Porter Tipping

Last Saturday we returned from an Oasis cruise. We have been cruising for a number of years and have found "normally" it is a good idea to use porters to get through customs and the crowds a bit faster. At any rate when we attempted to do that at Ft Lauderdale cruise terminal last week the porter offered his services for $30 for 3 bags - when I bristled at that he immediately dropped the price to $25. Now we are not cheap people or at least didn't think we were. But it has been the norm over the years to tip $1 a bag to porters. We have consistently tipped $2 a bag - so question is where did the $30 come from?? Is that normal in Ft Lauderdale?? Needless to say we were shocked an did our own bags.

Gr

$1.00 per bag!

He was trying to rip you off! They are paid by the port and work to earn tips.

Personally, I think $1 a bag is too low. $2-3 is where I land. But $10? No way.

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Last Saturday we returned from an Oasis cruise. We have been cruising for a number of years and have found "normally" it is a good idea to use porters to get through customs and the crowds a bit faster. At any rate when we attempted to do that at Ft Lauderdale cruise terminal last week the porter offered his services for $30 for 3 bags - when I bristled at that he immediately dropped the price to $25. Now we are not cheap people or at least didn't think we were. But it has been the norm over the years to tip $1 a bag to porters. We have consistently tipped $2 a bag - so question is where did the $30 come from?? Is that normal in Ft Lauderdale?? Needless to say we were shocked an did our own bags.

 

Gr

The porters were in the same customs line as everyone else yesterday when we got off the Oasis so I am not sure how they make it quicker to get through customs.

We would not pay $30 for 3 bags but usually pay between $5-10 depending on what they have to do.

Thanks all. Just cking to see if we had missed something - would appear not :)

Asking for $30 was too much but maybe there was more to his service. (??)

As far as just handling the bags - $1 a bag is way too low as one poster stated, especially for us wealthy Americans. $1 per bag is what my parents taught me 40 something years ago to tip porters in the airport, hotels and cruises. Folks, please tip a minimum of $2/per bag. These folks word hard!

And don't go saying "but I'm on a fixed income" Most everyone here has tons of cruises on their signature and makes a choice to cruise. If you were hard up for money, you would not be cruising. Everyone that goes on a cruise is affluent compared to the rest of the world. We "cruisers" are blessed. I personally can only afford to cruise every 2 years but in my planning, I save for things like tips and stuff. I guess I could cruise more often and choose not to tip porters, or remove the tips from the seapass, but why??

Sorry to offend anyone. I really am live and let live but regarding certain core values, I feel strongly.

Most of the time we handle our own bags but if we use a Porter, we tip no less then $2/bag.

Asking for $30 was too much but maybe there was more to his service. (??)

 

 

 

As far as just handling the bags - $1 a bag is way too low as one poster stated, especially for us wealthy Americans. $1 per bag is what my parents taught me 40 something years ago to tip porters in the airport, hotels and cruises. Folks, please tip a minimum of $2/per bag. These folks word hard!

 

 

 

And don't go saying "but I'm on a fixed income" Most everyone here has tons of cruises on their signature and makes a choice to cruise. If you were hard up for money, you would not be cruising. Everyone that goes on a cruise is affluent compared to the rest of the world. We "cruisers" are blessed. I personally can only afford to cruise every 2 years but in my planning, I save for things like tips and stuff. I guess I could cruise more often and choose not to tip porters, or remove the tips from the seapass, but why??

 

 

 

Sorry to offend anyone. I really am live and let live but regarding certain core values, I feel strongly.

Were they not well-paid unionized workers I might agree.

But they are.

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Were they not well-paid unionized workers I might agree.

 

But they are.

 

The average wage for a Porter is $10.14 per hour.

If you think this is well paid, then we come from different parts of the country. Here in Florida if you make less than $40,000.00 you are welfare and food stamp eligible. That wage works out to less than $25k a year.

Asking for $30 was too much but maybe there was more to his service. (??)

 

As far as just handling the bags - $1 a bag is way too low as one poster stated, especially for us wealthy Americans. $1 per bag is what my parents taught me 40 something years ago to tip porters in the airport, hotels and cruises. Folks, please tip a minimum of $2/per bag. These folks word hard!

 

And don't go saying "but I'm on a fixed income" Most everyone here has tons of cruises on their signature and makes a choice to cruise. If you were hard up for money, you would not be cruising. Everyone that goes on a cruise is affluent compared to the rest of the world. We "cruisers" are blessed. I personally can only afford to cruise every 2 years but in my planning, I save for things like tips and stuff. I guess I could cruise more often and choose not to tip porters, or remove the tips from the seapass, but why??

 

Sorry to offend anyone. I really am live and let live but regarding certain core values, I feel strongly.

I agree...

I usually tip $2+ a bag and 3+ if he takes us all the way to the car in the parking lot across the street. Sometimes they dump you just outside, while other times they walk across the street and drop off conveniently in the parking lot. With a family of 4-5, I usually have a $10, $5 and many ones ready to leave the porter... I let him pile up the luggage.

If you can afford to get on a ship, you can afford to tip. Most of the porters have never experienced a cruise. Union or not they can't afford to cruise.

Asking for $30 was too much but maybe there was more to his service. (??)

 

As far as just handling the bags - $1 a bag is way too low as one poster stated, especially for us wealthy Americans. $1 per bag is what my parents taught me 40 something years ago to tip porters in the airport, hotels and cruises. Folks, please tip a minimum of $2/per bag. These folks word hard!

 

And don't go saying "but I'm on a fixed income" Most everyone here has tons of cruises on their signature and makes a choice to cruise. If you were hard up for money, you would not be cruising. Everyone that goes on a cruise is affluent compared to the rest of the world. We "cruisers" are blessed. I personally can only afford to cruise every 2 years but in my planning, I save for things like tips and stuff. I guess I could cruise more often and choose not to tip porters, or remove the tips from the seapass, but why??

 

Sorry to offend anyone. I really am live and let live but regarding certain core values, I feel strongly.

I totally agree. Handing someone $1 for a tip would feel insulting. I generally give at least $5 for 2 bags, but sometimes give $10.

As for the $30 asking price, my guess is he was one of those porters who gets you in a shorter line and cuts down your wait time. I paid $40 (on my own, it wasn't requested of me) to a porter in San juan who took us through a "Porter only" line. My prior cruise had been out of Galveston which had the worst wait line I've ever seen (I think it took an hour to get through), and I was not willing to do that again just to save $40. It turned out that was a bit more than I probably needed to pay, and the regular line that day out of San Juan wouldn't have been more than 30 minutes anyway, but I was ok with it.

We give $2 a bag when we drop off luggage. However, if we have a porter take our bags through customs, and then our bags to our car, we tip at least $20. Big difference in those two services.

Most everyone here has tons of cruises on their signature and makes a choice to cruise. If you were hard up for money, you would not be cruising. Everyone that goes on a cruise is affluent compared to the rest of the world. We "cruisers" are blessed.

Too true, and too easy to forget.

Unless the tip is waaay extravagant, tipping is not going to make much of a dent in the overall cruise budget we've already spent to be in that position. :)

The average wage for a Porter is $10.14 per hour.

 

If you think this is well paid, then we come from different parts of the country. Here in Florida if you make less than $40,000.00 you are welfare and food stamp eligible. That wage works out to less than $25k a year.

I agree, and that's assuming they're full time, I'd bet most are not. I wouldn't want to do that job in the heat and humidity. They more than earn their pay, plus any tips they receive.

Yeah so the porters when you get off oasis, have no way of cutting the line unless you have "global entry" for customs, otherwise they go through the same line as everyone else with you and your bags in tow.

Agreed though, always tip about $10 for two bags. And that's just to outside the terminal by the shuttle.

I think the porters are getting bold. When I went on the Breakaway out of NYC, getting on the ship, I handed the guy money for my bag and he was yelling at another couple who tried to give him their bags without a tip. I thought that was wrong, it's nice to tip them but not required.

How disappointing. I thought that this thread would be similar to one on cow tipping. :)

The average wage for a Porter is $10.14 per hour.

 

If you think this is well paid, then we come from different parts of the country. Here in Florida if you make less than $40,000.00 you are welfare and food stamp eligible. That wage works out to less than $25k a year.

The Median Stevedore pay in South Florida is $43K per year starting; the upper 10% is around $60K per year. That is salary only, exclusive of benefits and cash tips. With benefits packages for Stevedores even those just starting out have a compensation package worth nearly $70,000. Before cash tips!

Earning $15,000 or less in Florida (single person) makes you food assistance program eligible; not $40,000. I don't know too many couples pulling down $80K a year on welfare...

https://www.dcf.state.fl.us/programs/access/docs/fafactsheet.pdf

When we drop off we usually give about $5 for 3 or 4 bags. We used a porter once getting off a ship and tipped $20 but he didn't get us through the line any faster so we don't bother with that service any longer.

Sheesh. Who the heck cares what these people make? Are they providing a service? Then respond accordingly. Whey do people always have to bring salaries into it? :rolleyes:

By the way, porters are not stevedores. Stevedores are the men and women loading and unloading cargo ships all day every day. The men who take your bags curbside are simply porters...nothing more.

I usually tip $5 per bag at drop off. I have never used porters for going through customs but I would do the same there. $10 per bag is a lot but perhaps they expect more since they are spending a lot of time with you as opposed to just dropping your bags in the bin when you arrive at the cruise terminal. Someone mentioned tipping the porters as "optional", I think it's about as optional as tipping a waiter in a restaurant. It's the norm and very much expected.

The average wage for a Porter is $10.14 per hour.

 

If you think this is well paid, then we come from different parts of the country. Here in Florida if you make less than $40,000.00 you are welfare and food stamp eligible. That wage works out to less than $25k a year.

Come on now. Don't lie to prove your point.

Someone making 40k a year absolutely does not qualify for assistance. A family of two cannot net more then 16k a year to qualify for snap (it hasn't been called food stamps in many years) A family of four cannot have a net income of more then 25k to qualify. To use your salary amount they would have to be a family over eight people.

The average wage for a Porter is $10.14 per hour.

 

If you think this is well paid, then we come from different parts of the country. Here in Florida if you make less than $40,000.00 you are welfare and food stamp eligible. That wage works out to less than $25k a year.

What's your source on the wages? It has long been said that porters are unionised long shoremen making very good cash.

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In March, Port Everglades. We tipped the Porter $10.00 for two large bags and a couple of carry-ons. Afterwards, I heard him say under his breath... CHEAP!

But he did not ask for more ahead of time. They always work on tips alone.

Come on now. Don't lie to prove your point.

 

Someone making 40k a year absolutely does not qualify for assistance. A family of two cannot net more then 16k a year to qualify for snap (it hasn't been called food stamps in many years) A family of four cannot have a net income of more then 25k to qualify. To use your salary amount they would have to be a family over eight people.

That's from the state of florida welfare website, and i have a relative that works in the "snap" office. that is what is is in 2016. Actually someone making under $48,000 and a family of 3 to be exact! $40,000 and a family of 2 is poverty level. google it BeachChik don't take my word for it.

And my whole point was encouraging folks to be generous. I was making a point that $10.18 as a salary and who knows if it's 40 hours a week is not exactly raking in the dough. What does an extra dollar hurt you?

What's your source on the wages? It has long been said that porters are unionised long shoremen making very good cash.

 

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Payscale.com which shows average salary across all different business lines.