what is the story on NON carnival baggage handlers at New Orleans' Terminal?

[bahia puller]

I have been told that NON carnival baggage handlers will take your bags to the Carnival's baggage check-in for the ship (for tips), BUT if something happens to one of them, Carnival is NOT responsible for them.

 

If we are parking at the Terminal, where are they picking your bag up at?

 

Why should I trust my bag to a NON RESPONSIBLE party to give them to Carnival?

 

Is this true?

[caribbean dreams]

The handlers will be right outside the terminal, you give them your bags and they put them in a large bin that is taken to the ship.

It's either that or carry on all your luggage but it must be able to fit thru the scanner (airport carry on size)

[GoinCruisin]

The porters at all ports are employees of the port, not Carnival...

[hstrybuf]

I have been told that NON carnival baggage handlers will take your bags to the Carnival's baggage check-in for the ship (for tips), BUT if something happens to one of them, Carnival is NOT responsible for them.

 

If we are parking at the Terminal, where are they picking your bag up at?

 

Why should I trust my bag to a NON RESPONSIBLE party to give them to Carnival?

 

Is this true?

 

Carnival does not employ the baggage handlers, the port does. Your luggage is loaded in large bins and then onto the ship. No one picks up your bags. You either drop them off with the baggage handlers at the correct ship then park or drag them with you after parking.

 

You have no choice but to give up your checked luggage to these people unless you do as mentioned above.

[cajin63]

We used the erato terminal for parking on sat for fantasy. We drove into the terminal parking was assisted at credit card machine and given a reciept to put on the dash then proceeded to a porter who had the cruise manifast with our name and cabin # he tagged our luggage and we tipped him and went park. We then just walked to elevator since we were already in the terminal, it was very easy. it was $70 for 5 night cruise.

[bahia puller]

So you pay to park -- move forward to unload bags to a porter, then you park.

 

What is the appropriate tip per bag?

[hstrybuf]

It varies, but $1 a bag should be sufficient. If we have 4 bags, we might tip $5.

[cajin63]

We tipped $7 for 5 bags. I really liked the new terminal because I usually wait with the kids while DH parks at another location and comes back to meet us. Then we all go into the terminal to check-in. In the new terminal we are never separated and the price to park was comparable to the other lots and garages.

[RjayB]

I do not like the "baggage Handlers."

 

They are actually stevedores employed by the ports and they make higher salaries than the average cruiser ($70-$100k/year in Long Beach, I'm sure it's similar everywhere else due to their union).

 

Yet they still extort tips from us so our luggage does not end up in the sea. There are usually signs saying "don't tip the stevedores" but they still line you up when you get off the bus and glare at you until you pay up.

 

I tip very well to those who deserve it, but I dont like having to tip someone because they are threatening me (especially when they are VERY well paid). :mad:

[Guest YesitDonna]

If you have your luggage taken at the sidewalk at an airport they are employee's of the airport not the airlines, it's no different.

 

As far as their salary... do you begrudge them because they may make more money then you? Then get a job there. If you went to a high priced restaurant would you tip what you would at Denny's because you figure they are making to much money?

[Glama]

Yet they still extort tips from us so our luggage does not end up in the sea

 

That was our experience at NOLA. We were specifically told by the porter "treat me well, and your luggage will be treated well". Hate to think what would have happened if we didn't tip him $2 per bag. I've had porters tell us that at another port, too, can't remember which off the top of my head, but they actually said "treat me well, and I'll treat your alcohol well", must have known we were smuggling a few 6 packs of beer. :p

[RjayB]

If you have your luggage taken at the sidewalk at an airport they are employee's of the airport not the airlines, it's no different.

 

As far as their salary... do you begrudge them because they may make more money then you? Then get a job there. If you went to a high priced restaurant would you tip what you would at Denny's because you figure they are making to much money?

 

You missed the point entirely. There are signs that say "DO NOT TIP THE STEVEDORES" yet they extort tips anyway. They do not work for tips!

 

The only reason I mentioned their salaries is because I didnt want anyone thinking that they were causing them any harm by refusing to go along with their heavy-handed requests.

 

Do you tip the manager of the restaurant, Donna? No, why would you, they dont work for tips. The service staff does, so of course we tip them because that is what they work for.

[Glama]

I just told my nephew (who has chosen not to attend college), that he should look into becoming a porter for an airline, or at the cruise terminals. I read on AOL recently that STARTING pay at most airlines is around $60K (but that does include their tips), and I can see how porters at the cruise terminal can make tons of money.

 

I just can't "not" tip anyone who takes care of my luggage, but when I see them literally pick it up and put it on a cart 3 feet away, then move onto the next person, it's hard not to think about all the dough they are raking in per hour, on top of their normal salary. Must be nice!! I don't begrudge them, I'm just jealous. :p

 

I've dealt with some really super nice porters, the one in San Juan, for instance. I've also dealt with some who pretty much threatened the safety of my luggage if I didn't tip them well.

[Glama]

One more thought, the people who should REALLY be tipped are the ones that lug it through the ship and deliver it to your cabin! Is that the stweards who do that, or other ships employees? If I happen to catch them delivering it, I'll slip them a few bucks.

 

On our Inspiration cruise, hubby and I sat in our cabin waiting for our luggage because we found we needed something out of it. It seemed to be taking a VERY long time, all of our friends had theirs already. Well, duh, lo and behold, the steward put it IN the cabin for us, tucked away in the corner at the end of the bed, and we didn't even notice it!!! We felt RIDICULOUS. How could we not have seen that? Talk about creatures of habit, we just kept looking outside the door, lol.

[crusinmama06]

GRRRR WHAT do these guys do anyway? When we went on Elation out of Port Canaveral, our driver pulled up to the porter, got out of the car, unloaded ALL of our baggage right onto the porter's cart. Another guy came and took the cart. YET there the porter stood with his hand out for a tip. :eek:

 

I kept asking myself WHAT did he do to deserve a tip? He stood there. But I tipped him anyway cause I am a moron. :rolleyes:

[Glama]

Hmmm, do they share tips at all? Your post made me wonder.

 

On one of our cruises, I'm thinking Mariner, we all took a bus that we chartered to the terminal. The bus driver asked us all to get out our tip money and give it to him, to give to the porter, then he would offload all of the luggage and make sure it got on the ship, so the rest of us didn't have to wait around while 100 people's luggage got loaded. Now THAT was a huge tip, and I can't imagine that one guy got to keep it all? If so, they'd be killing each other to jump on those buses when they pulled up.

[jetskier]

I actually had the porters in Houston REFUSE my tip.

Dave

[BND]

They are all union port workers. The union part should tell you something. They work for the ports and the ports have contracts with the cruise lines.

[vacruizer]

The porter we got in Tampa actually looked surprised when I handed him a five for three bags and was very gracious. Don't think it had anything to do with it, but our bags were in the room by 2pm.

 

I have no problems with giving the porters a few bucks no matter what their salary. I do have problems with the ones who threaten, as a former waitress I always believed it was crass to mention tips to the customers, no matter what.