To Tip or not to Tip the Porters...that is the question

[Scotto97]

You are mistakenly equating the "porters" at the cruise terminal as being the equivalent of skycaps at the airport and bellmen at hotles. They are not. They are longshoremen. They are more akin to the captain of the ship and activity staff on the ship. If you are too stubborn to realize this, then keep giving away your money. Put them into your will for all I care. I am done listening to your obnoxious and repetative comments. Fortunately several others have chimed in that they understand what is occurring. Maybe one day you will too.

 

Although I agree they are union Longshoremen, they have put themselves into a postion to work with the general public, unlike most of them who load/unload commercial ships.

 

Whether it be thru promotion, bribery, work connections, or luck - they are now in a position that common manners would insure a tip.

[tedjazz]

Would you tip your doctor for giving you your annual exam? Of course not.

 

Normally my Doctor would not get a tip for doing my annual exam unless it involved the dreaded Prostate exam and then he would get flowers. ;)

[househunter]

It has nothing to do with the amount of money. Longshoremen are not a profession that is supposed to be tipped (unless they do something out of the ordinary for you that is not part of what they are already being generously paid to do). As stated before, I would not tip them for their routine service any more than I would tip the captain of the ship, the dishwashers on the ship, the cruise director or any other person who provides me a service, but already receives a full salary to cover that service.

 

If you went to a restaurant that said on the menu that the waiters were paid a good salary and tipping is not expected, would you still tip 15%-20% for normal quality service? Would you ridicule and belittle others at the restaurant if they did not tip? If you are obsessed with giving your money away to people who earn six figures for the "service" of pushing your luggage a few yards on a cart, have at it. I am not sure why you feel the need to continue to badger and insult me. I am starting to think you perhaps are one of the longshoremen. :rolleyes:

 

And why do you feel the need to post the same thing over and over again! Everyone has read the exact same thing from you at least 6 times. We get it!

[Gonzo70]

Whether it be thru promotion, bribery, work connections, or luck - they are now in a position that common manners would insure a tip.

 

So why do the ports have signs saying you don't have to tip them and why in at least one port are they prohibited from accepting tips? :confused:

 

If the Captain of the ship brought you a bottle of wine, would you tip him like you'd tip a bartender because he had put himself in a position to work with the general public?

[Gonzo70]

Normally my Doctor would not get a tip for doing my annual exam unless it involved the dreaded Prostate exam and then he would get flowers. ;)

 

lol :D

 

I bet he/she would do an extra deep & thorough exam the next time after receiving such a tip! :cool:

[Gonzo70]

And why do you feel the need to post the same thing over and over again! Everyone has read the exact same thing from you at least 6 times. We get it!

 

I was responding to a question that required me to repeat some information in order to address the inquiry.

 

Welcome to my ignore list. :D

[Scotto97]

So why do the ports have signs saying you don't have to tip them and why in at least one port are they prohibited from accepting tips? :confused:

 

If the Captain of the ship brought you a bottle of wine, would you tip him like you'd tip a bartender because he had put himself in a position to work with the general public?

 

Comparing the Captain of a 140,000 ton modern cruise ship with a guy that throws bags on a cart is a little bit of a stretch don't you think?

[tedjazz]

lol :D

 

I bet he/she would do an extra deep & thorough exam the next time after receiving such a tip! :cool:

 

Note to self...maybe flowers to the Doctor is NOT such a good idea. :)

[Gonzo70]

Comparing the Captain of a 140,000 ton modern cruise ship with a guy that throws bags on a cart is a little bit of a stretch don't you think?

 

To the contrary. You said you would tip the longshoremen - regardless of how they came to act as "porters" and regardless of how much salary they earned - simply because the task they were doing (taking one's luggage) is a task that is typically tipped (i.e. skycaps, bellhops). The Captain of the cruise ship bringing a bottle of wine to a guest is an equivalent scenario. The Captain is not generally tipped - but he now is doing a role (bartender/waiter role) that is tipped. My guess is you would not tip the Captain if he brought you a bottle of wine because you know that ship Captain's is well salaried and not tipped - even if they perform a task that would be tipped if a waiter did the same thing. Same with the longshoremen. Even though they are acting in the role of a porter, they are sitll being paid/compensated for being a longshoremen.

[Gonzo70]

Note to self...maybe flowers to the Doctor is NOT such a good idea. :)

 

Maybe a cactus would be better for the occasion; might serve as a subtle reminder to be gentle.

[lgeisz]

Normally my Doctor would not get a tip for doing my annual exam unless it involved the dreaded Prostate exam and then he would get flowers. ;)

Shouldn't you be the one receiving the flowers???:eek:

[tedjazz]

Shouldn't you be the one receiving the flowers???:eek:

 

Hey that's right, I should be the one getting the Flowers! This health care system of ours really needs some work. Maybe Obama can get it fixed. ;)

[Gonzo70]

Hey that's right, I should be the one getting the Flowers! This health care system of ours really needs some work. Maybe Obama can get it fixed. ;)

 

I think a 2.5% surtax on the longshoremen's tip should be able to pay for it. :cool:

[Esmerelda]

Tipping is optional

 

If you are pleased with someones service, and they are doing their service well...and you WANT to tip..than tip!

 

Otherwise..get your a** on the ship and just get over it...enough:D

 

 

we need a new topic folks...(said with a smile):)

[ManOfTheHour]

To the contrary. You said you would tip the longshoremen - regardless of how they came to act as "porters" and regardless of how much salary they earned - simply because the task they were doing (taking one's luggage) is a task that is typically tipped (i.e. skycaps, bellhops). The Captain of the cruise ship bringing a bottle of wine to a guest is an equivalent scenario. The Captain is not generally tipped - but he now is doing a role (bartender/waiter role) that is tipped. My guess is you would not tip the Captain if he brought you a bottle of wine because you know that ship Captain's is well salaried and not tipped - even if they perform a task that would be tipped if a waiter did the same thing. Same with the longshoremen. Even though they are acting in the role of a porter, they are sitll being paid/compensated for being a longshoremen.

 

Exactly! When I saw Scott's post I was going to type the same thing, but I figured someone must have beat me to it, and you did.

[luckyprincess]

Normally my Doctor would not get a tip for doing my annual exam unless it involved the dreaded Prostate exam and then he would get flowers. ;)

Lol!! How thoughtful of you!:D

[ginger2000]

Thank You!

[ginger2000]

Tipping is optional

 

If you are pleased with someones service, and they are doing their service well...and you WANT to tip..than tip!

 

Otherwise..get your a** on the ship and just get over it...enough:D

 

 

we need a new topic folks...(said with a smile):)

 

Thank you!

[Slowboat2]

I posted a link to another member's picture in my post. It shows one of the signs.

 

The sign says OPTIONAL, I said NOT NECESSARY, which to me means you don't have to tip if you don't want to. No where did I post NOT to tip

 

We are splitting hairs on wording :rolleyes:.

[Cruzaholic41]

The sign says OPTIONAL, I said NOT NECESSARY, which to me means you don't have to tip if you don't want to. No where did I post NOT to tip

 

We are splitting hairs on wording :rolleyes:.

 

My first post about the sign was to oppose the person who suggested that the signs say Do Not Tip. My arguement was not with you.

[spanner14]

OK....so as a non-frequently travelling Brit, can someone clear this up for me once and for all please? :D

 

If I get to Port Canaveral and there are signs there saying "Do not tip", and the porter/longshoreman asks for a "donation", then I won't tip.

 

If the sign says "tipping is optional, not mandatory", then I'll tip - but how much? $2 a bag? Is that OK, not enough, or too much?

 

If there are no signs then I will assume I should tip....yes?

 

Sorry, I'm just still confused.....thank you! :)

[cruzincurt]

We always drive up in a car, so the porter comes to the car and pulls our suitcases out. I hand him a $5 bill (with the "5" showing so he sees it isn't a $1) for two suitcases, then I stand there and watch that the suitcases find their way into the cage before I pull out to go to the garage. I don't ever recall seeing any signs, for or against, out in the driveway.

 

Now if you arrive on a bus, and they pull suitcases at random out of the bottom, that's a little less direct interaction with the porters, no? Do you bus riders have to claim your individual suitcases as they are pulled from the bus? Seems like I would to make sure my suitcases actually made it to the port.

 

IMHO, and I realize they are different issues, the $5 is cheap compared to the $140 rip-off to park my car in the port garage.

[coxswain]

Tipping is optional

 

If you are pleased with someones service, and they are doing their service well...and you WANT to tip..than tip!

 

Otherwise..get your a** on the ship and just get over it...enough:D

 

 

we need a new topic folks...(said with a smile):)

 

 

 

Here here !!

 

 

 

 

 

jj......

[cruznjan]

To quote what I read in a cruise guide, "Stiff these guys and you'll be filling out a lost luggage report!" Seriously, I see no reason not to tip them. I see it as a gesture of appreciation.

[Oville]

OK....so as a non-frequently travelling Brit, can someone clear this up for me once and for all please? :D

 

If I get to Port Canaveral and there are signs there saying "Do not tip", and the porter/longshoreman asks for a "donation", then I won't tip.

 

If the sign says "tipping is optional, not mandatory", then I'll tip - but how much? $2 a bag? Is that OK, not enough, or too much?

 

If there are no signs then I will assume I should tip....yes?

 

Sorry, I'm just still confused.....thank you! :)

 

On our last NCL cruise the booklet we received from the cruiseline stated terminal porters should be tipped $1 per bag, or $2 if leaving from the New York area. Hope this helps.