Big jump in goverment fees?

[Dorinda]

Has anyone noticed the fact that "government fees" seem to have tripled in 2008?

 

We are paying $355 per person in "government fees" for 2 B2B cruises in April of 2008. That's almost $10 per day per person!

 

And what are these fees for anyway?

 

Sorry if there has already been a post on this - I couldn't find one.

 

Cheers,

Dee and John

[crusdiva]

Has anyone noticed the fact that "government fees" seem to have tripled in 2008?

We are paying $355 per person in "government fees" for 2 B2B cruises in April of 2008. That's almost $10 per day per person!

And what are these fees for anyway?

Sorry if there has already been a post on this - I couldn't find one.

Cheers,

Dee and John

 

Dee and John,

I looked at your cruise history (very impressive) before answering because we find that when cruising the Caribbean the fees are considerably higher than in foreign ports. For instance we sailed the Crown roundtrip (9 days)from NYC and it was almost $200 while our upcoming Egypt/Aegean cruise (12 days) is a mere $45.98 and our 14 day Manaus to Ft. Lauderdale (7 days in the Caribbean) are $145.52.

I do think it's itinerary related. Go figure.

[Dorinda]

Hi Sharon - yes, one of our B2B's is Manaus-Ft Lauderdale. Perhaps you are right and it depends on the itinerary. I'd still like someone to explain to me what these fees are for, who is charging them, and have they risen sharply lately. They seem so arbitrary.

 

Cheers,

Dee and John

[spongerob]

It's a good question. I suspect that things like docking charges, entry and exit taxes, and numerous other charges are included.

[cherylandtk]

At least a part of it does depend on itinerary; Alaska just added a $50 pp jump in taxes, and I recall that Bermuda is another one with high taxes per cruise passenger. Many ports charge a per person fee which is often claimed to offset the costs of operating the cruise port infrastructure and/or growth. These per person fees are most often listed under the taxes and fees section of the full fare costs.

 

The port charges (which are included in quoted fares) are, I believe, an estimated prorated portion of the per ship fees charged by the port (whether there are no passengers or 3000 passengers).

 

Someone correct me if I am wrong, but this is how it was explained to me.