the end of the academic year and Christmas time in my job and some of the families I do not know well at all.

Edited February 21, 2015 by Velvetwater

[meatloafsfan]

Hi cruisers. Recently DH and I had a conversation with my MIL/FIL re tipping staff aboard the ships. We usually give additional cash tips individually but the in-laws said that they have alternative tips such as candy and calling cards from the 99 cent store. I understand why those would be welcomed by the staff but am not comfortable with the idea just yet.

Opinions/Suggestions. GO!

 

 

 

BTW I started a thread earlier tonight and haven't seen it in the feed so I apologize if this comes through as a duplicate :)

 

I would really dislike it if I received an "alternative" paycheck.

 

I've given chocolate and alcohol to our servers or stateroom attendants before but it wasn't planned or in replacement of an additional tip. It was usually that we purchased too much/brought too much and didn't want to bring the stuff home.

[fireofficer5]

I give cash AND my shirts I wear on the cruise, t-shirts, button- up, etc . They appreciate & I don't have to pack. I usually get some of these items @ thrift stores real cheap, good stuff.

 

I have never seen a crewmember that was size XXXL.:p

 

Also, My opinion.

Tipping is only cash. Tradition.

Around the end of the year, there's another tradition, the Holidays.

 

That's when you give a gift, be it a bottle of booze for the Refuse haulers, cookies for your neighborhood

firefighters, etc.....

 

 

The boys and I have a lot of cookies, cakes and those tins of popcorn.

Edited February 21, 2015 by fireofficer5

[texast518]

I have never seen a crewmember that was size XXXL.:p

 

Also, My opinion.

Tipping is only cash. Tradition.

Around the end of the year, there's another tradition, the Holidays.

 

That's when you give a gift, be it a bottle of booze for the Refuse haulers, cookies for your neighborhood

firefighters, etc.....

 

 

The boys and I have a lot of cookies, cakes and those tins of popcorn.

 

Well, I'm not XXX like you, as it said in my post I give CASH, to each his own, that's why they sell Fords & Rolls Royce. You r the first person to ever tell me when I should gift, onward & upward. Respect your opinion.

[hotsauce126]

I really don't think anybody would particularly like anyone to be cute with their tipping. They're working a job, they're not children.

[Purvis1231]

So you literally give the ships staff the shirt off your back :D

 

Some of the staff are great at faking.

[katiel53]

.

 

If I were a room steward I would be a little insulted that people would think money was the only language I understood.

 

Sorry, but I disagree with you. As mentioned previously most of them have people back home they are supporting and their paychecks go directly into a bank account for them. When the crew get the extra cash, THEY buy the thing THEY want for themselves, ie candy etc.

 

I know cash is what they appreciate most.

[Bobby_Mac]

Ask MIL if she would like to get paid every two weeks with candy and happy meals coupons instead of a check. Maybe pay the electric bill with bags of Doritos.

[crosstown1]

Not sure if anyone here is familiar with "Where's George", but it's a website that you can track U.S. currency as it travels. So I always tip extra in cash, stamped with the "Where's George" information and note on the website that it was spent on the cruise. Whenever someone else finds the bill, and enters it on the website, I make a donation to the local animal shelter, so this way the crew get something they need, as well as dogs and cats that are waiting for their fur-ever homes.....

[dmdiver]

I used to do the Where's George thing - just don't do it anymore. It's fun, though, and I'm always surprised when I get an email regarding one of my bills.

[SMSACE6]

They appreciate cash! plain and simple, and it does not have to be lots of cash, just cash, whatever you wish to give over and above your prepaid or auto charged tips. Cash, that it is....and well smiles are always well recieved too:)

[kybluecruiser]

I agree that they should be given money. However if i remeber correctly from my behind the fun tour. I think they do use calling cards. That is the reason you will see pay phones at ports of call near the cruise ships. Could you imagine the cost of calling back to Indonesia or the Philippines

[firemanbobswife]

I agree that they should be given money. However if i remeber correctly from my behind the fun tour. I think they do use calling cards. That is the reason you will see pay phones at ports of call near the cruise ships. Could you imagine the cost of calling back to Indonesia or the Philippines

 

It's free via various internet apps such as Skype, etc. That's why you will see a lot of crew huddled around wi-fi spots on land. They also buy prepaid American cell phones with International plans and can call home when in a US port like St Thomas, Puerto Rico, etc. Trust me - calling cards have gone the way of the dinosaur.

Edited February 22, 2015 by firemanbobswife

[Rena921]

I agree that they should be given money. However if i remeber correctly from my behind the fun tour. I think they do use calling cards. That is the reason you will see pay phones at ports of call near the cruise ships. Could you imagine the cost of calling back to Indonesia or the Philippines

 

Go to a bar or cafe near the cruise ship on any of the islands/ports and the crew members will be skyping. No one puses a calling card anymore.

[sarahlfiles]

Not sure if anyone here is familiar with "Where's George", but it's a website that you can track U.S. currency as it travels. So I always tip extra in cash, stamped with the "Where's George" information and note on the website that it was spent on the cruise. Whenever someone else finds the bill, and enters it on the website, I make a donation to the local animal shelter, so this way the crew get something they need, as well as dogs and cats that are waiting for their fur-ever homes.....

 

 

What a great idea! I love this :)

[kybluecruiser]

It's free via various internet apps such as Skype, etc. That's why you will see a lot of crew huddled around wi-fi spots on land. They also buy prepaid American cell phones with International plans and can call home when in a US port like St Thomas, Puerto Rico, etc. Trust me - calling cards have gone the way of the dinosaur.

 

Go to a bar or cafe near the cruise ship on any of the islands/ports and the crew members will be skyping. No one puses a calling card anymore.

 

True but not all the crew have devices to Skype. And as outdated as phone cards seem to us. Some of the crew do still use them. I agree with everybody else. Give them MONEY!!! Lol but i remeber the behind the fun tour guide saying they use phone cards and i believe they even sell them in the crew area.

[firemanbobswife]

True but not all the crew have devices to Skype. And as outdated as phone cards seem to us. Some of the crew do still use them. I agree with everybody else. Give them MONEY!!! Lol but i remeber the behind the fun tour guide saying they use phone cards and i believe they even sell them in the crew area.

 

They can Skype from computers onboard (at which they get a reduced rate on internet minutes), and you would be surprised at how many crew actually have devices like that. It is much cheaper for them to buy them in the US vs at home. Besides, you can get a smart GoPhone for like $20.

 

Maybe a few still use phone cards, but I'm willing to bet that for the most part, any given to the crew probably go in the trash.

 

But I do agree - cash is king!

[cruzincurt]

I agree that they should be given money. However if i remeber correctly from my behind the fun tour. I think they do use calling cards. That is the reason you will see pay phones at ports of call near the cruise ships. Could you imagine the cost of calling back to Indonesia or the Philippines

If you give them cash, they can buy their own phone cards.

[kybluecruiser]

If you give them cash, they can buy their own phone cards.

 

I wasnt saying to give them phone cards. I was just saying that some do use them. I think they should be tipped in cash.

[Savlamara]

I always tip in cash and bring $200 in singles and $5 bills so I don't run out during my cruise.

 

Honestly I'm just happy to read people tip at all. I'm all but soured on my roll call where they keep reminding each other to remove automatic gratuities by the 2nd cruise day. No bad service, they just all claim they will tip in person. Who cares about all the behind the scenes people they don't see who work hard? Just disgusting.

[cb at sea]

Why do you work? For "trinkets" or money. My bet is on money. Give them additional cash if you want to...let them get what THEY want.

 

When you're at a hotel or restaurant, do you bring "stuff" for those you're supposed to tip?

 

Didn't think so! Just give them more money...it's what they want

[swedish weave]

I see all the comments about crew being "them" or "they" as if the entire crew has no individual tastes or desires. These people are not single minded puppets.

 

My experiences have been very much different from a lot of you because I do take gifts for some of the crew members and many remember it.

 

A recent exlample on the Crown Princess, a waitress was wearing an item I gave her three years ago on another Princess ship. She remembered when I gave it to her and asked how my wife was doing--calling her by name. It isn't all about money for many of the crew members I know.

 

Some of you comment that they are not "kids". We know a lot of crew menbers who call us Mom and Dad, so again, I reiterate -- Crew members are not single minded puppets.

Edited February 22, 2015 by swedish weave