Does tipping the porter at the pier assure delivery of goods??

[Darubian]

I am going to go out on a limb on this one....but if I was a betting man, I'd say there's more than one porter working there at a time :) If not, you'd have cars backed up to like.......let's say......Miami :D

Yeah, i would agree with that. But even then, im willing to bet a porter makes good money in tips. Especially on the weekends in FLL.

[sharod]

I'm not saying don't tip at all.....I'm talking about tipping extra to make sure your items show up in your cabin.

Thoughts???

 

We tip well. I still have not seen my one bag from my Allure cruise back in March 2011.

 

So, my thoughts are, no matter how well you tip, there is no guarantee that your luggage will make it to your cabin!!!

[Cigar King]

From my point of view I am tipping because these folks are performing a service for me, that I really don't want to do. It's a pain, in many ways, to drag your luggage around. These guys hustle over and collect it for me, and that generally helps start the trip off on the right foot. They do a tough job, and I tip them the same I would tips anyone who handles my bags while I am traveling.

 

What's the big deal on tipping? If a few bucks is going to break you, maybe you have bigger issues than this to deal with.

[Aquahound]

I.....I'm talking about tipping extra to make sure your items show up in your cabin.

Thoughts???

 

As the rest of your post correctly stated, there are several people who handle your bags. The final delivery to your room is based on ship's crew, so tipping extra to the porters really has nothing to do with speed of delivery to your room. All that person does is cart the bags back to the people scanning the bags. Tipping is discretionary, but I would not suggest tipping extra just for the purpose of hoping your bags will be delivered faster.

[cello56]

First let me say that I do tip the porters.

 

Second, you all do realize that the porters are part of the Longshoremen Union right? I am guessing that they make a pretty decent wage compared to the workers on the ship in the service areas.

[teajak]

From my point of view I am tipping because these folks are performing a service for me, that I really don't want to do. It's a pain, in many ways, to drag your luggage around. These guys hustle over and collect it for me, and that generally helps start the trip off on the right foot. They do a tough job, and I tip them the same I would tips anyone who handles my bags while I am traveling.

 

What's the big deal on tipping? If a few bucks is going to break you, maybe you have bigger issues than this to deal with.

Excellant post and we totally agree.;)

[Havingfun2010]

This topic has been addressed so many times already. The porters are not employed by the ship, they are longshoreman, in a union, and make 50K or more a year up to as much as 125K depending on the port. They do more than just grab your bags. I might even venture to say that they love working on the days ships come in. Now, a good one, might hustle, and grab as many as 100 bags an hour. That will probable give him an extra $100 - $200 an hour for maybe 3 hours loading, and 3 hours off loading. This group of people are not "service" people such as waiters and cabin attendants. They are professional, union workers that get a fair and good wage.

 

They are not going to throw your bags away, and risk their job. They take your bag, throw it on a cart. Someone else takes it to a staging area. Than a fork lift driver takes 2 or 3 a time, and moves it to the dock, where another person will grab it with a fork lift, and put it on the ship. That is where the ship takes ownership of the baggage. Than it is sorted and the deck hands are assigned the duty of delivering your bag to your door way. At that time, the room attendant will place your bag inside your room.

 

It's a long process, with many hands touching your bag, and the porter touches your bag for only 30 seconds.

 

So should you tip? Yes but only because you want to. $1.00 a bag is fine. This is only their icing on the cake. Not their pay. Your bag will make it, they will not personnally see it happen, they don't care. They will not give it special treatment, they don't care. Your bag is no more special than the next.

 

Save the tips for the "service" people who make low wages, and rely on the tips. They are the true workers that will make your trip special.

[BBT]

My last cruise was 10 years ago so I don't remember what happened on arrival for departure. I DO however remember what happened when we were getting into the taxi to go to the hotel after the cruise. Guy (curbside porter I assume) put the suitcases in the trunk of the cab and we climbed in. Then my door jerked open and I heard "Them bags didn't put themselves in the trunk!". I gave him what small bills I had (might have been $5 could have been $20 for all I remember). He was a BIG man. From then on I have made a mental note to myself: TIP THE GUY!

 

I am making sure I have small bills when I arrive at the port this upcoming trip.

[Aquahound]

One of the biggest falsehoods spread on CC is the salaries of porters. I've met several of these guys over the course of my career. These guys are port grunts, not managers making 6 figures. I know what they make, but will not post it out of respect. However, I assure you it's not what some CCers claim. If a lack of tipping is predicated on a excuse they already make great salaries, it's wrong.

[donaldsc]

I have over 2 million frequent flyer miles .. 2,000+ nights in hotels .. and only 7 cruises :( .. trust me tipping everyone that touches your bags can only increase the chance that you will see those bags again :D

 

The only way that you can really determine if your idea that bribing people increases the probability that they will do the job they are being paid to do is to do half your flights, half your hotel rooms, and half of your cruises using one scenario and half using the alternative scenario.

 

Otherwise, your theory that tipping improves the probability of a successful outcome is total scientific garbage.

 

DON

[Bigtex1622]

We drive my sister's truck,

there are 4 of us, so about 12-15 suitcases.

They get all of them out of the truck,

so I give them both $20.

I have a Dear Old Mother that needs my help.

So it is worth every cent not to have to worry about them.

 

 

:rolleyes:

[teajak]

This topic has been addressed so many times already. The porters are not employed by the ship, they are longshoreman, in a union, and make 50K or more a year up to as much as 125K depending on the port. They do more than just grab your bags. I might even venture to say that they love working on the days ships come in. Now, a good one, might hustle, and grab as many as 100 bags an hour. That will probable give him an extra $100 - $200 an hour for maybe 3 hours loading, and 3 hours off loading. This group of people are not "service" people such as waiters and cabin attendants. They are professional, union workers that get a fair and good wage.

 

They are not going to throw your bags away, and risk their job. They take your bag, throw it on a cart. Someone else takes it to a staging area. Than a fork lift driver takes 2 or 3 a time, and moves it to the dock, where another person will grab it with a fork lift, and put it on the ship. That is where the ship takes ownership of the baggage. Than it is sorted and the deck hands are assigned the duty of delivering your bag to your door way. At that time, the room attendant will place your bag inside your room.

 

It's a long process, with many hands touching your bag, and the porter touches your bag for only 30 seconds.

 

So should you tip? Yes but only because you want to. $1.00 a bag is fine. This is only their icing on the cake. Not their pay. Your bag will make it, they will not personnally see it happen, they don't care. They will not give it special treatment, they don't care. Your bag is no more special than the next.

 

Save the tips for the "service" people who make low wages, and rely on the tips. They are the true workers that will make your trip special.

And your source for all of this information is what?

[Cigar King]

One of the biggest falsehoods spread on CC is the salaries of porters. I've met several of these guys over the course of my career. These guys are port grunts, not managers making 6 figures. I know what they make, but will not post it out of respect. However, I assure you it's not what some CCers claim. If a lack of tipping is predicated on a excuse they already make great salaries, it's wrong.

 

Thanks for saying what should be obvious.

[donaldsc]

I know what they make, but will not post it out of respect.

 

So you think the the porters who implicitly threaten that the result of not tipping them will be that your luggage will end up in the water or on another ship are worthy of respect.

 

Interesting.

 

DON

[Aquahound]

So you think the the porters who implicitly threaten that the result of not tipping them will be that your luggage will end up in the water or on another ship are worthy of respect.

 

Interesting.

 

DON

 

That is not even remotely close to what I said. :rolleyes:

[SRQfireman]

We drive my sister's truck,

there are 4 of us, so about 12-15 suitcases.

They get all of them out of the truck,

so I give them both $20.

I have a Dear Old Mother that needs my help.

So it is worth every cent not to have to worry about them.

 

 

 

How many months you guys cruising for with 3-4 suitcases per person ? :D

I'm trying to figure out how "Dear Old Mother" fits into the equation. What does that have to do with tipping the porters approx $3.00/bag?

 

 

So you think the the porters who implicitly threaten that the result of not tipping them will be that your luggage will end up in the water or on another ship are worthy of respect.

 

Interesting.

 

DON

 

Where did this come from about "porters who implicitly threaten" ....who do they threaten and why? I assume you're saying they've told you that if you don't tip they're going to throw your bags in the drink???(or on another ship)

You're right....this is interesting

[mn311601]

A little Googling will end this argument once and for all. These ARE union employees who are making a lot more than most of the people in this country.

 

http://www.ilaunion.org/pdf/MemorandumOfSettlement.pdf

 

This is the MOS for the ILA through September 30, 2012. New employees make $20/hr. There are employees making up to and over $30/hr. These aren't down on their luck hard up for cash workers. They get paid damn good and giving or not giving them $1 for your bag isn't going to mean they won't be able to afford food. Hell, I'd love to have a job where I couldn't get fired and start out making $20/hr.

[Snorkel Dawg]

In all walks of life, believe in Karma.

What goes around...comes around :)

[mn311601]

They make even more on the west coast. This is all available freely on the web. Here's the ILWU contract pay rates. Not bad, starting out at over $24/hr.

 

http://www.ilwu.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/2008_ILWU_MOU.pdf

[Havingfun2010]

This topic has been addressed so many times already. The porters are not employed by the ship, they are longshoreman, in a union, and make 50K or more a year up to as much as 125K depending on the port. They do more than just grab your bags. I might even venture to say that they love working on the days ships come in. Now, a good one, might hustle, and grab as many as 100 bags an hour. That will probable give him an extra $100 - $200 an hour for maybe 3 hours loading, and 3 hours off loading. This group of people are not "service" people such as waiters and cabin attendants. They are professional, union workers that get a fair and good wage.

 

They are not going to throw your bags away, and risk their job. They take your bag, throw it on a cart. Someone else takes it to a staging area. Than a fork lift driver takes 2 or 3 a time, and moves it to the dock, where another person will grab it with a fork lift, and put it on the ship. That is where the ship takes ownership of the baggage. Than it is sorted and the deck hands are assigned the duty of delivering your bag to your door way. At that time, the room attendant will place your bag inside your room.

 

It's a long process, with many hands touching your bag, and the porter touches your bag for only 30 seconds.

 

So should you tip? Yes but only because you want to. $1.00 a bag is fine. This is only their icing on the cake. Not their pay. Your bag will make it, they will not personnally see it happen, they don't care. They will not give it special treatment, they don't care. Your bag is no more special than the next.

 

Save the tips for the "service" people who make low wages, and rely on the tips. They are the true workers that will make your trip special.

 

And your source for all of this information is what?

 

Everything I said is easy to find with a little research, or knowing the right people. Starting pay is around 19.86 an hour which puts you at 40K without overtime. They get overtime. The rest of the info, all you need to do, is watch. That porter never leaves the curb, but you bag makes it to the ship. Your can pretty much watch most of the process. The part you can't, watch it on TV. The porter is probably the one person that touches your bag that does the least amount of work for it. However, the equipment (fork lift) operators most likely make more money.

[Cruzaholic41]

A little Googling will end this argument once and for all. These ARE union employees who are making a lot more than most of the people in this country.

 

Oh, Geezus! When I saw the title of this thread, I knew there would be someone in here spewing this crap again. For the 1000th time, porters are not included in this. Porting is a tipping postion not included in salary obligations. How do I know? My BIL is a porter in Miami. He volunteers for the extra shifts as a porter to make extra money. As for his normal port job, the $20/hr is about right. But if any of you have ever lived in S. Florida, you would know 40k/yr is very tough to live on. That's like 20k/yr in many mid-western towns. If his salary was soooooo great, he would not still be driving a 1990 Ford Ranger and working a night security job.

 

If people want to be cheap, then be cheap. Whatever. But going so far out of your way to be cheap as to Google search stuff like this is just sick. :rolleyes:

[mn311601]

I don't care where you live, I'm not going to feel sorry for any job making 20/hr starting out.

[clean1owner]

 

I've read lots of stories here about how some people have tipped with a "Wink Wink Nudge Nudge" on a certain rumrunner suitcase which has subsequently found it's way to the stateroom intact, but it's difficult to say how much of that is luck versus having received any special treatment.

 

 

Just like slipping the Skycap at the airport a $20 and telling him "careful with this 40 pounder" when you know full well it is overweight, and subject to the $50-$75 heavy bag fee from the Airline. Somehow your bag makes it to your destination without the heavy tag or the fee!:D:D

[Shazambilo]

There have been times when I placed my bags on the curb and walked away waiting on the porters to put my bags on the cart. I then turned around to put the bags on the cart myself, and was told we'll get them. They were too busy begging (I'm sorry ASKING) or harassing people for tips.

[honeybee85]

I don't care where you live, I'm not going to feel sorry for any job making 20/hr starting out.

 

The longshoreman make that. The porters do not. The porters are NOT included in those salaries. How do I know? I know several porters at Miami personally (and what they make but will refrain from being so rude as to post it publicly) from my stint doing contract work for a different cruise line at the port.