Tips for Porters?

[Weedy]

Question from a first time cruiser: Why would I need a porter?
I've traveled throughout Europe and North America most of my life by plane, stayed at all kinds of hotels (1 - 4 star), and never used a porter.

If you want to "check" your bags onto the ship the porters take your bags and they are delivered to your cabin.
You can keep your bags with you but they must be small enough to fit through the scanners at security.
A lot of people like the porters help after the cruise to get to their car. We always handle our own luggage to the parking garage. It's not far.

 

[Cackyschmackers]

Thank you for your answer. So it's not that a cruise-port is very different from an airport; you can walk to the check-in with your luggage? At the airport the airline then takes your luggage and it 'magically' ends up on the airplane. Is that how it works with cruising too?

Yes. But I was actually referring to when you disembark. Luggage gets channeled into different areas according to the luggage tags DCL gives you the night before disembarkation. The porters will scoop up your luggage from the mass of baggage. I also meant when arriving into a foreign country at baggage claim. Just easier for us at those points, we don't use them beforehand, we use curbside check in for flights and it's kind of the same idea when you arrive at the port terminal. But I'm sure others can chime in what happens when you use Disney ground transportation, we haven't for DCL.

 

[over50visits]

We always tip more for departure rather than arrival. For arrival they just carry them a few feet to a large cart and carry them all in as a huge group. On disembarkation day, a porter will stay with you through the line and walk out to your bus pickup or car. It's a lot more work, and some are really fun to talk to. I'd say perhaps $1 per suitcase (rounded up to 5/10) for arrival, and $3 per suitcase for the end of the cruise. Honestly, though, if it's just the 2 of use we don't need a porter at departure.