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I understand tipping my Cabin Steward extra cash. Recently, I learned of giving the Stewards gifts on boarding day. I just did this on my most recent cruise. I gave a little gift bag of wrapped candies, toothpaste, tooth brushes, and cash. LOL - I figured if he did not like the candies, he could give them to female crew members. I know, sexist.
My question. What have folks given as 'gifts' to their Cabin Stewards? What was received positively?? or negatively?? Any input is appreciated. Thanks.
second time posting....Good for you!...Never could understand the point of screwing people you never met out of making a living. I think the folks who do that are either extraordinarily cheap, or think they're "getting over" on the lines, or had a bad experience so EVERYBODY pays for it. I wonder how many people do that, per cruise. I'm sure the cruise lines know...to the penny...we never will...
We’ve had mixed responses when it comes to the gratuity portion of our cruise costs.Do we leave it or remove it??
We quizzed a number of staff over many voyages and says one thing another says something else. So we’ve decided that gratuity stays and a personal envelope with a handwritten letter with cash goes to the folks who go the extra mile or three.
Seems like a win win situation ðð¢
Good for you...never could wrap my head around screwing those folks who work behind the scenes that you never meet...My original opine stands...People who do that are either extraordinarily cheap, think they're "getting over" on the cruise lines, or had a bad experience so EVERYBODY has to pay for it...I wonder just how many passengers "per cruise" do that? The lines obviously know, but we never will...
We’ve had mixed responses when it comes to the gratuity portion of our cruise costs.Do we leave it or remove it??
We quizzed a number of staff over many voyages and says one thing another says something else. So we’ve decided that gratuity stays and a personal envelope with a handwritten letter with cash goes to the folks who go the extra mile or three.
Seems like a win win situation ðð¢
(BTW, no envelopes for me..greasy ol greenbacks...right in their hands...or occassionally slid across the bar...the way it should be...)
Same. I much prefer seeing it go directly into their pocket. 
We were told on two recent cruises, one Carnival and one Holland America that if you designate the cash you give them as a "gift" it doesn't go into the pool, otherwise it does. We wrote on the envelopes that the cash was a gift to that person. Hope they got to keep it.
I'm sure they did...If it was to go into the pool, that means literally thousands of employees who work across many different brands on hundreds of ships would have to "turn it in"...in whole or in part....think about that. It just doesn't happen. Second...there would be no mechanism to track it, in any event...or keep it "secret"...not on that scale....The numbers you might add to the signed chits in restaurants or bars, for example, have to be entered, manually, so it all gets charged to your shipboard account. Eyeballing that number, on your device or cabin TV, will show you just how efficient they are when it comes to "your" money...or should I say, "their" money....
With all due respect, I don't understand who, or why, anyone would tell you that. If it was a Guest Services person, most of them are basically clueless when it comes to the inner workings of the tipping system. They're not involved. Besides, they work regular shifts at what is essentially a desk job....And if it WAS a service person who actually is in line to receive tips as part of their job, they might have been in a "CYA mode", or had greedy supervisors, who take part of their tips in order to let the poor steward or bartender keep his/her job...these aren't union people, the vast, overwhelming majority aren't American, and are trying to ship every $$ home...losing a plum cruise job because they didn't "KB" isn't in their DNA...fear is...I bet it happens all the time, almost every ship...its a very fertile ground for that kind of abuse..in a way, I'd also bet mgmt knows about it and looks the other way...keeps folks in line and working eh??
Either way, I started tipping on our first one, way back when, and refined it over the years. I have a "system" for lack of a better description, as I have learned lots of folks in here do too...I'd be interested to learn if any of the other "old hands" have heard about any of this.
(BTW, no envelopes for me..greasy ol greenbacks...right in their hands...or occassionally slid across the bar...the way it should be...)
We were told on two recent cruises, one Carnival and one Holland America that if you designate the cash you give them as a "gift" it doesn't go into the pool, otherwise it does. We wrote on the envelopes that the cash was a gift to that person. Hope they got to keep it.
This all started when cruising started back up after Covid shut them down. When cruising started back up Carnival workers could not get off the ships in port so they were having to spend their hard earned money on board at the stores to buy things and some were running out. So cruisers started making swag bags of necessaries items to help them out. As for extra tipping I do it throughout the cruise, I hand it to the worker who is taking good care of me and I do the gratuities at the end of the cruise. I also take candy, nuts and chips and snacks with me and at the end of the cruise I will give them to the room stewards if they would like them and have no allergies and they are more than happy. There is nothing vulgar or tacky making sure whoever took good care of you gets taken care of.
i hope they refunded you if you are being downgraded!
i just give cash directly to whoever provided great service. i like the idea of giving a little gift bag but i'm just not that creative on a ship. i would give something if i knew what an employee really liked i think that would be a nice thing to do.
When we sailed through the Panama Canal on a 23 day cruise, Our cabin steward became quite familiar with our needs, and serviced them accordingly, and well beyond the usual scope. We tipped him very well at the start and at the midway point of the cruise. We discovered that he had put 3 daughters through university and had the last one starting that year. On the last day we gave him our emergency cash fund, close to $400.00 U.S with the stipulation it goes for the books the girl will need to start the school year. What the biggest surprise was when three months later we received a letter from the daughter with a picture of her and a stack of books.
update, she has completed her pre med degree and is now studying in the US somewhere.
Sometimes it just feels good to do something like this.
THAT was absolutely epic....I bet it was worth every penny to you folks.....and to him....and certainly to her....WELL DONE!!!
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