Carnival is testing a sticker for passengers who prepaid their tips, and someone on eBay is already selling one that says ‘I tip cash’

Carnival Cruise Line is testing a program that puts stickers on the Sail & Sign cards of passengers who prepaid their gratuities, and lookalike versions are already for sale on eBay, as reported by BroBible. Some listings closely resemble the real “Crew Love” sticker, while parody versions read “Crew Love, I Tip The Crew Not Carnival” and “Crew Love, I Tip Cash.”

Carnival described the pilot in a statement to Cruise Critic, saying its gratuity program is an important way for guests to recognize hardworking team members, both guest-facing and behind the scenes. The company said the stickers and thank-you notes simply let crew know a guest has prepaid, “while giving those guests a little recognition for their generosity.”

A TikToker named Tony pointed out the fakes in a video filmed aboard the Carnival Venezia. He said that even though he prepaid his gratuities before boarding, he was prompted to add a tip every time he bought a drink.

Tony’s own card never got a sticker

Tony said he also saw crew members in the casino carrying handheld devices that let guests choose a gratuity before signing. He then showed his Sail & Sign card, which did not have a sticker on it.

In an email to BroBible, Tony said the Venezia did not appear to be part of the test and that being prompted for tips after prepaying is nothing new. “That’s the way it works on Carnival,” he said, adding that an automatic gratuity is added to drinks and services, along with a line for an additional tip.

He was lukewarm on the stickers themselves. Tony said Carnival described them as a way for crew members to recognize prepaid guests with an extra “thank you,” and he suggested that could motivate some passengers to prepay for the recognition.

Reaction in the cruise community has been mixed, with some people questioning whether the stickers could change how staff treat guests. One forum user called them “beyond tacky” and said how a guest pays gratuities is no one else’s business.

Many cruise lines charge prepaid gratuities, a set daily amount added at booking and shared among the staff, and passengers can usually ask to have them removed. In June, a Carnival passenger and her husband were quoted $12,299 for a photo book of their 94 vacation photos.

Carnival maintains that gratuities go to its staff, and its website states they are paid on top of team members’ guaranteed compensation. The recommended amount is $17 per guest per day for standard staterooms and $19 for suites, and it is added to the Sail & Sign account automatically for guests who have not prepaid.