Grab a porter to get you bags when you disembark

[luvnola66]

Recently finished our August 2 cruise on FOS. Best thing ever, grab a porter to get your bags they will take you past all the lines through customs. We got our bags and was at the rental shuttle in 5 minutes. Walked right passed the very long lines. Worth every penny of the $15 tip!!!

[Ladysilver]

I will for sure get a porter next time. Our last cruise we stood in line for 2 1/2 hours. Never again! :mad:

[aftop]

Recently finished our August 2 cruise on FOS. Best thing ever, grab a porter to get your bags they will take you past all the lines through customs. We got our bags and was at the rental shuttle in 5 minutes. Walked right passed the very long lines. Worth every penny of the $15 tip!!!

 

I did exactly the same thing when one of my bags was delayed. The customs line was very long so the porter walked right past an officer and around a wall. There was another customs line with only two people in it.

[yancycruiser]

Thanks for this valuable tip. Will do on our OCT FOS cruise.

[cjlh97]

Also true when disembarking out of San Juan!

[yogimax]

At a risk of being flamed, it seems like cheating to me. Besides, I have seen cruise terminals where the porters get in the regular lines with everyone else.

[Summerknight]

At Port Everglades this winter our porter said there was no special line for him.

[Big_G]

I've never seen a special line at either POE or PC but I've seen it at Tampa.

[mark22mac]

I don't believe they are allowed to do that I know that for sure at PC all of them have to wait in line.

[mark22mac]

They only way is to get escorted off by concierge if your in a suite.

[GTO-Girl]

I don't believe they are allowed to do that I know that for sure at PC all of them have to wait in line.

 

When we sailed in June out of PC we got a great porter who buzzed us right through a very short line and right to the shuttle.

 

Well worth the $20 we gave him....;)

[mark22mac]

I didn't say some won't break the rules if you throw them a $20 just to get ahead of everybody else. But they are not allowed.

[Johndoe813]

I always get a porter it is soooooo much easier and faster.

[Ken at the beach]

I don't believe they are allowed to do that I know that for sure at PC all of them have to wait in line.

 

We used a porter this past March on our Enchantment cruise and were escorted to a private line. Best $20 spent.:)

 

We had this experience in Tampa as well.

Edited August 16, 2015 by Ourusualbeach

[mark22mac]

The only time I love to cut line is when we have a tender port and the concierge walks us to the front or at MTD. [emoji16][emoji41]

[Ken at the beach]

I didn't say some won't break the rules if you throw them a $20 just to get ahead of everybody else. But they are not allowed.

 

They have their own line and are not breaking the "rules". They don't get the tip until you are past customs and loading the luggage into your car. This may be new since switching to the new terminal.

Edited August 16, 2015 by Ourusualbeach

[mark22mac]

They have their own line and are not breaking the "rules". This may be new since switching to the new terminal.

 

 

Since when?we were there in May.i was at the new terminal.

Edited August 16, 2015 by mark22mac

[Ken at the beach]

Since when?we were there in May.i was at the new terminal.

 

We used this service in March. Someone else posted about using it in June.

[John&LaLa]

They only way is to get escorted off by concierge if your in a suite.

 

Buy a really expensive necklace onboard and you get a special trip straight to customs. :eek:

[mark22mac]

Buy a really expensive necklace onboard and you get a special trip straight to customs. :eek:

 

 

Wow yes that'll do it also. [emoji15]

[TomAceEsq]

Porters at PC are the best. Walked off the ship and never stopped until we were seated in the rental shuttle. Best $10 spent the entire trip possibly.

[jahannah]

We read the same thing and tried this at PE. The porter started to lead us around the long lines and was told by the port workers to get back into line. We waited with him in the line for a long time.

[aftop]

At a risk of being flamed, it seems like cheating to me. Besides, I have seen cruise terminals where the porters get in the regular lines with everyone else.

 

I don't see it as cheating as I had no idea where he was going and had not tipped him. He had waited patiently until my missing bag was located. The officer standing at the wall barely looked at us and since there was another customs desk behind the wall I attributed his actions to personal knowledge. This was at PC in May 2014.

[orville99]

I didn't say some won't break the rules if you throw them a $20 just to get ahead of everybody else. But they are not allowed.

 

We sail out of PC 3-4 times a year. Always use a porter, and have always been taken by the porter to a separate (and much shorter) line through customs. It has been this way in both terminal 10 (the old terminal) and in the new terminal one. The Disney terminal is the same - separate porters only line. The only terminals at PC where we didn't have a separate line was the Carnival terminals.

[CaptData]

I'm disabled. I always get a porter. I tip them with $15.00. I have had to wait in line twice once off Oasis and the other off Voyager. The other 18 times I was thru within minutes.