gift bag ideas, crew appreciation

[Lady Arwen]

23 minutes ago, wowzz said:

Yes, of course they will remember you, but probably not in a good way! 

I honestly believe that some people don’t realize how insulting it is to give someone an inappropriate gift.  The crew must feel demoralized when handed a magnet, or socks or other totally unwanted “gifts”.  They’re forced to show gratitude and good manners, which makes the giver feel good, but the receiver, not so much. 
We leave on auto gratuities, give extra in cash, give them a high rating on their comment cards and we give them the gift of time.  We tell them on embarkation day that we only require their service in the morning.  We keep our cabin neat and tidy. And, every few days, we give them the entire day off.  We’re totally capable of taking care of ourselves and it gives our room steward extra time for themselves.  Our last Celebrity cruise we talked to our neighbours on either side of us and they did the same.  You can’t imagine how much they appreciate that small gesture of kindness.  We’re not looking to be remembered or called by name on future cruises, just to feel important.  It’s about them, not us.

[FrankieJayIII]

after filtering through all the good ideas.

 

cash, visa gift cards,  time and chocolates seem to be clear winners.

 

the argued but still nice-  socks, magnets,  cigarettes and preparation H

 

either way/  have a good cruise everyone 

[roadster08]

5 hours ago, david63 said:

That is a concept that I am having a problem with. Having Googled it apparently it is bits of paper and chunks of metal that people back in the day used to exchange for goods - I doubt that it will ever catch on🤣🤣

 

Seriously I think this shows another divide between the US and many other countries. For all its perceived progression the US is backward in many respects - especially where money is concerned. Last time I was in the US (2019) there were virtually no places that used contactless payments yet in the UK almost everywhere accepts them and in New Zealand they have been virtually cash free way before the UK.

The reason cash is still an option in the US is because unfortunately, there are still many who are unbanked. Bank accounts require a social security number that the  undocumented don't legally have, and banking fees are expensive unless you maintain a certain minimum balance at all times.

 

My posts often contain dry humor but this one is 100% serious. 

[david63]

Perhaps one idea to give as gift would be a card reader so that instead of all this cash business you could just swipe your CC whenever you wanted to give them some money!!

[FrankieJayIII]

52 minutes ago, david63 said:

Perhaps one idea to give as gift would be a card reader so that instead of all this cash business you could just swipe your CC whenever you wanted to give them some money!!

i dang near want to get one for myself. 

 

but that's what we have venmo for 

[555]

2 hours ago, wowzz said:

Yes, of course they will remember you, but probably not in a good way! 

You would be surprised. Many have even given us their tel. number to find out when we'll next be on the ship. 

[RD64]

2 hours ago, Bedruthen said:

Am off to buy a dozen fridge magnets, 6 pairs of novelty socks and a handful of pens. That should cheer the crew up no end. 
 

Don’t forgot the baseball caps from your hometown!

[Paula_MacFan]

12 minutes ago, 555 said:

You would be surprised. Many have even given us their tel. number to find out when we'll next be on the ship. 

I find this level of familiarity bizarre.  I would never dream of sharing phone numbers with my housekeeper at the Holiday Inn so we can keep in touch until my next stay.  

[Colorado Coasty]

13 hours ago, Thrak said:

 

I found your posts to be very "tongue in cheek" but apparently others didn't see them that way. Ah, well. Text is really such a poor medium for many types of communication. Rest assured that at least one person understood your posts to be in jest.

I was tempted to say that my steward felt better in the end but I knew it would  just go over many heads.

[c-boy]

10 minutes ago, Colorado Coasty said:

I was tempted to say that my steward felt better in the end but I knew it would  just go over many heads.

😆 I see what you did there

Edited March 26, 2023 by c-boy

[Colorado Coasty]

22 minutes ago, c-boy said:

😆 I see what you did there

Good, you won't be the butt of the joke.

[donaldsc]

20 hours ago, KarmaCruisers said:

If you want to tip; give Visa gift cards..the railroad…sorry I mean cruise line can’t take that away in taxes

(yes your cash tips are turned in and taxed before being split amongst the entire fleet)

 

Instead of Visa gift cards how about used up NYC subway ride cards.  The crew will think that they are getting something that is worth something until they try to use it and they will not cost you anything.  Seriously now - the crew members are not your friends.  They will never be your friends.  Assuming you behave yourself and treat them with respect and are not a total pain they will forget about you in a few weeks because they are now dealing with a new set of people.  That is the way it is and if you want to delude yourself and feel otherwise that is your choice.

 

DON

[donaldsc]

18 hours ago, Incognito1 said:

If you interact with that server once, then no.  But I do give my bank teller and our favorite restaurant server a gift at Christmas.  The comparison is not valid.  Gifts are just that - gifts.  They should be accepted graciously -- even if they're pajamas from your grandmother that are meant for an 8 year old when you're 22.

 

Server I can see.  Bank teller assuming you actually go into the bank - does she give you 3 fifties for a $100 bill?

 

DON

[tinawhitecar]

I worked Front Desk at a hotel for many years.   Cash was always king but edible items were fun and thoughtful.  Any homemade food item was trashed immediately.  If I was gifted an item like a scarf/clothing, I would immediately bring to a Consignment shop to cash it in.  

[sunviking90]

This thread has provided me with a lot of amusement. It reminds me a little of one a few years ago (not sure which cruiseline) where someone posted that they like to bring their “pre-loved” clothing and shoes as donations for the crew. Yikes!

[Ragdollbd]

They really don't make a lot of money for the hours they put in and usually send their pay check home.  I was on a ship and the crew told us they buy what items they need on amazon and it is shipped to their home port like a post office.  The ship I was on was home ported in St. Thomas.  If you give them visa/cash gift cards they can buy what they need.  Cash is great too as they can use it for bartering or crew store.  I always ask if there is anything they need in port also.  Most times they say nothing.

[Lady Arwen]

9 hours ago, david63 said:

That is a concept that I am having a problem with. Having Googled it apparently it is bits of paper and chunks of metal that people back in the day used to exchange for goods - I doubt that it will ever catch on🤣🤣

 

Seriously I think this shows another divide between the US and many other countries. For all its perceived progression the US is backward in many respects - especially where money is concerned. Last time I was in the US (2019) there were virtually no places that used contactless payments yet in the UK almost everywhere accepts them and in New Zealand they have been virtually cash free way before the UK.

We’re the same in Canada.  Tap and go!  I can’t remember the last time I had to sign a credit card receipt.  Cash?  Why would anyone use cash these days?  Thank goodness the UK,  New Zealand and Canada are utilizing available technology.

[Incognito1]

9 hours ago, wowzz said:

No, I do all of that through internet banking. 

And what is that thing you call "cash"! 

It's that thing that staves off Central Bank Digital Currencies.

 

(I am purposely staying away from politics, but you can do your own research.)

[555]

4 hours ago, Paula_MacFan said:

I find this level of familiarity bizarre.  I would never dream of sharing phone numbers with my housekeeper at the Holiday Inn so we can keep in touch until my next stay.  

They were very grateful for the unexpected gift I shared with them and knew when we cruised again, I would do likewise. 

[DallasGuy75219]

On 3/25/2023 at 12:30 PM, Colorado Coasty said:

It's true, I even picked up some Preparation H for him in one port.

 

17 hours ago, Thrak said:

 

I found your posts to be very "tongue in cheek" but apparently others didn't see them that way. Ah, well. Text is really such a poor medium for many types of communication. Rest assured that at least one person understood your posts to be in jest.

 

4 hours ago, Colorado Coasty said:

I was tempted to say that my steward felt better in the end but I knew it would  just go over many heads.

 

3 hours ago, Colorado Coasty said:

Good, you won't be the butt of the joke.

This thread is becoming asinine. 

[wowzz]

3 hours ago, Incognito1 said:

It's that thing that staves off Central Bank Digital Currencies.

Nothing to do with digital currencies. 

Just using credit/debit cards for all transactions. 

Even tradesmen doing odd jobs will accept card payments,  using a mobile card reader.  

[Incognito1]

7 minutes ago, wowzz said:

Nothing to do with digital currencies. 

Just using credit/debit cards for all transactions. 

Even tradesmen doing odd jobs will accept card payments,  using a mobile card reader.  

If you don't see it, that's fine.  I do realize you're in the UK, not the USA, and I think that makes a difference.

[wowzz]

1 hour ago, Incognito1 said:

If you don't see it, that's fine.  I do realize you're in the UK, not the USA, and I think that makes a difference.

Indeed - but as previously mentioned, the US does seem to be way behind in personal banking technology. 

Just because some people cannot have bank accounts does not mean that the rest cannot use modern cash free banking services.

[Thrak]

10 hours ago, roadster08 said:

The reason cash is still an option in the US is because unfortunately, there are still many who are unbanked. Bank accounts require a social security number that the  undocumented don't legally have, and banking fees are expensive unless you maintain a certain minimum balance at all times.

 

My posts often contain dry humor but this one is 100% serious. 

 

I'm not really setup to accept $8,500 electronically. Yes, I know I can do it but many people don't know how or are uncomfortable doing so. In general, pretty much everything goes on my credit card and I generally just use my phone rather than getting the card out of my wallet. I don't use my credit card for gas - I use my ATM card - because most places around here charge an extra 10¢ per gallon for credit. Other than gas (and my utility bill which I pay online using my bank card - they charge a fee for credit) everything goes on the card. This includes groceries.

 

I carry cash for emergencies and have had it come in handy a couple of times but it seems a bit odd when I pay cash. When we visited Norway they pretty much didn't accept any form of cash. I believe it will be that way when we visit New Zealand as well. I'm not real clear on the situation in Australia but, as I said above, I use my credit account for pretty much anything so I would imagine we will be fine.

[Thrak]

2 hours ago, wowzz said:

Indeed - but as previously mentioned, the US does seem to be way behind in personal banking technology. 

Just because some people cannot have bank accounts does not mean that the rest cannot use modern cash free banking services.

 

I find it annoying that people who do home repairs and such don't have a simple card reader to attach to their phone but it seems the business owners are, as you said, still stuck in the past. Hopefully we can start to catch up one of these days. (It hasn't been that many years since we finally got chip and PIN cards rather than having to "swipe and sign". (I really don't know why they require a signature. It used to be so they could compare it to the signature on the back of the card but many people never sign their cards and I haven't seen anybody ask to compare the signature in about a zillion years. Most cashiers don't even know that's the reason one had to sign.)