Gifts for the cabin stewards?

[naxos]

We are sailing during the holidays and I remember there was a thread about this topic in the past and cannot find it. Any suggestions for some up-front gifts as we board? We gave some special candy gifts last time- but I would like some other ideas;

 

Thanks

[Cotton]

I did that for several cruises, but finally realized they really don't need nor have room for anything....except maybe those int'l phone cards.

 

I still take the mini-candy bars to leave for the cabin steward every morning, as well as hand one to the room service person, along with a tip - always brings a surprised smile!:)

 

Sorry, but be prepared for a barrage of folks telling you all they need is the extra money!!! There are a few on here that will jump on this post in a heartbeat, so I'm warning you in advance. Bottom line - do whatever you want to do.

[StephenJohnson]

Well, don't forget money is always the right color, and goes with everything.

But, as cotton said, please yourself.

[Happy ks]

We were on a Christmas cruise last year. On the last night, we gave the service personnel cash tips (extra for Christmas) in a Christmas card. I could not believe how happy they were to receive a Christmas card. We also gave our room attendant a bottle of wine, he was beaming.

 

I do think the extra cash is the most useful, but a small gift would certainly be appreciated. Keep in mind they do have extremely limited storage space. Perhaps a disposable camera and see if you can give them some onboard credit to have the film developed. I'm sure they would love to send home some pictures to their families. The international phone cards are a great gift for them also.

 

It's so nice of you to consider the feelings of the crew that serves you, I cannot imagine how hard it would be to be away from the family at Christmas.

[kitty9]

While it is thoughtful of you to want to give them a gift, it's not at all practical. They have very small rooms and they share it with another person and therefore they have very little room for gifts. Plus, shipping things home for them at the end of a contract is difficult and very expensive. Just think of it this way: what if ever person they serviced gave them a gift? What would they do with all that stuff? There's only so many t-shirts and caps they can wear and only so much candy they can eat. If you want to express your appreciation, cash is the best and most wanted gift of all. Many of these people are taking care of family back home and money is what they truly can use.

[Cotton]

Naxos, see what I mean? :rolleyes:

[JanetMarie]

For us, because their sole intent and purpose of working on a cruise ship is to make the almighty dollar, we prefer to give them a bit extra for their services.

[98Charlie]

We don't take extra gifts, per se. However, on our first cruise our room steward from Trinidad showed great appreciation for the two romance novels I gave her. Said reading American novels helps improve her English skills. Ever since I have taken paperbacks purchased at garage sales to read on the ship then find a crew member who wants them. Believe me, it's not hard to find someone and they can pass them around to other crew members when they're finished.

 

We always take a new spray bottle of Renuzit fabric deodorizer on every cruise to use in our cabin then leave it with the room steward when we leave. They seem to appreciate that as well. Doesn't sound like a great gift, but it's something extra outside of the extra tip we always leave as well.

[serene56]

I watched a show on tv about cruise crews... did you ever see their activities room? Did you know a crew member can get a beer for 75 cents in their activiites room? They also have an internet but I am not sure of the fee. We get charged 75c a minute and doubt very much if they are charged the same price. So you can see- the crew members can buy stuff a lot cheaper then what we can. The money that we spend buying them stuff can go a lot further if they got the same stuff themselves.

But I will add tht personally- I take a disposable camera and take pictures of my staff doing their jobs during the week. I take the camera and get it developed on the ship. I give each person their picture in a thank you card on the last night- they can send the pictures home to their families.

I also take the rag mags like Star and Enquirer- even People and when I am done I give it to a staff.

[jcanino]

We are sailing during the holidays and I remember there was a thread about this topic in the past and cannot find it. Any suggestions for some up-front gifts as we board? We gave some special candy gifts last time- but I would like some other ideas;

We were on a Disney Cruise Line Christmas cailing last year. We decided to bring along Christmas gifts for the wait staff and our cabin staff as well as any possible tablemates in the dining room. Although I am sure most of you think of Vermont when you hear about maple syrup. There is a big maple syrup business in Connecticut as well; and the town I live in has the only Maple Festival in the state. We brought along jugs of maple syrup produced in our town and put them in gift bags before handing them out on Christmas Day.

[naxos]

Thanks Cotton and all who replied. I am well aware that cash is appreciated. I was just looking for another small token to present when we board-I will continue to think about it and will post if I come up with a good idea.

 

Sometimed it is just the idea of a gift from passenger to satff that will be appreciated- not a substitution for a tip of course.

[mousemeat]

Just a reminder for international traveling that phone cards are only good in the country where they were purchased.

[kitty9]

Cotton, I'm sorry, but I take exception to your remarks. This is a forum to express opinions and unless they're against the terms of service, all opinions should be expressed. I'm sorry if you thought we "jumped on this in a heartbeat" but the OP asked for opinions, and that's just what we're doing.

 

I'll say it again: Crew members don't need gifts, no matter how well-intentioned, for many reasons, all of which have been stated very nicely here. If you, or anyone disagrees, then that's fine. But after doing 37 cruises on all the lines, I have been told by the crew members that I've met, that gifts, while appreciated for the thoughtfullness, aren't things they can truly use because of lack of storage space and because of the sheer numbers of passengers they take care of during their contract.

[Cotton]

Cotton, I'm sorry, but I take exception to your remarks. This is a forum to express opinions and unless they're against the terms of service, all opinions should be expressed. I'm sorry if you thought we "jumped on this in a heartbeat" but the OP asked for opinions, and that's just what we're doing.

 

I'll say it again: Crew members don't need gifts, no matter how well-intentioned, for many reasons, all of which have been stated very nicely here. If you, or anyone disagrees, then that's fine. But after doing 37 cruises on all the lines, I have been told by the crew members that I've met, that gifts, while appreciated for the thoughtfullness, aren't things they can truly use because of lack of storage space and because of the sheer numbers of passengers they take care of during their contract.

Kitty, no need to be sorry.;) Certainly, you have a right to express your thoughts, as I have to mine. I suppose, because I was one who was 'jumped on' so many times for giving the cabin steward what I thought were very nice little gifts (before I realized they have no room for anything), I wanted to uh, warn the OP that her good intentions would not bring the answers she was seeking. I NOW give (in addition to auto tips) my steward a little extra cash every day in lieu of gifts.

 

BUT, the little candy bars always bring a big smile anyway.:)