The bigger the tip the faster you get your luggage?

[Esmerelda]

This is false information. 

[John&LaLa]

I arrived early to PC, gave my porter $2 per bag, and it was outside my door at 1pm

 

Sign at the Terminal 1 drop zone

 

[GTO-Girl]

I am always amazed at people who will pay hundreds of dollars for a nice cruise and then have a problem giving a few bucks to the last person that will touch your luggage before it enters the terminal. 😳😳

 

Makes no difference to me how much they make a year.  I am blessed to be able to take a nice vacation, so the $5 I just gave for my one big and heavy piece of luggage is money well spent!!

 

Have a wonderful cruise everyone!!!

[robc1972]

15 minutes ago, GTO-Girl said:

I am always amazed at people who will pay hundreds of dollars for a nice cruise and then have a problem giving a few bucks to the last person that will touch your luggage before it enters the terminal. 😳😳

 

 

They move the bag a few feet. I would do it myself if I could like you can in Europe.

They also intimidate you into tipping.

[AlanF65]

2 hours ago, not-enough-cruising said:

I never tip the porters, it's ludicrous to tip someone for doing the bare minimum in their job description, all the while making well north of $150,000 a year PLUS union benefits. My luggage comes about the same time as all the people around me.

West Coast only the top 10% come close to that number

https://work.chron.com/average-wage-longshoreman-20463.html

 

[Thorben-Hendrik]

3 hours ago, mcatmcat said:

Hi

is it true that giving a big tip to the porters will get your luggage faster to your stateroom?  I dont know how a porter has any control on a luggage once its in the ship but Im reading it about it over and over and I was wondering if its something new now that I dont know or simply a rumor. In my case I wont pay more to get my luggage a few hours early but its always good to know what is trending now 

Thanks 

 

As you mentioned yourself - Porter's have absolutely no control on luggage delivery!🙄

[nalrudaini]

It goes like this:

Porter takes your luggage from you.

Porter places luggage in cage-like basket.

Cage, when filled, is transported to TSA scanner.

Cage is then transfered to ship.

Ship staff distribute luggage to the area written on the tag.

Stateroom attendant will place the bags by guest's door.

 

From what I saw at luggage drop off area, there was a supervisor making sure bags are moved fast.

 

On a side note, how do I apply for that job?

[Bailey & Sophie]

I used to work in a grocery store. We had to unload the shopping carts. Hoisting 1 1-gallon of milk a shift is ok. 200? Not so much. Some customers were kind of mean and would put 5 or 6 gallons on the bottom of the cart and nothing on the top. (Backsprain anyone?)

The porters might have built up muscles over the years. But I just can't imagine putting 50 pound suitcases on trolleys hour after hour, sometimes at a awkward height.

They work hard for their money. Tip according to your conscience.

[GUT2407]

4 hours ago, Bailey & Sophie said:

I used to work in a grocery store. We had to unload the shopping carts. Hoisting 1 1-gallon of milk a shift is ok. 200? Not so much. Some customers were kind of mean and would put 5 or 6 gallons on the bottom of the cart and nothing on the top. (Backsprain anyone?)

The porters might have built up muscles over the years. But I just can't imagine putting 50 pound suitcases on trolleys hour after hour, sometimes at a awkward height.

They work hard for their money. Tip according to your conscience.

Try moving 150lb bags of grain or flour, 200-500 a day, or a few thousand 50lb bags of dog food, no one tips you for that.

[SRF]

13 hours ago, blueridgemama said:

 

Where did you get that figure of $150,000? That is so not true.

 

 

https://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-dockworker-pay-20150301-story.html

 

Maybe not $150K for the basic workers, but over $100K.

[marci22]

I haven't seen a porter tipping thread in awhile. Just like old times.

[Junkhouse]

2 hours ago, GUT2407 said:

Try moving 150lb bags of grain or flour, 200-500 a day, or a few thousand 50lb bags of dog food, no one tips you for that.

Back in the day got $0.05 for each bale of hay.  Our tip/bonus was a couple of cheap beers. That first beer was the most refreshing drink ever after sometimes over 8 hours in the hot sun and hay barns.

[blueridgemama]

21 minutes ago, SRF said:

 

https://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-dockworker-pay-20150301-story.html

 

Maybe not $150K for the basic workers, but over $100K.

 

For goodness sake did you even read the article you posted? We are not talking about longshoremen  who work at docks and move cargo we are talking  about porters who move luggage. Please show me an article about porters who make $100,000 dollars or more a year at a hotel, airport or cruise moving luggage and I'll be convinced. False information such as this could cause naive people from not tipping their porters who may rely on tips just like any service worker.

[Lionesss]

The DH tips, and watches as the luggage is placed on the cart.

 

It is peace of mind for us.

 

Safe travels.

[marci22]

https://cruiseradio.net/7-confessions-cruise-line-baggage-handler/

 

I'll add this random article to the rest of the random commentary.

[Palmetto Pilot]

13 hours ago, johnbob7 said:

I’m not even sure that is consistently true...

 

bobj

 

13 hours ago, h20skibum said:

This is also not true.  The one time we dropped off early AND gave the biggest tip, was the one cruise it took longest to get our luggage 

It's simple mechanics they don't have time to wait to get luggage on board, sorted and delivered earlier you drop off the sooner your bags get aboard. This has been consistent the last 10-12 cruises. 

13 hours ago, blueridgemama said:

 

Where did you get that figure of $150,000? That is so not true.

 

The porters are unionized longshoremen. They make a TON of money, which is why we don't tip them to do their job. I don't get tips for landing the plane.....although maybe I should set out a jar.  

[goncruzn]

13 hours ago, not-enough-cruising said:

It most certainly is true.  The porters at the terminals (USA Terminals) are part of the Longshoreman's union.  Starting salary average $130,000. The guys working the cruise terminals are more senior members of the union, as this is a highly desired assignment (thus they are higher paid and are making an overtime and weekend differential as well) Tack on paid vacation, union medical and dental, and they are VERY well compensated for moving y bags 20 feet or so from the curb to the nearest trolley (where they then hand it over to RCCL staff)

 

Actually, there is a difference between the two. A porter and a longshoreman are two distinctly different jobs. A porter can belong to the Longshoreman's union but they are not longshoremen. A porter is someone at a port, train station, airport that takes your luggage and transports to another area/car, etc. A longshoreman is actually someone who loads and unloads cargo from ships. It includes docking the ships, loading and unloading cargo, checking for specific containers, and inspecting cargo for damage. At cruise ship terminals, porters take your bags to a holding area where they can be loaded by ship's personnel. 

[UFMOM]

We always tip well and our bags have come at different times although rarely are they very late and they have never been lost. We often drive to the port and when we leave the cruise consistently use a porter to transport our luggage through the terminal and passport control out to our car in the parking garage. We tip him very well for this since it gives us a very fast and pleasant disembarkation. We usually have a nice little chat with the porter as we go through this process.

 

Mary Ann

Edited August 9, 2019 by UFMOM

[not-enough-cruising]

1 minute ago, UFMOM said:

We always tip well and our bags have come at different times although rarely are they very late and they have never been lost. We often drive to the port and consistently use a porter to transport our luggage through the terminal and passport control out to our car in the parking garage. We tip him very well for this since it gives us a very fast and pleasant disembarkation. We usually have a nice little chat with the porter as we go through this process.

 

Mary Ann

The post-cruise assistance is absolutely deserving of a nice gratuity

[not-enough-cruising]

46 minutes ago, Palmetto Pilot said:

 

The porters are unionized longshoremen. They make a TON of money, which is why we don't tip them to do their job. I don't get tips for landing the plane.....although maybe I should set out a jar.  

Absolutely 100% correct

[Biker19]

1 hour ago, Palmetto Pilot said:

 I don't get tips for landing the plane.....although maybe I should set out a jar.  

I wonder if Frontier flight attendants share their tips with the pilots. 

[not-enough-cruising]

58 minutes ago, goncruzn said:

 

Actually, there is a difference between the two. A porter and a longshoreman are two distinctly different jobs. A porter can belong to the Longshoreman's union but they are not longshoremen. A porter is someone at a port, train station, airport that takes your luggage and transports to another area/car, etc. A longshoreman is actually someone who loads and unloads cargo from ships. It includes docking the ships, loading and unloading cargo, checking for specific containers, and inspecting cargo for damage. At cruise ship terminals, porters take your bags to a holding area where they can be loaded by ship's personnel. 

I agree, however growing up on the Eastern sea board, and having many family members and friends employed in the shipping and port industries, I can tell you the "Porters" at cruise terminals (at least MIA, Everglades, and Baltimore) ARE longshoreman.  At these 3 ports specifically, no one sets foot on the dock, or touches apiece of cargo (yes they view the luggage as cargo) without being in the union. 

[BecciBoo]

We give them $5 per bag but we usually only have 1 at most 2...and our carry ons.  Out of 24 cruises I can only count maybe 2 that our bags weren't waiting for us at 1:00 or shortly thereafter.  But once on Mariner when we were queing on the outside promenade, we watched the stevedores run over a couple of bags in their loader, I kid you not, the bags fell off and he ran over them totally, everybody around us was horrified!  

[Iamcruzin]

We arrived to Cape Liberty at 10:00am. Checked one piece of luggage. I tipped $5. I did notice that my luggage was put in a bin that was nearly full. Our luggage was at our room upon arriving at the room once they were available. I think it's the luck of the draw.

[Charles4515]

14 hours ago, Wanderista said:

 

Wow, forget working for Royal. How do I get that job? 😄

 

You can’t get it easily but that $150,000 figure is an extrapolation if the longshoremen is at the highest hourly rate and worked 52 weeks a year. There are often furloughs. In any case we tip porters because it is custom. Tipping them won’t get them to you faster on the ship because the bags are loaded on the ship in containers and distributed by crew. What the porter who handles your bag on shore could do with your bag if they have a gripe with you is handle it roughly and damage your bag. Maybe misplace them. Maybe rip off the tags which would delay you getting them.