Do you have to use porters at the port?

[AprilN]

As a first-time cruiser (4 weeks!), I'm still uncertain of how things work during arrival and check-in. Especially with the recent thread about porters and tipping, I just wanted to ask a quick question: when embarking and disembarking at the DCL terminal, are you required to use porters to check your luggage, get through customs, etc., or is it an optional service similar to airports and hotels?

The reason I ask is because my DH and I rarely, if ever, use porter service. We recognize that these people are trying to make a living, and we certainly tip when we do use them, but most of the time we can lug out luggage just fine without help. But if porters are somehow required at the port to move our luggage, I would hate to be rude by issuing a firm "No thank you" upon my arrival.

Thanks for your help! I don't know what I would do without the DIS boards!

April

 

[Señor Ferrari]

I've never checked my luggage at the port, it's always handled by the DCL bus at the airport, so I can't help you with the arrival part of your question. However, when we debark the ship, we never use porters. You don't have to. They're there if you want them, but I've never found them pushy. They'll wait for someone to come get them, and they never seem to lack something to do. We always grab our luggage and cart it out of the terminal ourselves.

 

[outahere]

I believe that using the porters is the only way to get checked luggage to your room when you embark. Otherwise, you will have to get it all on the ship as though it is carry-on luggage. Unless you board the ship after 1:30, you usually don't want to go to your room and leave anything there, because the cabin stewards have all the rooms open while they finish cleaning.

When you get off the ship, you can certainly get your own luggage and go through customs. We found it to be a lot easier to just let the porter do it. He took the luggage right to the airline checkin counter for us. Worth the $5.00 in my opinion.

 

[din]

AprilN: If you are arranging your own transport to the port, a proter will take your bags from the car or limo to the loading area. I don't think there is a way to get you luggage into the terminal unless you travell light ans have a carry on only.

As mentioned if you are using the DCL bus then it will be taken care off for you.

Either way, make sure you have you DCL tags on the bag.

 

[mmouse37]

It really is a pain to lug your luggage onboard with you.....and I believe there is a size consideration to what they will let you bring onboard as carryon.

The porter usually does take your bags when you get to the terminal. The only way around this is if you pack things in a small enough suitcase that you can carry onboard.

Your best best is to call DCL and ask about size restrictions for carryons. The suitcase has to be able to fit through the screening machines and many larger suitcases do not fit.

MJ

 

[AprilN]

I had a feeling that checking luggage with the porters was the only way to get luggage onto the ship - after reading enough trip reports, no one ever talked about bringing luggage to the check-in counter (that I read). We're driving a rental car from MCO to the port after arriving the night before, so we'll arrive with our luggage portside at some point.

I certainly don't mind using the porter service when we embark, especially if that's the way it works - and we'll tip appropriately, don't worry. There is NO way our luggage will ever be small enough to fit completely in carry-ons.

Thanks again for all the replies - I'm glad to know how it works!

April

 

[Padre Disney]

We were wondering the same thing.
On our 3 day in December of 2001 we arrived at the port in a rental car. It was our first cruise. There was a line of cars that seemed like a mile long and took forever to get through. We noticed plenty of other cars zipping right past us and parking into the parking lot. Since it was our first time we thought it best to follow the majority. So we waited and found out we were in the line for the porters to unload the luggage from our car. While we waited we noticed that the people parking in the lot were walking across the lot with their luggage into the terminal. We were near the end of the line before we figured out was about to happen. We had not wanted to use the porters cause we had 8 people in our party and did not need the help. The porter took our luggage. We have never used a porter before. We assumed they worked for Disney and did not give the porter a tip. After we left we learned the hard way that a tip had been due and felt soooo bad.

So for our upcoming 7 day we figured we would just park and take our own luggage across. Can someone please tell me for sure what the rule is on parking and taking your luggage across? We do not want to drag all of our luggage around with us but we also don't feel like we should be forced to use a porter just to get our luggage checked in at the terminal.

 

[Poohbr618]

even if you do park across the street, the porters will still handle your bags for embarkation. The only way they dont is if you do carry on and yes there is a size limit. These guys are very reliable and worth the money tghey earn. When you disembark you can handle your own luggage....but you have a less chance of getting stopped by customs if you use these fellows! Well worth the money and they take your bags right to your vehicle!

 

[Michelle]

When embarking you MUST leave your bags with the porters, it is not optional. The only exception would be carry-on bags that are small enough to fit through airport-style security, and I have yet to know anyone who can pack for an entire cruise in carry-on bags.

I know the drop-off lines can get long but that is exactly what you should do, just follow the instructions of the people in the port parking area and they will instruct you when to pull up and drop off your bags with the porters.

I suppose you could park first and drag your bags across the parking lot but they would still have to be checked in with the porters. It's much simpler just to drop them off at the curb first before parking.

 

[Padre Disney]

So if we park in the lot and take our own luggage across the street to the terminal we would then still be required to pass off our luggage to a porter and then tip them on top of that?

We are just used to handling are own bags up to a certain point. At the airport we never use a porter. We walk our bags to the counter and check them in. (no tip needed) Thats why we have four kids!



Does the terminal not have an area that you can check in your own bags?
Sorry for so many ?

 

[kajohn]

I haven't sailed DCL yet, (2 weeks!!) but I have sailed RCCL, I assume they are similar. The checkin counters in the terminal do not accept checked bags like at the airport. The porter's take the bags from you outside, and then you won't see them again until they are delivered to your stateroom.

I guess you don't have to tip, as the porter in the article said, many don't tip on the embarkation, but it's only a few dollars and they do work hard.

I always think how nice it feels for the service to start as you pull up, no lugging bags, just walk into the terminal with a smile on my face and a small carryon, and away we go!!!

 

[Padre Disney]

I agree . It was wonderful having the bags taken care of. I still felt so bad cause we thought the porter services was included with our cruise costs. We will make sure we give a tip for our next cruise. I just wonder how many others thought the same as us and did not tip. Maybe DCL will make the luggage drop off information more clear. 1QA\

 

[Jeanny]

now, I'm really confused. This is what the plan is now, we're nog going until NEXT January:

we're flying down the night before our cruise ... staying at the Hyatt, then taking the DCL bus over to the port. I was under the assumption, I would put my luggage out at the Hyatt and then the next time I would see it would be in our stateroom...

Do I have to get it off the bus and give it to the porters to go through security??????

I haven't really thought about what has to be done when disembarking... All I've figured out is I put my luggage out by 11:00 p.m Friday night and then have to find it by color on Saturday morning, then go through customs... but then how do I get it back onto the DCL bus to bring us back to MCO.

I know I have a long time to figure this out.

Thanks, Jeanny

 

[Michelle]

Jeanny, if you are using DCL TRANSFERS they will handle the baggage for you for the embarkation process, you do NOT need to drop it off with the porters. The porter drop-off is for those who drive or take private car services to the port.

When you disembark you DO have to get your bags out of customs. You can use a porter then too if you you'd like. Your bags will be loaded on to the same bus that you take to the airport. If you use a porter they will cart your bags and take them to the bus with you to be loaded.

Hope that helps clear it up!

 

[Jeanny]

OK, that's not so bad... I was getting very confused with the porter thing.... it seemed like it was contrary to every thing I had read about embarking.

thanks Michelle, you are SUCH a great help!

 

[Dave_from_Marietta]

There's no reason to park first and then schlep your bags. Drive up to the curb and drop your bags first. Then park and walk. I have a map of the terminal property that shows the traffic flow...

www.dcltribute.com/directions/terminal_map.htm

 

[tecdavidt]

Here is a question for Michelle. We have DCL transfers and we are staying at the Hyatt the night before. My husband has reserved a limo to take us to the port. Can we still set our luggage outside our room Sat. morning like we would if we still were using our DCL transfers and let our luggage arrive via however they transport the luggage to the port? while we take a limo to the port? Kathy

 

[Michelle]

Kathy, no, you can only do that if you are using DCL transfers to get you to the port. The baggage handling is part of the transfer service.

Your limo driver will no doubt help you with the bags and he will help you when they drop them off curbside at the port for you too.

 

[Cruise]

Maybe I'm misunderstanding, but Kathy said they have DCL transfers and her husband reserved a limo. Did you pay for the DCL transfers and then book the limo in addition to it?

If so, it seems like you could set your bags outside the door since they collect them before anyone is on the buses anyway and they don't match passengers to baggage. Which raises a whole new set of security questions... but that wasn't the original question, so I'll leave it out. In this scenario, you get to the port in the limo, while your luggage gets there on the bus.


Julie

 

[tecdavidt]

Michelle,
So even though we have DCL transfers we already paid for we still can't use the service. That was what we were wondering. Dave thought maybe DCL does a cross check of the luggage owners and the check in for the buses. We thought about checking in at the buses but not getting on the bus. We just reserved the limo recently but the tranfers have been paid for about three months ago. It really isn't a big deal. We brought our luggage with us when we took the town car to the Celebrity ship 5 weeks back and we had our luggage really quick for a cruise line! Kathy