Tips at pier

[cruisecrazypat]

Thinking today and getting dollar bills ready.  What is current tip amount for the baggage handlers at the pier?  We are leaving out of NOLA and parking at the pier.  The luggage is taken out of your car and shuttled to the ship.  Seems to me we have been tipping $2.00 per bag for like 30 years.  Were we over tipping years ago or am I way behind the average?

[Purvis1231]

$5.00 for 30 seconds work seems fair to me. 

[May1cruiser]

I think we average about $2-3 bag, depending on how heavy we have overpacked.

[teknoge3k]

I've always given $5 for our 4 bags. 

[ABCGreys]

We usually give about $2-$3 per bag, depending on how many bags we have (i.e. if we have the kids, we have at least 4 bags with one of them being my step-daughter's overly large, over weight, I packed everything but the kitchen sink bag, which dictates a large tip).

[finoky]

47 minutes ago, Purvis1231 said:

$5.00 for 30 seconds work seems fair to me. 

 

That's exactly what I have been doing for years. Throw them a quick $5 and on our way. 

[ObstructedView2]

1 hour ago, cruisecrazypat said:

 

Seems to me we have been tipping $2.00 per bag for like 30 years.  Were we over tipping years ago or am I way behind the average?

 

 

 

Most often we cruise with 3 large suitcases & 1 large garment bag.

At embarkation when we drop off luggage I usually tip $10.

 

However, when we disembark a ship I tip $20. We always use porter service with luggage carts; the porter also uses the dedicated porter line at customs, bypassing the extremely long lines, then the porter takes our luggage outside the terminal to wherever we need to be. 

 

✌️

[keywest1]

Usually $10 for three large bags.

[beachbum53]

This topic has been discussed and debated many times before, both on here and other cruise forums. Since the porters at the cruise terminals are members of the Longshoremen's Union, and are getting paid union wages (which is more per hour than many cruisers earn), we feel that $1.00 - $2.00 per bag is sufficient. But, tip whatever you feel is right for you.

[PhillyFan33579]

We normally drop off 2-4 bags, depending on the cruise length, and always tip $10. 

[JMAE]

I tip $5 for two bags. 

[Purvis1231]

2 hours ago, beachbum53 said:

This topic has been discussed and debated many times before, both on here and other cruise forums. Since the porters at the cruise terminals are members of the Longshoremen's Union, and are getting paid union wages (which is more per hour than many cruisers earn), we feel that $1.00 - $2.00 per bag is sufficient. But, tip whatever you feel is right for you.

I do not think they are members of the longshoremen's union. From what I have read they are independent contractors working for tips only. But I imagine this varies from port to port. 

[beachbum53]

2 hours ago, Purvis1231 said:

I do not think they are members of the longshoremen's union. From what I have read they are independent contractors working for tips only. But I imagine this varies from port to port. 

Not sure about every U.S. port, but it's an easy bet that the porters at the New York cruise terminal are union workers.

 

[simplelife]

We have 2 light bags. I usually tip $5. 

 

[coevan]

4 hours ago, Purvis1231 said:

I do not think they are members of the longshoremen's union. From what I have read they are independent contractors working for tips only. But I imagine this varies from port to port. 

 

 

There is no way they work on tips only, illegal in most states. 

[mexicobob]

If you do not tip well in New Orleans your bags "might" fall in the river as some have said. 

 

[glrounds]

$3 for one bag . . . $5 for two

 

[Jasalth]

10 hours ago, beachbum53 said:

This topic has been discussed and debated many times before, both on here and other cruise forums. Since the porters at the cruise terminals are members of the Longshoremen's Union, and are getting paid union wages (which is more per hour than many cruisers earn), we feel that $1.00 - $2.00 per bag is sufficient. But, tip whatever you feel is right for you.

 

This is about how I feel. You also have to take into account these are basically also OT jobs, and since they go on seniority with Union..... they are making a pretty decent chunk of change for the hours they are there w/o tips included! DH loves to talk to these guys cause DH is a Teamster and well Teamsters are happy to back all Unions.

 

It made me sad recently that I realized while I work in a skilled medical field (not nursing or doctor mind you so no high degree!) the OT hours I have been working come up to just over my DH's regular hourly wage and in working just 14 hours of OT one week, DH made only about 10% less than my normal 2 week pay, in 1 weeks paycheck. 

 

Even if you take one of the smaller Carnival ships with 1000 cabins, say those guys get $5 per cabin. If there is 25 of them working.. that is $200 each. Then you have to account if they were getting those cabins off the ship. So.. Union Wage (normally OT Wage...) + $250 or more in tips, for 8 hours of work. Even if it's not OT, tips included they look at $300-400 in a day for working a cruise. 

 

If you want to tip more, go for it! It's your choice, but personally, picking up a bag and moving it 5 feet means I should pay someone $5 to do it? Nah that's okay I can do it myself. 

[marmac761]

12 hours ago, beachbum53 said:

This topic has been discussed and debated many times before, both on here and other cruise forums. Since the porters at the cruise terminals are members of the Longshoremen's Union, and are getting paid union wages (which is more per hour than many cruisers earn), we feel that $1.00 - $2.00 per bag is sufficient. But, tip whatever you feel is right for you.

Yes they are longshoremen but they do work for tips. They are NOT on the job thru the union.  They are working for an extra income.  We have many friends who are longshoreman. They do this to supplement their income because some do not always work normal 40 hour work weeks. If it weren’t for them, we would all be dragging our own luggage on board.  Can you imagine how long boarding would take?  I’ve been behind people struggling along to take all theirs and their kids luggage on board  in Long Beach up the steep ramps! It really slows everyone down!

 

 

 

 

[RWolver672]

6 hours ago, mexicobob said:

If you do not tip well in New Orleans your bags "might" fall in the river as some have said. 

 

 

That's pretty hard seeing how the porters are nowhere near the water when they take your luggage.  

[PhillyFan33579]

4 hours ago, marmac761 said:

I’ve been behind people struggling along to take all theirs and their kids luggage on board  in Long Beach up the steep ramps! It really slows everyone down!

 

The first thing we do every cruise is go to the Atrium Bar for a few drinks. We always watch people boarding the ship and every cruise we see people struggling with their luggage similar to what you have seen. 

[jlabs03]

14 hours ago, beachbum53 said:

Not sure about every U.S. port, but it's an easy bet that the porters at the New York cruise terminal are union workers.

 

 In Seattle they are in a union.  NCL sent us a notice stating this fact and there was some regulation against tagging your own luggage once at the port.  I would agree NY is a huge union state so they probably are in a union, but it does vary form state to state.

 

[Purvis1231]

13 hours ago, coevan said:

 

 

There is no way they work on tips only, illegal in most states. 

I may have been given the wrong information by someone who wanted a bigger tip.  Several years ago in Port Canaveral there was a sign in side the port that tipping the porters was not necessary. I am not sure if this sign is still there. In this port I tipped the van driver who handled the bags. There was a sign in the van that the drivers work for tips only. I also saw this in a van in New Orleans . 

I have always noticed the porters were Johnny on the Spot to get the bags out of our car except in Mobile were once I had to put my on luggage in the bins. The union thing may explain this. 

[Don Kehote]

10 hours ago, mexicobob said:

If you do not tip well in New Orleans your bags "might" fall in the river as some have said. 

Other things that might happen:

 

• An asteroid might land on your bag and turn it into a beacon for the Home Planet.
• The Cleveland Browns might win the Superb Owl.
• Dolly Parton might reveal that she's been faking the voice all these years, and she's really a man named Chuck Wilson, amateur phlebotomist.
• Nothing at all.

I lean toward the last, but #2 is starting to look like it could happen.  Eventually.

[Nic6318]

12 hours ago, mexicobob said:

If you do not tip well in New Orleans your bags "might" fall in the river as some have said. 

 

 

Hi

 

I think you are overthinking this. The cruise lines suggest $1-2 per bag. People can give what they want, if it makes them feel better.