What's going on with taxes and fees pricing?

[RoperDK]

Is it my imagination or are port taxes and fees skyrocketing?  Is it just Royal or are other cruise lines posting the same increases?  In the past, I just paid them, but they sure seem to be higher now.  Can the cruise lines just generalize what they charge or do they need to be reported accurately?  I guess I just don't trust anyone anymore!  😳

[HicksRA]

2 minutes ago, RoperDK said:

Is it my imagination or are port taxes and fees skyrocketing?  Is it just Royal or are other cruise lines posting the same increases?  In the past, I just paid them, but they sure seem to be higher now.  Can the cruise lines just generalize what they charge or do they need to be reported accurately?  I guess I just don't trust anyone anymore!  😳

They’re probably adding an 18% gratuity to the port fees. 😁

[Biker19]

7 minutes ago, RoperDK said:

Is it my imagination or are port taxes and fees skyrocketing?

All US based ones seemed to have gone up and even more so for the ones going to Bahamas (they upped their taxes considerably starting in 2024).

[nelblu]

I sail mostly out of Bayonne.  Taxes & fees for sails out of Bayonne have always been higher than others.  Now with the Nassau/Coco Cay increased taxes it's making it worst.

 

Example, my February 8 niter on Anthem taxes are $181.86, while my upcoming December 7 niter from Galveston is $138.42

 

[MandyMooToo]

Our Wonder cruise next month went up a lot.  We had already paid in full and the port fees increased for the Bahamas and we had to pay an additional $125, on top of what we already paid.

[Starry Eyes]

US Virgin Islands also raised port fees(“Capital Cost Recovery Charge”) for Royal Caribbean cruisers to fund port infrastructure improvements.

[fla33023]

18 minutes ago, MandyMooToo said:

Our Wonder cruise next month went up a lot.  We had already paid in full and the port fees increased for the Bahamas and we had to pay an additional $125, on top of what we already paid.

How do they phrase that in the email? Pay it or don't go?

[RD64]

Caribbean port taxes are relatively inexpensive - you may get sticker shock when pricing Alaska cruises, as the fees / taxes may be just as much as the cruise fare.

[MandyMooToo]

3 minutes ago, fla33023 said:

How do they phrase that in the email? Pay it or don't go?

This is what they sent us. I got another email later with the exact extra amount we owed. I can’t find it but it basically said this is how much the fees are going up. 

[MandyMooToo]

5 minutes ago, fla33023 said:

How do they phrase that in the email? Pay it or don't go?

I will say that it’s funny how the email made it seem like we would pay maybe another $30 and it was $125 and some change. 

[fla33023]

6 minutes ago, MandyMooToo said:

I will say that it’s funny how the email made it seem like we would pay maybe another $30 and it was $125 and some change. 

Thank you for posting that. Obviously, someone's not going to cancel over $125 but I didn't know they could just "update the reservation" like that especially after you've paid in full. Guess it's in the contract somewhere.

[c-leg5]

15 minutes ago, RD64 said:

Caribbean port taxes are relatively inexpensive - you may get sticker shock when pricing Alaska cruises, as the fees / taxes may be just as much as the cruise fare.

Or Europe.

[firefly333]

25 minutes ago, MandyMooToo said:

I will say that it’s funny how the email made it seem like we would pay maybe another $30 and it was $125 and some change. 

I saw that rcl said it would be $13 to $16 more or whatever, and I'm solo and it's still more. 

 

And I'm seeing $160 $167 for same ole boring ports out of Tampa. Yep pushing the price higher. I wondered if it was tampa pushing amounts higher. 

[MandyMooToo]

1 hour ago, firefly333 said:

I saw that rcl said it would be $13 to $16 more or whatever, and I'm solo and it's still more. 

 

And I'm seeing $160 $167 for same ole boring ports out of Tampa. Yep pushing the price higher. I wondered if it was tampa pushing amounts higher. 

I’m really not sure who/what is pushing the amounts higher. Royal was insinuating it was because of the new port in the Bahamas.  I can’t remember where I read that at though. 

[wolfcathorse]

it's all nothing Royal can do about. Countries around the world are increasing their fee per passenger.

[Galveston Cruiser]

6 minutes ago, wolfcathorse said:

it's all nothing Royal can do about. Countries around the world are increasing their fee per passenger.

You are correct.  Port fees are increasing world wide due to increased costs.  Port of Galveston just raised fees.

[son3cruisers]

 

3 hours ago, MandyMooToo said:

This is what they sent us. I got another email later with the exact extra amount we owed. I can’t find it but it basically said this is how much the fees are going up. 

So interesting. You are expected to pay when there is  an increase, but Royal has yet to decrease our port fees  for the “ enhanced” Panama Canal cruise that was adjusted  . Our port fee/taxes are still currently $634 ( Can ) for 2 passengers for a 7 night Caribbean cruise - which no longer includes the Panama Canal. Emails have yet to be answered. 

Edited November 18, 2023 by son3cruisers

[firefly333]

4 hours ago, son3cruisers said:

 

So interesting. You are expected to pay when there is  an increase, but Royal has yet to decrease our port fees  for the “ enhanced” Panama Canal cruise that was adjusted  . Our port fee/taxes are still currently $634 ( Can ) for 2 passengers for a 7 night Caribbean cruise - which no longer includes the Panama Canal. Emails have yet to be answered. 

I got moved not once but twice from grand Cayman and Jamaica to costa maya and roatan which had cheaper fees and taxes. They dont adjust before your cruise. We also missed costa maya and nothing onboard, they said because it was weather related. I wrote to mbayley whose office answered back it's up to each ship if they refund unused port fees and taxes. You might and might not get something onboard as obc. Each ship gets to decide if they want to keep unused fees the letter says.

[nelblu]

11 hours ago, fla33023 said:

after you've paid in full. Guess it's in the contract somewhere.

The e-mails went out on July 21 affecting any sails to Bahamas beginning January 1 and a somewhat higher rate for Coco Cay.  Unless there was a pre-payment, final payments were due on October 1.

[MandyMooToo]

2 hours ago, nelblu said:

The e-mails went out on July 21 affecting any sails to Bahamas beginning January 1 and a somewhat higher rate for Coco Cay.  Unless there was a pre-payment, final payments were due on October 1.

The issue for some is that the cruises were paid in full by the time this came out.  Sometimes we wait and keep a small balance owed until final payment, just in case there is a price drop, but for a NYE cruise it was highly unlikely that was going to happen.  So after payment in full, we had to pony up an additional $125.  I do realize fees go up, heck, cruises have gone up tremendously themselves, but $125 when the email said it would be more like $30 was a shocker.  We paid it of course but I find the amount to be high compared to what we were told.  And before someone throws in the "if you cannot afford it you shouldn't be cruising" line, we can afford it, we just didn't like having to pay it 😆

[Secretlyfi]

Bermuda is $222 per person on my reservation. Ouch!

[nelblu]

15 minutes ago, MandyMooToo said:

The issue for some is that the cruises were paid in full by the time this came out.  Sometimes we wait and keep a small balance owed until final payment, just in case there is a price drop, but for a NYE cruise it was highly unlikely that was going to happen.  So after payment in full, we had to pony up an additional $125.  I do realize fees go up, heck, cruises have gone up tremendously themselves, but $125 when the email said it would be more like $30 was a shocker.  We paid it of course but I find the amount to be high compared to what we were told.  And before someone throws in the "if you cannot afford it you shouldn't be cruising" line, we can afford it, we just didn't like having to pay it 😆

Don't know how many Paxs are involved or the itinerary.  I've got 7 bookings sailing from Bayonne on Anthem and Symphony and the increases were within the ranges:

 

Anthem 8 nights; February 9 ($12.43)--solo

Anthem 7 nights; March 31  $7.55--solo

3 bookings on Anthem March 31, awaiting instructions from my TA

Symphony 7 nights; October 13 $32.76--3 Paxs

Symphony 7 nights; October 12 $10.92--solo.

 

All have stops at Port Canaveral, Nassau and Coco Cay.

[bretts173]

6 hours ago, MandyMooToo said:

The issue for some is that the cruises were paid in full by the time this came out.  Sometimes we wait and keep a small balance owed until final payment, just in case there is a price drop, but for a NYE cruise it was highly unlikely that was going to happen.  So after payment in full, we had to pony up an additional $125.  I do realize fees go up, heck, cruises have gone up tremendously themselves, but $125 when the email said it would be more like $30 was a shocker.  We paid it of course but I find the amount to be high compared to what we were told.  And before someone throws in the "if you cannot afford it you shouldn't be cruising" line, we can afford it, we just didn't like having to pay it 😆

Fees and taxes are separate to your cruise fare and listed accordingly when searching for a booking. That's why they can just demand the extra.

 

In Australia we have all fees and taxes included in the price of the cruise so once purchased that's it. 

[Ocean Boy]

6 hours ago, Secretlyfi said:

Bermuda is $222 per person on my reservation. Ouch!

Whoa! Bermuda used to have a love/hate relationship with cruise ships and their passengers. I guess they now love us.

[MandyMooToo]

2 hours ago, bretts173 said:

Fees and taxes are separate to your cruise fare and listed accordingly when searching for a booking. That's why they can just demand the extra.

 

In Australia we have all fees and taxes included in the price of the cruise so once purchased that's it. 

Port fees and taxes are added upon booking.  So when I pay in full I am paying for all of it.  I do get that in the cruise contract they can raise or lower port fees as applicable but a raise of that amount was a surprise when the email said it would be much less.