Why or When should porters be tipped?

[CruisnMom007]

We ALWAYS tip at least $2-$3 bucks a bag. I want my luggage to arrive safely and complete! Sometimes I even tip a standard $15 even if only 5 bags.

I appreciate the help they offer.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

Who knows... the COP there may be OFF DUTY... you know, like the ones that direct traffic at churches, etc...

 

perhaps they get a cut!.... one never knows! I can't imagine an officer in the line of duty TELLING you to tip $2 instead of $1... that's very odd....:eek:

 

 

Tom

[VentureMan_2000]

So... the answer seems to be (regardless of distance or help provided):

 

1) Because, that is the way it has always been done (a tip is customary).

 

2) Intimidation. They will throw your bags over the side of the pier if you don't! (Clearly the biggest reason)

 

3) It's not fair that they do the (well paid Union) job they are getting paid for, they deserve more!

 

4) Porters expect to be TIPped.

 

5) Doing the "right" or "nice" thing.

 

6) To hell with the cheap folks.

 

7) If you were only picked to work 2 or 3 days a week wouldn't you appreciate a tip?

 

8) Ft Lauderdale terminal had signs posted by the Port Authorities all over the place stating that tipping porters wasn't allowed. (Wonder Why? Maybe they have rules against throwing luggage over the side of the pier)

 

9) Fear of others on this board calling you cheap or a tightwad.

 

10) Porters, who in my oppinion were bullies, would NOT load our bags onto the ship unless we paid them $2/bag. Just Tip $2/bag and be done with it. It's not worth all the touble.

 

11) Porters give some ugly looks after not getting a tip.

 

12) People have a problem not seeing why others questioning when and why to TIP. Just let loose of the money whether it is deserved or not (see #1 above).

 

13) Carnival suggests $1 per bag for these porters (Yet, they explicitly state Carnival assumes no responsibility for Porters and your bags given to them. Interesting).

 

14) You have no alternative due to 9/11 as you can no longer carrie on your own luggage.

 

15) Porter moved baggage a distance longer than you were willing to carry the luggage yourself to get to the check-in. (VentureMan's response to Tom-n-Cheryl)

 

16) I feel like I tip the porters so they don't screw me over; giving $$ to people to avoid retalliation (see #2 above).

 

17) To not tip a Porter (due to #1 above) is to stiff the service personnel.

 

 

Any others?

[Lil Bird]

#2 Sums it up. Prior to 9-11 we used to carry our luggage to our room and avoid all this. My wife loved to get unpacked and she could relax early. Now we tip like everyone else. We're not going to get upset over a few bucks. Heck, the first round cost more than that and we never seem to have a problem with that. Or the second, or the third,...

[SevenVII]

I wish you people worked for the company I do, then when I fixed your computer no matter what I would get a tip. I guess my salary isnt sufficient to cover my services, so please tip me(at least $40) when I rebuild your databases!

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

Venture : since you brought it up... was there a particular answer were you wanting to see??? Feel free to add your own thoughts to the list! :D

 

 

 

Tom

[Guest Time2gocruzn]

Personally, I have no problem with tipping or the amount. I feel like I tip the Carnival crew for good service. I feel like I tip the porters so they don't screw me over. To me there is a big differnce. And yes, I do have a problem giving $$ to people to avoid retalliation, as that is what some suggsted the tips are given to them for.

[tef43]

Venture : since you brought it up... was there a particular answer were you wanting to see???

Typically in threads such as this, the OP is looking for support/justification/reassurance in their desire to stiff the service personnel.

[Sailfish]

We have a cruise aboard the Pride (out of LA) planned for Thanksgiving, and per Carnival Cruise Line's online documentation, it says the recommended porter gratuity is $1 per bag. Last year, Royal Caribbean didn't specify in writing, however, numerous people - including a Royal Caribbean reservation's agent, said we should tip $1/bag. That's what we were prepared to do.

 

Like I said before, I take no issue with giving a gratuity to the porters. I think what up set my group so much was the demanding nature of the porters we came into contact with. The police officer that we got to come over to us was a "real" on-duty peace officer in uniform, who somewhat reluctantly said we should give the guys what they want so they could go on and do their jobs, implying we were a little out of line to tip only $1/bag. He said that they expected $2/bag. Not even cruise line employees came to our group's defence, who said that all porters wanted $2/bag. When asked if we could carry on our bag, the cruise line people said NO.

 

Essentially you are at the porter's mercy. I felt we had to give the guys their $2 or else. What are you going to do? Some people in our group didn't have any change, so they ended up giving a very generous tip to these guys, who in my oppinion were bullies.

 

Enough said. Tip $2/bag and be done with it. It's not worth all the touble.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

Sailfish: In many jurisdictions Officers are allowed to "moonlight" using their patrol car, and while in official uniform... I would guess these officers are hired by the port authority in some cases - it all depends on how all the contracts were written, and what concessions were made to "seal the deal"... I am curious as to what difference there may be regarding their "power"... and which "employer" are they speaking for?? Cloudy issue...

 

Ideally, if you had his badge #, it would be something to follow up... yet how often does one think clearly enough in this type of circumstance (especially when an "authority" figure is siding against you...) to obtain a badge #... I know firsthand what can happen when one speaks his mind (the TRUTH!) to a cop... just throw logic out of the window if they "cop" an attitude...

 

Tom

[GLW513]

Strangest thing....My wife and I sailed out of Baltimore on the Miracle in May. I brought plenty of $1.00 so that I could tip the porters. After I had handed our bags to these two men I attempted to tip them. Both refused stating that they were Port of Baltimore employees and could not except the tip. They further stated that they were working in an overtime status and could not except the tips. I thank them for their honesty boarded the ship and had an excellent time.

[GLW513]

Sailfish - I think that I would have gotten the Police Officer's badge number and witten to the department upon my return from vacation.

 

Goincruisin - the $45 referred to employees that actually work on the ship. Non-Union dock workers make more than $45 a month. Remember, there is a law in this country called Minimum Wage. The ships get away without having to pay it because they are registered in another country.

 

Several years ago my wife and I took the Discovery from Ft. Lauderdale to Freeport. We drove to the terminal carried our bags for a considerable distance from the parking garage. When we got to the area where they were loading the baggage. A worker (will not call him a porter) walked over to us, stuck out his hand. We had three bags, so, I gave him $10. He literally picked up the bags turned around and placed them in this metal container. He did not even move his feet. He simply turned around. I could have done that much.

 

We tend to tip because that is the "thing to do". Not sure how much they make per hour.....but lets play this game....There were approximately 1200 passengers, most were couples with at least two bags. And the passengers gave the workers $2.00 per bag. So we will say 600 couples times $4.00 = $2,400. Now their were 2 workers there that morning. So, I think that $1,200 for the day was pretty good. Now the Discovery is like a taxi to Freeport, so it makes alot of trips during the week. So, lets not feel sorry for this dock workers.

[GoinCruisin]

GLW, if you look at my post again (posted below for ya), you will see I was replying to Tom (he posted about the crew in a post above mine). I stated in my post below that the porters are not Carnival employees and are paid US wages, twice. Not sure if maybe you missed something in my post?

 

yup, $45 a month is what they make, IF they were to work all 30 days in a month. They get $1.50/day (although the porters are not Carnival employees and get paid US wages)... The worker referenced $4K, but also has to pay her assistant out of that, and works 7 days with no days off, a minimum of 12 hours a day... they aren't rolling in the dough. They may make $4K one month and next month make $1200, and they have to pay their help regardless of how much their tips are, so she would be stuck making $445 for the month. Amazing... but of course Porters are a different story. Tipping is customary for jobs like this in the United States...The porters are not making $50K a year, what is a couple of bucks? Geez.

[VentureMan_2000]

So... the answer seems to be (regardless of distance or help provided):

 

1) Because, that is the way it has always been done (a tip is customary).

 

2) Intimidation. They will throw your bags over the side of the pier if you don't! (Clearly the biggest reason)

 

3) It's not fair that they do the (well paid Union) job they are getting paid for, they deserve more!

 

4) Porters expect to be TIPped.

 

5) Doing the "right" or "nice" thing.

 

6) To hell with the cheap folks.

 

7) If you were only picked to work 2 or 3 days a week wouldn't you appreciate a tip?

 

8) Ft Lauderdale terminal had signs posted by the Port Authorities all over the place stating that tipping porters wasn't allowed. (Wonder Why? Maybe they have rules against throwing luggage over the side of the pier)

 

9) Fear of others on this board calling you cheap or a tightwad.

 

10) Porters, who in my oppinion were bullies, would NOT load our bags onto the ship unless we paid them $2/bag. Just Tip $2/bag and be done with it. It's not worth all the touble.

 

11) Porters give some ugly looks after not getting a tip.

 

12) People have a problem not seeing why others are questioning when and why to TIP. Just let loose of the money whether it is deserved or not (see #1 above).

 

13) Carnival suggests $1 per bag for these porters (Yet, they explicitly state Carnival assumes no responsibility for Porters and your bags given to them. Interesting).

 

14) You have no alternative due to 9/11 as you can no longer carry on board your own luggage.

 

15) Porter carried baggage a distance longer than you were willing to carry the luggage yourself to get to the check-in. (VentureMan's response to Tom-n-Cheryl)

 

16) I feel like I tip the porters so they don't screw me over; giving $$ to people to avoid retalliation (see #2 above).

 

17) To not tip a Porter (due to #1 above) is to stiff the service personnel.

 

18) We had three bags, so, I gave the Porter $10. He literally picked up the bags turned around and placed them in this metal container. He did not even move his feet. He simply turned around. I could have done that much (really earned his TIP!).

 

19) Where tipping is apropriate... if Porters are very friendly and helpful then I give them them above the "recommended" tip.

 

 

Any others?

[CruisnMom007]

Don't do what my husband did on accident and tip a $100 bill!!!

[CruisnMom007]

I will say as in any situation where tipping is apropriate....the attitude and service matters for sure. If they are rude..then they get the minimal ..if they are very friendly and helpful then I give them them above the "recommended" tip.

[VentureMan_2000]

Good views here! Keep them coming.

[Pat41]

[quote name='tef43']Typically in threads such as this, the OP is looking for support/justification/reassurance in their desire to stiff the service personnel.[/QUOTE]


What evidence do you have to back up this claim?

I thought CC had rules about embarassing/harassing/bashing other posters. And that is exactly what tef43's post is all about. I guess when you are a member of the "15 Posts-Per-Day Club" the hosts will bend the rules for you.

Peace Out!

Pat the Beancounter

[GoinCruisin]

Pat, complaining about someone "bashing" and then "bashing" others is pretty much the same thing... Tef said "typically", which, is "sometimes" true.... and as for evidence, if you will look on the first page alone, you will see that MANY similar posts just like this were posted by the OP, which were all basically to evoke reaction....

And what is wrong with someone posting 15, 20 or 100 times a day? Do we have a limit as to how many questions to answer or advice to give? It's better than those that ONLY post when it is to complain about someone or bash someone... and there are those on here. Bashing someone due to the number of posts they have is just as bad as what you were originally complaining about, IMO.

[myangel]

Whenn we saile dout of Miami last December, My husband dropped us off with our luggage (4 pieces) and the porter came up to me and said "I'll make sure these get to the ship, and the price is $10" I was so mad that he DEMANDED $10 that I only gave him $6, for which he gave me a little chuckle like " I SAID TEN DOLLARS LADY!!!" I was so shocked that he would TELL ME how much I should give!

[loudbmw]

Whatever you plan to tip - make sure you have exact change. After giving the guy collecting tips in Port Canaveral $10 for our five bags, the guy behind me only had a $20. Imagine my surprise when the same porter who was collecting tips all morning said he couldn't break the $20 - ha!

Lou

[Pat41]

[quote name='GoinCruisin']Pat, complaining about someone "bashing" and then "bashing" others is pretty much the same thing... Tef said "typically", which, is "sometimes" true.... and as for evidence, if you will look on the first page alone, you will see that MANY similar posts just like this were posted by the OP, which were all basically to evoke reaction....

And what is wrong with someone posting 15, 20 or 100 times a day? Do we have a limit as to how many questions to answer or advice to give? It's better than those that ONLY post when it is to complain about someone or bash someone... and there are those on here. Bashing someone due to the number of posts they have is just as bad as what you were originally complaining about, IMO.[/QUOTE]

GoinCrusin -


1. I just reread my post and cannot see where I "bashed" anyone. Nope not at all. (My god who do I sound like?)

2. Typical does NOT mean "sometimes". Look it up in a dictionary.

3. As for your comment about evidence, I did not see one other post in this thread that said the OP was trying to "justify" his cheapness. Only tef43's post did that.

4. There is nothing wrong with posting 15, 20 or 100 times per day but when 80% of said posts are snide and condasending then there is something wrong with that.

5. There is a core group of posters here that seem to think they own the place and can toss out snide comments whenever they want without fear of repercussions. That has to stop as this message board is really going downhill because of it.

Oh yes and the above is IMO.

Peace Out!

Pat the Beancounter

[kristikae]

[quote name='Pat41']What evidence do you have to back up this claim?

I thought CC had rules about embarassing/harassing/bashing other posters. And that is exactly what tef43's post is all about. I guess when you are a member of the "15 Posts-Per-Day Club" the hosts will bend the rules for you.

Peace Out!

Pat the Beancounter[/QUOTE]
[b][font=Comic Sans MS][color=darkorchid]Nope.[/color][/font][/b]
[b][font=Comic Sans MS][color=darkorchid][/color][/font][/b]
[b][font=Comic Sans MS][color=darkorchid]We don't bend the rules for anyone. Ask some of my closest friends in the world who also happen to be some of the most prolific posters on this board. I removed their posts just as much as anyone elses if not more.[/color][/font][/b]
[b][font=Comic Sans MS][color=darkorchid][/color][/font][/b]
[b][font=Comic Sans MS][color=darkorchid]We do have rules about harassing other members. I didn't view tef43's post as harassment. Some people are just more negative than others and that's allowed. They are just as entitled to their opinion as positive posters.[/color][/font][/b]
[b][font=Comic Sans MS][color=darkorchid][/color][/font][/b]
[b][font=Comic Sans MS][color=darkorchid]That being said, if anyone feels they have been harassed, feel free to use the notify button and we'll be happy to look into it. We don't always catch things right away and it helps when people do this.[/color][/font][/b]

[Randy & Carmen]

[font=Georgia][b]Gosh yes.......I agree with Kristi......I was recently accused of that and told the person that I constantly check those that I post with and sail with that post alot.....I've had some ask me if something was ok to post.....Sometimes I've said no.....sometimes yes.....They know I'll remove their threads just like the others......probably more so since some I'm talking about are long time posters....As Kristi said.....you can report the thread but that may or may not mean we take action....Each report is looked at on case by case basis.[/b][/font]

[GoinCruisin]

2. Typical does NOT mean "sometimes". Look it up in a dictionary.
[color=red]hmmm, not what I was saying at all... far from stupid over here, but nice attempt at trying to make it seem that way, failed... but good attempt.[/color]

3. As for your comment about evidence, I did not see one other post in this thread that said the OP was trying to "justify" his cheapness. Only tef43's post did that. [color=red]Look back at the board, while OP may have been posting in jest and trying to start things such as this, it is only your opinion that he was not trying to justify anything.... you are not the only one entitled to an opinion.[/color]

4. There is nothing wrong with posting 15, 20 or 100 times per day but when 80% of said posts are snide and condasending then there is [color=red]something[/color] wrong with that. [color=red]To put everyone that posts 15+ times per day in some sort of secret club is not fair to those that post informative info and try to be helpful... others tend to just post to be hateful to others :rolleyes: [/color]

5. There is a core group of posters here that seem to think they own the place and can toss out snide comments whenever they want without fear of repercussions. That has to stop as this message board is really going downhill because of it. [color=red]Oh, but posts such as this are helpful??????[/color]

[color=black]I simply stated that your post was just as "harassing" as Tef's... Pot, meet kettle.[/color]

Sorry, Just MHO