How much do I tip the porter at the pier?

[yogimax]

But God forbid someone have a decent salary. :rolleyes:

 

Let's assume the porter meets one family every two minutes for four hours and each gives him $2. Is that a modest assumption?

 

That's $240 for a day in tips.

 

Decent salary???

 

Uhhh.. YES!

[Aquahound]

Let's assume the porter meets one family every two minutes for four hours and each gives him $2. Is that a modest assumption?

 

That's $240 for a day in tips.

 

Decent salary???

 

Uhhh.. YES!

 

And I say, good for them.

 

When I pull up to a terminal and a porter comes over to my car, opens the door for my wife, then pulls my bag and her heavy bag out of our trunk, then reminds me to have my paperwork in hand and not packed in those bags, I tip accordingly. To me, that's the type of personal service that is deserving of a tip in our society.

 

The last thing I am going to do is go looking up their salaries on the internet. That's none of my business. I tip for the 2 minutes of interaction and personal service.

[Puffinater]

Don't tip and you are playing with your bags. A few trips back I was actually asked for a tip by a porter. I guestioned him and he backed down and stated that was not what he was saying. It was. Long story short. Bags were delivered to the ship ok but no luggage tags. Had to go claim them. Funny part is we always tip. I just took exception to being asked.

[yogimax]

And I say, good for them.

 

 

Easy to say if you have money to throw around.

[FLHugh]

Easy to say if you have money to throw around.

 

I consider taking a cruise "throwing money around"!!:D

[RJLEXUS2011]

So... the porter is going to remember you when you come back for your next cruise???

 

 

Nope, just knowing that I gave him a bigger tip might somehow pay off after I go inside to check in. I could be wrong, but I have never had any problems with bags/tags and the like. Like I said, I just feel better doing that. It might/might not make a difference.

[Jimnbigd]

Now, if you get a porter when you finally leave the cruise, you should tip more because the porter stays with you a lot longer -- often 20 minutes or more -- including going through customs. I usually figure a dollar per minute, plus a dollar per bag. You usually get through customs faster with a porter.

[Cruzaholic41]

Easy to say if you have money to throw around.

 

A few dollars?

[bbbearden]

Hi All, I do not mind tipping well but need advice. Sailing VOS in one week. What is the proper amount to tip in Venice. I want to dothight thing, anyone have experience with this?

 

Thanks.

[Langley Cruisers]

I always give the porter $20. That ensures me(in my mind ) that my luggage will be treated correctly onto the ship.

 

Seriously?? That's ridiculous. $5 for a few bags has always done that for us. Smile and be friendly to the porters and you will be treated in kind. You don't have to overtip, which is what I consider you to be doing. Oh well.

[dzcruisers]

Well, I'm surprised it took 12 hours for someone to lecture us all on how much they think a porter makes (who are not the top-end longshormen). But God forbid someone have a decent salary. :rolleyes:

 

And I like to have my luggage on the same ship I'm on on the same day!

[Gonzo70]

Those servings as "porters" at U.S. ports are union longshoremen earning upper middle class salaries. You are already paying for their "service" in your port fees. They play the tiniest role in getting your luggage to your stateroom. They put your luggage on a cart (right next to them), push the cart a few yards, and from there others take over. Absolutely no need or expectation to tip them and there are signs up at all U.S. ports stating that they are do not need to be tipped (and in a couple of U.S. ports they are not even permitted to accept tips).

[Oville]

Good grief, what is $5 or $6 in the big scheme of a cruise vacation? I'll give you this, you are consistent on this topic. I agree in one port we sail from the porters are young LSM, but in a place like Miami, these are older gentlemen who are not working the freight ships.

 

Bottom line, if people want to tip let them. Not sure why it bothers you so, after all it's not your money they are spending.

[donaldsc]

How much do I tip the porter (I'm sure this was asked 800 times, and I'm not sure if there is a search feature on this site or how to use it if there is one.)?

 

Tip them nothing - they are paid employees with a union contract.

 

DON

[donaldsc]

I always give the porter $20. That ensures me(in my mind ) that my luggage will be treated correctly onto the ship. I was in the restaraunt business for 15 years before I got a real job and I always took extra good care of the bigger tippers. Human nature at its best. I always try to give whomever is helping me a big tip at the start. That way they remember you better.

 

Do you honestly think that they actually remember you?

 

DON

[LHT28]

Hi All, I do not mind tipping well but need advice. Sailing VOS in one week. What is the proper amount to tip in Venice. I want to dothight thing, anyone have experience with this?

 

Thanks.

I do not know about Venice but other ports the porter was off so fast with our bags I did not have time to tip him

 

we were settling up with the taxi driver & our bags were gone with the porter

 

YES they made it to ship ...tags & all

[BallFour4]

It's amusing the post was for a question of how much and some ran with it to another level.

 

Longshoreman are not annual salary workers, they work an hourly wage, get their jobs off a "board" and seniority is key. Those guys at the pier have been at it for a while.

 

My experience has been excellent, and I too tip 10-20 bucks based on how many are with me. Somehow my luggage is at the door when the cabins open at 1:30pm.

 

For me it's part of the vacation, and the porter line is much shorter when you get back.

 

For over a dozen cruises from Galveston I drive up, open the hatch and have a pleasant conversation with them. They remove luggage from the vehicle, check tags, and I leave my group with them to go park the car. I find my family in line and join them.

 

If a few dollars (relative to the total vacation cost) bothers you, is it possible one might have two sets of standards?

 

.

[LHT28]

My experience has been excellent, and I too tip 10-20 bucks based on how many are with me. Somehow my luggage is at the door when the cabins open at 1:30pm.

 

How much do you tip the steward who delivers your bags from the hold to your cabin door?:rolleyes:

 

The porters take the bags from the curb to the terminal throw them in the cages another guy loads the cages onto the ship

Then another guy.. ship's crew deliver them to the cabins

[tip]

...for those who seem to take pride in the fact that they suggest that the porters should not get tipped because they are Union (like it is a dirty word) employees. If it is such a good deal, why aren't you a porter??;)

Edited July 15, 2011 by tip

[bus man]

Smile and be friendly to the porters and you will be treated in kind.

 

There's the key right there. Porters are people too, and I'm sure they enjoy a friendly smile and a kind word as much as anyone else does. Conversely, if you snarl and grumble at them . . . well, human nature being what it is, guess whose bags are going to be tossed extra roughly?

 

Personally, I despise the whole notion of tipping; not just for porters, but for any service personnel. I would much rather they be paid what they're worth as a base salary, and our ticket prices (restaurant tabs/taxi fares, etc.) be increased accordingly. However, that's not the way it is, so I go along with the tipping regime because that's how things are set up.

 

As for the OP's question . . . I always tip $1 per bag. Seems vastly excessive for the service you get (and this is not meant as an insult to porters, simply that the service you receive doesn't seem worth that much money to me), but c'est la vie. And yes, I always smile and say something nice. My beef is with the tipping system overall, not any particular individual within it.

[Railer]

In my job I handle people's bags all the time. In the 15 years that I have been lifting suitcases, I have been offered a tip twice. I thanked them but refused it, asking them to tip my fellow employees instead. I make a good wage but am not wealthy. It is my job and I treat their baggage with as much care as everyone elses. I don't have a problem if somebody wants to tip but I have a problem with the concept of being held for ransom by someone doing their job and not getting paid extra. I tip for good service and I leave the auto tip on but I don't get carried away and think that they will ever remember me the next time I travel.

 

Russ

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

we give 2 to 5

[Gonzo70]

...for those who seem to take pride in the fact that they suggest that the porters should not get tipped because they are Union (like it is a dirty word) employees. If it is such a good deal, why aren't you a porter??;)

 

Because they are highly coveted jobs where you generally need connections to land them.

[Gonzo70]

[quote name=blusry;29798542

If a few dollars (relative to the total vacation cost) bothers you' date=' is it possible one might have two sets of standards?

 

.

 

That makes no sense. A few dollars does not bother me. I simply do not choose to tip people who are already fully salaried for carrying out their most basic job duty.

 

I tip a server at a bar or restaurant for serving me a drink (even if they are a bit slow and/or not real friendly), I do not tip a flight attendant on a plane for serving me a drink even if they are extremely friendly and very prompt. The reason being the bar/restaurant staff receive reduced wages that are expected to be compensated by tips. Unless I receive terrible service (maybe one out of every 100 or so occasions) I always tip servers at bars/restaurants. The reason I do not tip a flight attendant has nothing to do with being cheap or a few dollars bothering me - they just are not meant to be tipped. Same with longshoremen serving as porters at U.S. cruise terminals.

 

It is funny so many people tip longshoremen for pushing their luggage a few yards on a cart, but do not tip the people on the ship who do far more work sorting the luggage and delivering it to the staterooms (and earn minuscule salaries compared to the longshoremen).

 

There is a reason why all U.S. ports have signs up saying the porters do not need to be tipped.

[BallFour4]

That makes no sense. A few dollars does not bother me. I simply do not choose to tip people who are already fully salaried for carrying out their most basic job duty.

 

I tip a server at a bar or restaurant for serving me a drink (even if they are a bit slow and/or not real friendly), I do not tip a flight attendant on a plane for serving me a drink even if they are extremely friendly and very prompt. The reason being the bar/restaurant staff receive reduced wages that are expected to be compensated by tips. Unless I receive terrible service (maybe one out of every 100 or so occasions) I always tip servers at bars/restaurants. The reason I do not tip a flight attendant has nothing to do with being cheap or a few dollars bothering me - they just are not meant to be tipped. Same with longshoremen serving as porters at U.S. cruise terminals.

 

It is funny so many people tip longshoremen for pushing their luggage a few yards on a cart, but do not tip the people on the ship who do far more work sorting the luggage and delivering it to the staterooms (and earn minuscule salaries compared to the longshoremen).

 

There is a reason why all U.S. ports have signs up saying the porters do not need to be tipped.

They are hourly workers.

 

Not all ports have a sign.

 

Do what you want, I will too.

 

.

Edited July 15, 2011 by blusry