Arrival Porter Tipping

[BrokeMack]

I've so many issues with this rant

Same. I do $5. We carry our own backpacks, do a 7 night cruise out of carry-on luggage, and there are 3 of us. That's a far cry from the family of 6 with a full 29" suitcase each.

 

[DCLCruiseFan09]

It’s our 4th DCL cruise but the two year break has my brain feeling foggy. DH and I remember porter tipping differently when arriving at Port Canaveral. What’s the going rate these days for arrival porters? $5 a bag, $10 a bag, $20 a bag? A flat $50 or $100? What’s everyone doing?

When we sailed on the wish 11/28 I tipped $5 for two check in sized suit cases and a small duffel.

I would prefer to just drop off my own bags but there is no option other than handing them to a porter at Canaveral/Miami. I use the 1 - 2 dollars a bag as that was the guideline given to me by a friend who's husband is a porter at Canaveral.

 

[Erica1016]

When we sailed on the wish 11/28 I tipped $5 for two check in sized suit cases and a small duffel.

I would prefer to just drop off my own bags but there is no option other than handing them to a porter at Canaveral/Miami. I use the 1 - 2 dollars a bag as that was the guideline given to me by a friend who's husband is a porter at Canaveral.

I agree! I'd be happy to do something myself if there was an option...like when I check a bag at the airport and just bring it to the desk. We tip about the same and I appreciate hearing that it's what your friend recommended.

 

[brentm77]

$20 for our family of four, but that was years ago. We only do carryon luggage these days. It makes traveling so much better at nearly every stage, and means our luggage doesn't need to be trusted to someone else's care, or lack thereof. It's a gamechanger. I believe in onebag travel so much that I am aware that I may be obnoxious about it when the topic comes up, including bragging about doing it for two weeks in Europe, which included a cruise with formal night.

 

[Carohs]

The first time we sailed out of PC the porter gave a big speech about not being paid by Disney. I did not appreciate the obvious asking for tips. The last time we gave the guy $5 for two suitcases and felt okay about that. I did notice, on the other hand that our bags were readily available for us when we got off the ship no tipping asked or expected. It does seem essentially the same workload in reverse. I'm so over this tipping culture; it shouldn't be up to my judgement to make up for someone's living wage.

 

[brentm77]

I'm so over this tipping culture; it shouldn't be up to my judgement to make up for someone's living wage.

I am over it too. I went to a hamburger fast food place that had it in their checkout screen now. What? It's even on the checkout screen for buying an $80 concert t-shirt. I agree that it is out of control and I stopped paying it in non-customary places, which I did during the pandemic since service workers were hurting so much.

That said, I will never stiff someone in a place it is customary, since it only hurts the employee and it's part of the social contract for using their services. It is customary anywhere someone handles your bags, and people shouldn't use their services if they don't want to pay it. I am not saying that's what you do (you said you tipped), but I have seen people used this justification to not tip where it is expected. At that point, they are just stealing someone's labor.

 

[Carohs]

It is customary anywhere someone handles your bags, and people shouldn't use their services if they don't want to pay it.

But how does a first-time cruiser know that is customary for Porters? It's not like we tip the bag handlers at the airport. Not everyone is over here reading these boards.
How can one judge customary in other areas of food/service? Just because there is/isn't an extra screen to add a tip? That's not always accurate either. Makes me a little dizzy.

 

[brentm77]

But how does a first-time cruiser know that is customary for Porters? It's not like we tip the bag handlers at the airport. Not everyone is over here reading these boards.
How can one judge customary in other areas of food/service? Just because there is/isn't an extra screen to add a tip? That's not always accurate either. Makes me a little dizzy.

It's a fair question, but it seemed obvious to me, since I would tip a porter at a hotel. You almost always tip if someone carries your bags. You should tip the bag handlers at the airport if you use skycap. for example. But you don't see the bag handlers behind the scenes, so how would you tip them? If you are talking about the person at check-in who just moves your bag to the belt, I don't think anyone would consider tipping there just based on common sense - their main job is checking you in and they are only moving your bag a couple of feet. But I don't know.

For food service, there is a subjective element these days. But traditionally, it was only expected where someone waits on you at your table. The hybrid type places have complicated that, so I usually tip something smaller than I would if I was having someone come to by table, take my order, bring my food, and pick up the plated when done. But anywhere that I order at a counter and wait there for my food, I don't feel compelled to tip. I might throw in a buck or two if it isn't fast food, but I don't feel compelled. I may do even more for fantastic service. I do default to the generous side if there is any question, because I genuinely appreciate those working service jobs in today's world. Not everyone is willing to do it and I want to say thank you when I can.

But I am really bothered seeing it pop up in places where a tip shouldn't be expected.

 

[0FF TO NEVERLAND]

I always bring enough fruit stripe gum for everyone that needs a tip

 

[DisneyConvert]

$10 and up is good. I'd go $20 for 3 large or 4~5 small/medium bags.
Remember, these folks are hanging around waiting for their 1+ hour of running around to try to take care of us all.
It all comes around imo.

 

[lilsonicfan]

So in Vancouver I had a tip ready to go for the porters at the terminal who take your luggage and they told me that no tips were generally needed or expected. I believe it's because they are part of the longshoremen's union here in Vancouver. The average pay for a longshoreman here is something over $40-55/hour.

 

[Jason Martin]

I normally give $2 a bag with a $10 minimum when I drop the bags off at the port. If a Porter has to wait in line with me and go through customs I would give a flat $20

 

[sparrow10_]

I ended up giving about $4-$5 to the bag handler from the parking to the ship, then another $5 to the porters. I added about $10 to the prepaid tips per person. I also tipped on the lunch sit downs 4-5 as well.

 

[RedHead0186]

are there people that seriously tip $1 ?? or $1 per bag?! - I'd be beyond embarrassed to hand a $1 bill (or even a $5) to a porter that is helping me with our bags.
That is... well... disgusting, sorry. How can ppl be such cheapskates? I guess it's the same type of ppl that go to GS to complain about the automatic tips taken off their accounts and want them either reduced or eliminated...
I can't believe folks spend x,000 or xx,000 on a cruise but don't want to tip more than $1 per bag..
Same for ppl that go eat at restaurants and feel like not tipping or tipping less < 15% because...entitled reasons..
If you can't give at least $10 (I give them $20 regardless of number of bags, which are always 3-5) to a porter that has little or no base salary - then don't go on a flipping cruise!.
Gosh, cheap ppl disgust me. - Sorry/rant off.

It might not be that people are cheapskates, but rather that they don't know any better. If it's their first time cruising, they may think that's appropriate (and, as another poster on here pointed out, even a new cruiser doing a quick internet search would find that same information).

I agree that is on the lower side of tipping, but everyone has different perspectives and so some might not being doing it to be cheap (heck, they might even think that they're being generous by tipping).

 

[sparrow10_]

It might not be that people are cheapskates, but rather that they don't know any better. If it's their first time cruising, they may think that's appropriate (and, as another poster on here pointed out, even a new cruiser doing a quick internet search would find that same information).

I agree that is on the lower side of tipping, but everyone has different perspectives and so some might not being doing it to be cheap (heck, they might even think that they're being generous by tipping).

Agree, I mean after spending thousands of dollars, Personally, the last thing you want is to spend more on tips. I did leave the recommended, though it was a reach for me to go on the cruise and invite my family. Then to be expected to leave huge amounts of tips is just absurd

 

[DSLRuser]

I have my act together. Our bags are packed, tagged and neatly placed in the car. I even get out of my car and unload the car for them. 1 carry on size bag per person, not 2 or 3. A porter is just an intermediary between my car and the boat. $2-$3 a bag is normal. As others said, I am paying a porter to move my bag from my car to a cart simply because Disney won't let me do it myself.

Now. to me the entitled people who literally do don't have bags packed or tagged, and have big old suitcases and bags with stuff crammed in. Yess...those people should tipping considerably more.

 

[trainingupmy4princes]

If we are using the disney transportation bus from Pop Century who do we tip? The person at Pop Picks up our luggage from the room (obviously we would tip him) but then I heard it just arrives at our cruise room so we wouldn't see the people loading it on the ship.

 

[Calantha]

I normally give $2 a bag with a $10 minimum when I drop the bags off at the port. If a Porter has to wait in line with me and go through customs I would give a flat $20

Concur. The porter follows us all the way out to the rental car shuttle, which is so appreciated.