Gov't Fees & Taxes Higher

[cyndyga]

Just booked a cruise and noticed the NCL Gov't Taxes and Fees seem almost double other lines?? Thanks!

[chengkp75]

Are you comparing identical or nearly identical itineraries?  That is the only way to compare taxes and fees between lines.  Also, did you book with NCL or with a travel agent?

[sanger727]

Are you sure it's not "free at sea" service charges being rolled into the taxes and fees line?

[Newleno]

Some port fees/taxes are crazy expensive new york, panama canal, many south america ports, Canada, etc...   However Hawaii and the south pacific seem to be very reasonable.

[Comi.uy]

Yes indeed some ports are crazy expensive while some others are not. Europe and many in the caribbean are ok. South america and the US are expensive

[shof515]

when you book a cruise in advance, the cruise lines ESTIMATE or guess how much the govt port taxes and fees will cost. as the cruise gets closer and closer, the actual cost of these fees will be correctly calculated. they can go up or down depending on many factors

[mugtech]

Would make sense that if they plan to sail with less than full ships then the taxes and fees per person would be higher than normal to cover the entire costs.

[mking8288]

IMHO, probably can count on an extra & hefty Covid-19 health inspection & cleaning/disinfection surcharge, similar to post 9/11 security & screening fees.  Those Covid-19 rapid testing kits aren't free and someone is going to pay for them, and, as usual, for your convenience - a mandatory 20% processing fee.  

 

If cruiselines are going to make efforts to maintain social distancing onboard, they will have to execute capacity control and cut the maximum headcounts by as much as half ... consequently, with fewer souls to pay for & cover the charges, it's not rocket science but simple math that everyone sailing will be paying more with less passengers to allocate the cost. 

[cyndyga]

It was a NYC departure to Bermuda I guess both high!

[Newleno]

6 minutes ago, cyndyga said:

It was a NYC departure to Bermuda I guess both high!

Yes of course the famous double NYC/Bermuda whammy, outside of the panama canal fees you hit the jackpot, congrats!

[Newleno]

In addition seems to me that MSC and Costa have lower fees/taxes (example 10 day  msc oct 12 nyc rt, including 4 stops in canada, taxes $138)

[Budget Queen]

45 minutes ago, Newleno said:

In addition seems to me that MSC and Costa have lower fees/taxes (example 10 day  msc oct 12 nyc rt, including 4 stops in canada, taxes $138)

Total cost is what's the bottom line.     How does that compare?   For exact same?  

[Newleno]

42 minutes ago, Budget Queen said:

Total cost is what's the bottom line.     How does that compare?   For exact same?  

the msc  cruise i was talking about total cost is about double on ncl  for a comparable  cruise,  exact same -  guess you would have to look that stuff up if you like, rarity and not necessary for my example.   

Edited April 22, 2020 by Newleno