Tipping Porters?

[PartofDisney'sWorld]

Ok, so I have read on a different thread that you are supposed to tip the porters. From my understanding, the porters are the people that you drop your luggage off to, and they get it on the ship. Is that right? If it is, then I feel so bad because we had no clue on our first cruise back in August, and Disney doesn't really say anything about it (I just got our cruise docs in today and the tipping section only talks about the servers, room host, and room service), and we didn't tip them! Granted, we only had one suitcase, and it will be the same this time.

So how much do you tip them?

The last time we parked at the terminal, this time we are using Park N Cruise, so how would that work? Is it the same? Do we tip the shuttle people?

Thanks!

 

[kcashner]

Yes, the porters are the people who handle your luggage. A normal tip is $1-2 per bag.

You will park at Park and Cruise and take their shuttle to the terminal where you will give your luggage to the porter. Alternatively, you can go to the port, drop your luggage, and then take your car to park--your choice. If you go to the terminal first, you'd only have to move your luggage once.

My logic on the shuttle driver is that if he assists with luggage, he gets a tip. If he drives me in his vehicle for 5 minutes but doesn't help with luggage, I don't tip. Others will disagree with this, but that's my opinion.

The porters at the terminal are not Disney CMs and not everyone uses their services. While on the ship, they do mention tipping the porters in the disembarkation talk.

 

[PartofDisney'sWorld]

Yes, the porters are the people who handle your luggage. A normal tip is $1-2 per bag.

You will park at Park and Cruise and take their shuttle to the terminal where you will give your luggage to the porter. Alternatively, you can go to the port, drop your luggage, and then take your car to park--your choice. If you go to the terminal first, you'd only have to move your luggage once.

My logic on the shuttle driver is that if he assists with luggage, he gets a tip. If he drives me in his vehicle for 5 minutes but doesn't help with luggage, I don't tip. Others will disagree with this, but that's my opinion.

The porters at the terminal are not Disney CMs and not everyone uses their services. While on the ship, they do mention tipping the porters in the disembarkation talk.

But how would you tip the porter on disembarkation? On our last cruise we got off the ship, went to baggage claim, found our luggage, and left to the terminal to our car, no help at all.

 

[mom2brooke76]

But how would you tip the porter on disembarkation? On our last cruise we got off the ship, went to baggage claim, found our luggage, and left to the terminal to our car, no help at all.

I only tip the porters on disembarkation if I get them to help me with my bags.

 

[RedSox68]

We've always had a porter help us find our bags, load them and help us get them through customs. We usually tip $2/bag. It always amazes me how much they can take and move -- and they never want us to help even with the carry-ons. They're always great.

 

[PartofDisney'sWorld]

Wow, I didn't even know you could do that on disembarkation. So I guess we should tip them when we get to the port first so they get our luggage to our room, and then tip them again if we use them on disembarkation?

 

[kcashner]

But how would you tip the porter on disembarkation? On our last cruise we got off the ship, went to baggage claim, found our luggage, and left to the terminal to our car, no help at all.

In this case you didn't use the porters and you wouldn't tip them. If they assist you with moving your bags thru Customs and to your transportation, you tip them.

 

[Brumbie13]

I've got a "tip" for the porters who manhandled my suitcases on my last cruise...

 

[moremouse]

So, question... if we just park in the garage and bring our luggage to the terminal with us, don't we still have to give it to the porters? We need to tip them anyway, right? Even if we just hand them our bags? I can't remember how I handled this on the last cruise. Just wondering. Thanks.

 

[rosermama]

So, question... if we just park in the garage and bring our luggage to the terminal with us, don't we still have to give it to the porters? We need to tip them anyway, right? Even if we just hand them our bags? I can't remember how I handled this on the last cruise. Just wondering. Thanks.

When we park at the cruise terminal we pull up drop off the bags and me with the carry on and kid then DH parks the car and comes inside - super easy.

Tipping the porters is optinal think of it as tipping the porters at the airport. But unless u want to carry on your luggage u have to give it to them.

Sent from my SAMSUNG Galaxy Note using DISBoards

 

[Laundress]

We found out the hard way. Tip the porter. When we arrived we had a few family cars. All 9 luggage in my little brothers car mysteriously had the tags cut off. Luckily I had plenty of ID on them but it still took a while
and a trip to customer service before they were finally found.

 

[sissy_ib]

So, question... if we just park in the garage and bring our luggage to the terminal with us, don't we still have to give it to the porters? We need to tip them anyway, right? Even if we just hand them our bags? I can't remember how I handled this on the last cruise. Just wondering. Thanks.

I still tip them. Even though you carried your bag from the car they take it to the ship from there.

We tipped, the shuttle driver who helped with our luggage, the porter who took our luggage from the shuttle, the porter we had help us at the port when we got back and the shuttle driver back to Park n Cruise. Oh, and the guy at Park n Cruise who jumped our battery for us when we came back and it was dead.
Not to mention the bell services personnel at BLT. This next cruise we are saving a LOT of money by bringing less luggage!

 

[TXDCLfan]

We found out the hard way. Tip the porter. When we arrived we had a few family cars. All 9 luggage in my little brothers car mysteriously had the tags cut off. Luckily I had plenty of ID on them but it still took a while
and a trip to customer service before they were finally found.

That is so wrong

 

[sissy_ib]

That is so wrong

I agree. An act like that is uncalled for. Many people simply don't realize you should tip porters.
I am now much wiser than I used to be and always have some small bills when I travel. I used to always forget until I was in the airport shuttle wishing I had a few singles to give the driver!

 

[bcs1085]

Just stumbled across this thread. And just a little insight. The porters at the terminal are not employed by disney. And had a chance to speak with a few of them over the years... The porters are like a waiter, their hourly wage is not all that great so alot of their pay comes from tips. And apparently years ago the tips used to be superb. The young man that helped us on the way in also helped us with our luggage on the way out and explained to us the process of getting our luggage from point a to b. It was unreal all that they do. Depending on the day they may only get a couple families to help per day... I know im rambling but to put it to rest i tip them according to what i feel i would like to receive doing what they do.. We had 5 bags and tipped him $20 asked him if that was ok and he smiled and said yes and he really appreciated it.. I asked what was his normal tip he receives.. He responded as there is no normal. $20 and up used to be the norm years ago. But we get alot of people from all over the globe that dont normally tip where they are from.

 

[wombat_5606]

Upon disembarkation, the porters are invaluable! They will take your tags(or you can just tell them you are in Orange Goofy), search through all of the lined up bags, put them on a cart, walk with you through the maze at customs and all the way out to your car! Worth every penny of the tip I would give them!

 

[DIS_MIKE]

DCL picked me up from WDW and as soon as we got off the bus we were greeted by porters who took our luggage. I always make sure to tip them. As you disembark and enter the baggage claim area there are plenty of porters to help you. My porter was great and took us right through customs and to the bus area so we could get back to WDW. $2 bucks per bag is usually what I tip.

 

[Cackyschmackers]

Yep, always tip anyone who helps us with all our bags (5-8 bags/trip, $1-$2 per). Shuttle driver, car service, esp the porters who somehow can wiz us through the quickest line at customs!

 

[MunFam]

Somehow a thread from 2012 resurrected itself...hmmmm....and the "digger upper" happens to be new...AND only digging up posts about tipping porters (and commenting on them). Something seems a wee bit fishy around here.

 

[BartmanLA]

The porters at Miami and Galveston terminals don't work for Disney, they work for the port, I don't know about Port Canaveral, even so they shore side people don't work on the ships so any tips they make are for the work they do there, they don't share or get any of the gratuities that you pay onboard for the Crew Members there. Just something to point out.