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'Tis the season for gift giving, and homemade baked goods - cookies, fudge, candies, and other snacks - are a popular treat that offer a sweet taste of home.

On a cruise, such gifts may seem to be the perfect choice to offer crew members who themselves are far from home and away from their families at this special time of year.

Carnival Cruise Line has a strict policy on such treats, however, and wants passengers to know that homemade items are not permitted.

Furthermore, crew members cannot accept alcoholic gifts of any kind, including bottles of wine or champagne that may have been bought onboard the ship.

The clarification comes via John Heald, Carnival Cruise Line's official Brand Ambassador, following inquiries from a guest who wants to offer treats to crew members.

"Would you please clarify once and for all whether staff members are permitted to keep unopened, new food items that are gifted to them (like chocolate candy, cookies, etc.)? Also bottles of wine or champagne?" the guest asked. "We were told they cannot during our behind the scenes tour, but there is an ongoing debate about the issue."

Many cruise guests do want to offer something special for crew members, but they need to be careful what they offer.

"Alcoholic beverages of any kind cannot be gifted to the crew," Heald confirmed. "It is not possible for them to accept this, and they would be in trouble for doing so."

Guests should note, then, that it may be best not to leave any bottles of wine or champagne in their staterooms at the end of the cruise if they do not want them. This includes any bottles that may be given as prizes or recognition at different onboard events.

Instead, gifting those bottles to other passengers is a great way to share, or they could be turned in to the Guest Services desk or the onboard liquor store to be sure they are taken care of.

As for any snacks, crew members are only permitted to accept certain items.

"If you're going to kindly provide any snacks or cookies or chocolate, it must be in the original factory packing," Heald explained. "That means the original box or packet and no home-baked goods are allowed."

Read Also: Cruise Ducks - Everything You Ever Wanted to Know!

While most Carnival cruise guests would be generous and well-meaning with the treats they might offer to crew members, Heald has previously explained that the risk of homemade goods being contaminated with potential allergens (or worse) is why the cruise line does not permit such gifts.

Of course it can be difficult for cruise crew members to be hundreds or thousands of miles from their family members and friends during the holiday season. A nice gift from guests can help brighten the season, especially on Christmas cruises.

While edible gifts - chocolates, cookies, candies - are always welcome, other popular gifts include pre-paid phone cards or internet cards, gift cards to shops crew members can visit in port, or small items from guests' home cities as fun collectibles.

Some crew members also collect cruising ducks, so a special one just for them with a thank you note can be a wonderful gift option.

The very best gift of all is a kind word and a genuine expression of appreciation for all that crew members do to make a cruise vacation memorable. An extra gift of cash - above standard gratuities - is also very welcome and lets crew members choose how they spend it.

Taking steps to make work easier - such as putting away personal items in one's cabin or minimizing special orders in the dining room - can also be a way to help hard working crew have a great holiday season.