In March, I cruised around South America with my husband and two grown daughters. Traveling through Patagonia, beginning and debarking in Buenos Aires, Argentina, was never on my bucket list, so my expectations were pretty average. It ended up being an amazing cruise for both scenery and hospitality!
I was with my favorite people (my family), but little did I know that some of my interactions with the crew would end up being a big reason why my trip was so special.
This cruise changed my outlook
We were on the beautiful Celebrity Equinox ship. The Celebrity staff is always top-notch and so accommodating.
In my over 40 cruises over the past 35 years on cruise lines ranging from the Big Red Boat (in the 1990s), to Royal Caribbean, Carnival, Norwegian, and Celebrity, I have always been very impressed with how hard the crew works, especially the ones you consistently see every day in the main dining room and your room stewards.
Without a doubt, the entire staff, including all the many behind-the-scenes jobs, work long hours too. This cruise was no different.
One of the things I always like to do is find out from our favorite crew members about their home country and their family. Very few times, the crew members don’t readily share or don’t seem interested in talking about their personal lives. But the majority of the time, their faces light up when you sincerely ask them about back home and let them share family details and even pictures.
I also find it very interesting to hear about the hours they work and what life is like working for a cruise line. I try to be very polite and appreciative of the exceptional and attentive service they try to provide each and every day.
The crew members who left a lasting impression on Celebrity Equinox
This South American cruise started in Buenos Aires and sailed south all the way down to Ushuaia, where it kept getting colder the further south we went. This made packing challenging with daytime temperatures varying from mid 70s down to the 40s, plus several rainy days. Luckily, we had many layers of clothing, plus our rain gear too.
Our Celebrity cruise was 14 days, so I had plenty of time to really get to know our staff. Making a personal connection with the staff during my trip is a priority for me since I am a “Chatty Patty” as I have been nicknamed before. I know I’m not everyone’s cup of tea, but I am just a people person!
I had talked to our assistant waiter about getting an opportunity to get off the ship and see some of the beautiful ports we were visiting, like the Falkland Islands. Staff normally only get an afternoon consisting of a few hours off on port days. But she shared with me that she really didn’t have any warm clothes to wear, so she avoided leaving the ship while at these cooler ports.
She’s from Zimbabwe, and Celebrity Equinox spent most of her contract in the warmer climates. She decided to stay on board to avoid the colder weather, even though it was beautiful and she had never been there.
It was getting close to the end of our 14-day cruise, and after souvenir shopping, my suitcases were pretty full. I decided to ask both my room steward and our assistant waiter if they could use anything we wanted to leave behind. She stated she’d be happy to have anything we wanted to leave behind, like cosmetics, clothing, medicines…anything!
I specifically thought of a jacket that was bulky and took up luggage space that I needed. I also had some personal hygiene items like shampoo, conditioner, body lotion, and over-the-counter medications. I began to gather things on the second-to-last day to share with her.
I also asked our cabin steward if there was anything he needed or would appreciate if we left him. He was scheduled to return home to Kenya in a few weeks when his contract was up. He too said anything. I told him that my husband’s clothes would be way too big for him, but maybe socks and other things. He was very humbled and thankful that I asked.
It was so cute, then later on during the day, he walked up to me and unassumingly said, “Miss Patty, my father is about the same size as Brian (my husband).” I said thanks and good to know while packing at the end of our trip.
A small gift that went a long way
My oldest daughter had a mishap with her boots, which she packed for the rainy weather, on the first day of our trip. She bought a new pair of tennis shoes at a drugstore in the Falkland Islands to use for our excursion. Toward the end of our cruise, she said, “I will probably never wear these black tennis shoes again,” so she told me to ask our steward if he wanted them.
When I showed him the shoes, he was very excited. They were actually the exact size of the shoes that he wore. I could tell by his smile that he was very pleased. It warmed my heart to see his reaction and to know that they would get put to good use.
Once I told my husband what our steward had shared about his father being the same size, Brian sorted out about 5 or 6 shirts that he could leave for him. They were very nice shirts that he barely wore because Brian is more of a t-shirt kind of guy.
We were able to give our cabin steward a big sack of clothes, socks, soaps, and other travel-size items. This was his first contract as a room steward; he had been promoted from laundry, I believe. He was such a soft-spoken, mild-mannered, humble, and hard-working person, and I could tell he was trying very hard. He was so appreciative of the gifts. It was perfect timing since he was excited to be returning home to his family after the next cruise.
My love of shopping made a difference
At our last port of Punta del Este, after our tour ended, we always love to souvenir shop. We ran across this huge department store with tons of racks of sweatshirts on sale. I got to thinking about our assistant waiter and how she never left the ship because she wanted to avoid the cold weather. I just couldn’t resist shopping for her.
We always leave extra cash tips to both our main dining waiters and our room steward. Knowing how difficult it was for her to get time to shop, I decided to look for her. I love to shop anyway! I found a really soft, comfy sweatshirt in a pretty pastel color. On the last night at dinner, I would give it to her.
At our last dinner in the main dining room, we loaded up all of our items to share with her. This included the new pastel sweatshirt. At the end of dinner, I pulled her aside and showed her the bag full of goodies. Lastly, I pulled out the new sweatshirt I had purchased the day before, especially for her.
She stopped suddenly and said to me, “I am sorry, I am a little emotional. No one has ever shopped for me while I was working on the cruise ship.” That really struck at my heartstrings. It was a small gesture, only costing me like $15 US dollars. But it obviously had a big impact on her and on me!
Our assistant waiter was so appreciative. Her reaction was priceless. I hope she was willing to get off the Celebrity Equinox at some of the following beautiful ports because she finally had a few warmer items to wear. For me, it felt so gratifying.
Why I’ll pack differently for my upcoming cruises
We usually include a short, personal thank-you note (and cash) for our room steward and dining room staff. But this cruise, I enjoyed doing something personal and unexpected — something that I hope made their lives somewhat easier and brightened their day while they spent months away from their families.
With my next cruise in mind, I will pack differently. I’ve thought about bringing something from my home in the United States as a parting gift. I might offer to do some shopping for the crew if I get to know them well enough, as I enjoy doing.
This was a unique and personal way for me to show my appreciation when the crew is working so hard to make my vacation as perfect as it can be. I loved both of their reactions so much that it makes me think it was out of the ordinary. It felt so good to me, and I hope it did for them, too!
