Room host

[lilsonicfan]

Crew members have told us that the little gifts given by passengers make the passengers feel kind and generous (and the crew members are ALWAYS gracious!) but are basically just things they trash.

THIS. So much this. Giving something makes us feel good, but keep in mind that the crew may see something like 40-80 sets of passengers (times X number of cabins) in their 9 month contracts - if everyone gives them "something small", they would never be able to use it all or store it. I've seen videos of crew rooms on cruise ships - they are teeny tiny. Like two people sharing less than half of the smallest inside cabin. I would much rather give just the increased tip with a little card saying thank you. Our server thanked us for the extra tip we gave her and told us it was going straight home to support her daughter.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

At the 'risk' of being berated by DynamicDisneyDuo, may I point out that you should keep in mind WHY money is the BEST gift for cruise staff. Most of them are saving / sending money home to their families or saving for their future (house, education, etc.) when no longer on board.

In addition, they have many expenses on board including soft drinks, bottled water, snacks, alcoholic beverages, personal laundry service, internet service, toiletries, etc. That's why you see crew members heading to Target or Walmart when in port.

Crew members have told us that the little gifts given by passengers make the passengers feel kind and generous (and the crew members are ALWAYS gracious!) but are basically just things they trash.

Well said.

 

[DynamicDisneyDuo]

At the 'risk' of being berated by DynamicDisneyDuo

Excuse me? I have not berated anyone here. I was simply trying to prevent the usual spiral into incivility that these threads often experience.

It seems in doing so, I have brought about the very thing I tried to prevent. I'll bow out now but ask that people remain civil and not accuse people of doing things they have not and would not do.

 

[AquaDame]

Everyone gets to have and voice their opinions in a calm manner - can we keep this going in a more friendly tone please? OP already said they plan to overtip and comment nicely if it is warranted. Suggesting more tips/comment card (while, again, they agreed it is a good idea) is missing the point of the thread, isn't it?

 

[Cruising Engineer]

They borrowed my spare glasses on several of our trips:
]
I've found my glasses/sunglasses on the towel animals when returning to the stateroom at night. What a surprise.

 

[olafLover]

.

 

[DCL_Wonder]

Hi
Thinking of putting together something small for the host
Chocolate from uk
Pack of cards
Then I really am stuck. With not knowing male or female it’s even worse
Thanks

PS I will give extra tip and do comment card if good

They really like cash.

 

[mevelandry]

My answer will be boring (and redundant) but staff members spend months away from home in order to try to bring back money and give their family a good quality of life...

So the best gift, IMO, really is extra gratuity.

I would honestly not spend money on anything else.

 

[ladyofthetramp]

For us it is extra gratuity, but follow your heart. Across the board, no one really knows what someone may or may not like as a token of appreciation.

 

[AquaDame]

I think almost all of the posts have been calm and friendly with the exception of the one above yours.

But I disagree that the point of the thread is being missed. To use a rather extreme analogy, if someone asked what the best way to jump off the ship would be, and others chimed in to say, "Well, that's not a good idea", it would not be reasonable to say "Let's get this thread back on course and answer the OP's question". I think it is perfectly fair to advise the OP that his/her original thought of gifting items may not be a good idea.

I disagree - I didn't think anyone was being berated except @DynamicDisneyDuo since their comment wasn't pointed at anyone in particular so there was a little back and forth there. Enough that it was reported to us so of course I'm going to come in and say something since it wasn't all one sided. I assure you that if someone starts a dangerous and illegal thread that no, we wouldn't argue the merits of the conversation.

 

[All about me]

Hi Thinking of putting together something small for the host

After reading a a thread on tipping about a month ago, I spoke to a couple of people who have worked on cruise ships (not Disney, but P&O Princess pre-merger and Carnival post-merger). One thing they both said would be appreciated is a gift bag of necessities as these are not sold to them cheaply onboard (unlike booze) so they either have to pay ridiculous prices for them or waste part of their few precious hours in port purchasing them.

When you are working seven days a week with only a few hours off, time can be more precious than money.

 

[gotomu212]

After reading a a thread on tipping about a month ago, I spoke to a couple of people who have worked on cruise ships (not Disney, but P&O Princess pre-merger and Carnival post-merger). One thing they both said would be appreciated is a gift bag of necessities as these are not sold to them cheaply onboard (unlike booze) so they either have to pay ridiculous prices for them or waste part of their few precious hours in port purchasing them. When you are working seven days a week with only a few hours off, time can be more precious than money.

I just cannot imagine buying deodorant, shampoo, and toothpaste for someone I didn’t know. That seems like such a personal gift and one so dependent on personal tastes, and if you don’t know how much time they have on their contract (if you have 3 weeks left on your contract and someone gives you a full thing of shampoo I guess you just give it to a friend?)

I get that everyone’s heart is in the right place, I just don’t think people understand that even an extra $1 is significant. If you told me I’m going to give you $2 for shampoo or I’m going to go buy you a shampoo I’d tell you just give me the $2 so I can buy my own brand/something else/send it home where $2 goes further.

 

[Napoleon Dynamite]

We had a really great Stateroom Host last week on our 7 night cruise. He was just so awesome! Our room was immaculate, he engaged my kids when he saw them, and he went out of his way to straighten our shoes, wind our cords, etc. I tipped him extra and put his name on our comment card. He was very thankful for the extra tip!

 

[Yokelridesagain]

Only thing I have to add is that in my experience a large majority of the stateroom hosts are male, if that helps you with selection.

 

[Bonnie1222]

After reading this thread, I think if we are so inclined to do something besides our normal extra cash in their tip envelope, on our next cruise I will just ask my room host (or other cast members like my servers) if they need anything from Mega (Mexico's version of W-Mart). DH and I go first thing when we get to Cozumel to grab beer, snacks etc it would be easy to just pick up what they need.