Tipping at embarkation?

[93yearsyoung]

At embarkation someone will assist me with a wheelchair to board the ship. What should I tip this person who takes me basically from the curb onto the ship? $10? $20?

 

The porter who takes our 4 bags we will probably tip $20.

[caribill]

5 minutes ago, 93yearsyoung said:

At embarkation someone will assist me with a wheelchair to board the ship. What should I tip this person who takes me basically from the curb onto the ship? $10? $20?

 

The porter who takes our 4 bags we will probably tip $20.

 

You will likely have two people involved.

 

One who is a port employee from curb through check-in.

 

One who is a Princess employee from terminal to your cabin.

[93yearsyoung]

1 minute ago, caribill said:

You will likely have two people involved. One who is a port employee from curb through check-in. One who is a Princess employee from terminal to your cabin.

 

Thank you for the quick response. Do I tip the port employee and not the Princess one? Or both?

 

My inclination would be to tip each $10.

[caribill]

Just now, 93yearsyoung said:

 

Thank you for the quick response. Do I tip the port employee and not the Princess one? Or both?

 

My inclination would be to tip each $10.

 

Both, but I am not able to suggest an amount as I have no experience with this.

[Itchy&Scratchy]

5 hours ago, 93yearsyoung said:

The porter who takes our 4 bags we will probably tip $20.

the porter literally puts your bags on a huge dolly and that's it.

The person pushing your wheelchair is doing it for a much longer time and distance.

We usually give $5 for 2 suitcases.

$5 to push the wheelchair at the airport. I think I'd give $10 to push through the terminal and onto the ship.

[marden1970]

Yes, there will be someone at the port. Just ask when you're dropping off luggage.  They will take you thru security and check-in and then hand you over to a Princess employee to get you on the ship.  They will take you to wherever on the ship you want to be left off.  My DH has trouble walking more that a short distance and trouble on the incline of the gangway.  We tip at least $10 each (DH is a little on the larger size.)  I hope you have a great trip.

[MamaStang]

We generally tip $10 to the porter for our 2 bags.  I just feel it is a little insurance policy that my bag will actually get onto the ship with all of its tags intact.  

[famski740]

We have always tipped the porter $10.00 for the two bags we drop off.

 

When we used the wheel chair, we would tip $5.00 each for the in terminal assistance and for the gangway assistance.

 

My wife now has her own scooter and the assistance inside the terminal and up the gangway is no longer required.

[Cruise Raider]

It’s customary in North American ports to tip $5 per each large suitcase and $2 to $3 for each carry on sized bag.  
I would also tip anywhere between $5 - $10 for wheelchair assistance, depending on the distance they have to go.  
 

[Doug R.]

27 minutes ago, Cruise Raider said:

It’s customary in North American ports to tip $5 per each large suitcase and $2 to $3 for each carry on sized bag.  
I would also tip anywhere between $5 - $10 for wheelchair assistance, depending on the distance they have to go.  
 

Why would you tip extra for a carry on bag?

[ebeluga]

Tip whatever your heart desires esp when it's above and beyond their normal duties. It is an expression of gratitude rather than an obligation. JMO.

[Cruise Raider]

42 minutes ago, Doug R. said:

Why would you tip extra for a carry on bag?

I get what you are saying 😉 …. I only tip for a carry on sized bag when I check it. 

[93yearsyoung]

Thank you to all who had thoughtful, helpful responses. It really is helpful.

 

Leaving for the port in a few moments.

[kokopelli-az]

You're probably on the ship by now, but we tip the port person who pushes the wheelchair first, about $5, especially if it's not very far.   When the Princess employee takes over, that person is with you up until you tell him where you want to be dropped off (ie, your room, the buffet, etc).   The Princess employee is spending a lot more time getting you through check-in, security, etc, and then on to the ship than the port person.   $10 for the Princess person is certainly well earned.   

[sandancer]

9 hours ago, 93yearsyoung said:

 

Thank you for the quick response. Do I tip the port employee and not the Princess one? Or both?

 

My inclination would be to tip each $10.

Exactly what I did. Both of them were very helpful. This was at Port Everglades. 

[marden1970]

6 hours ago, kokopelli-az said:

You're probably on the ship by now, but we tip the port person who pushes the wheelchair first, about $5, especially if it's not very far.   When the Princess employee takes over, that person is with you up until you tell him where you want to be dropped off (ie, your room, the buffet, etc).   The Princess employee is spending a lot more time getting you through check-in, security, etc, and then on to the ship than the port person.   $10 for the Princess person is certainly well earned.   

I guess it is different at different ports - In San Francisco, the first person stays with you thru security and check in and then hands you off the the Princess employee.  It is really a big help and we much appreciate it.  I don't think my husband would be able to cruise without them.

[kokopelli-az]

58 minutes ago, marden1970 said:

I guess it is different at different ports - In San Francisco, the first person stays with you thru security and check in and then hands you off the the Princess employee.  It is really a big help and we much appreciate it.  I don't think my husband would be able to cruise without them.

It is a little different depending on what port you're at.    But we've always had two different people push: the port person and then the Princess employee.    Where the port person transfers you to the Princess employee varies depending on the port.    

 

The wheelchair pushers are life savers.  ❤️

Edited October 5, 2022 by kokopelli-az

[triple7tahoe]

At one point I worked as shoreside person at the San Francisco pier. On some days I would be allowed to take wheelchair passengers aboard. It is not unusual for ship folks to also get this duty but normally they only bring off disembarking passengers--You will see them with the blue vests and wheelchair emblem. Sometimes they will also take embarking passengers as well. Those are the ones that deserve the bigger tips!! I can't speak for any other shoreside person, but I felt I was fairly compensated for doing my job and did not expect a tip. On the other hand; please don't get me started on the porters: They are doing a job that is one of the most highly sought after in the union and make more than any one else working outside. They will try and intimidate folks into believing that they are the only ones that handle our luggage until it shows up in our room. Totally wrong-They put it on that cart, take it inside to a conveyor belt where it is run through xray and then loaded into cage. That cage is then lifted by a hoist onto the ship.  Look on your luggage tag and you will see a separate number i.e. A 10--When that cage gets inside the ship the luggage is sent to the correct floor and the room stewards move it to your cabin.

[LibertyBella]

I have no idea the salaries of porters and those who push the wheelchairs, but I could not imagine that they are overly high.  I have seen the porters struggle with huge, heavy bags in very hot weather as they put them on large carts,  and then had to push them to the mini-truck. 

 

Those jobs are very physically demanding, and even though we are both in great shape, neither DH or I would ever be able to do a job like that full-time!

 

We tip at least &10.00 for two bags to the porters, and if I had to have a wheelchair, $10.00 per person pushing me would be the minimum. My MIL was in a wheelchair for a few years and cruised frequently, but my SIL did all the pushing.  

[NSWP]

Why tip the Porters? They are well paid. No way would we tip porters embarking ships in Oz, they are on about $40 an hour.

[wowzz]

If the porter actually lifts the cases out of the boot (trunk) of the car,  he gets £1 ($1) per case. Otherwise,  nothing.  

[Itchy&Scratchy]

5 hours ago, wowzz said:

If the porter actually lifts the cases out of the boot (trunk) of the car,  he gets £1 ($1) per case. Otherwise,  nothing.  

every time we cruise, it's the taxi/uber driver who lifts our suitcases out of the trunk. Sometimes they don't, so my husband fishes them out.

I too tend to tip the taxi/uber driver more if they help with the luggage. If they just stand there watching us getting our suitcases out of the trunk, I am a lot less inclined to tip or to tip more...

[c-boy]

10 hours ago, NSWP said:

Why tip the Porters? They are well paid. No way would we tip porters embarking ships in Oz, they are on about $40 an hour.

I would tip you for not giving me a speeding ticket 🙄

[geoherb]

Tipping porters is optional. I don't think any porter is going to risk his job by sabotaging the luggage of someone who doesn't tip. It's not as if they're alone with the luggage. They load them into the containers, and then forklift drivers come to take the containers to the ship. 

[NSWP]

3 hours ago, c-boy said:

I would tip you for not giving me a speeding ticket 🙄

But then you would have the silver bracelets snapped on tight and would end up in the Big House, lol.  And no more cruises for a while, lol.

Edited October 5, 2022 by NSWP