Pretipping phone cards instead of $

[wildabouttheworld]

Has anyone ever heard of this? Our first cruise was Disney a few years ago. We will be sailing on Star Princess in April. On the Disney boards there was much discussion about pre-tipping and tipping with phone cards. We did it and the staff loved it. Much of the staff is a long way from home and they use the cards to call home while in various ports. We picked up a pack of AT&T 60 minute phone cards from Sams Club before our cruise and used them to tip in addition to $. They were much appreciated by all. I have not read anything on these boards about phone cards. It is a generally accepted method on Disney but not other cruise lines?

[BishCruiser]

I remember reading a couple of threads about it last spring in the NCL section. If I recall, the consensus was that phone cards in addition to cash is great, but not necessarily better than simply cash. Most people agreed that giving only phone cards and no cash would not be a good idea. You never really know the needs of any specific crew member, and while it is nice that the phone cards go directly to that person rather than into a big pool, cash is the preference for many.

[MsBlue]

Actually, this has been hashed around on the cruise boards for a long, long time. Lots of people give phone cards as an extra thank you to some of the ship's employees. Bear in mind, though, that you'll need to get the "international" phone cards. CASH is still the best extra you could give them.

[judytata11]

I've given them on RCI and X

[Seago2]

I have a friend (from India) who works on a Carnival ship. I have brought this issue up with him. He said they would much rather have cash. First of all, they do not get off at every port, to say the least, so there is not that much chance to use them. Second, the card has to be able to be used on a Caribbean Island as it is much more likely that they will get the chance to get off there than at their home port. Third, they all have regular internet access and use it much more than phones. Fourth, many of them have Us-based cell phones that they use when cruising into port, and those that don't use the phones of the ones that do. I have gotten many calls from him on someone else's phone.

 

I still think that the best thing to do is bring $100 in 1's to give to room service guys, bartenders, porters and local vendors. I also give a $20 to the cabin steward and waiter on the first night. I then give $50 to the waiter on the last night and the cabin steward- variable (keep in mind that I traveled with four kids last summer, so I tipped far more than I would normally).

[Cotton]

On many of the boards, you'll find hundreds of references to giving phone cards as "EXTRA" tips, over and beyond the automatic tips.

[joanne1]

All of the above suggestions are good and money should definitely be a first choice.

 

I don't know about the other cruise lines but our daughter works as a dancer for Princess, so they do not get tips, but all staff on the ships have access to phone cards on the ship - $20 for 2 hours of phone use directly from the ship.

[chasetf]

With cash, the recipient has more choices. Plus... you do not have to go buy the phone card...:D

[raina*faith]

I like this idea. My wait staff asked about this on our last cruise too.

 

thanks.

[melyant1]

I think that this is a great idea but the problem is is that there are certain cards for calling certain countries and it is difficult to know ahead of time exactly what kind to buy or where to buy it.It can be really difficult.My husband is from Mexico and once he bought a card from walmart and it only gave him 12 minutes for 10 dollars.This is a sad thing to happen and not much time to even say hi and they probably get more depressed.I say cash is best and then they can buy the appropriate card for their county they are calling.If you are in mexico and buy a card I think there are some you slide into the payphone for about 5 dollars and these give I think about 20 min to call to the US.So this could be a difficult gift to get right.

[pmfan]

With cash they can buy the kind of card they need or something else that is needed. More choices for them.

[KCcruisin07]

I think that this is a great idea but the problem is is that there are certain cards for calling certain countries and it is difficult to know ahead of time exactly what kind to buy or where to buy it.It can be really difficult.My husband is from Mexico and once he bought a card from walmart and it only gave him 12 minutes for 10 dollars.This is a sad thing to happen and not much time to even say hi and they probably get more depressed.I say cash is best and then they can buy the appropriate card for their county they are calling.If you are in mexico and buy a card I think there are some you slide into the payphone for about 5 dollars and these give I think about 20 min to call to the US.So this could be a difficult gift to get right.

Here is a site that lets you compare phone cards:

http://www.eecalling.com

I bought one because I kept calling and getting put on hold while making a reservation for the Uffizi in Florence. Sounds like a nice idea to give the server or steward one in addition to the tip. ;) Of course we won't know ahead of time where they want to call...

[Gathina]

I dated an NCL crewmember for many years and he said the same thing.

 

If you feel so obligated to do such a gesture, play it safe and give them cash. If they want a phone card bad enough then they can use it for that. They often know better than any passenger what kind of card and where to get it for the best rate.

 

A phone card should be a gesture above a generous tip. Better than a phone card is to write a letter to the company on their behalf..not the guest survey cards, I mean a REAL letter. That's what helps with promotions, etc.

 

Crew don't have alot of space for gifts, period and a phone card is too risky. Some gifts can be culturally misconstrued. The other thing I'll point out, from what I have seen from him, is that no matter what the gift is they will be polite and accept it so as to not offend. Some things simply end up in the trash or can't be useful.

 

But hey, MONEY speaks every language and every culture.

 

I think that this is a great idea but the problem is is that there are certain cards for calling certain countries and it is difficult to know ahead of time exactly what kind to buy or where to buy it.It can be really difficult.My husband is from Mexico and once he bought a card from walmart and it only gave him 12 minutes for 10 dollars.This is a sad thing to happen and not much time to even say hi and they probably get more depressed.I say cash is best and then they can buy the appropriate card for their county they are calling.If you are in mexico and buy a card I think there are some you slide into the payphone for about 5 dollars and these give I think about 20 min to call to the US.So this could be a difficult gift to get right.

[momofmeg]

I have been told the crew KNOW where to get the best deals on phone cards-much better deals than we get-so tip them a little extra instead-they come out ahead that way.

[mecarroll]

I, as you can see, have only been on one cruise. But I have worked for tips before so, I feel have enough experience to reply to this.

 

The folks on these ships work for these tips...and work hard. I don't know how much their base salary is, but I would venture to guess that the tips go a long way in supplementing that salary. Most cruises set a "guideline" for tipping and they rely on those "guidelines" to make a living.

 

I make a salary and I have a budget based on that salary. If my boss came to me one day and said that I am going to give you $x in calling cards instead of your regular salary, I would not be too happy. Calling cards will not put food on the table. Whether or not I need them, I was planning on getting $x. If I need to buy a phone card, I will go out and buy them. While their food, lodging, etc may be included as part of the job, they are probably either saving for something or sending this money back home.

 

Now, if I do a good job on something, my boss has the ability to give me a bonus. It's not something that I budget for or plan on. Its just something I get for doing a good job.

 

I think the same logic should apply when wanting to get phone cards. They should be given as a bonus. But, if a phone card cost $20, why not just give the steward, server, whatever the $20 you would have spent??? That way if they don't need a calling card but need shaving cream more, they can buy that.

 

Just my thought...

[Gathina]

The NCL guy I dated for many years said phone cards are good, but the ones you buy here don't always work in other ports and they know where to buy them. He also said passengers who do that in lieu of cash are cheap.

 

His recommendation back then was to give cash only and let the crew decide where to best buy the cards.

 

Actually, this has been hashed around on the cruise boards for a long, long time. Lots of people give phone cards as an extra thank you to some of the ship's employees. Bear in mind, though, that you'll need to get the "international" phone cards. CASH is still the best extra you could give them.

[momofmeg]

The NCL guy I dated for many years said phone cards are good, but the ones you buy here don't always work in other ports and they know where to buy them. He also said passengers who do that in lieu of cash are cheap.

 

His recommendation back then was to give cash only and let the crew decide where to best buy the cards.

 

Instead of giving them a phone card as "extra" over the tip, I simply give extra cash. If I want to do a more "friendly" gesture, I put the cash in a thank you card-instead of the white business envelope, and I top it with a couple of Hershey's kisses.

[Gathina]

I think that's a good idea too. I think the problem with giving a phone card or some other gift is that you run the risk of showing pity on the crew or insulting them. You have to remember that they look at Americans as being rich because they are on a cruise, and I've heard many a story of what some crew think of some of the passengers..and it's not always rosy. Remember they are paid to be kind to you whether they want to or not.

 

Money knows no cultural issues and always works. Sorta like a universal language!

 

Instead of giving them a phone card as "extra" over the tip, I simply give extra cash. If I want to do a more "friendly" gesture, I put the cash in a thank you card-instead of the white business envelope, and I top it with a couple of Hershey's kisses.