Drop bags here- there is no need for a porter.

[mattb31]

Is this about the actual porters, or the guys who stand at the belts?

 

We were at Terminal A a few months ago and I walked my baggage up to the belts, there were 3 porters sitting there who pretty much took my bags out of my hands and lifted on the conveyor belts for me. They made some offhand comment when I walked away without tipping them. Is this the people you're talking about?

[island lady]

This thread just gave me pause to think of other luggage handlers.  How many of us tip the agent at the check in counter (not curb side, but the inside counter) for your flight at the airport?  They also have to move your bags "five feet".  😉 

[SRF]

45 minutes ago, mayleeman said:

 

I am sure your theory is grounded in hard facts. So, how many former porters have you ever met on all the cruises you have been on? Or are you just making up things to rationalize not tipping? 

 

Most porters we have ever used are good, some aren't.  Same with most professions. But after schlepping my luggage around for years on my own, I like how they are right there. I don't begrudge them the token we pay in grstitude for keepinf our bags secure and onto the ship as we drive off to a garage or enter the terminal.

 

As to whether the topic is tipping, the purpose of the OP strategy is clearly to avoid tips. So, fair game.

 

 

 

Search for previous threads.  Including comments by chengkp75 and others who have worked in the industry.

 

Do you tip the check in person at the airline counter for tagging you bags and tossing them on the belt?????

[SRF]

13 hours ago, time4u2go said:

Yes.  Moving our luggage 5 feet onto a cart! 😉

 

 

And heck, sometimes they expect you to take it out of the vehicle for them.

[island lady]

1 minute ago, SRF said:

 

Search for previous threads.  Including comments by chengkp75 and others who have worked in the industry.

 

Do you tip the check in person at the airline counter for tagging you bags and tossing them on the belt?????

 

See my post above yours.  😉 

[mayleeman]

1 minute ago, island lady said:

This thread just gave me pause to think of other luggage handlers.  How many of us tip the agent at the check in counter (not curb side, but the inside counter) for your flight at the airport?  They also have to move your bags "five feet".  😉 

Well, how many people stiff a valet, who might only drive a car 50 feet, or the doorman who only calls the next cab in line at nice hotels and maybe open the doir of the cab? People seem to accept tipping in these cases, or the bartender who only pops a cap off a beer--10 second of work. Anyone bent out of shape or require income verification for these jobs?

[SRF]

40 minutes ago, Tony O said:

The security levels are set by the US Coast Guard with input from the Departmet of Homeland Security. Every year all employees who work at the Port of Baltimoe must take pass  refresher test in security measures for them to renew their security credentials. The also must renew their TWIC credentials every five year.

 

Uuh, USCG is PART of DHS. 🙂

 

 

[island lady]

Just now, mayleeman said:

Well, how many people stiff a valet, who might only drive a car 50 feet, or the doorman who only calls the next cab in line at nice hotels and maybe open the doir of the cab? People seem to accept tipping in these cases, or the bartender who only pops a cap off a beer--10 second of work. Anyone bent out of shape or require income verification for these jobs?

 

Yeah, I always thought it was strange as to whom you tip or don't tip.  Not that I stiff the obvious like waiters, bartenders, our cabin attendants, etc., and tip quite well actually...but seems there are some employees that wait on you in other positions, which you would never expect to tip, that will go far and above what employees that traditionally expect a tip do for you. 

 

Example:  Guest Services desk on the ship,  the cabin attendant (from another cabin location) that drags your luggage down the hall to your cabin, the crew member at the coffee station, the one at the Sorrentos or Park Cafe, the photo gallery clerk at check out, the photo team on the dock that takes your picture, security guards, the tender operators...on...and on...if you think about it.  

[Sea Dog]

Just because I've never been to Terminal 1 at Port Canaveral, help me understand the process. We will coming from our hotel by shuttle. I will tip that driver since he will load our bags and unload our bags from the shuttle. My question is do we take a bags to nearby porter for him to take and then tip again? Do we take our bags inside the terminal? Just trying to visualize the process and figure out who and how many tips I tip?

[Clarea]

4 minutes ago, Sea Dog said:

Just because I've never been to Terminal 1 at Port Canaveral, help me understand the process. We will coming from our hotel by shuttle. I will tip that driver since he will load our bags and unload our bags from the shuttle. My question is do we take a bags to nearby porter for him to take and then tip again? Do we take our bags inside the terminal? Just trying to visualize the process and figure out who and how many tips I tip?

 

You drop bags outside the terminal.  The shuttle will likely stop right in front of the porters.

[Sea Dog]

1 minute ago, Host Clarea said:

 

You drop bags outside the terminal.  The shuttle will likely stop right in front of the porters.

Thanks Bob!

[island lady]

2 minutes ago, Sea Dog said:

Just because I've never been to Terminal 1 at Port Canaveral, help me understand the process. We will coming from our hotel by shuttle. I will tip that driver since he will load our bags and unload our bags from the shuttle. My question is do we take a bags to nearby porter for him to take and then tip again? Do we take our bags inside the terminal? Just trying to visualize the process and figure out who and how many tips I tip?

 

We always use a shuttle to get to PC.  They ask us to wait on the shuttle until the bags are off loaded.  Agree, we tip the shuttle driver that does most of the work loading and unloading your bags.  They pile them up in front of several porters that are waiting in that slip designed to bring in shuttles/buses.  Be careful that they don't toss your carry on bags on the luggage carts.  They did that to me once, even though the carry on bags did not have a luggage tag.  Uhggg...had to get them to pull it out of the cart piled with bags on top of them.  😣

 

Then the porters will be quite obvious looking for tips, and many will actually make the announcement loudly to "don't forget your porters".  Yeah...they simply take the bags that the shuttle driver piles at their feet and place them on the carts right behind them.  I still tip them...but the shuttle driver deserves the bigger tip IMHO.  

[Tony O]

35 minutes ago, SRF said:

 

Uuh, USCG is PART of DHS. 🙂

 

 

True but they are the ones who have final decision on all part security and MARSAC levels

[Sea Dog]

7 minutes ago, island lady said:

I still tip them...but the shuttle driver deserves the bigger tip IMHO.  

Good advise. Thank you and yes I will tip the shuttle driver because they do most of the work.

[island lady]

1 minute ago, Sea Dog said:

Good advise. Thank you and yes I will tip the shuttle driver because they do most of the work.

 

You are most welcome.  Enjoy your cruise!

 

We are not on Harmony until December.  Starting our cruising season right.  😉 

[ReneeFLL]

16 hours ago, charmy98 said:

 

 I am interested in the answer as well. I have never been to POM but I have from FLL and Canaveral and they will wait with hand outstretched for money.

Time to shake their hand and say have a good day. 😸

Tips like that are better spent giving it to someone who works their a$$ off such as your room attendant or some other cruise employee imo. I have never seen a cruise worker stick their hand out for a tip. So annoying when porters do. I believe there is a sign in PE/FLL that says tips aren't required, but it's not very visible.

Edited September 18, 2019 by ReneeFLL

[mayleeman]

3 hours ago, island lady said:

Yeah, I always thought it was strange as to whom you tip or don't tip.

 

Much of it is based on tradition, and often makes no sense.  When the doorman goes out into the rain to actually hail a cab, and stands holding an umbrella while you get in--makes sense. When the cab stand guy at Bellagio waves up the next taxi from 20 standing in line and then, at most, opens the door--no sense, but a tip seems expected. 

 

As to porters, we haven't experienced anything but helpful and courteous, and we are always in a good mood looking forward to the cruise. Happy to tip rather than being cranky skinflints who constantly try to figure out who deserves our $5. I think people's bad experiences color their attitudes.

 

Bottom line on the OP's question:  If luggage and carts were self service, like those in a lobby of a Hampton Inn, I would probably bypass porters because I like controlling my stuff more. But obviously self delivery is not an option, and so I see those as their tools, not mine to load.

Edited September 18, 2019 by mayleeman

[John&LaLa]

3 hours ago, Sea Dog said:

Just because I've never been to Terminal 1 at Port Canaveral, help me understand the process. We will coming from our hotel by shuttle. I will tip that driver since he will load our bags and unload our bags from the shuttle. My question is do we take a bags to nearby porter for him to take and then tip again? Do we take our bags inside the terminal? Just trying to visualize the process and figure out who and how many tips I tip?

 

Shuttles come in from the back side of where the cars drop off. It's a big U shaped zone with cars on the inside and busses on the outside.

 

My picture above is from the bus side since I drop my bags early. 

[John&LaLa]

2 hours ago, ReneeFLL said:

Time to shake their hand and say have a good day. 😸

Tips like that are better spent giving it to someone who works their a$$ off such as your room attendant or some other cruise employee imo. I have never seen a cruise worker stick their hand out for a tip. So annoying when porters do. I believe there is a sign in PE/FLL that says tips aren't required, but it's not very visible.

 

Very visible in Pt Canaveral.  Just look up.

[compman9]

I hate the American tipping culture

 

But I always tip the man that makes sure my wife's clothes go to the right place on vacation 😲

[Clarea]

Just now, compman9 said:

I hate the American tipping culture ...

 

Sometimes I hate it too.

[ReneeFLL]

15 hours ago, njkruzer said:

The best money we have spent are to the porters who help us at disembarkation,  schlepping the luggage,  taking us to faster immigration lines and the shorter taxi line, Boston, or right to our car.  The taxi line in Boston looked very long and we were taken to the front and put right into a taxi.  Worth every dollar we gave him.

I heard that PE weren't allowing the porters to take you directly to the immigration lines anymore and they now had to wait with you.

 

15 hours ago, Artemus said:

Scrooge

So nice of you. Just because someone does something different than you, you call them a scrooge? How classy.  🙄

 

13 hours ago, frank808 said:

Only port I have ever had a problem with porters demanding money was at Port Of Miami.  Not on Royal but at the MSC tent the porter walked by all of us standing in line and mentioned that luggage was not going anywhere if he didn't get a tip.  I though that was rather rude and crass.  He got a lot less than what I normally tip the porters.  I wanted to not tip him at all but wife has the final say.

Was this a big black guy? I read on here several years ago that there was one that was really aggressive. Many people complained. I don't remember if they later said he toned it down or he just disappeared. I never came across him but wonder if he is still around.

 

[gerif]

3 hours ago, island lady said:

This thread just gave me pause to think of other luggage handlers.  How many of us tip the agent at the check in counter (not curb side, but the inside counter) for your flight at the airport?  They also have to move your bags "five feet".  😉 

The agent at the check in counter has a completely different job classification than the porter and I’m sure makes a whole lot more money. Can’t compare apples and oranges. 

[njkruzer]

20 minutes ago, ReneeFLL said:

I heard that PE weren't allowing the porters to take you directly to the immigration lines anymore and they now had to wait with you.

  

 

We had this in PC in January after the Noro cruise (we were fine).  We also have Global entry so maybe it was that line also.  Can't remember.  Also he took us to our car in the garage. 

[not-enough-cruising]

32 minutes ago, gerif said:

The agent at the check in counter has a completely different job classification than the porter and I’m sure makes a whole lot more money. Can’t compare apples and oranges. 

The porters are very well paid

Edited September 18, 2019 by not-enough-cruising