Cruise crew are the foundation of any cruise holiday. How can holidaymakers show their appreciation?
One Reddit user wrote: “When I go on cruises I like to make sure that the crew know that I appreciate them and understand how hard they work.
“I see way too many passengers treat them like trash and I always try to be the guy they all enjoy having onboard.
“In the past I have left handwritten thank you notes, candy and chocolates and just been kind and low maintenance.”
Another passenger advised: “Find their supervisor and thank them directly. We got above and beyond service from our room steward one time and wrote a letter to his supervisor while still on board.
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“The next day he thanked us and said he’d gotten a bonus for the cruise. It was well-deserved for sure.
“Don’t wait until after the cruise is over to praise them by name.”
An ex-crew member added: “It’s definitely a nice thing to do. I used to work on a medium sized cruise ship as a chef for a couple of years.”
However, the former cruise chef said there was one thing passengers do that they found “irritating”.
They said: “During the last day of each cruise they would hold a short farewell party and all crew were supposed to be present for it.
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“Guests think we appreciate it and enjoy it. That is not the case at all, it’s both embarrassing and irritating.
“We were all exhausted as it is and really had much better things to do with our time.
“Please tip them and if you really see a crew member go out of their way to give you the best experience at least let their supervisors know.”
While some passengers like to bring trinkets for their crew, one guest thought the cash was the only good tip.
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They said: “I get years ago it used to be a fun, nice gesture, but bringing curios or candy or small trinkets you “think” your room steward might like is nowhere near as good of a gift as cash.
“Even better, give them the candy AND cash, then you are ok, but most importantly, cash is king and that is the only true way you make someone feel valued because you are putting a monetary value as a gesture.”
Many guests said that passengers should take 10 minutes at the end of the cruise to fill out a survey and recognise good crew by name.
This could help crew to get a sought after promotion, a bonus or well deserved praise from their management team.
Cruise crew often come from all over the world with many staff spending a long time away from family and friends.
A passenger said: “Learn how to say “thank you” in their native language. I was absolutely floored how happy that made some crew members.”
Another added: “It sounds to me like small-talk and thank yous are fine, but can be an inconvenience when they are busy.
“Notes end up in the trash. If you appreciate someone, tip them with cash.”
