Gifts as/in addition to Tips

[frugal one]

Interesting... I've read numerous times on numerous threads that folks give gifts in addition to tipping the staff.

 

Just a heads up to y'all... We received a gift from our room attendant (lovely journal) as well as our waiter (lovely necklace) on our Century cruise.

 

Wonder where they came from?

:rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

[tbelian]

Pretty cynical.

 

Whatever happened to the old saw 'it's the thought that counts' ...

 

geez.

[Cote d'or]

Well, if someone of you receives a box of Belgian chocolates : let me know....:)

[janetz]

So what is the point of this thread. :cool:

[cantwait2cruize]

I'm all for re-gifting:D

[rebeccalouise]

The point is that for anyone wondering about giving extra presents to the staff- remember that they really love extra money more.:)

[halos]

I'm all for re-gifting:D

 

:D funy!!!:D

 

and BTW...I'd love to be the recipient of the chocolates...Belgian or otherwise. :)

 

 

seriously though, I just give cash as tips....personally, I worked as a hairdresser & I don't think I'd have appreciated anything but cash myself.

[janetz]

Cash....is good. :D

[tuggers]

I saw someone on CC say they took a bottle of wine for their CS as a gift. I found that pretty weird. The crew is usually doing a very hard job with long hours for one reason - money. To give them a gift, when they live in extremely tight quarters and send every penny home, seems strange to me. The only thing I can see are the phone cards, but I've heard a waiter say that when people buy them in the states and bring them they mostly aren't any good in the ports. Besides, the ship obtains and sells phone cards to the staff and crew at a very good rate and they are usuable in the ports. Once again cash would be better. JMO.

[Andy]

I saw someone on CC say they took a bottle of wine for their CS as a gift. I found that pretty weird. The crew is usually doing a very hard job with long hours for one reason - money. To give them a gift, when they live in extremely tight quarters and send every penny home, seems strange to me. The only thing I can see are the phone cards, but I've heard a waiter say that when people buy them in the states and bring them they mostly aren't any good in the ports. Besides, the ship obtains and sells phone cards to the staff and crew at a very good rate and they are usuable in the ports. Once again cash would be better. JMO.

 

Totally agreed Gail. Cash is what they need, and is the most appreciated gift you can give any crew member.

[Desertbelle]

Yep, cash only here too. You can't possibly know your waiters and stewards well enough to even begin to pick out a gift they would truly appreciate.

 

Give them money and let them buy what they want. :)

[halos]

I saw someone on CC say they took a bottle of wine for their CS as a gift.

 

I learned the HARD way not to ever ever ever give alcohol to a person you don't know as a gift.

 

Every year when I was first married, I used to purchase bottles of wine as Christmas gifts for the mail carrier, the exterminator, the guy that mowed the lawn, etc....

Then after a few years of doing this I discovered that my exterminator was a recovering alcoholic.

Wanna talk about feeling horrible????

I never give wine as a gift to anyone I don't know personally any more.

[Tuna]

I agree with the others. Perhaps cash gifts are seen as vulgar among friends at home, but they're not really our friends, it's not our home. We are interacting with them at their place of work, and it's their livelihood.

 

Has anyone been offered a regifting of cash by a crew member? Nuff sed.:)

[halos]

Has anyone been offered a regifting of cash by a crew member? Nuff sed.:)

 

 

LOL!! :D

[m steve]

On a cruise to New Zealand we discussed our coffee pot with our waiter and he thought that it was a great idea so we gave him the pot, balance of the coffee and the filters as well as an extra $20 and we didn't have to lug it around NZ.

[slotaddict]

I agree with Tuggers, cash,cash, cash. The crew does live in very tight quarters and if everyone gave them a little gift, there would be no space for them in their room. I think that everyone means well, but very impractical.

[Bisous3]

On Christmas cruises I like to give calling cards to my cabin steward and his/her assistant as well as my waiter and assistant waiter. Last Century Xmas cruise I just handed our waiters my cell phone and said "call home". It was heartbreaking when they said they simply didn't have time.