The right way to tip and show appreciation to crew members on a cruise are topics that are often debated among cruise passengers, especially those who engage in discussions on Carnival Cruise Line Brand Ambassador John Heald’s popular Facebook page.
Many cruisers appreciate the convenience of prepaid gratuities that are common these days. Most cruise lines encourage passengers to pay their tips for stateroom attendants and dining room servers up front so they don’t have to worry about these automatically added fees at the end of their cruise.
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But even if they prepay gratuities, cruise passengers often bring along extra cash on their cruises to reward crew members who provide exceptional service. Just how much to tip on a cruise is a question that’s often pondered, however.
To make tipping matters a little more complicated, especially for first-time cruisers, posts in cruise Facebook groups and discussions on John Heald’s Facebook page will often talk about gifts that passengers bring along for their stateroom attendants and other crew members.
For some cruisers, these kinds of discussions create confusion around what’s expected of passengers when it comes to showing appreciation to crew members.
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Image source: John Heald/Facebook
Carnival cruise passenger accuses John Heald of pushing crew gifts
“You have been talking about people buying gifts for the stateroom attendants and why are you putting such pressure on us to do this?” an unidentified passenger recently wrote to Heald. “It should be embarrassing for you and Carnival and certainly not a professional thing for a company spokesperson to do. I couldn’t imagine bringing a gift for someone who works on the ship. I think a tip, if warranted, is more than enough.”
In an effort to help clear up confusion around crew member gifts, the brand ambassador publicly addressed the concerned passenger’s message in a video posted on his Facebook page.
First, Heald wanted to clarify that he agrees that a tip is sufficient and that he does not pressure passengers to bring gifts for crew members.
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“There is no pressure and I don’t think in my years of doing this I’ve ever said you should buy your cabin attendant a gift,” the brand ambassador insisted. “This is me, John, and I’m saying yes, a gratuity is more than enough. You should not have to feel any pressure on buying the cabin attendant a gift.”
Heald explained, however, that bringing gifts for crew members is a common practice among Carnival passengers.
“I know a lot of people do and they do it because they love it. They love the crew,” he pointed out.
Carnival brand ambassador shares guidelines, advice for crew gifts
Heald also shared one important guideline to follow if you do choose to bring gifts for crew members.
“Please don’t bring any baked goods — anything you bring from home that you’ve baked,” he urged. “Please don’t give it to them, because they either will not accept it or, if they do, they will discard it because we don’t allow crew members to take anything that is not wrapped in the original factory [packaging].”
If you want to gift something to your stateroom attendant or other crew members, Heald suggested a few things that they tend to really enjoy receiving from passengers.
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“They love to have something from where you are — something to remember you by,” Heald pointed out. “And often that’s coming through a baseball cap with perhaps your sports team on it — they love that…a key ring, something that is personal to you.”
Heald reiterated, though, that passengers should not feel pressured to gift any of these items.
“There is no pressure. So many people do because they think it’s a wonderful thing to do. And you know why? Because Carnival has the most wonderful guests — the best guests in the world of cruising sailing on our ships — and I’m talking about you, and I’m very grateful,” Heald noted.
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