Key Aspects:
- A Carnival guest has noted that tender boat operators have been asking for tips in Cabo San Lucas, behavior that seems unusual.
- Carnival Cruise Line has confirmed that tender boat operators are not cruise line employees but are independent operators.
- There is no charge to use tender boats and guests should not feel obligated to offer tips, though they can certainly do so if they choose.
On any cruise vacation, hundreds of dedicated crew members are there to take care of guests’ needs. From the engineering team and officers to the housekeeping staff, dining team, bartenders, casino hosts, entertainment crew, youth services staff and so many more, they work diligently to ensure a great getaway for everyone.
Not all “crew members” guests might encounter during their vacation are actually crew members, however.
It’s fair to assume that everyone working onboard the ship is an official crew member. It’s equally fair to assume that employees in ports of call, such as retail workers at shops or tour guides at tourist hot spots, are local residents and not employed by the cruise line.
But what about in between? One recent Carnival cruise guest was confused about workers aboard the very critical tender boats that helped them visit Cabo San Lucas.
For clarification, they reached out to Carnival Cruise Line’s brand ambassador, John Heald.
“This week we are sailing on the Panorama and having an amazing time,” the guest explained.
“During our Cabo port of call yesterday and today [September 9-10], I noticed something that has never occurred before. The crew on all four tender boats from the Panorama to Cabo was walking around asking for tips. I felt that with this being a tender boat, they should not be asking for tips.”
Carnival Panorama is homeported year-round from Long Beach offering mostly 6- and 8-night Mexican Riviera itineraries. On this 6-night sailing, the ship left California on Sunday, September 7 and the overnight visit to Cabo San Lucas was her first port stop.
The cruise guest does note that they’ve sailed with Carnival for many years, with itineraries all over the world. Still, the request for tips on tender boats was a new experience for them.
Heald quickly clarified that even while the tender boat service is necessary for visiting Cabo San Lucas, the crew members operating the small boats are not, in fact, Carnival employees.
“Obviously these are not crew members. These are local people who provide the boat service,” he said. “I don’t know if we can control them for not doing that. But yes, I know it does happen. But again I do want to stress … these are not Carnival Cruise Line crewmembers.”
Should Guests Offer Tips to Tender Boat Operators?
It can seem startling to be asked for tips on a tender boat, but that’s not the only way the boat operators might seek to supplement their income.
When I first visited Cabo San Lucas many years ago, no one asked for tips. There was, however, a salesman with silver necklaces and bracelets draped up and down his arms (picture Elvis Presley’s famous eagle cape!) offering the trinkets for sale onboard the small boat.
No, I didn’t buy any. Nor should anyone feel obligated to offer a tip to a tender boat operator, though certainly they can if they wish.
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This is similar to offering a tip to a tour bus driver on a shore excursion. While tips are never required, they can be a gesture of thanks for good service.
To be absolutely clear, there is no charge for tender boats at Cabo San Lucas or any other tender or water shuttle port, from Kona, Hawaii to Qaqortoq, Greenland to Santorini, Greece.
Independent operators can certainly request tips, even in a more forceful or persistent manner than some guests may be used to.
If the tip-requesting tactics are too intimidating, however, guests should politely report that behavior to the Guest Services desk so Carnival Cruise Line can address the situation with the tender operators they work with.
