Port Fees, Taxes, Cruise Fares

[jonikal]

What category cabin do you currently have booked?

 

I went through the booking process for your cruise, British Isles / Iberia Grand Adventure: Ft. Lauderdale to Southampton - 23 Days - May 05, 2011, and I am able to select any balcony category, BA-BF.

 

Lew

 

 

Lew - it's a BB and we will be doing the 16-day TA, FLL to Southampton.

[-Lew-]

 

t's a BB and we will be doing the 16-day TA, FLL to Southampton.

Okay...I see that cruise. I was also able to go in as if I were making a booking, select balcony cabin and then select any category.

 

Perhaps we're talking about two different things here. Are you trying to change your category in your Cruise Personalizer? If so, that can't be done. You'd have to have your TA do that for you.

 

I'm talking about just checking prices for various categories.

 

Lew

[DD]

I'm not even sure what is included in gov't taxes, but they never seem dependent on the cruise fare. It has more to do, I think, with the itenerary.

 

 

 

I think you might have read more into my answer than intended. I have no doubt the TA accounting is way more complex than I want to know. What I understood the OP was trying to do was compare the cruise fare from his TA invoice to the cruise fare listed on the Princess site. While fare quotes are given that include the Non-commissionable fees, the TA pulls out the Non-commissionable fees from the cruise fare on the invoice. Many, if not most, then lump that amount with the government fees & taxes on the customer invoice. So, you can get the port charge amount information from your TA or use my method to get back to the cruise fare + port charges amount to compare to other quotes.

 

Ok, first of all I had no idea that you could multi-quote -- I have never seen that button before. Thanks for doing it -- I never would've known.

 

I went back and re-read what you wrote and I understand what you are saying now. Yes, you are correct. I think I just mis-read it the first time???

[deborahjo]

The port fees can be a bit misleading. I just finished reading a book on the cruise industry. The large corporations such as Carnival actually have agreements with a number of ports (Belize)that 'return' as much as 80 percent of those fees back to the cruise ship company. I think Jamaica rebates back 50 percent based on annual volumes of passengers.

 

What book are you reading? I do know the "Selected" Shoppers and Excurisons return a portion of they funds to the cruise lines.

[rdsqrl]

I just look at the bottom line. How much will this cruise cost me?

I agree with this. I read this entire thread (and now have a massive headache) but I still don't get why it's necessary to break out the price. If port charges and taxes remain the same, regardless of what the cruise fare is and regardless of what part is commissionable and who lumps what non-commissionable fare into what tax, then comparing the bottom line price that I the consumer have to pay is an apples-to-apples comparison.

[cactusrose]

I agree with this. I read this entire thread (and now have a massive headache) but I still don't get why it's necessary to break out the price. If port charges and taxes remain the same, regardless of what the cruise fare is and regardless of what part is commissionable and who lumps what non-commissionable fare into what tax, then comparing the bottom line price that I the consumer have to pay is an apples-to-apples comparison.

 

Absolutely. You don't need to know what the cruise fare portion is to make the comparison. Just compare the bottom line and if it goes down ask for the reduction.

[caribill]

It always annoys me when the cruiselines (not only Princess) lump the port charges into the cruise fare. .

 

 

Laws in the USA require the port fees to be included in the cruise fare price. That is to avoid cruise lines low balling and then pumping up the total at the end.

 

You would be even more annoyed if the port charges were not included and then only added on at the end to surprise you.