Panama Canal Fees

[Spire2000]

We're on the Feb 3rd sailing on the Zuiderdam that hits the Panama Canal. I've heard there is a $300 per person fee for the Canal that is on top of whatever your usual cruise fare is.

 

Is this truly the case? When do they hit you with this extra cost? Any idea if the same fee is applied to young children?

 

Thanks in advance!

[startwin]

We're on the Feb 3rd sailing on the Zuiderdam that hits the Panama Canal. I've heard there is a $300 per person fee for the Canal that is on top of whatever your usual cruise fare is.

 

Is this truly the case? When do they hit you with this extra cost? Any idea if the same fee is applied to young children?

 

Thanks in advance!

 

No, you don't pay any more than your cruise fare.:)

[Krazy Kruizers]

We have done full transits several times and never had to pay an additional fee.

[Spire2000]

No, you don't pay any more than your cruise fare.:)

 

Thanks for your reply. Are you quite sure? I only ask because my parents did this same cruise last year and my dad insists it is the case.

[jtl513]

Are you quite sure? I only ask because my parents did this same cruise last year and my dad insists it is the case.

The canal fees paid by the ship are built into the fares ... at least on HAL. I don't know if other lines do it differently.

[Spire2000]

Fantastic. Thanks for your responses everyone.

[bcd2010]

Your port fees cover your share (you have a base amount, taxes and fees, etc.) - they are paid with (as a part of the total) your cruise fare. The PC transit is the highest priced fee we've paid - this is what I wrote on my blog about how it's calculated when we did the PC last year:

 

We (the Statendam) have a reservation to go through the canal; it (the reservation) costs $25,000 in advance - most cruise lines make the reservation because they are on strict time schedule. Other ships wait for a “hole” (a no-show slot that was reserved but the ship didn’t show up on time) to avoid the fee. Still other ships are in the area just to load or unload cargo, most of which is transported via train to/from the other side.

 

In addition to the reservation fee, the ship/line pays $134 per occupied berth (bed), $108 per unoccupied berth. That’s for everyone: passengers (adults and children), crew, officers, staff. For this ship, that’s more than a quarter million dollars if every berth is occupied: 1260 passengers + 580 crew = 1840 * 138 = 253,920 + 25,000 reservation fee = $278,920.

 

I think the total fee is paid by the passengers, not the crew, staff or officers, which is why it comes out to around $300.

[Linda&Vern]

The "Canal" fee is built into the Port Charges & Fees, which are added to your cruise fare. Then you are quoted the TOTAL cost of your trip. They are not billed separately to you on the ship or anything like that. If you look at Port Charges & Fees for any Panama Canal transit you will see it is much higher than a regular Caribbean cruise, etc. That is because the transit charges are very high.

 

Edited to say "Sorry Barbara, we were typing at the same time."

[richwmn]

One little thing -- if the charges for the Canal (or any port) change, the difference will be collected/disbursed. This, at least on HAL, would be adjusted on your shipboard account if it occurs close to or during your cruise. Perhaps that is what the OP's father paid.

[jtl513]

Perhaps that is what the OP's father paid.

But $300 would be a whopping change. Those last-minute adjustments typically might be around 1/10 of that. I think the OP's father is not considering the taxes and fees as part of the fare.

[richwmn]

But $300 would be a whopping change. Those last-minute adjustments typically might be around 1/10 of that. I think the OP's father is not considering the taxes and fees as part of the fare.

People will quite often remember that a fee was paid, but not the amount. No telling what the conversation was between the OP and his father but it might have gone something like this:

 

Son: I saw that the fee for going thru the Panama Canal was quite high.

Father: We had to pay it as part of our onboard account.

Son: Wow, I didn't realize it was extra

[SJSULIBRARIAN]

Our port charges for a Panama Canal transit this December are $ 388.40 per person - of course there are other ports involved but I suspect the largest amount goes to the Canal transit.

[CruiserBruce]

And we had a raise in the fee for passage on our last Canal transit. IIRC, it was $12.92 for our cabin.

[momatibm]

I just did a quick comparison on a non Panama Cruise -- for a 11 day partial transit the total fees and taxes are ~$330, for a Caribbean non panama same length cruise fees and taxes are ~$220, so there is an increase in fees but not $300.

[Linda&Vern]

I just did a quick comparison on a non Panama Cruise -- for a 11 day partial transit the total fees and taxes are ~$330, for a Caribbean non panama same length cruise fees and taxes are ~$220, so there is an increase in fees but not $300.

That non-transit sounds high to me. I have in front of me two different 21-day Caribbean cruises (non-transit). One port fee is $237 (April) and the other is $224 (February). The 11-day Caribbean (February) cruise (non-transit) that I checked, port charges were $128.97.

[Jalex63]

We took a cruise on the Zuiderdam back in 2008, the 10 day partial transit into Lake Gatun. At that time our total port charges and taxes were $323.35 each for a total of $$646.70. Having experienced fees that usually were in the $120-$150 range on previous Caribbean cruises I raised the issue with my TA who explained the PC fees part of the fees and he said that the taxes and fees on any cruise involving the PC are some of the highest you will ever see for this area of the world.

[Typhoon1]

Any charges would be included in your port taxes and fees.

 

Contrary to popular belief, the Panamanian Army does not board the ship before entering the canal, and extort money from passengers.

[serendipity1499]

Thanks for your reply. Are you quite sure? I only ask because my parents did this same cruise last year and my dad insists it is the case.

 

As others mentioned Port Taxes & Fees are added to your basic fare: If you received an invoice from either HAL or your Travel Agent it should have your Cruise listed separately, Air Fare listed separately, Insurance listed separately & also Taxes & Fees listed separately..Taxes & Fees include Govt. Taxes, Port charges & the Canal Fees..

For instance in 2009 our Port Taxes & fees for our 28 day from Ft. Lauderdale to San Diego Round trip were $1,076.30 each Total $2,152.60 for both of us..It was expensive only because we went through the Panama Canal going to San Diego & also returning from San Diego..

But in 2010 our 20 Night Caribbean Cruise Port taxes & fees amounted to $145.26 each Total $290.52 for Both of us..

 

Once or twice on a cruise we have either had to pay a small amount (such as $10 to $15) or received a refund of a small amount as port charges & fees changed..But it never amounted to much & was adjusted on our ships final statement..

 

Enjoy your cruise..

Betty

[mcmarya]

Port charges are included in cruise fare, taxes/fees are not but are added. For our upcoming Panama Canal cruise these amount to $388.40 per person. I checked several other Panama Canal cruises and each one had taxes/fees of at least $300. It is probably safe to assume that the Panama Canal Toll is included in the taxes/fees charged above and beyond the cruise fare since it is so high compared with other cruises of comparable length.

[BillB48]

In addition to the reservation fee, the ship/line pays $134 per occupied berth (bed), $108 per unoccupied berth. That’s for everyone: passengers (adults and children), crew, officers, staff. For this ship, that’s more than a quarter million dollars if every berth is occupied: 1260 passengers + 580 crew = 1840 * 138 = 253,920 + 25,000 reservation fee = $278,920.

 

I think the total fee is paid by the passengers, not the crew, staff or officers, which is why it comes out to around $300.

 

That's correct, the fee is only paid per passenger berth. Also the difference between occupied and unoccupied is as noted, 134/108, however as long as there is one berth is occupied by a fare paying passenger, all passenger berths are charged the $134 rate. Most passenger ships are considered Panamax vessels and the reservation fee is now $35000 for that size of ship. There is also a whole laundry list of fees that are tacked on to the tolls. They include a $300 wire charge for each cable attached to the ship by the "mules," fee for the Canal line-handlers that board the ship, fees for tugboats to assist the ship into and out of the Locks as well as through Gaillard Cut, rental of a GPS transponder. Oh, if you would like the Canal to supply a narrator... yup, they got that too for $400.

 

The government taxes and fee portion of the fare are usually added in to your total separately because these items are not subject to commissions and this portion of your fare could possibly change if by chance any of the port charges/taxes change from the time you purchased your cruise and actually sailed.

[Spire2000]

Ok, bear with me while I get this straight. Right now, our cruise is listed at $999. We are waiting for it to drop a bit but assuming we booked now, would the extra port fees be added as we go through the booking process? Apologies but we've always had some handle the arrangements for us.

[SJSULIBRARIAN]

The listed price per cabin on HAL's website does not include the port fees. Those are added to the cost of the cabin and at least on HAL's invoice listed as Government Fees and Taxes. Some travel agents will quote a price and say this incliudes all port fees and taxes and some will not. So it is always good to ask what is included in the price that you are quoted so that there are no surprises.

[Scrapnana]

Ok, bear with me while I get this straight. Right now, our cruise is listed at $999. We are waiting for it to drop a bit but assuming we booked now, would the extra port fees be added as we go through the booking process? Apologies but we've always had some handle the arrangements for us.

 

Yes, they would be adjusted. The taxes and fees for my next cruise went up since I booked in September 2012. That amount was added to what I still owed (it was before final payment). On the other hand they might decrease. I got a credit (on my credit card) about 3 months after my last cruise because the taxes and fees decreased between final payment and cruise.

[jtl513]

Ok, bear with me while I get this straight. Right now, our cruise is listed at $999. We are waiting for it to drop a bit but assuming we booked now, would the extra port fees be added as we go through the booking process?

The base fare for an MM cabin is $999, but if you go through a dummy booking you will see $330.31 added for fees and taxes, so your bottom line will be $1329.31 pp if you booked today. I consider this bottom line as the fare price, because there is no way to book the cruise without paying the fees and taxes, while others that have posted on this thread consider only the base as the fare.

 

While you are waiting for a base fare drop the fees and taxes could go up or down. In fact they could change when you are on-board, and an adjustment will be made to your account at that time.