The Best Way To Thank Your Cruise Cabin Steward And Make Their Day

There's something uniquely indulgent about cruises. Maybe you hop aboard a ship with water slides headed to warmer Caribbean waters or opt for an Arctic excursion where you peer out at icy landscapes from the deck. Either way, successful cruises require a Herculean effort from staff. For Royal Caribbean International's monstrously huge Allure of the Seas ship, Cruise Watch cites a staggering crew number of 2,384 — basically a medieval town. Even river ships like AmaLea have over twice the number of staff per number of passengers. But for your personal cruise experience, there's one individual above all else who impacts your daily goings-on: your steward, the go-to person for keeping your cabin spotless and cozy. Exchanging verbal pleasantries with your steward is one thing, but showing gratitude will make everyone happier, all around, including you.

It's important to understand that stewards don't just change your sheets and fluff your pillow. Job applications for the role cite a list of duties as long as your arm and require extensive experience just to apply. Having a good steward can make or break your time on a cruise, especially if you have special requests or something in your room breaks. Cruises are also typically much longer than a one- or two-day hotel stay. You'll likely get to know your steward and develop a friendly relationship together. For all these reasons, and more, you can thank your steward with a gift, leave a handwritten thank you note, write a shout-out to the steward's boss, and (maybe most critically) keep your space clean.

Falling somewhere between a no-brainer and a lesson you'd teach your kids, cruise expert sites like Cruise Radio and Cruise Fever concur on an excellent way to thank your steward: Don't trash your room. Keeping your room a mess and thoughtlessly making your steward's life harder because "Hey, it's their job," or something like that, is the worst kind of attitude to have. This doesn't mean you can't have a towel tossed over the shower rod or leave an empty bottle of water hanging around. A certain level of cabin use is normal and expected. But don't be the person that employees roll their eyes about when you're not around. Being tidy is the most tacitly thankful thing you could do on a cruise. The steward will notice, have no doubt. 

You can even go one step further and befriend your steward to show your appreciation. A steward is almost like a personal assistant to passengers who accepts requests and greets you in the morning, so you'll likely get to know them over the course of your stay. They'll do your laundry, ironing, vacuum, clean the shower — all the stuff that no one ever wants to do. So be polite and be respectful. It's an easy and free gesture of thanks that goes a long way.

This recommendation is a bit more on the personal side of things and takes some effort, but it will pay off when you see the look on your steward's face when you give them a gift. There's a bit of tact and strategy involved, largely because stewards live in tiny quarters for the entire cruise. This means that big gifts are off the table because there's not enough room to store them — no giant stuffed bears, please. Other, firsthand accounts from experienced travelers on a Cruiseline forum say that stewards are sometimes not allowed to leave ships even while at port and have to make do with limited supplies. It's best to give them something practical that might seem trite at first but goes a long way: toiletries and snacks. This means packs of much-needed soap, a pair of socks or two, some chocolate, noodle cups, etc. All these items are perfectly good choices for gifts. 

That being said, you can still opt for something a bit more upscale, like a bottle of wine. Furthermore, what's stopping you from starting a conversation with a steward about their likes and dislikes and buying a gift accordingly? Bear in mind that some cruises have rules regarding what can be exchanged between guests and staff – you don't want your good intentions to get anyone in trouble. Also, if you leave a gift for a steward in your cabin, make sure to leave a note so the person knows it's not yours.

When in doubt about what to give, there's always the default gift of cash. You could go the elegant route and slip some bills into an envelope and write your steward's name on it or do the folded-bill-between-the-fingers thing. Think of it as a tip if you'd like or just a nice gesture, but remember that cash gifts tend to create complexities in relationships. And despite the seeming simplicity of handing over cash, money might be trickier to manage than a pack of soap.

It is easier to pay gratuities ahead of time to avoid draining your cash reserves (assuming you have those, which you absolutely should). Since there are so many services on board, it can be hard to keep up with who should get tipped when. A Reddit thread gets into some complicated discussions about this exact topic, down to when you ought to tip, how much you should give, and whether it's better to divide your tips into intervals. For example, tipping on the first day can incur an unfair sense of obligation from your steward to provide free upgrades throughout your trip.

Ultimately, choices about tipping ought to be left to each guest and shouldn't need an overly complicated, spreadsheet-like guide. Do what you feel is right, when you feel it's right, and make thoughtful decisions. That being said, $20 at the beginning of a cruise and $20 at the end might do the trick.

If you're not feeling up to grabbing a pack of soap or a bottle of wine at port, there's always the old standby: a simple thank-you note. Thank-you notes perfectly exemplify the axiom, "A little goes a long way," especially if it is handwritten. In an era of digital disconnectedness and endless typing on phones and keyboards, handwritten notes come across as surprisingly sincere and heartfelt. Just taking a few minutes to buy a little card, write out something to say, and present it to someone (or leave it behind in your cabin when you leave with your steward's name on it) makes an enormous, positive impact. Plus, physical notes double up as mementos.  

If you're feeling a bit concerned about your budget after forking over thousands of dollars on a cruise (even after employing clever and easy hacks that will help save you some money), then a note is the perfect way to show your appreciation. Lots of folks fret about spending too much on cruises, and it's easy to blow the bank while sailing the seas. Cash can certainly make stewards happy and gifts like soap can help them out, but a note is better than nothing at all. If you want to make it extra special, try attaching a flower to it as a sweet gesture.

Finally, we reach an above-and-beyond way to thank your cruise steward. You can send an independent message to the hotel manager or cruise director, thanking the person and their team for their work and giving a shout-out to whomever serviced your room. Crafting a nicely-worded email is simple and takes no time at all. When a trip is over, folks usually rush back into daily life, so making it a point to write a thank-you email will really make it clear to the hotel director that your steward excelled and deserves recognition.

Just in case you are a bit confused about who to email, it's important to understand the cruise staff hierarchy and how the roles interact. The person ultimately in charge of guest services and staff on a cruise is called a hotel manager, an admittedly confusing title. There's also a cruise director, who is in charge of a lot of the ship's entertainment, and a chief steward, both of whom report back to a hotel manager. Although it would be okay to email any of these people to offer praise for your steward, try to find the hotel manager's name and contact information.