Carnival tipping to Bag Porters

[dpie6371]

I'm kind of glad this topic is still here.  I always tip the guy $20 and tell him to make sure everything arrives at the same time.  20-25% of the time I have a bag that was searched and something I wanted to bring, but probably shouldn't, doesn't make it.  I want to go back to 2005 when you gave them a cooler that looks like luggage and it actually makes it to your room, with fresh Ice on it. Probably just my bad for thinking I can get everything I want, silly me.  They normally don't have the type of scotch I like so I try to bring it myself.  Any longshoremen out there want to give me some tips?

[Illbcruzn4life]

57 minutes ago, dpie6371 said:

I'm kind of glad this topic is still here.  I always tip the guy $20 and tell him to make sure everything arrives at the same time.  20-25% of the time I have a bag that was searched and something I wanted to bring, but probably shouldn't, doesn't make it.  I want to go back to 2005 when you gave them a cooler that looks like luggage and it actually makes it to your room, with fresh Ice on it. Probably just my bad for thinking I can get everything I want, silly me.  They normally don't have the type of scotch I like so I try to bring it myself.  Any longshoremen out there want to give me some tips?

Does the longshoreman laugh when you ask him to make sure everything gets there the same time?

 

as far as I can tell they lift your bags to put them on the trolley and that’s the last they deal with them.

 

 

[Saint Greg]

4 minutes ago, Illbcruzn4life said:

Does the longshoreman laugh when you ask him to make sure everything gets there the same time?

 

as far as I can tell they lift your bags to put them on the trolley and that’s the last they deal with them.

 

 

But they did get on the trolley at the same time…

[renza]

1 hour ago, dpie6371 said:

I'm kind of glad this topic is still here.  I always tip the guy $20 and tell him to make sure everything arrives at the same time.  20-25% of the time I have a bag that was searched and something I wanted to bring, but probably shouldn't, doesn't make it.  I want to go back to 2005 when you gave them a cooler that looks like luggage and it actually makes it to your room, with fresh Ice on it. Probably just my bad for thinking I can get everything I want, silly me.  They normally don't have the type of scotch I like so I try to bring it myself.  Any longshoremen out there want to give me some tips?

Do u really think they are handling your luggage at all. Nope. It’s thrown on a cart and that’s it. They r not getting on the ship or ever touching your luggage again. 

[Moviela]

I have no clue about the rest of the country but my chum who is a finance and insurance man at a car dealer in SoCal tells me the boys and a few ladies that work the docks in LA/Long Beach earn well into the low six figures. The top earners are the crane operators that lift the containers make 300K and only work every other week. They have no problem qualifying for a new pick-up and boat to haul around. 

 

If I had their money and they had a feather in their shorts, we'd both be tickled to death. 

[Pellaz]

On 1/8/2019 at 7:29 PM, chengkp75 said:

Don't know how you know what happens to the bags once on the ship, since the longshoremen do not handle it once onboard,  but they are not distributed as they arrive on the ship.  Due to the schedules of turn-around, the carts are stored on "I-95" while crew are utilized in other duties, and while I-95 is needed for other operations.  Typically, the bag carts can sit undelivered on I-95 for an hour or two before the elevators are clear for baggage to be distributed.  And, the first onboard can be some of the last distributed, as they are stored while other carts come on.  I've been the "air traffic controller" for I-95 on cruise ships, so I know the process and schedule of activities on this main artery of the ship, especially during turn around.

 

Having done the Behind the Fun tour on Carnival numerous times, I can only be in awe of the complex work you did coordinating I-95 and the marshalling area on turnaround day, with all manner of stuff being offloaded and onloaded (including 3 or 4,000 pieces of luggage).  There's a good REASON why the behind the scenes tours are always scheduled for the last sea-day...there's much more room to move around down there!  🙂   

 

I had heard that longshoremen handled the luggage carts up to, but never beyond, the ships' gangway and transom on Deck 0, and ships' crews took over from that point.   

 

On 1/8/2019 at 10:30 PM, DoCboYY said:

Tipping porters at the end of the day is still optional, but customary.

 

If tipping is customary, are longshoremen treated as "customarily tipped employees" by the IRS?  It's an important distinction, since it can affect things like Allocated Tips and how much tips are reported on each longshoreman's W-2 form.   Since the tips aren't pooled, are the longshoremen responsible for reporting their tips to the employer?  

 

Edited April 8, 2022 by Pellaz

[chengkp75]

33 minutes ago, Pellaz said:

Having done the Behind the Fun tour on Carnival numerous times, I can only be in awe of the complex work you did coordinating I-95 and the marshalling area on turnaround day, with all manner of stuff being offloaded and onloaded (including 3 or 4,000 pieces of luggage).

Fortunately, I didn't have to deal with the provisions end of loading, as this was all done at the aft sideport, by the provisions master.  But, yes, it was quite a circus at the midships sideport.  The first thing done was to offload all the baggage carts with the disembarking luggage, through both sideports.  Then the provisions were loaded aft.  The 2-3 truck loads of engine stores and parts were loaded midships, then the 2-3 truck loads of hotel stores (toilet paper, glasses, sheets, whatever), then the concession stores (spa, gift shop, art auction), and that all had to be completed by noon, when the first baggage carts would start to arrive.  We had to have all the stuff loaded that morning cleared off I-95 before the baggage came, since the carts would be stored there again, until about 2 when the bar and wait staff started taking the carts for delivery.

 

39 minutes ago, Pellaz said:

I had heard that longshoremen handled the luggage carts up to, but never beyond, the ships' gangway and transom on Deck 0, and ships' crews took over from that point. 

The longshoremen will load the bags on the carts, take the carts to security, offload them for screening and reload them on carts, then forklift the carts to the sideport of the ship.  That's the last they see of the bags.

 

41 minutes ago, Pellaz said:

If tipping is customary, are longshoremen treated as "customarily tipped employees" by the IRS?

No.  And you can believe they don't report this shakedown income.

[rolloman]

The tipping for luggage drop off is a real joke. The guy who meets you at the curb "sometimes" helps you take the luggage out of the car and then loads it onto a luggage cart. The cart is typically just a few feet away.  This is all he does and then moves on to the next vehicle. Some of you boast you tip this person 20 bucks...that is insane. In reality it probably causes more harm than good. I tip but only a dollar or two per bag. If the guy sits and watches me pull the bags out of the car and still does not flinch as I roll them to his feet...he gets nothing. 

[grandmarnnurse]

1 hour ago, rolloman said:

The tipping for luggage drop off is a real joke. The guy who meets you at the curb "sometimes" helps you take the luggage out of the car and then loads it onto a luggage cart. The cart is typically just a few feet away.  This is all he does and then moves on to the next vehicle. Some of you boast you tip this person 20 bucks...that is insane. In reality it probably causes more harm than good. I tip but only a dollar or two per bag. If the guy sits and watches me pull the bags out of the car and still does not flinch as I roll them to his feet...he gets nothing. 

We only tip $1-2 per bag. 

[ChattTenn]

We also tip $1-2 per bag to ensure the bag would MAKE to the ship. 

The porters at some European ports did not act as USA porters, they came to the car to help with the bag(s) and did not hang around for the hand out or expected the tips.

Edited April 8, 2022 by ChattTenn

[leafsnation]

I tip a buck a bag sort of cheap insurance in hopes bags make it on board! dad told me years ago treat it as cheap insurance!

Bob

[phoneman69]

3 hours ago, rolloman said:

The tipping for luggage drop off is a real joke. The guy who meets you at the curb "sometimes" helps you take the luggage out of the car and then loads it onto a luggage cart. The cart is typically just a few feet away.  This is all he does and then moves on to the next vehicle. Some of you boast you tip this person 20 bucks...that is insane. In reality it probably causes more harm than good. I tip but only a dollar or two per bag. If the guy sits and watches me pull the bags out of the car and still does not flinch as I roll them to his feet...he gets nothing. 

Yes it's insane to give $20 but how many times have you heard 2 bucks per bag or they don't make it on the ship !! Miami is the worst Shake Down at the cruise port.

[pe4all]

I give $5 total for 2 bags, and always say "please make sure my bags get on the ship or I'll be walking around buck ___ naked for a week."  Always gets a laugh.  Never "lost" a bag yet.

Edited April 8, 2022 by pe4all

[rolloman]

1 hour ago, phoneman69 said:

Yes it's insane to give $20 but how many times have you heard 2 bucks per bag or they don't make it on the ship !! Miami is the worst Shake Down at the cruise port.

Agreed about Miami. A few years ago I pulled up to the curb in Miami, pulled the bags out of the car and rolled them to where other passenger bags were being staged. A porter walks over, takes one of the bags and asks where is my tip? I was like... tip for what? He said in order for my bags to make it on the ship... I said where is your supervisor and I followed him as he pointed toward where he was. I asked the supervisor for his name and if this is your practice? He said no and called over the porter who of course denied saying it...I took a picture of the Supervisor and I told him I hold him responsible for my luggage making it on the ship and that was that. Anyway, my bags did make it on the ship but certainly not the way I wanted to start off a cruise. 

[13cheermom]

37 minutes ago, pe4all said:

I give $5 total for 2 bags, and always say "please make sure my bags get on the ship or I'll be walking around buck ___ naked for a week."  Always gets a laugh.  Never "lost" a bag yet.

My husband always lets me handle the luggage drop-off, he thinks they are nicer to women, lol.  I also give about $5 for 2 under 50# bags, and always with a smile ask "if they are going to make sure my luggage gets safely onboard".  Never had a problem and they usually reply with a smile "yes mam I will take care of it".  Works for us!

[soloadventurer]

Being from the UK and a working class person - i always tip ( unless very poor service )

 

I know how hard it is to work in jobs that aren't that well paid or even a thank you is given.

 

So i'm in a position were i respect those serving me and luckily i can add to the thank you with a tip.

 

To many look down their noses at others and think thats what your there for !!

 

Ex Pilot Boat/Linesman/Tug Boat/boatman

[Ferry_Watcher]

For Seattle/Alaska passengers - no Longshore shenanigans at Pier 91.  Very professional group there, with a great supervisor.  Tip or no tip, your luggage is taken outside the terminal, brought into the luggage hall where it is put thru the security scanner, then loaded into secure cages and fork-lifted onto the ship.  Once the take your luggage, you are free to start your embark process.

[Saint Greg]

Galveston I think is the best for bags. The first time I cruised out of there I was waiting for a porter who had a nearly full cart and a big crowd. I started walking around looking for another and this guy says "hey, you cruising today?" I said yeah. He says "bring it in here." There's this big bay that says "Luggage." And they're organized by deck number. So the next time I went out of Galveston the porters were standing around playing bumper carts or something so I went back to that big bay door again. And I've been doing it ever since. In December the guy working in there saw my platinum tag, intercepted me and took it to a special area.

 

New Orleans I have heard if you park in the port garage a porter will grab your bags at your car. That I think is a worthy service.

 

Long Beach the first time I went the porters were right at the door taking luggage the first time. The second time I didn't see any. I'm thinking they were still doing debarkation...so I just carried on.

 

FLL and Port Canaveral it didn't seem like they did much. They were standing by a train of luggage carts and I think all they did was throw it on the train. But I'm usually so excited to get on a ship I don't mind dropping a few bucks on the way in.

[pc_load_letter]

We tip $5 per bag

[bafinegan]

Jacksonville porters are really good ( or used to be, will find out this Sept).  We usually park and walk our luggage up to the "luggage spot".  9 times out of 10, a porter will meet us halfway up the walk with a cart and collect luggage from those that are checking luggage.  We follow that cart to ensure it makes it to "the luggage spot" and then tip-usually $5 per bag.  Never had missng luggage in over 8 cruises out of that port.

[phoneman69]

The best experience with porters we had was sailing out of New Orleans. They where all dressed in colorful shirts and could not have been nicer or more helpful. Must say we used their services both to and from the ship. Did not mind one bit tipping them well. Sailing out of port Canaveral in May so will see the experience we have there but if i remember correctly they were ok on our last trip.  

[DPTexas]

We generally sail out of Galveston and have always had great porter service there.  Our 2nd sailing, we were met by a great porter who gave us his cell number.  Now, when our shuttle is nearing the port, we text him and he shows up with his cart.  Same procedure for disembarkation.  Tipping is very personal, and everyone has their own system or reasoning.  We don't care how much the porter who helps us makes.  We tip him well because he provides a personal service, is friendly, and we don't have to lift or worry about our bags.  We also tip the shuttle driver, as well as those that load the bags onto the shuttle bus at the parking garage.  We are not rich but have family members who have worked for tips and know how hard that can be.  As in all my tipping everywhere, I do it for the service provided and as a "thank you" for the person being there to do it. 

[atlantatransplant]

I just cruised out of Charleston. From reading the forums here I thought you have to walk your bags after you park somewhere to a porter. Nope. When you pay for parking, the porters are right there. If things go well you pop your trunk, point out which ones and they roll them a few feet away to their cart.

 

I didn't have my tags prepared as we were still deciding on how/which bags to arrange. When I said the bags were not tagged he gave me quite an attitude. I said ok, well I can pull ahead to those parking spots right? (there was someone parked there already, too). He said yeah.

 

I tagged the bags, pulled them outta the trunk and rolled them up to his cart. I tipped him $5 for 3 bags for barely any work (I don't believe he is a driver of the cart so I really did 75% of his work). A guy with that kind of attitude...I'd probably get my bags accidentally off the cart.

 

I'd wager the guys behind the scenes who sort and deliver the bags did more work than the guy who just got my $5 of cash and likely unreported income.

 

I wished the porters were actual Carnival employees...they're much more friendlier.

 

Edit: Having said that I did tip the shuttle bus driver because he helped with getting my kid's stroller (with my daughter still sitting) on/off - which IMHO was work on top of his regular job duties.

Edited April 9, 2022 by atlantatransplant

[DQGal]

We had a cruise in Feb,  on another c cruise line,  lol,  but our check in time was 10:30, we had 2 bags,  both under 40#s, we tipped $5.00. Everyone had their luggage by dinner time, except us.   We were sent downstairs to see if all luggage had been delivered,  they had several people looking for them,  since they had all been delivered was what we were told.   They even gave us a bag with personal hygiene items,  plus 2 tshirts, all I wanted was our luggage.   It arrived after 10PM.   It was at the wrong stateroom door!!!!  But ever so glad that we didn't have to wear the white tshirts all week!!

[chengkp75]

2 hours ago, DQGal said:

 It was at the wrong stateroom door!!!!

And this had nothing to do with the size of your tip, as this was a mistake by crew.