Tips at pier

[beachbum53]

14 hours ago, mexicobob said:

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

 

 

Although we've never cruised out New Orleans, I'm guessing the checked baggage there is handled pretty much the same way as it is at every cruise terminal. The porter out at curb side takes your bags and puts them on a cart. When the cart is full, it gets pushed inside the terminal where someone else takes the cart and transfers the bags to a cage-like container. When the container is full, a forklift driver loads it onto the ship. Once the curbside cart load of bags leaves the porter's hands, there is no way that the porter would be able to toss your bag into the water because he didn't get a tip. So don't believe the myth. 

[RWolver672]

16 hours ago, beachbum53 said:

 

The porter out at curb side takes your bags and puts them on a cart. When the cart is full, it gets pushed inside the terminal where someone else takes the cart and transfers the bags to a cage-like container. When the container is full, a forklift driver loads it onto the ship. 

 

For all of our cruises except the one from Tampa, the Porter puts the luggage right in the cage-like containers.  Tampa was the only one that put it  on a cart first.  I was a little leery of doing it that way but we got our luggage right away.

[VentureMan_2000]

ILWU (International Longshore and Warehouse Union) workers receive a compensation package that is among the most lucrative among all blue-collar workers in the United States. Full-time workers earn an average of $175,000 annually in wages, along with a non-wage benefits package costing more than $110,000 per active worker per year.

A longshoreman is a worker who loads and unloads cargo onto ships. ... Longshoremen are nearly always employed as part of a labor union.  Only a  longshoreman would be allowed to handle baggage at the port. 

http://www.pmanet.org/the-ilwu-workforce

[marmac761]

12 minutes ago, VentureMan_2000 said:

ILWU (International Longshore and Warehouse Union) workers receive a compensation package that is among the most lucrative among all blue-collar workers in the United States. Full-time workers earn an average of $175,000 annually in wages, along with a non-wage benefits package costing more than $110,000 per active worker per year.

A longshoreman is a worker who loads and unloads cargo onto ships. ... Longshoremen are nearly always employed as part of a labor union.  Only a  longshoreman would be allowed to handle baggage at the port. 

http://www.pmanet.org/the-ilwu-workforce

It’s really hard to believe if these guys are making that much, they are ones trying to make $1-$2 a bag as a porter. 

[Shaded Lady]

10 hours ago, RWolver672 said:

 

For all of our cruises except the one from Tampa, the Porter puts the luggage right in the cage-like containers.  Tampa was the only one that put it  on a cart first.  I was a little leery of doing it that way but we got our luggage right away.

 

The porters in Galveston have a trolley (cart) they put the bags onto, then they're transported to the cages and loaded.

[coevan]

This is like saying tip less in fine dining because the servers make so much more than Dennys. It's none of our business how much they make, tipping is your choice for services rendered. I have never heard such an obsession about how much people make in the cruise industry. 

[VentureMan_2000]

34 minutes ago, marmac761 said:

It’s really hard to believe if these guys are making that much, they are ones trying to make $1-$2 a bag as a porter. 

 

I've only seen 6 or less workers taking bags when I've dropped off.  Really no need for more than that.  All the other port workers in the background driving the fork lifts and loading the ship are port workers.  They get paid from the Port Fees we pay on our cruise.

 

Say a ship has 2,400 passengers with a bag each... at $2 a bag, that's $4,800.  That would be $800 for 6 hours work.  at $3 a bag, that's $7,200 or $1,200 for 6 hours work.  I'm sure that is in addition to their Longshoreman pay paid by the port out of the port fees we paid.

[GUT2407]

On 8/25/2019 at 12:46 PM, mexicobob said:

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

 

So it’s extortion.

[coevan]

58 minutes ago, VentureMan_2000 said:

Say a ship has 2,400 passengers with a bag each... at $2 a bag, that's $4,800.  That would be $800 for 6 hours work.  at $3 a bag, that's $7,200 or $1,200 for 6 hours work.  I'm sure that is in addition to their Longshoreman pay paid by the port out of the port fees we paid.

 

Again, none of your business. so the porters make 250K and live in South Beach and drive Mercedes, Oh please. 

[coevan]

57 minutes ago, GUT2407 said:

So it’s extortion.

 

 

no it's a myth

[VentureMan_2000]

I was only pointing out that these porters will be paid by the Port Authority from the port fees everyone pays.  Not everyone realizes this.  

[n6uqqq]

I carry my luggage on, no tips necessary. And I know it won't be lost or damaged. I've seen the videos on how cruise luggage is treated!

[wardamnweagle]

Last trip out of NOLA I had some rum runners. I tipped $20/bag to the guy and told him they were very important. He said yes sir and my bags did not go on a cart by the curb where other bags were going, they were rushed off out of my view. As we approached the stairs he caught up to me and directed us to a different door. Another porter waved us over. Looks like we went thru a priority line. Got upstairs and did the check in stuff and then got near the ramp. Called my in-laws to see where they were as they arrived at the port 15min before us. They were still in line. Grabbed a seat and waited on them. 5min later we were going up the ramp together. My father in law had a black plastic bag containing all of their sodas as they had ripped open the boxes. I was never even asked to open my carry on despite having two 12pks (one for me and one for wife) and two bottles of wine inside. 

 

Our bags were at our room at 3:30 with FTTF straps. In-laws got theirs after late seating dinner. 

 

Extortion? Nah. 

[mz-s]

I usually put my bags on the trolleys myself. I do not tip the porters.

 

At debarkation, I do self-assisted debarkation and I likewise do not tip.

 

Everyone should do what works best for them.

[richfret]

Now let's play a game with numbers.  I usually tip $3.00 a bag.  Let's say they handle 30 bags a day.  Thirty times $3.00 equals $90.00 a day.  Assuming you work 5 days a week and take 2 weeks vacation, that's 247 times $90.  That totals $22,230.    There you have it in black and white detail.

 

Never the less, after 22 Carnival cruises, I am still going to pay the $3.00.  It's part of cruising.  It's like paying a tip when you go to a buffet.  You learn to live with it.  It's also a comfortable feeling to know those suitcases will be in the cabin when I get their.  Now if I get them at 11 pm, I might be a bit ticked.

 

Now on to other matters like tipping the bus driver who drops you and your luggage at the pier.

[ray98]

1 hour ago, richfret said:

Now let's play a game with numbers.  I usually tip $3.00 a bag.  Let's say they handle 30 bags a day. 

 

 

30 bags?  I have seen them get 2/3rds of that just from the shuttle I rode on.  One shuttle, 5 minutes work.

[LibratPDX]

On 8/24/2019 at 2:57 PM, 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.

 

At every US port they are longshore workers.  On the West coast they are ILWU, on the east coast ILA.  (I am a longshore clerk).

[LibratPDX]

On 8/26/2019 at 2:07 PM, marmac761 said:

It’s really hard to believe if these guys are making that much, they are ones trying to make $1-$2 a bag as a porter. 

Hah, as a longshore clerk I can tell you that number is inflated!  It's possible, but only by working most weekends.....

[midcarolina]

Some of you have no idea about current labor laws....not to mention the Union contract! They are in fact longshoreman and they are on the clock.....if ANYTHING is moved in or out of port a longshoreman handles it....I still tip a buck or 2 per bag...also anytime tipping comes up in a topic nearly everyone are big tippers...

[VentureMan_2000]

8 minutes ago, LibratPDX said:

Hah, as a longshore clerk I can tell you that number is inflated!  It's possible, but only by working most weekends.....

What do you think the average longshoreman, who has been working 20 or more years, makes annually (including random overtime) ?

[LibratPDX]

40 minutes ago, VentureMan_2000 said:

What do you think the average longshoreman, who has been working 20 or more years, makes annually (including random overtime) ?

Probably $130-$150K per year.  In California there are some "deals" that were made decades ago that may be the reason $175k is quoted.....

[bankofdad]

We always tip the baggage handlers well, and I always ask them to remember us with kindness when handling our bags after I do and we have received a few perks along the way when we have.

 

On our cruise out of NOLA earlier this month, we tipped $25 for 3 larger bags.  The porter at first directed us to park on levels 4-6, but after the tip told us to follow him and park on the lower levels reserved for employees.  We did follow him, he removed a barricade for us and we were able get a great spot on level 3 right at the elevator that takes you down to the terminal.  Not sure if you would receive the same treatment if you did the same, but this isn't the first  (or second or third or fourth time, etc) that it worked for us!

 

Happy sailing!

Edited August 28, 2019 by bankofdad

[ParrotRob]

$10-20 for four bags, depending on how much work they have to do.  The last time I was in Miami, they just took them out of the trunk and tossed them onto a cart, easy peasy.  Two weeks ago in Seattle, they met me at the curb a hundred yards or more from the terminal, loaded them up then took them all the way to the terminal.

 

On return, usually a little more because they almost always do their best to get us through customs as quickly as possible.

 

So there's no one standard answer for us.

 

[geoffrywillhardt]

On 8/28/2019 at 9:06 AM, midcarolina said:

...also anytime tipping comes up in a topic nearly everyone are big tippers...

NA, Ill be honest and say I'm a fair tipper (poor by most peoples standards I'm sure). My opinion of fair is I tip based on the service provided. I don't tip at buffets, If I have to go get my own food and drinks, no one is taking my order, no one is getting a tip. If I hand my heavy bags to someone else to haul, I'll tip them based on how far I see them haul it before it goes on a cart of some kind, usually a buck or two a bag. Most of the time I haul my own, I don't usually pack heavy. I don't tip if I'm picking up an order. I don't tip well for bad service. I waited tables before and know exactly what goes into it. I'm not ashamed to say that I have lowered tips on my S&S card before. On the Sensation I felt as though we got extremely sub par service and lowered the tips to reflect that. In my opinion if your not willing to do a job for the base pay and be grateful for anything above and beyond with tips then you shouldn't do the job. And we as a society would decide if we really needed these services provided then we would pay them accordingly. When I work as a CNA I'm not allowed to receive tips. When I drive Uber I am. I provide good care/service at both jobs and am willing to do both for the regular pay rate. I do get excited when I get a tips driving Uber but I don't count on them.   

Edited September 6, 2019 by geoffrywillhardt

[midcarolina]

That sounds reasonable and completely normal to me....