How much do you typically tip the luggage people at the port?

[stephic411]

So after reading the post just now where the wife of someone on here had her luggage lost..it made me curious because people were bringing up tipping. Well I have been on 2 cruises before and my Grandma always tipped and now I am going with my boyfriend so I am not sure..How much do you guys tip the people who take your luggage at the port?? If you don't mind me asking... I mean I know it may sound stupid but I really have NO IDEA! If they are handeling my luggage..and I know they have a really hard job..I REALLY don't want to upset them:rolleyes:

[cuyahoga11]

I usually tip $5.00 for 2 bags

[gargoyle999]

I have given $2/bag. So far all have shown up at my cabin! :)

[JAMS1]

for us usually $2 a bag - ours are not especially large or heavy, if they were larger or heavy, I would tip more

[Gulf Breezer]

Our family of 3 had 7 heavy bags for 7-day cruise. The "soda pop" was heavy. I tipped $20.00 in Tampa for the Legend. I think the norm is $2.00 per bag.

[GlendaleCruiser]

$2 a bag. Never over 50 lbs.

[Scott_F]

My father in law used to have a saying "take care of the working man". So, I do.

 

When it's just the wife and me, I give the guy a 20. That's normally 3-4 bags. My wife's 2 bags are HEAVY. I tell him which bag is "fragile" as I'm giving him the 20. My "fragile" bag is my booze bag in case you were wondering.

 

I'm on vacation. I'm blowing money left and right. I'll often have 40-70 bucks at any given time on the craps table. So, giving the porter a few extra bucks is basically one drink of the day less you might rationalize.

 

Let's look at it another way. Typical cruise for the wife and me, I'll spend about 2 grand. The 20 bucks I give the porter is 1%.

[Chacooe]

When I went on my cruise last year on the Pride , even though I was by myself, I gave one porter $10.00 when he unloaded the cab because one bag was heavy, (it carried medical things that I would need), but when I got off the ship I tipped the 2nd porter $30.00 because he was willing to walk all the way out to the Amtrak bus stop pushing my luggage on one of the carts. I just thought about how much he could have made by not walking that distance with me, so I hope I was able to at least come close to what he would have received in tips if he had not walked out there with me. If anyone knows the Long Beach Port, the Amtrak Bus stop is out near where you buy tickets to go the Santa Catalina Island or pay for overnight parking. It is really a good distance from the dome. I feel that when they go an extra mile for me, I will tip them well because they have earned it.

[KruznKel]

Always a couple bucks per bag.. and a few extra for our special bag:D

[uppitycats]

I think $2 is average. If they go beyond just grabbing and dealing with your luggage, then more. I use a wheelchair, and one of them usually assists with unloading that and making sure I'm securely in it..and occasionally will move me into the building within range of other assistance, and so they'll get more.

[cruzkitty]

We tipped them $6.00 for two bags in Oct. And I will add, they were actually very pleasant.

[jmcancruise]

I believe we have given then 10 for 4 bags

[Cruise-Crazy]

For one bag I usually hand them $5

[NutsAboutGolf]

It's a personalized thing, if it makes you feel good, do it. If you search, you'll see the FL porters are unionized lornshoremen getting paid a min of $40/hr and up to $90/hr in overtime and time and a half. All a porter does is put your bags onto a cart with a couple dozen other bags and pushes it to someone else. Many people will handle your bags before it's at your front door. When the tipped porter passes the cart off, does one think he can point out the tipped and non-tipped bags to the next person?

 

Again, if you makes you feel good, do it. I would rather give that tipping money to my room steward.

[mcarlson]

I have no idea if it was normal or not, but both my cruises out of Miami the guy who came to my taxi to take my bags was holding his hand out (literally) asking for his tip. So i think I gave him a few dollars for my one bag. However, on my most recent cruise out of Cape Canaveral my bags had vanished before I even got out. I literally was surrounded by probably 10 port employees none of which were paying any attention to me at all. I was actually nervous so I made my boyfriend look in all the box-like things to find our 3 bags. So I never tipped anything as I have no clue who I would have tipped and frankly they didn't seem concerned.

[BigDoug]

It's a personalized thing, if it makes you feel good, do it. If you search, you'll see the FL porters are unionized lornshoremen getting paid a min of $40/hr and up to $90/hr in overtime and time and a half. All a porter does is put your bags onto a cart with a couple dozen other bags and pushes it to someone else. Many people will handle your bags before it's at your front door. When the tipped porter passes the cart off, does one think he can point out the tipped and non-tipped bags to the next person?

 

Again, if you makes you feel good, do it. I would rather give that tipping money to my room steward.

I know that some will disagree but I also do not tip the porters at the curb pre-cruise. I am quite capable of putting our bags in the bin that will be transported onto the ship. I also have a deep resentment of unionized dockworkers, who are making well above average wages, having their hands out for a tip. These dockworkers are hired (forced by union contract) by the cruiselines to assist the passengers. Why are we paying them twice? I also doubt that any of these tips are declared as wages and therefore go untaxed. Real service employees know about having to declare tips as wages. If these dockworkers were in fact service employees (working for tips), I would tip them well. However, since they already receive hourly compensation and benefits well above average, I decline to. But that's just me. Tip 'em if you wanna but don't feel obligated to.

[SCUBA Mark]

I guess I am cheap.

 

I tip about $1 per bag because all they are doing is putting my bags on a cart and moving them 50 feet or less and putting them in a bin.

[cruzecontrol]

From Carnival FAQs:

 

"Please note that Carnival assumes no responsibility for carry-on luggage. Alternatively, curbside porters are available at the pier to take luggage to the vessel for delivery to your stateroom by shipboard personnel. Customary tip is $1 per bag."

[halos]

$10 for 4 heavy bags....well worth it IMO.

[PittsburghGirlee]

On our last cruise out of Port Canaveral, the shuttle dropped all of us off and the driver handed all of the luggage to the porters who only walked about 5 feet if that to put the luggage in the crates.

 

We did not see any special treatment of any luggage as they were all "heaved ho'd" into the crates.:eek:

 

We tipped $5.00, I guess $1.00 a step:D:D

[stephic411]

Again, if you makes you feel good, do it. I would rather give that tipping money to my room steward.

 

I don't mind tipping them well because I know they have a hard job..but to be honest it is really not about making me feel good..it is about the fact I really want to see my bags on the ship with me and not some other cruise going out that day..ha :rolleyes:

[stephic411]

Everyones post was very helpful!

Now I am wondering after reading a few.. do they just automatically take the bags from you or can you put them in your self? It is not that I don't want to tip..it is more that if I had a choice I would just do it myself!

[tiyana4]

I guess I am cheap.

 

I tip about $1 per bag because all they are doing is putting my bags on a cart and moving them 50 feet or less and putting them in a bin.

 

I guess I am, too.:D It is usually just me and DD with 2 bags under 50 lbs.

 

From Carnival FAQs:

 

"Please note that Carnival assumes no responsibility for carry-on luggage. Alternatively, curbside porters are available at the pier to take luggage to the vessel for delivery to your stateroom by shipboard personnel. Customary tip is $1 per bag."

 

Thanks for bringing us back to reality. Some tip more, some tip less - to each his own.

[Kurbanfan]

Everyones post was very helpful!

Now I am wondering after reading a few.. do they just automatically take the bags from you or can you put them in your self? It is not that I don't want to tip..it is more that if I had a choice I would just do it myself!

 

I believe the reason behind them putting them in the crates is because they are also some of the same people that operate the forklifts to load those crates onto the ships.......they want to make sure they are secure.......so you see these guys do more then just put your luggage in the crates.......

[angelkisses]

From Carnival FAQs:

 

"Please note that Carnival assumes no responsibility for carry-on luggage. Alternatively, curbside porters are available at the pier to take luggage to the vessel for delivery to your stateroom by shipboard personnel. Customary tip is $1 per bag."

 

I'm glad you posted that ... I was starting to feel terribly cheap as I usually do $1 a bag too or if we have 4 bags I will tip $5.