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Carnival Cruise Line has launched a curious new sticker program that flagrantly identifies tippers.
The new initiative hinges on a sticker that reads “Crew Love,” which is applied to a passenger’s Sail & Sign card to show they have dutifully prepaid their daily gratuities.
The sticker drew immediate attention from cruisers, and reactions ranged from indifference to enthusiasm to furious disapproval.
A TikTok user and serial cruiser named Destiny took to the platform this week to show what the “Crew Love” feature looks like onboard a Carnival ship and asked viewers to share their opinions.
“I love it! We always prepay our gratuities and tip extra…I spend about $250-$300 extra tipping people,” said one user.
“Stickers are for kids, not to shame guests,” announced another.
“If you ask the crew, their pay doesn’t change with or without gratuities being paid; they only keep what you give them in cash,” explained a third.
As seen in Destiny’s video, in addition to the sticker, when a cruiser prepays their gratuity, a card is placed in staterooms.
The card proclaims: “On behalf of our entire team, thank you for prepaying your gratuities. Your support is greatly appreciated and helps recognize the many team members who work together to make your cruise vacation fun, memorable, and enjoyable.”
According to Carnival, the stickers and the cards are part of a larger effort to recognize cruiser generosity.
“The Carnival gratuity program is an important way guests recognize our hardworking team members and ensure that gratuities are shared among both guest-facing and behind-the-scenes crew who make great vacations possible,” a spokesperson for the company told Crusie Critic.
“Our team members provide great service to every guest. The ‘Crew Love’ stickers and thank-you notes are simply a way to let our crew know that a guest has prepaid their gratuities, while giving those guests a little recognition for their generosity.”
Cruise Critic community members also took to the forums to discuss their sticker shock.
“Wow, beyond tacky and truthfully, no one else’s business whether someone pays for grats pre, during, or at the end of the cruise,” said Drazil65.
Many cruisers questioned why the sticker was needed, since the information displays whenever the card is scanned.
“I’m wondering why the sticker would be needed? I mean, couldn’t the fact that you pre-purchased the crew gratuities be on your details that come up every time the crew (like at a bar) swipes your card,” asked PlanoTim.
On Carnival, daily tips run $17 per person for regular staterooms and $19 for suites.
Guests can prepay this gratuity anytime until 11:59 p.m. the day before the cruise begins.
Carnival claims to distribute 100% of these tips across the onboard team, covering everyone from cabin stewards and servers to other crew members.
Those who choose to opt out can contact guest services to remove the automatic charge—a move people usually make either to pinch pennies or because they prefer handing cash directly to the crew.
