Missed port and reimbursement of port charges

[AE_Collector]

My experience has been that they account for port fees to the penny. Port fees seem to be all over the map. Astoria has always been a very energetic Town when a ship arrives. They go all out! I think it could be that they have no fees to promote ships landing there but I have no idea really. I just think that when it comes to port fees they refund to the penny if you are owed anything. I would be more upset about missing Astoria than the $3 or $4 if there actually was a port fee there.

 

AE_Collector

[lljost]

My experience has been that they account for port fees to the penny. Port fees seem to be all over the map. Astoria has always been a very energetic Town when a ship arrives. They go all out! I think it could be that they have no fees to promote ships landing there but I have no idea really. I just think that when it comes to port fees they refund to the penny if you are owed anything. I would be more upset about missing Astoria than the $3 or $4 if there actually was a port fee there.

 

AE_Collector

 

I have stopped in Astoria twice before. It is a nice port to visit. My point here is Princess accountability. You charge me port fees. Show me the breakdown. It may be $3 or $20 but times that by 2000 passengers.

[leck57]

What am I missing here?

The port charges are never that much so why be so concerned about being reimbursed?

:lips-sealed:

 

Yeah I'm with you. Yeah, yeah I know if you don't get something you are entitled to a refund but people that cruise are usually not down to their last dollar. It's like those who try and sneak a few beers on board or a extra bottle of wine just to save 10 or 20 bucks.

Princess could say they will donate any unspent port fees to the famine in Africa and some would still want their money back, as they queued up for seconds at the buffet.

I'll wait for the posts about the point of principle.

[FritzG]

I agree that if a port fee was paid for a port that was missed you should have been reimbursed. That is what has happened for every port we've missed either while we were on board or later. If the credit isn't on your credit card soon you should certainly call Princess.

 

However, I wonder why people continue to cruise with a company that they obviously don't trust because they are so sure Princess is "taking" their money.

[Magellan321]

Check your stateroom account sheet. You may have received a credit at embarkation. I noticed on the first day of our 4/29 coastal a government port tax credit had been issued for $7.01 pp. We did make it into Astoria on day 4....but when i asked at the purser's desk the young lady explained that the credit was related to Astoria and an arrangement with the port that had been made. Now...that being said we did the same itinerary as you(San Pedro, San Fran, Astoria, Victoria, Vancouver)...we had paid 153+ in port charges and cruisers that booked after us had paid in the 140's and did not receive the same credit.

[likeadisguise]

Again, the true charges that Princess pays can be adjusted almost all the way up to sailing. If a change comes through after final payment is due that means Princess will pay more in total than try charged passengers, they'll eat that cost rather than upset passengers over a sudden extra charge, even a small one.

 

If the head tax (the only recoverable part of the taxes and fees for a port if the call is missed) was less than the overage Princess was covering, you won't get that back.

 

Example using really round numbers:

 

Total port taxes and fees charged to passengers: $150

Actual cost to Princess: $160

Head tax for missed port: $5

 

Princess isn't going to give that $5 back to you, because they still haven't covered their costs.

[WpgCruise]

For those demanding an accounting and refund of the fees when docking didn't happen what would you do in this situation ?

 

We did an Oceania cruise this winter. The Grand Cayman stop was cancelled due to weather. Oceania doesn't break out Port Fees and Taxes on their invoice. The costs are obviously included in the ticket price, because we know they have to be paid and are passed on to the customer.

 

So in that the stop was missed we know the port fees weren't paid, but as they are not broken down on the invoice, what would your reaction be ?

 

Would you expect an accounting and refund for something included but not delivered in the ticket price ?

[PescadoAmarillo]

I'll wait for the posts about the point of principle.

I guess I am equally surprised that people don't pursue what is theirs. When a store overcharges me, I certainly let them know. And if they overcharge me five days into a seven day sale, I make sure the manager knows their system was never updated for the correct price and they've been overcharging their customers for five days. If I send in a rebate, I follow through until I get what is due. I can't imagine not doing those things.

 

We have never sneaked alcohol on board. We don't leave free drinks parties with a drink in both hands. We are rules followers and expect others to abide by the agreed upon rules too.

 

As for continuing to cruise with a company that has obvious finance issues, that is a good question. We had over $1000 in OBC disappear from our on board statement when it rolled from one cruise to the next on B2B cruises. The Finance Manager was convinced it couldn't have happened and I wasn't allowed to speak with him about it so I wrote a letter with and sent it to him with the accompanying proof. THEN he wanted to talk to me, and as it turned out, I was correct. (Over $1000! Would that be enough for those who say they wouldn't bother to speak up?). I don't think these issues with Princess are nefarious in intent. I don't for a second think they are out to cheat their guests. I just think their accounting systems aren't the best, internal control issues exist and the staff at PSD aren't always adequately trained.

[Loonbeam]

Language matters here:

 

There are port fees and port taxes. Port fees are what the ship pays for port services, and may not be refundable in full or part depending on the contract with that port. They may be per head, per berth, per service (i.e. each gangway lift costs X) If they don't get refunded, you will not. These are often the ones typically refunded after cruise completion as billing shakes itself out.

 

Port taxes (also referred to as government charges) are those charged by the country/region/municipality and are typically per head. These are not charged if the port is missed and therefore should be refunded if applicable (I have no idea what Astoria does, someone mentioned a security fee). These fees are also charged per soul on board regardless of how many disembark (in some ports they pay for all crew, in most a percentage of crew)

[anthonyy7]

Just got my final bill and there is a Govt port tax credit of $7.36 for our missed port on Thursday.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone

[wishfulone]

Recent missed port credit of $2.44 AUS per person. That's about than $1.75 USD if you get a good exchange rate. I'd be more than happy to donate that tiny amount to any Princess charity. If all 2000 passengers did the same it'd be worth something.

[upwarduk]

A port charge is a tax, regardless of what it is called. If I don't have to pay a tax I fully expect to get it back. Besides which, it's not so much the amount as it is the fact that if I'm charged for something and I don't get that something then I want my money back.

 

Not quite the same, but I claimed back the missed bus portion, Genoa to Santa Margarita, for our recent trip to Portofino.

We hadn't called in Genoa on Crown on 21.05.17 for 'Operational Reasons,'

When I asked at the Excursions desk for a rebate the guy said,' you could have walked around Santa Margarita.'

My reply was, 'so could everyone else and they didn't have to pay for the tender to take them there.'

I was told someone would contact me.

By 11am on the final morning no one had contacted me so again I went to the excursion desk. I was told I must have been out of the room, as phone calls had been made that morning.

No, I was there all morning, packing!

However I was then told we would get 35% back.

Result.

I object to Princess making money from services not given.

Later we were talking to someone else on the same trip, they hadn't complained and they hadn't been given the refund!!!!!

[dickinson]

We recently got off of a 28 day cruise. Our final bill shows the day we boarded a credit of $95.xx. Must be that Princess overestimated charges? We missed one port due to weather and instead docked somewhere else. A day or two after that it shows a credit of $2.xx. That must be because of the missed port and the difference between that one and the one we went to instead.

 

We believe in getting whatever is due to us. I like Pescado Amarillo's post. I would contact Princess Customer Relations for them to find out what happened. Do it by email. I have done that 2x before for various things and they called me back within a few days for me to speak with them directly.

[caribill]

Again, the true charges that Princess pays can be adjusted almost all the way up to sailing. If a change comes through after final payment is due that means Princess will pay more in total than try charged passengers, they'll eat that cost rather than upset passengers over a sudden extra charge, even a small one.

 

 

Not the way it works.

 

If a change(up or down) occurs after final payment but before embarkation, there will either be a charge or a refund on your on-board account the first day.

[iceleven]

Last cruise, I only eat 200 pieces of smoked salmon. I'm sure that Princess charged me for 210 pieces. Princess, Please send me my cash. Or at least give me an accounting of every piece that I ate. Ridiculous.:evilsmile:

 

Really? This is only 2 people ( one cabin) how about multiplying that with 2500+ passengers and see where Princess comes out ahead?