RoadTravelled

We always apply the full automatic tip as well as do a bit extra for the cabin steward and our MDR wait staff, based on their level of service. They all work extremely hard at making our cruise the best. We found these really fun and inexpensive ship-themed greeting cards on Amazon that we write a nice thank you note and include the tip in. We've also started a new tradition. It's not uncommon for us, as we walk around the ship (especially in today's post-COVID world), to see crew members around the ship in the public areas diligently cleaning every surface or doing other maintenance work to keep the ships in tip-top shape. These crew members get little one-on-one feedback or attention from guests it seems. And, they are a big part of making the cruise work. So, we now make a habit to search some one out each day and also hand them a thank you card with a small cash tip inside and a chocolate treat. They are so appreciative and shocked at the attention. We've even done that for the guest services people who help us as we know they mostly just get a lot of complaints or negative feedback.

Lisa, this is really great news and thanks for the insider view. We will be in Progresso later this month on a 5-day cruise from NOLA. We were thinking of heading to Mérida to spend some time exploring. Any tips or must sees you could recommend? We've done the cenotes and Mayan ruins already.

Yes, I live in TX (CST) and do this at 11:01pm the night before and it works just fine. It appears that the time kicks off based on Miami, FL (HQ) time. Good luck.