tipping porters when dropping luggage off

[ocspartan]

We couldn't have gotten the kids off the ship as easily if it weren't for the porters in the luggage area. Every cruise there have been several at the bottom of the escalator or heading on their way. I wave to get one of their attention, tell them our room number and how many bags, and they gathered all of them on their cart. They always offer to take our carry ons as well and lead us through customs. Every time we park at the port the porter has also loaded our bags into the vehicle. This was especially helpful when the kids were younger and not exactly happy about leaving Mickey and their new friends onboard.

Agree porters at the end of cruise are usually lined up at the bottom of the stairs... Always quick and really helpful when parked in the ramp.... Where they really earn a tip..

So question then do you tip more or the same to the porter at the start of your trip vs the end?

 

[lbgraves]

Agree porters at the end of cruise are usually lined up at the bottom of the stairs... Always quick and really helpful when parked in the ramp.... Where they really earn a tip..

So question then do you tip more or the same to the porter at the start of your trip vs the end?

Always more. At least $20 because of how helpful they are. They have even taken our bags to the garage without complaint even though it takes them a lot longer for each guest than when you could park in front of the terminal.

 

[Savikins]

No, it's not part of their job, they don't work for Disney, they are Port Authority employees that are paid to gather luggage from cruisers and get them into the baskets to be loaded on the ship. They aren't valets or bellhops.

Actually, you're incorrect - it is part of their jobs (opening your doors for you and, you know, actually saying hello). If you don't believe me, send PC Port Authority an email - I found this out for sure when I emailed them (Human Resources dept since I wasn't sure who to contact) to complain about the extremely rude porter I mentioned.


They are paid to be friendly while they do their jobs, in addition to taking your bags and opening your doors. Pretty much any job where you work with the public requires basic kindness and courtesy.

Additionally, I've been on a cruise leaving from Tampa - the porter opened my doors for me and was friendly, as well as a previous cruise from PC - once again, the porter opened my doors and was friendly.

 

[Cruella 66]

Both our cruises on debarkation we got off the ship and are asked for our room number. Both times they have been bang on like, first green row, walk to the back they are on the top shelf

Sweet, I'll be going in February, I'll try it then!

 

[jjje]

It never even occurred to me to tip someone to move my bags a few feet and so far all my luggage has made it onto the ship safely. I would probably tip if I was getting help from a porter who had to carry my luggage a long way or something. (My family travels light and we manage our own bags just fine so we've never gotten help post-cruise.) It's probably just me but the idea of tipping to keep something bad from happening to your luggage is kind of unseemly. It reeks of extortion.

 

[goherdibg]

So I do always tip the porters too.. but you pose an interesting question here... if it doesn't make a difference as far as tipping goes who should you tip? b/c typically the tip goes to the porter that takes your bag from the curb/car to behind the fence. Do you tip the guy behind the fence then? and if so does that mean you should tip both regardless?

First time Disney cruiser. I did not see an answer to this question. Are there 2 points where porters help and should be tipped? If the porter takes 3 large bags from the car to the "fence", I will tp $10 or more; however, will we also see another porter once we walk from the car to the terminal? Or...do we not see our bags once we give them to the porter at the drop off point at the curb?

This brings up another question, do we always drop the bags off at the curb or does it depend on the time you arrive or on the amount of traffic? If we don't drop them off at the curb, will a porter assist in the garage?

Thanks for any tips on tipping

 

[over50visits]

Should you tip the porters when you drop off your luggage at port before the cruise?. We normally do, but seldom see others tipping at that time.

We tip them, but I hope for the right reason. Not because it is expected, not because they might depend on it for their income. In every single cruise where we drive up and drop off our luggage, the porters (longshoremen employees of Ambassador Services Inc who has a contract with DCL by the way), we've been greeted with a smile, friendly banter, open doors, no hurry or pressure. They remind us about such things as making sure we have our passports (not leaving them in the checked luggage) and meds, tell us how the system works, check the tags, tell us when to expect the bags, etc.

They have provided me with a great service - what could be easier than just driving up, your bags are taken away by someone, how easy. In the US this is a traditional tipped position, and we're happy to do so.

Not the OP's question, but if I may add a bit more. At the end of the cruise, if you get help taking your luggage back to your car, you'll be spending some time with them. I always advise talking to Disney CMs on the ship, no matter their job, and the save advice applies to these folks. They all are great conversationalists, and everyone has a story. We've run into veterans, Disney retirees, and grandparents. It's fun.

 

[jgura]

We tip the porter from our curb side car drop off, they take your luggage to a holding area on the other side of the fence. They have often helped us with last minute luggage tags and always polite. We also tip the porter waiting at the bottom of the escalator. So much easier than lugging kids and bags and we get out of the terminal faster. They are happy to break a $20, a $10.00, we ask all the time.
Sorry we have not parked in the garage, but I would not just leave my bags sitting at the curb w/o knowing someone was handling them.

 

[Dug720]

No, it's not part of their job, they don't work for Disney, they are Port Authority employees that are paid to gather luggage from cruisers and get them into the baskets to be loaded on the ship. They aren't valets or bellhops.

This whole thing is making me laugh remembering my roommate from college. We went to the airport to fly to our respective homes for Spring Break. This was during the first Gulf War when no luggage was being accepted curbside, so we *gasp* had to ROLL them ourselves from the parking lot, which was MAYBE 200 yards and you would have thought my roommate was being asked to climb Mt. Everest the way she carried on. I swear I made it to the terminal a full 5 minutes before she did. The advantages of always carrying my own bags, even when I was younger. If I wanted my own bag, I carried it. And we never used curbside check-in at the airport, so it was no big deal. But man, it rocked her world something awful.

 

[The Sasquatch]

give them a $10 and go enjoy your vacation. I dont really follow the amount per bag logic...

 

[bumbershoot]

First time Disney cruiser. I did not see an answer to this question. Are there 2 points where porters help and should be tipped? If the porter takes 3 large bags from the car to the "fence", I will tp $10 or more; however, will we also see another porter once we walk from the car to the terminal? Or...do we not see our bags once we give them to the porter at the drop off point at the curb?

This brings up another question, do we always drop the bags off at the curb or does it depend on the time you arrive or on the amount of traffic? If we don't drop them off at the curb, will a porter assist in the garage?

Thanks for any tips on tipping

I don't know about the garage. You won't see bags or porters after dropping them off with a porter, until the bags show up in or just outside of your stateroom. Just tip the person you drop them with and your job is done.

 

[mmouse37]

I would never think not to tip. We tip bellhops at WDW resorts and skycaps at airport. Just seems natural to us. We just went on the Fantasy last week and I tipped the guy taking our bags $10 for 4 bags and on the way home tipped that porter $20 as we had a few heavier bags plus our carry ons and had to go all the way to the 3rd floor parking garage. We hailed him right off the escalator and he asked our cabin number and found our stuff right away. He was very pleasant and we had a nice conversation while waiting in line. Best $20 buck I spent!!! Helped to load the car as well.

Also, we were in the garage by 10:10 am in the way to the cruise and did not see any porters in the garage taking luggage. We were waiting on line to get into the terminal and didn't see any at all.

After the cruise we were off the ship, through customs and in our car on the way home by 7:50 am. I am all about convenience!!

MJ

 

[squirrel]

I don't recall tipping them when arriving for the cruise, I would bring it right to the gated area for them. When getting off I may have if they were taking my bags to the car.

 

[mumto2]

From this post, I have learned that my DH may be right (only don't tell him I said so, LOL). I am a generous tipper by some of the standards set here. And I don't think I am entitled to much more than efficiency and polite interaction. If my door is opened for me, I appreciate and acknowledge it, but I certainly wouldn't get upset if that did not happen. On our first cruise last year, we were confused about where to go - we were the first car let into the terminal area for curbside drop-off, but the porters weren't out yet. We ended up looping around and coming back in again before pulling up to the door where the porters were. DH has anxiety, and had medication ready if needed, so I was driving. DD is in a wheelchair and DS was chattering 100 WPM because he was so excited. When we pulled back around, a supervisor was on the pavement. I hopped out of the car and a porter came over and opened the hatch. As soon as the supervisor saw the wheelchair, he came over to help, and called to another porter as well. The car was unloaded, DD installed in her wheelchair, DS given high fives by the supervisor and carryons were gathered up. DH (who hadn't needed the meds after all) drove the car to the parking garage, and the supervisor asked if I needed help getting the kids and carryons inside and upstairs (I didn't). He refused a tip, but I asked him to make sure the two porters who had helped each got a tip, he did so, and told me the guys always appreciated being recognized for their hard work. I gave him $30. I did the same amount coming out of the terminal. DH and I both feel that having a porter to go through customs made life 100x easier.

Tipping should never feel like an obligation, but nor should it make the tipper feel they are anything other than appreciative.

 

[TimeAndTide]

On our last cruise, we were a bit disorganized. We had two staterooms but wanted all the luggage delivered to our suite so I could manage the kids' clothes. And, since I have some anxiety, I wanted to know our bags were there as soon as possible. And bags usually make it to the suites before other staterooms, it seems. I mistakenly thought we had more luggage tags than we did so I didn't request extras. My husband put the other tags on "just in case".

So, the shuttle driver explained that the guys at the port could change out the tags for us. So she kept those bags separate. At port, a young man happily got us new tags. Those guys were so friendly and helpful, we thought they worked for Disney. We felt bad for causing more work for everyone. We tipped everyone well, including the shuttle driver who had great advice and was very entertaining. We appreciated how much they all helped us - especially since I "frazzle" easily.

In retrospect I should have just let it go, but I was already super stressed trying to get all the bags re packed and reconfigured at the hotel that morning for three small kids, and myself and my husband and it didn't really even occur to me. But no one batted an eye at my craziness. They just made it happen. I guess we got lucky!

One interesting challenge we faced was not really bringing enough cash. Apparently you can only cash one check on board for $200 during the duration of the sailing (and no ATM?) so we were concerned about having enough cash for various shopping in the ports and gratuities at Port Canaveral. We rarely use cash these days so we had to budget a bit to be sure we could take care of our porter upon our return (who was also awesome). My husband had to go into the hotel to get more cash from the ATM for our shuttle driver.

Long story but we do tip people in service type capacities. Even if it's not the perfect service experience, we give a reasonable gratuity. While there is the random bad apple, we overwhelmingly encounter people who make our lives easier. I am grateful for that and like to try to return the favor with a gratuity.

 

[bumbershoot]

In retrospect I should have just let it go

Nah. You wanted them in one room, and it's NO problem for them to quickly write out new tags. Totally part of their job.

For frazzle moments, I love Rescue Remedy. It's a "flower essence remedy", nearly a homeopathic, and it's *amazing*. First found out about it for our cat at July 4th time, and it worked brilliantly on her. Just a spray into her water and she was so much calmer. Used it on DS as a toddler, brilliant. Use it on us on long shopping days out when we might get cranky, and we called it the "bicker stopper" for ages. I get really nervous and stressy, and if I can remember to use a spritz or two of it, I just don't get that way. I highly recommend it.

One interesting challenge we faced was not really bringing enough cash.

Had a similar issue on our last cruise. Ended up with a dollar or two at the end. Ugh. So we got our bags all by ourselves, no porter. Then DH went on the rental car shuttle with NO bags, while DS and I sat (in the cold cold cold! January 16th, just so COLD) and waited for him. He tipped for his shuttle ride and we waited. In the cold. Then he picked us up. Wish we had had some extra money! But we just didn't feel comfy using a porter or the shuttle with all our bags, with only a dollar or two for a tip.

(and we are NOwhere near as generous as some on these threads, but the porters seem to appreciate us anyway!)

 

[UK-Simon]

It never even occurred to me to tip someone to move my bags a few feet

I understand perception is they take them a few feet and then you're off. In reality they do make it from curbside to the ship by the team of porters, so in fairness it's a little further and more cumbersome than one may expect.

 

[Justacruiser]

I use tipping envelopes on the cruise. I designate who it is going to before the cruise and hand them out throughout the cruise include baggage handlers. I even lable and extra 5 "just because" and hand them to CM's during the cruise. The "just because" goes to the CM in the pizza shop who sees me coming and has my pizza plated when I arrive. My "just because" is for the CM who is cleaning the beverage station and I see him/her carry drinks for someone or clear a table for me. And I am just an average Joe trying to spread my own pixiedust to CM's.

 

[scrappinginontario]

Very thankful for there service. We choose to tip.

 

[MickeyEarrings]

Yes, we tip the curbside porters at the port.

On our last cruise we got out of the rental car shuttle and tipped the driver for his service and for managing the bags. We turned around and a porter took the bags and we tipped him as well. Two tips in less than two minutes. But that's how tipping goes sometimes; I was taught that anyone who touches my bag as part of their position deserves to be tipped.