taxes and port fees

[wieslaw]

. Total taxes & fees for the 2-week cruise were just over $700/passenger.

 

Wow , that is a lot ...... perhaps not too many people were sharing the cost.

The examle of 87 or 113 dol above in my post is for a completely different cruise.

 

When we cross the canal on Millennium ( not sure what year it was - maybe 2004) the port charges were a lot lower ..... do not remember exactly but somewhere around 250 pp, and it was two weeks.

 

The Celebrity's Meridian was a small ( by today's standards ) ship and it was only partial crossing so the charges were a lot less.

 

I think we also did another partial on one of the Regency's ship.

 

I did enjoy all of the crossings but the full one was the best ....... it was hot, hot on all of them.

[Underwatr]

Wow , that is a lot ...... perhaps not too many people were sharing the cost.

Queen Victoria so a little over 2000 passengers. This was in March 2011. Six port calls in addition to the Canal (3 in Mexico, Guatemala, Panama, and Curacao - later rescheduled to Bonaire).

 

Canal tolls for a cruise ship can be on the order of $300,000.

Edited October 1, 2014 by Underwatr

[jammen]

I have been through the Panama twice, & it's expensive for the taxes. The cost is high going through the Panama for the ships..

[adverb]

I've been watching a disney cruise for about two weeks now. And of course, the day I go to book it, the rate stays the same, but the port fees go up by $60 (it's a 6-day Carribean cruise out of Miami).

 

What is the likelihood that these port fees go down to their original price? Ship is leaving in a couple weeks.

[leaveitallbehind]

I've been watching a disney cruise for about two weeks now. And of course, the day I go to book it, the rate stays the same, but the port fees go up by $60 (it's a 6-day Carribean cruise out of Miami).

 

What is the likelihood that these port fees go down to their original price? Ship is leaving in a couple weeks.

 

Impossible to predict. Just as they have recently increased, they could remain the same, increase again, or decrease.

 

I would guess, however, that with the recent increase you received this close to the sailing date, they won't change again. Certainly wouldn't expect that they would go back down after just being increased.

[leaveitallbehind]

I went back and checked my records. An increase in Canal fees was invoiced to me about 3 weeks before final payment (so about 4 months before sailing). The increase was around $28 per passenger. Total taxes & fees for the 2-week cruise were just over $700/passenger.

 

Years ago RCI (as I'm sure did other lines) used to include the Panama Canal as a port of call by which they would transit through the Gatun locks and anchor in Lake Gatun while certain shore excursions were initiated by tender. Later they would re-transit the locks and dock for a short port of call at Colon and prior to departure re-board the excursions.

 

We were on board Jewel of the Seas in December '08 for a 10-night itinerary where we experienced this when it was announced that RCI would no longer provide this port of call beginning in '09 due to a significant port fee increase being imposed by Panama. It would not be practical to absorb this cost and would no longer make this itinerary attractive to pass the costs on. Ours was (I believe) the last itinerary on Jewel to include this.

 

RCI clearly has cruises that transit east to west and west to east through the canal as well as repositioning itineraries with the transit, but have not reinstated the one day port of call option. I'm certain the port fees for the transit are high on those itineraries. I feel quite fortunate to have been on that '08 itinerary as that experience along with the rest of the itinerary remains as one of our favorite cruises.

Edited October 1, 2014 by leaveitallbehind