Porters

[Tbay]

Will need to use a porter in Ft. Lauderdale to help us out with our luggage .  Do they have a set fee or do you tip them?  If a tip, how much.  Thanks.

[CruiserBruce]

$2-3 per bag...5 or better when two bags.

[Arizona Wildcat]

Some will give a large tip.  Some none.  Your choice.

[kangforpres]

We always tip when handing off our bag, but never have more than 2 bags. Once the bag gets onto the ship it's up to the crew as to when they get delivered to your room. Sounds like you  just help with lots of luggage and the manual labor aspect of it.

[TiogaCruiser]

Can you take your own bag on yourself at FLL

[CruiserBruce]

14 minutes ago, TiogaCruiser said:

Can you take your own bag on yourself at FLL

As long as it fits through a standard airport sized xray machine.

[Real NHDOC]

17 hours ago, Tbay said:

Will need to use a porter in Ft. Lauderdale to help us out with our luggage .  Do they have a set fee or do you tip them?  If a tip, how much.  Thanks.

In answer to your question there is no fee. Tips are discretionary. I usually give them $5 for our 2-3 suitcases. They basically only load them onto the cart so don’t think it justifies anything more but like someone said some don’t tip anything and every tip is always appreciated by the guys. 

[albingirl]

Depends on what they are doing for you. Once they helped up with a long line with immigration after an international cruise. Tipped our porter 20 dollars.  But, curbside , usually 3 dollars for 2 bags to be put on the cart.

[Real NHDOC]

3 minutes ago, albingirl said:

Depends on what they are doing for you. Once they helped up with a long line with immigration after an international cruise. Tipped our porter 20 dollars.  But, curbside , usually 3 dollars for 2 bags to be put on the cart.

Good point. I may have misunderstood the wording of the question. If the OP was asking about help with getting off the ship - from baggage claim out to the curb that’s more work. I would probably double the tip for that than for curbside service at check in since they do spend some time helping but it is still all discretionary and there is no set fee. 

[HamOp]

Of course if you would like you bags to take the same vacation as you, it might be wise to slip them a few bucks.

[Oakman58]

2 hours ago, HamOp said:

Of course if you would like you bags to take the same vacation as you, it might be wise to slip them a few bucks.

 

So are you saying if you don't tip at the port they won't put your bag on the ship?

[Tbay]

Thanks everyone.  My husband can no longer help with the bags so it's our first time to use a porter. Just wanted a heads up on help getting out of the terminal. 

[Crew News]

50 minutes ago, Tbay said:

Thanks everyone.  My husband can no longer help with the bags so it's our first time to use a porter. Just wanted a heads up on help getting out of the terminal. 

There will be porters with their caris in the baggage area of the terminal if you need help getting your luggage through Customs and out of the terminal.

[oakridger]

I agree, going into the terminal, all you do is hand them the bag and they put them on carts.  Just seconds of work for them.  Leaving is an entirely different circumstance where they do walk with you out and help through immigration and out to the taxi/Uber/bus area.  In the USA I have tipped going in but much less than leaving.  The Longshoremen here in San Francisco make around $100,000 per year as their base pay.  

 

~Nancy

[rafinmd]

Posted photo to wrong thread by mistake.  My last cruise the porter took my bags all the way through customs and to the car in the garage.  Not sure if it was too much or too little but I tipped him $50 and well worth it to me.

 

Roy

Edited March 18, 2023 by rafinmd

[Real NHDOC]

8 hours ago, oakridger said:

I agree, going into the terminal, all you do is hand them the bag and they put them on carts.  Just seconds of work for them.  Leaving is an entirely different circumstance where they do walk with you out and help through immigration and out to the taxi/Uber/bus area.  In the USA I have tipped going in but much less than leaving.  The Longshoremen here in San Francisco make around $100,000 per year as their base pay.  

 

~Nancy

The luggage porters aren’t the same thing as longshoremen or stevedores but even if they earned 6 figures in San Francisco it’s barely a living wage out there.
 

I have never had to rely upon them to move our stuff through customs or to the garage but I guess if I did I’d figure a tip out based upon the amount of time they spent helping me. $1 a minute or so is probably not unreasonable. 

 

[Skipper's Mom]

We always tip the porters wherever we are.  Going in, usually $5 for 2-3 bags.  In FLL, we just raise our hand when we get into the luggage claim area and they come right over with their cart and pick up all of our bags, even the carry on that we have with us.  Last trip, the porter took us through immigration and outside to the area where our car shuttle van was located, a trip I don't think I could have done without him.  Tipped him $10 and well worth it.  I figure I've just spent thousands on a vacation and they deserve a decent tip.

[oakridger]

7 hours ago, Real NHDOC said:

The luggage porters aren’t the same thing as longshoremen or stevedores but even if they earned 6 figures in San Francisco it’s barely a living wage out there.

 

All true, but the people that handle baggage at the S.F. cruise port belong to the Longshoremen and Warehouseman's union is what I was trying to say.  As mentioned, I do tip a bit going into the terminal but when getting help on the way out I give them much more for the time and distance they walk/schlep my things.  Also, on my most recent cruise I required wheelchair assistance (hopefully that is a temporary situation) both directions and I sure wanted to tip those people for wheeling my not very small self around!  Had they not been there I wouldn't have been able to travel.

 

~Nancy

[Native Floridian 26]

On 3/17/2023 at 8:34 PM, Oakman58 said:

 

So are you saying if you don't tip at the port they won't put your bag on the ship?

That's my fear lol 

[Daniel A]

On 3/17/2023 at 3:08 PM, Tbay said:

Thanks everyone.  My husband can no longer help with the bags so it's our first time to use a porter. Just wanted a heads up on help getting out of the terminal. 

Our experience in Fort Lauderdale is that there are porters wating in the luggage claim area.  Once you locate all of your luggage, look for a porter and he or she will come over to where your luggage is and load it onto the luggage cart.  They do take you through CBP and our experience was that the porters get prioritized through the CBP lanes.  You should tip them what you think the service was worth to you.  Everybody has different ideas of what constitutes the right amount.

[Tbay]

Thanks Daniel. 

[Daniel A]

2 hours ago, Tbay said:

Thanks Daniel. 

You're welcome!

[SargassoPirate]

On 3/17/2023 at 2:14 PM, CruiserBruce said:

As long as it fits through a standard airport sized xray machine.

And you can lift it into and off of the x-ray conveyor.  

[Haljo1935]

Tipping is optional, but as others have said, greatly appreciated by the porters.

As HamOp said, I would like my luggage to cruise with me, so I do tend to tip a bit more when heading to the ship - NOT saying any porter would intentionally "misplace" a bag, I just like the assurance (akin to the baseball fan who wears the same undies during playoffs)...

I also appreciate the extra efforts of porters who guide me through the short CBP line and take luggage all the way through to car/Uber... so I give them a healthy tip.

They both earn it, IMHO.