Port fees???

[SeanShaylee]

I'm a little confused- My TA is wanting to charge me 159 per person in port fees. When i call RCI they do not charge port fees. Is this a "hidden fee"???? We are traveling with a party and 159 pp can really add up! After i figured up all the taxes and cost- the TA is more expensive, even though our "room rate" is cheaper. Can anyone ansewer why the difference?

[Lynnees]

Yes, there is a charge for port fees. RCL charges port fees so whoever there told you they didn't wasn't truthfull. All cruiselines charge fees/taxes.

[Richiebaseball]

Your total price should be the same. $159 is the typical amount of "port charges" for a 7 night Caribbean cruise on Royal Caribbean (excluding Allure and Oasis). So a cruise price of $999 from Royal Caribbean should be that exact same way from the agency but they could be a lazy agency and list it as $840 + $159. Then you add the tax on either of those. So the bottom line total should be the same. If it's not, ask why.

[Lynnees]

The agency isn't lazy - the RCL rep is. The port charges and taxes should always be reported seperately.

[firefly333]

I think I can clear this up. RCL includes port fees in your cruise fare (since the 1990s when the FL AG filed a class action suit). .. doesnt mean they dont charge you port fees, it means they dont add them on.

 

Your TA is breaking them out from the cruise fare as she doesnt get commission on this part of the cruise fare.

[firefly333]

The agency isn't lazy - the RCL rep is. The port charges and taxes should always be reported seperately.

 

Not true, no cruiseline is allowed to add them on, so they have to include them in the cruisefare. about mid 1990s this changed. Only the small taxes and fees can be added on which do not include port charges.

 

so many are confused and think the fees include port fees that are added on these days.

[Richiebaseball]

I'm a little confused- My TA is wanting to charge me 159 per person in port fees. When i call RCI they do not charge port fees. Is this a "hidden fee"???? We are traveling with a party and 159 pp can really add up! After i figured up all the taxes and cost- the TA is more expensive, even though our "room rate" is cheaper. Can anyone ansewer why the difference?

 

Also, technically RCI told you the truth. To a consumer there are no "port charges". Cruise lines are prohibited from adding anything on to a cruise price except government taxes and fees. "Port charges", now called Non Commissionable Cruise Fare, are not government taxes or fees, they're just an arbitrary number that Royal Caribbean excludes from the commissionable amount for travel agencies. To the consumer however, that number doesn not exist seperately from the cruise fare.

[AlanAllyn]

The price quoted by RCI always includes port charges, but not taxes. Indeed, almost everyone lists them that way. My booking confirmation from Royal does not list port charges as a separate item. None of the on-line travel sites that I have visited list them separately either.

[SeanShaylee]

WOW! thanks for the clarification. I think I will stick with my TA. She seems to know what she's talking about- and she said that she's in the 800,000 club- she said that means that she books over 800,000 people per year on RCI. i thought it was impressive-

[Richiebaseball]

The agency isn't lazy - the RCL rep is. The port charges and taxes should always be reported seperately.

 

We'll agree to disagree. I see the name of the agency in your signature so I'm assuming you're an agent. I also own an agency and everything that goes to a client does not break out the commissionable and non-commissionable with the exception of taxes. It's seperated in my back-end accounting but the client does not see that. Most agencies that use outdated software still show it that way. To me if an agency is doing business today the same way business was done 15 years ago simply because they will not upgrade their software, they're either lazy or cheap. I'm giving the benefit of the doubt and going with lazy.

[Desert Cruizers]

Our TA's invoice shows on the front page,Cruise Price for two, followed by Insurance, and on the back page, she separates the charges out so we know what we paid individually for our Cabin, Insurance, Air if included and Govt Charges & Fees PP. She also shows all payments made to the Cruise line

[EVALUATOR]

WOW! thanks for the clarification. I think I will stick with my TA. She seems to know what she's talking about- and she said that she's in the 800,000 club- she said that means that she books over 800,000 people per year on RCI. i thought it was impressive-

 

Maybe $800,000 in sales, but not 800,000 people,

 

RCI had around 4,000,000 passengers cruise their ships last year. That includes RCI, Celebrity, and other divisions.

 

Not likely she was responsible for 20% of their total pax booking.

[SeanShaylee]

i thought that number sounded high- im so naive.

[thelion]

Yes, there is a charge for port fees. RCL charges port fees so whoever there told you they didn't wasn't truthfull. All cruiselines charge fees/taxes.

 

Sorry, you are wrong. RCI does not charge "port fees" and has not charged port fees since they were sued years ago for (along with many lines) artificially inflating port fees for a profit. What they DO charge is a noncommissionable portion of cruise fare. These are not tied to the individual ports, however (which you will notice when you notice they are almost ALWAYS $159 or $179 pp) so it is disingenuous to call them port fees. It is simply part of the cruise fare that travel agents make no commission on. Then, in addition to that amount there are taxes and fees that include port taxes.

[Lynnees]

Sorry, you are wrong. RCI does not charge "port fees" and has not charged port fees since they were sued years ago for (along with many lines) artificially inflating port fees for a profit. What they DO charge is a noncommissionable portion of cruise fare. These are not tied to the individual ports, however (which you will notice when you notice they are almost ALWAYS $159 or $179 pp) so it is disingenuous to call them port fees. It is simply part of the cruise fare that travel agents make no commission on. Then, in addition to that amount there are taxes and fees that include port taxes.

 

You are correct in what they are called - what they mean are a different thing. Nevertheless, they are listed seperately. (Not the NCF - but the taxes and fees are.)

[Lynnees]

We'll agree to disagree. I see the name of the agency in your signature so I'm assuming you're an agent. I also own an agency and everything that goes to a client does not break out the commissionable and non-commissionable with the exception of taxes. It's seperated in my back-end accounting but the client does not see that. Most agencies that use outdated software still show it that way. To me if an agency is doing business today the same way business was done 15 years ago simply because they will not upgrade their software, they're either lazy or cheap. I'm giving the benefit of the doubt and going with lazy.

 

Sorry - I didn't mean the non-commissionables. I did mean the taxes and fees. We don't break out the non-commissionables on our invoices - as you say only in the backend accounting area.

[CruisinDawn]

Geeze, Bottom Line...What TOTAL does Royal want and what does the TA want?

 

Just be sure you know if the TA has hidden fees that can come into play later. Some will charge you for every change, even if your just switching your dinner! Some will charge if you cancel even if you are outside the penalty window with Royal. Will they honor a price reduction?

 

BonVoyage

Dawna

[Lynnees]

With RCL the total should be the same as far as the actual price for the cruise is concerned. After that, you should check with the TA for any extra charges such as cancellation fees, change fees etc, price drops before you book.

[danp]

Go to RCCL.com and do the booking as if you were going to book.Do the same catagory that U R in and at the end see what the price comes to.If it is less then you paid ask your TA to call for the reduced price.

[bigeagle12]

Sorry, you are wrong. RCI does not charge "port fees" and has not charged port fees since they were sued years ago for (along with many lines) artificially inflating port fees for a profit. What they DO charge is a noncommissionable portion of cruise fare. These are not tied to the individual ports, however (which you will notice when you notice they are almost ALWAYS $159 or $179 pp) so it is disingenuous to call them port fees. It is simply part of the cruise fare that travel agents make no commission on. Then, in addition to that amount there are taxes and fees that include port taxes.

 

So when you miss a "port" and RCI gives you a credit for the missed port .. it just happens to be the amount of the PORT FEE !!!

[thelion]

So when you miss a "port" and RCI gives you a credit for the missed port .. it just happens to be the amount of the PORT FEE !!!

 

Which would be taxes. Which would be part of the taxes and fees, not NCCF.