Traditionally, Valentine's Day is when you spoil your partner with flowers, chocolate, and a nice meal. One TikTok user, however, took a different approach. Rather than focusing on a loved one, she decided to make a Valentine for every Ultimate World Cruise crew member.
Little Rat Brain (@little_rat_brain) is currently sailing onboard Serenade of the Seas for the entire duration of the world cruise. To show her appreciation for those who are working to make this voyage both memorable and possible, she crafted Valentine's Day cards for all 860 crew members on the ship.
"Did you know that there's an incinerator tech onboard? I didn't," she states in her TikTok.
"I have never seen him, and I am sure that many people have also never seen him. But I wanted to give him a Valentine's Day gift."
She alluded to the idea in a previous video where she bought a seemingly absurd amount of lollipops
On February 11, the first segment of the world cruise concluded, with some passengers disembarking in Los Angeles to make way for new guests before beginning the Ultimate Asia Pacific segment.
While the ship was docked, Little Rat Brain made her way to Target to restock some necessities and art supplies, as well as lots (I mean lots) of lollipops. Whenever she emptied a bag, it seemed as though there couldn't possibly be more DumDums. The pile, however, kept getting larger and larger.
TikTok users didn't let the copious bags of DumDums go unnoticed. "LRB,,, what are you going to do with many lollipops," wrote Tabby, while LL MCB commented, "You and my grandmother are gonna have to meet and talk about your DumDum addictions."
When it came to the actual construction, Little Rat Brain ended up needing to call in reinforcements
It appears as though she had been thinking of this idea for a while, as she begins the TikTok by opening a Staples box and pulling out sheets of cardstock paper with a custom design printed on them. In fact, the design is the same as the tapestry that's hung in her inside cabin!
After taking out a sheet of paper, she began to draw hearts on the back of each, stating that she couldn't find a heart stamp. She did, however, find a stamp that says, "You make this world a beautiful place," which she uses overtop the hand-drawn heart.
"I am continually astonished by how hardworking [and] how incredible [the crew] are," she says, "I really just wanted to give them a small token of my appreciation."
Once each card was individually cut and stamped, she taped a DumDum to every single one, explaining that she went with lollipops because they fit numerous dietary restrictions.
At one point, she realized that the project was larger than she had thought, so she asked for help from other cruisers. Thankfully, everyone was willing to assist, and the Valentine's Day cards were delivered just in time for their crew party.
The response has been overwhelmingly positive
While it's not uncommon for guests to leave small gifts or extra cash for their cabin steward, favorite bartender, or Main Dining Room wait staff, it is pretty rare for someone to go the lengths to ensure that everyone onboard gets something.
With the majority of the crew away from their families on long contracts at sea, this small gesture warmed the hearts of many on social media.
TikTok user Teriarnott832 wrote, "This is so stinking cute! I'm sure the crew was very thankful to be remembered."
"This is so thoughtful I could cry 😭 I hope someone gets YOU a valentine too !" said Cadyn.
drjennytravels, who was one of the reinforcements Little Rat Brain recruited, remarked, "It was a pleasure to assist in this endeavor. You are soooo thoughtful ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️".
Royal Caribbean International even commented saying, "our crew deserves the world!! thank you for this 🫶".
The second segment of the Ultimate World Cruise is underway
The Ultimate Asia Pacific segment is the longest of the four segments that comprise the entire world cruise. It will last nearly three months and visit three World Wonders — the Great Wall of China, Great Barrier Reef, and the Taj Mahal — before concluding on May 9 in Dubai.
Even before departing from Miami, the voyage had taken social media by storm. With months having passed since the ship watched Florida disappear into the horizon, numerous individuals onboard have gained fame by posting "day in the life" videos and giving those at home an insight into what this one-of-a-kind cruise is like.
Little Rat Brain, for instance, has over 145,000 followers, as well as 1.1 million likes. The first TikTok that was posted regarding the Ultimate World Cruise was on December 10. The slideshow depicts her pre-cruise stay in Miami leading up to embarkation, including the gala. That video alone has over 1.1 million views and 50,000 likes.
