Grab a porter to get you bags when you disembark

[TEXASMUNK]

Sorry, wrong!

We do that in Galveston all the time. Wizz by the hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of self-disembarkers.

Cheating, how do you come up with that?

[2CatsInFlorida]

Great idea. Next time if we see a long line we will grab a porter too. They get tips so can't afford to wait two hours in line with everyone else or their hourly wage would be peanuts.

[Retired LEO]

Buy a really expensive necklace onboard and you get a special trip straight to customs. :eek:

 

Been there...Done that

 

The personal escort was nice though :D

[wannalottadough]

We waited in line (not that long) at port of Miami and when we got to the front, some couple with a porter cut right in front of us and were let in with no problem.

[mo&fran]

we cruised on Indy this spring, and used terminal 29 , i think. we missed our luggage number call, so when we got to the terminal, hod no idea where our luggage was. As usual , we got a porter, who knew exactly where our luggage was. you have to experience this terminal to know what I am talking about.

so, there a lot more reasons to use a porter beyond getting through customs.

[John&LaLa]

Been there...Done that

 

The personal escort was nice though :D

 

A little nerve racking though. We really didn't know why we got pulled out of line when we entered our key card. Luckily we didn't owe any duty because it was made in NY

[A&L_Ont]

We read the same thing and tried this at PE. The porter started to lead us around the long lines and was told by the port workers to get back into line. We waited with him in the line for a long time.

 

Like your example, on a few different cruises at PE, I have seen porters told by port workers to follow the line and not to pass others.

[audome78]

This is an absolute "must" in San Juan. Our last cruise, not only did we grab a porter, like always, but he was working with a cabbie who had the can waiting, trunk open...total time from last "Bing" off ship to bags on the sidewalk at the airport...31 minutes.

 

Well worth the tip.

[msjaxson]

Recently finished our August 2 cruise on FOS. Best thing ever, grab a porter to get your bags they will take you past all the lines through customs. We got our bags and was at the rental shuttle in 5 minutes. Walked right passed the very long lines. Worth every penny of the $15 tip!!!

 

shhhh dont tell everyone !! :eek: ...LOL.. i travel most of the time with Mom and since i cant handle all the luggage i always use a porter.. :eek:

[gnocchi_mommy]

We always do this in Tampa, it's the only way to get out of there at a decent pace. Never knew they also did this in PC! Thanks for the tip :-)

[cruznurse]

This is an absolute "must" in San Juan. Our last cruise, not only did we grab a porter, like always, but he was working with a cabbie who had the can waiting, trunk open...total time from last "Bing" off ship to bags on the sidewalk at the airport...31 minutes.

 

Well worth the tip.

 

We just got off the Adventure yesterday and even if you did not know about the porters and their seperate line, the herd of porters meet you at the bottom of the escalator in SJ. There were 13 of us and one porter took all of the bags, steered us to the really short porter line and then right to 2 waiting cabs. We were still sitting on Deck 4 at 8:15 and at our gate at the airport at 9:15! Well worth the money and made the last hour of our trip all the more memorable :D

[Goodtime Cruizin]

Sorry, wrong!

 

Cheating, how do you come up with that?

 

I agree. Cheating who? Cheating what? I/ve not hired a porter yet but I'll probably try it in FtL. If I'm reading correctly, $20 to a porter is as good as a Concierge to a Dimond+. At least in terms of disembarkation.

[Ken at the beach]

I agree. Cheating who? Cheating what? I/ve not hired a porter yet but I'll probably try it in FtL. If I'm reading correctly, $20 to a porter is as good as a Concierge to a Dimond+. At least in terms of disembarkation.

 

Unfortunately the porters in FtL (Port Everglades) do not have a special line.

 

I believe that's it's only in Port Canaveral! Tampa and. San Juan.

[CaribSailor]

So much for the suite benefits. A couple of 20s still get you pretty far these days. Just had a friend off Oasis who threw a porter 40$ and they breezed by everyone in customs...my friend said all the porter did was whistle and were given a clear path. They were off the ship and cleared customs in 20 minutes. This was in port Everglades yesterday.

Edited August 17, 2015 by CaribSailor

[msjaxson]

So much for the suite benefits. A couple of 20s still get you pretty far these days. Just had a friend off Oasis who threw a porter 40$ and they breezed by everyone in customs...my friend said all the porter did was whistle and were given a clear path. They were off the ship and cleared customs in 20 minutes. This was in port Everglades yesterday.

 

 

I was going to say I was pretty certain I used them in Port Everglades

[mad-dog74]

We used at porter at Port Canaveral last month and had a great experience also! Cheating???? Don't see that at all. They are there to do a job and they do a great job!!! Helped us tremendously. There were 6 traveling and the benefit of having all the luggage on a cart was just as great as him assisting us thru the customs line!

[GUT2407]

Sounds like yet another example of the rules at the Port being designed to assist lining the pocket's of the Porters.

 

If you want to use a Porter fine and well.

 

But why should others be penalized for choosing not to.

 

And no it's not cheeting it is doing what the rules provide for, just the rules are stupid.

[CaribSailor]

Sounds like yet another example of the rules at the Port being designed to assist lining the pocket's of the Porters.

 

 

 

If you want to use a Porter fine and well.

 

 

 

But why should others be penalized for choosing not to.

 

 

 

And no it's not cheeting it is doing what the rules provide for, just the rules are stupid.

 

 

I don't think it's cheating. It's paying for the experience you want. Waiting in line for customs is the norm... Want to skip the wait? Fork up some cash. No one is penalized, I don't see any problem with this and yes everyone has a choice.

Edited August 17, 2015 by CaribSailor

[Big_G]

Sounds like yet another example of the rules at the Port being designed to assist lining the pocket's of the Porters.

 

If you want to use a Porter fine and well.

 

But why should others be penalized for choosing not to.

 

And no it's not cheeting it is doing what the rules provide for, just the rules are stupid.

 

The way I look at is porters are trying to make a buck and should have a porter lane through customs to expedite their earnings. I never understood why they were forced to stand in line with everyone else.

[cruisinfanatic]

We used at porter at Port Canaveral last month and had a great experience also! Cheating???? Don't see that at all. They are there to do a job and they do a great job!!! Helped us tremendously. There were 6 traveling and the benefit of having all the luggage on a cart was just as great as him assisting us thru the customs line!

sure it's cheating. You are butting the line by coughing up cash

[orville99]

Well, I guess they need to add another type of skate to the banned list along with roller, in line, skate boards, and wheelies. Cheap comes to mind;)

[orville99]

sure it's cheating. You are butting the line by coughing up cash

 

 

By your logic, tipping a waiter for better service, or a Mitre D' for s better table, or a cab driver for getting you to your destination when traffic's all jammed up is cheating. Sorry, but what you are proposing sounds strangely more like bleating - the sound a herd of sheep make;)

[Ken at the beach]

sure it's cheating. You are butting the line by coughing up cash

 

Not butting in any line at all. There is a totally separate line.

[rudeney]

sure it's cheating. You are butting the line by coughing up cash

 

I really don't see that as cheating. It's a service that you get if you wan to pay for it. Just like Diamond level guests who have spent much money with RCCL get a special lounge and drink coupons. Suite guests get reserved seats at the shows and special lines for check-in and embarkation, head of the line for tenders, etc. First-class airline passengers get on first and get bigger seats. TSA has a trusted traveler program that allows you to skip the long airport security liens and keep your shoes on if you're willing to pay for an extra background check. Even the proletariat on Southwest can get better seats by paying for Early Bird Checkin. It's the way the world works - if you are willing to pay more, you get better services.

 

Now, I would NOT expect this service to allow these guests to break rules, i.e. not have to pay taxes or be able to get contraband past customs. But not having to wait in line? Yes, to some people, that will be worth a little extra cash.

[Seandre2]

Not butting in any line at all. There is a totally separate line.

 

 

I agree. It's like paying extra for the fast pass at some theme parks.