Carnival tipping to Bag Porters

[k_y30]

The employees who are union employees on the ship docks, who help make the 5600 bags disappear, would be risking their very lucrative paycheck. It's time to put the "insurance" silliness to rest.

 

Riiiiight... I know you're being purposefully obtuse about this. What you are suggesting is absurd, what im saying is that im sure there's a handful of bags that get "lost" every sailing, maybe someone is rude to the porter, maybe they didn't tip, maybe the porter is having a bad day? Who knows. But it would be nothing for them to "lose" a bag or two and im willing to risk $5 on hoping my bag makes it onto the ship

[cheermomof2girls]

We rarely see porters in Galveston when we get there, we see them when we disembark. Well, I see them, but have never been stopped by one or offered by one to take my bag when we get there. But I typically just take my bag to the room in Galveston and the guy there tells me which section to put it in. Some have suggested in the past that I should tip the man in there, but I dont think we typically do, and have zero issues. We tip the shuttle drivers, they always help upload our luggage and we usually tip $5 for 1 bag (it's a large suitcase) or more if the driver was really friendly. Some are not so friendly. We don't use a porter disembarking since we usually just travel with the one bag, it's not needed. Tipping is a personal choice and I dont think they will purposely lose a suitcase if you don't tip. But we always tip for friendly service.

[Saint Greg]

We rarely see porters in Galveston when we get there, we see them when we disembark. Well, I see them, but have never been stopped by one or offered by one to take my bag when we get there. But I typically just take my bag to the room in Galveston and the guy there tells me which section to put it in. Some have suggested in the past that I should tip the man in there, but I dont think we typically do, and have zero issues. We tip the shuttle drivers, they always help upload our luggage and we usually tip $5 for 1 bag (it's a large suitcase) or more if the driver was really friendly. Some are not so friendly. We don't use a porter disembarking since we usually just travel with the one bag, it's not needed. Tipping is a personal choice and I dont think they will purposely lose a suitcase if you don't tip. But we always tip for friendly service.

 

Interesting you had the same experience as me in Galveston. Last year on Freedom there were a bunch of porters but only one seemed interested in taking bags. He was loaded up. Other porters were standing around talking or sitting on benches. Finally a guy in this big bay door called me over and told me to put my bags by my zone number. It was a different experience because in New Orleans porters are always there looking to take bags.

[scpirate]

I love all these big spenders on the budget cruise line.i give the man 3 bucks for 2 bags.got to ration the money out everybody wants a tip when your on a cruise.i know what it's like to work 12 hours or more in the heat.their job isn't that hard.

[cheermomof2girls]

Interesting you had the same experience as me in Galveston. Last year on Freedom there were a bunch of porters but only one seemed interested in taking bags. He was loaded up. Other porters were standing around talking or sitting on benches. Finally a guy in this big bay door called me over and told me to put my bags by my zone number. It was a different experience because in New Orleans porters are always there looking to take bags.

 

Thanks for validating my experience. Once before I felt crazy because that seemed like such the odd experience. We have cruised out of galveston many times, and it's always been that way. I just take it to the big bay that has the luggage sign over the door. :)

[Lottacruises]

It's nearly impossible for the porter to "lose" your bag. The whole area is under surveillance by port security and a few complaints would pompt a review of the video. Anyone stealing luggage would be charged.

 

Does luggage get lost sometimes? Abolutely but not because of lack of tip. Now your wheel boken off is another story.

[Lottacruises]

I love all these big spenders on the budget cruise line.i give the man 3 bucks for 2 bags.got to ration the money out everybody wants a tip when your on a cruise.i know what it's like to work 12 hours or more in the heat.their job isn't that hard.

I have found it is easier than spelling for sure.

[Saint Greg]

Thanks for validating my experience. Once before I felt crazy because that seemed like such the odd experience. We have cruised out of galveston many times, and it's always been that way. I just take it to the big bay that has the luggage sign over the door. :)

 

Exactly the spot. Now this year I came in on a shuttle and a porter met us there. Maybe they just move for shuttles full of people and don't bother for a bag or two.

[lizardhowson]

I am always amazed that people will spend hundreds of dollars on a cruise yet have a problem giving the last person who will touch their luggage a few bucks!!

 

Completely agree with you !

 

Some real cheapskates in this thread :eek:

[cruizinisthebest]

These threads always turn into how much porters make. I don't think that should matter. I tip them for the service the provide me.

 

Exactly. Good for them if they make a decent income. I don't care what the folks make onboard either. Their salary is unimportant to me.

 

We usually tip $3 a bag.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

I consider myself a decent tipper (daughter of a waitress) I wish I could be a big tipper but due to limited financial circumstances I can only do what I do. Coming in we usually give $20 for whatever is our car. Leaving is a different story cause we will be with other family members and the porter will pile our bags up on a cart and lead us out to our cars. Usually somewhere between $40 and $60 dollars.

 

No interest in what they make. It is not an easy job and I am thankful they are there to assist.

 

Unless you have a lot more luggage than most people $20 is a lot more than most people are going to tip.

 

What would you like to give them if there was no financial circumstances?

 

Bill

[AdGuyMG]

I usually do $1 per bag or $5 for 4 bags. They carry them 10ft and put them on a cart. That doesn't warrant much more from me.

 

Besides, the guys working the cruise ships work about 5 hours doing bags and get paid for a full 8 hours, and Saturday/Sunday (familiar days for embarkation?) are premium rate days.

 

I find it odd that you would say this is a 5 hour day.

 

Ships usually pull into port very, very early on the last morning of a cruise. Many times like around 5-6 AM

 

When you disembark from 7-10AM and you find your bags lined up in the terminal before clearing customs in the Red Zone, Yellow Zone, Green Zone etc.. who unloaded the luggage from the cages/forklifts and arranged and sorted those bags there?

 

I always thought it was the same Porters who later in the morning would work the embarkation at the curb until the last 2PM - 3PM check ins. This would be a pretty long day (with regular breaks and a lunch break of course)

 

Is it a separate Early Morning debark crew and a separate Mid Morning - Mid Afternoon embark crew?

[cathyoo]

Unless you have a lot more luggage than most people $20 is a lot more than most people are going to tip.

 

What would you like to give them if there was no financial circumstances?

 

Bill

Probably $30-40.

[Badfinger]

When I fly and check my bag at the airline counter , no tip. If I use curb side, I tip.

 

When I pull up to a cruise ship and drop off my bag, I am expected to tip although I won’t see my bag for many hours after that. And I’ve never had a bag lost between drop off and the ship.

 

We do usually tip about $5 a bag but that just seems too much (although I have no idea if these guys are getting paid a decent wage).

 

What do you tip ? What’s fair ?

 

Any insights welcome

 

 

 

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In Galveston, we park right across the street, so we wheel our luggage. Sometimes we are directed to just put it under the sign corresponding to our deck number. In that case...no tip. Other times they a porter will come meet us at the sidewalk...so $10 for 2-3 bags. Just show a little hustle and I will tip. At an international airport if I use curbside...$5 a bag...usually worth it because it means I am in a bit of a hurry.

[chengkp75]

I find it odd that you would say this is a 5 hour day.

 

Ships usually pull into port very, very early on the last morning of a cruise. Many times like around 5-6 AM

 

When you disembark from 7-10AM and you find your bags lined up in the terminal before clearing customs in the Red Zone, Yellow Zone, Green Zone etc.. who unloaded the luggage from the cages/forklifts and arranged and sorted those bags there?

 

I always thought it was the same Porters who later in the morning would work the embarkation at the curb until the last 2PM - 3PM check ins. This would be a pretty long day (with regular breaks and a lunch break of course)

 

Is it a separate Early Morning debark crew and a separate Mid Morning - Mid Afternoon embark crew?

 

Typically, a longshoreman's shift that starts before 8am, ends at 12 noon, and a second shift starts at noon. If the shift started at 8am, then they would work till 4pm.

[katiel53]

I tip $5 per bag. I am really surprised that so many people feel the porters are really happy with a tip of $5 for a few bags. There are many who have helped passengers and when have either not received a tip, stood there waiting for one or almost outright asking where the tip is.

 

I have also heard that sometimes the porters feel the tips aren't enough and have commented to the passenger. I haven't ever had that experience, but I think it was posted a few times regarding Miami, but honestly, I'm not sure that was the port.

 

I don't understand those who feel they don't need to tip as the porter only takes the luggage 10 ft. Who do you think rolls those huge carts of luggage to the ship? If one has FTTF or is Platinum/Diamond, that luggage is wheeled into the main terminal so it can be delivered asap.

 

I know tipping is a personal thing, but I know some jobs tips are expected and I go along, even though I know the porters are paid well.

[Palmetto Pilot]

I tip $5 per bag. I am really surprised that so many people feel the porters are really happy with a tip of $5 for a few bags. There are many who have helped passengers and when have either not received a tip, stood there waiting for one or almost outright asking where the tip is.

 

I have also heard that sometimes the porters feel the tips aren't enough and have commented to the passenger. I haven't ever had that experience, but I think it was posted a few times regarding Miami, but honestly, I'm not sure that was the port.

 

I don't understand those who feel they don't need to tip as the porter only takes the luggage 10 ft. Who do you think rolls those huge carts of luggage to the ship? If one has FTTF or is Platinum/Diamond, that luggage is wheeled into the main terminal so it can be delivered asap.

 

I know tipping is a personal thing, but I know some jobs tips are expected and I go along, even though I know the porters are paid well.

 

 

I don't understand why people feel like it's necessary to tip someone making six figures loading bags onto a cart.

[chengkp75]

I don't understand why people feel like it's necessary to tip someone making six figures loading bags onto a cart.

 

And the person who "rolls" that "huge cart" is typically a forklift, once it is moved away from the curb.

[grandmarnnurse]

Wow! We must be cheap—-Lol—as we only tip $1 a bag!

 

 

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[grandmarnnurse]

I do $3/bag...I believe Carnival has said $1 is fine...some don’t tip at all.

 

 

 

We only tip $1 per bag. When I mentioned to my hubby what others were tipping, he looked at me like I lost my mind! Lol!

 

 

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[sanmarcosman]

We only tip $1 per bag. When I mentioned to my hubby what others were tipping, he looked at me like I lost my mind! Lol!

America has changed a lot since 1954 ;)

[maryred]

Here's what my family does...

At curbside pickup it depends.

In NYC the curbside porters tend to fill their U-cart to the brim from several cars or families before wheeling it into the terminal. But because of the higher cost of living there we tip between $2-4/ bag based on the weight & size of the bag. In Bayonne and NOLA we have seen the curbside porters take only the luggage of those exiting an individual vehicle set of luggage directly into the terminal on a cart or dolly, so they also get $3-4 per bag from us for the quicker service.

In contrast at the Port of Baltimore you drive up to the luggage train heading to the ship, with the porters never walking more than 35 feet from your trunk (wheeling our spinner luggage) to the train, so they only get $1-2/bag from us. Also in the Fl ports we have left from, they get the same even though they have a longer walk with their U-carts in to the terminal. That because, like NYC they pile high their carts before heading into the terminal, but the cost of living down there is less expensive.

 

Where we really differ from most is upon return.

Since we are interested in getting out out the terminal and through Customs as fast as possible (to drive home, meet a car service, or continue on the land portion of our vacation). As seasoned cruisers from multiple ports know, at some cruise terminals you might do Customs prior to getting to the baggage area while at others you need to retrieve your luggage first from it's zone # then go through the Customs line. When we go through Customs first, using porter service has no impact on how fast we can get through so mostly at these ports we give the porters about the same amount as we do to the porters upon arrival for the cruise. If they have a further walk to our outbound transport, like in Baltimore, then we will add an extra dollar or 2 per bag.

While in ports like NYC, where everyone needs to take their luggage through Customs, having porter service can cut your processing time by 75%. To us that alone is worth a $20-30 in tips depending on the line length at the non-porter Custom stations. Then on top of that, the porters will also get whatever we tipped on embarkation day and more if they get us a prime spot for to wait for pick-up transport service or help us load our vehicle.

So to us it is all dependent of how much service we perceive we at getting.

 

Just a side note to cruisers that do not know already, these curbside porters are not employees of the cruise line, they are generally employees of the port, or the state's transit authority. Their responsibility for your bags ends at the "no-mans" land that Customs declares on the dock or inside the terminal. At that point others, usually longshoremen or teamster union cargo handlers take over.

Once on the ship any available crew member tends to lend a hand in the sorting and delivery of the bags to the hallway outside your cabin. So also long as you leave your "Alternative Service" auto-gratuity or daily discretionary services alone these people get tipped.

Now if we find our luggage in our cabin, especially if it is up on the bed's luggage mat, upon seeing our cabin steward we ask how it came to be placed there. If they say they did it we tip them extra immediately, if they say the assistant did we tip him/her when we see them in the hall. If they have no idea we just assume that is that particular cruise line's policy and do nothing.

[Pellaz]

I consider myself a decent tipper (daughter of a waitress) I wish I could be a big tipper but due to limited financial circumstances I can only do what I do. Coming in we usually give $20 for whatever is our car. Leaving is a different story cause we will be with other family members and the porter will pile our bags up on a cart and lead us out to our cars. Usually somewhere between $40 and $60 dollars.

 

You bring up an interesting point. When departing, we'll tip a few bucks to the porters for shifting our luggage a few dozen feet to the nearest luggage cage.

BUT on returning, on the rare occasions when we've engaged a porter's services through the terminal and the Customs line, we tip more if the process takes a long time...which it usually does. On one occasion it took nearly an hour for us to get through Customs, and we tipped the porter $30 for both her time and her good conversation. After all, that was an hour taken from the ship's debark process, and at that rate, she could only assist one or two other people before her day was done.

 

Just a side note to cruisers that do not know already, these curbside porters are not employees of the cruise line, they are generally employees of the port, or the state's transit authority. Their responsibility for your bags ends at the "no-mans" land that Customs declares on the dock or inside the terminal. At that point others, usually longshoremen or teamster union cargo handlers take over.

 

This isn't quite correct. The curbside porters ARE well-compensated union longshoremen, as has been established firmly in this thread.

Once the luggage passes into "no-man's land" (the equivalent of "airside" at an airport, as contrasted with "groundside"), then cruise line employees take over.

ChEngKP can probably inform us as to where that point is. I think union longshoremen forklift the luggage cages into the marshaling area on board, so the changeover point might actually be on the ship itself...Deck 0 on "I-95." :)

 

Now if we find our luggage in our cabin, especially if it is up on the bed's luggage mat, upon seeing our cabin steward we ask how it came to be placed there. If they say they did it we tip them extra immediately, if they say the assistant did we tip him/her when we see them in the hall. If they have no idea we just assume that is that particular cruise line's policy and do nothing.

Maybe our experience is unique, but we've never found our luggage inside the stateroom. It's been lined up outside the door for us to take inside.

[Nic6318]

Wow! We must be cheap—-Lol—as we only tip $1 a bag!

 

 

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Hi there

 

Well, from what I see, that is the suggested amount to tip by Carnival Cruise lines.

 

Quote: "Curbside porters are customarily provided a $1 tip per bag."

here is the link that states this...https://help.carnival.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1373/related/1

 

What you tip is up to you, it is a very personal decision. You can give whatever you want. Think about it a bit...when you give five times or more the suggested amount, you might be considered to be over tipping. If this makes you feel good, that's great, but sometimes you have to put it into perspective.

 

We accept what Carnival suggests for tips to their crew. We even are willing to throw in a little extra.(some more than others) How many tip five times what is suggested to the crew members who actually make your vacation memorable and while making a fraction of what these porters make. Think of those guys that lug your bags to your cabin door. They do ten times more work than those porters at curbside. How much do you typically give them if you bump into them?

 

hope this helps

[BlerkOne]

I don't understand why people feel like it's necessary to tip someone making six figures loading bags onto a cart.

 

Anyone who deals with the public should get compensation for putting up with crap. The more they serve, the more they should make. Whatever their base pay is, is irrelevant.

 

Some ports say tipping isn't necessary.

 

Sometimes luggage ends up in the water, damaged, pilfered.

 

Coincidence?