Cruise passengers have lots of ways to thank the crew members who give.them excellent service.
On many cruises, you might find a waiter, bartender or other service worker who takes special care of you. It's only natural to want to help out that worker, and there are multiple ways to do that.
A Royal Caribbean crew member, who identifies as SolAreiaLivros on Reddit, shared how passengers can take care of their favorite crew members.
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These rewards include, but are not limited to, giving out cash tips. Crew members certainly like cash, but there are many other ways to recognize them and help their careers.
"First things first: I wanna thank all cruisers that continue to cruise with Royal," SolAreiaLivros wrote. "You have no idea how many dreams you have helped make a reality. I am a Royal Caribbean crew, and my last few contracts were spent in Adventure, Allure, and Wonder, respectively."
Cash, the writer noted, remains king.
"Your cash tips, no matter how big or small, help us (most especially crews from 'developing' countries like myself) tremendously," they wrote. "We are paid a livable wage, and well! But every dollar is something extra we can bring back home to our families. But if you prefer not to tip, that is completely okay."
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Ways besides cash tips to help cruise-line crew members
While cash is the easiest way to recognize a crew member for good service, SolAreiaLivros posted, the first alternative, something that many service providers will ask you for, is to mention the crew staffer on the post-cruise survey.
Royal Caribbean sends an extensive survey to every passenger after every cruise. The results of those surveys affect crew perks, promotions and penalties.
Here are some other ways you can show your appreciation to crews that made your cruise extra special:
"Having our names mentioned in reviews/surveys earns us the following," the writer posted.
- Possibly a day off
- Possibly a VIC Card (Very Important Crew scratch card where you can claim prizes like free internet, free room service, a day off, discounts on the crew grocery, cash, etc)
- A sort of reward like a free dining experience to one of the specialty restaurants or a stay in a guest cabin for one cruise
- If mentioned enough times, we can get nominated to be Employee of the Month. Winning Employee of the Month has quite a sum of cash prize.
Crew members also like an actual thank you, SolAreiaLivros added.
"I have personally received small notes folded into fun shapes from guests and I still have them in my wallet to this day. Reading these notes from guests at the end of a long day of work makes all the hard work feel worth it," they shared.
Even little gestures matter.
"In a ship with 3000 crew members, a guest remembering us and calling us by our name makes us feel seen and appreciated," they wrote.
"As you all well know, we work onboard without days off, and days can be really long. You have no idea how a simple thank you can make a crew member’s day."
Be careful when giving gifts
Crew members can readily accept small gifts like chocolates, toiletries, and snacks. Any food items have to be in their original packaging and hand-made food products cannot be accepted.
In addition, some crew members also appreciate another item that has become popular onboard.
"Crew members that have little kids back home LOVE collecting ducks. My cousin whose dad also works for Royal grew up looking forward to receiving new duckies from her dad after every contract. Bath times aint complete without them! The more unique the ducks, the better," SolAreiaLivros added.
The Royal Caribbean crew member did share a warning for passengers looking to give crew members larger gifts.
"Please be very careful if you want to hand out gifts to crews as it may get us in trouble, most especially if it’s alcohol or a medium to large-sized gift or an item purchased from one of the shops onboard," they shared.
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That's because there are very specific rules regarding crew members and the onboard shops.
"We crew members cannot bring home any item from the shops unless we have the receipt. Another way to go about it is to find the manager of that department and let them know that you are going to give this certain gift to (insert name of crew), preferably in an area where CCTV is available," they added.
This gives the crew member receiving the gift proof that the item was a gift and not stolen.
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