Taxes, Fees & Port Expenses Over $400 Each On Alaska Cruises?!

[So_Tweetie]

I was just about to check out for an Alaska cruise next October, then the port fees and taxes were added to the booking...$419.29 each on a 9-day sailing! 

 

The itinerary is roundtrip out of Seattle with stops in Sitka, Glacier Bay (scenic cruising), Skagway, Juneau, Icy Strait Point, Ketchikan, and Victoria. I don't remember fees being that high the previous two times that I cruised Alaska, it seems absolutely ridiculous. Does anyone know if this is because of a certain port or if it is to be expected of all Alaska cruises these days?

 

[D_And_K_gocruising]

Check another line and see what they have for similar itinerary.   But not surprised Alaska fees are going up as popular as it is.  

[Anoynmous Phoenix]

That sounds like the normal; we are doing Seward to Vancouver in April and they are NZD428 (USD265) each; just 7 days one way.

[davencl]

This is far from alaska but my Prima Caribean 11 day cruise that only stops at 4 ports the fees are $475.38 each.

[mugtech]

Panama Canal still has Alaska beaten, over $500 on some.

[LatinaInTexas]

4 hours ago, So_Tweetie said:

I was just about to check out for an Alaska cruise next October, then the port fees and taxes were added to the booking...$419.29 each on a 9-day sailing! 

 

The itinerary is roundtrip out of Seattle with stops in Sitka, Glacier Bay (scenic cruising), Skagway, Juneau, Icy Strait Point, Ketchikan, and Victoria. I don't remember fees being that high the previous two times that I cruised Alaska, it seems absolutely ridiculous. Does anyone know if this is because of a certain port or if it is to be expected of all Alaska cruises these days?

 

Our 7 day is $349.50 per person. First Alaska cruise so just assumed it was the norm. Excursion prices were a little shocking to me though lol.

[hallux]

2 hours ago, mugtech said:

Panama Canal still has Alaska beaten, over $500 on some.

Yup, mine were $514, but there are 10 'port days' on a 15 day cruise. 42 days, but who's counting?

[debenson0723]

2 hours ago, mugtech said:

Panama Canal still has Alaska beaten, over $500 on some.

Was just going to say this...it's expensive to go thru the Canal.  

 

Alaska is expensive. Their season is just over 6 months or so plus goods and services are high. Those ports have to get what they can, while they can. $420 for 9 days sounds pretty reasonable to me. 

[So_Tweetie]

4 hours ago, Anoynmous Phoenix said:

That sounds like the normal; we are doing Seward to Vancouver in April and they are NZD428 (USD265) each; just 7 days one way.

$265 is along the lines of what I would expect. $420 though... 🤯

[So_Tweetie]

46 minutes ago, LatinaInTexas said:

Our 7 day is $349.50 per person. First Alaska cruise so just assumed it was the norm. Excursion prices were a little shocking to me though lol.

Oh yeah, excursion rates are wild! 

[Anoynmous Phoenix]

@So_Tweetie

 

Oh yeah, excursion rates are wild! 

 

Not only in Alaska!!   Try New Zealand, Iceland, Norway!!   Probably right round the world

[Wulfwyn]

We are on the Encore for April 2024.  7 days port fees $349 pp. 

 

 Majestic Princess  for a 2 day Seattle to Vancouver  port fee $94pp.

Wulfwyn 

 

[cruisingrob21]

While the more affluent ports tend to have higher port charges, there have been rumors that the cruise lines sometimes do pad the port charges with their own "fees".  Certainly the panama canal is not really a port but it does have charges, which have gone up considerably in the last 20 years for vessels to transit it.  Based on anecdotal stories, various harbor pilots charge exorbitant rates, but it's the price to visit a specific port I suppose.

 

There are theories that cruise lines are also padding those fees somewhat   it might be true.  We have occasionally noticed an on board credit "refund" for port charges and fees even though there was no change to the itinerary.  Makes you wonder if the cruise lines estimate the charges and if it's calculated after the ship leaves and is less, the cruise line then gets a credit. It's hard to say since there is no explicit breakdown of those port charges 

[cruiser2015]

8 hours ago, mugtech said:

Panama Canal still has Alaska beaten, over $500 on some.

Sailing in 3 weeks.

$841 pp for 15 night Canal

[DominicAUS]

My Panama Canal cruise next month is just over $500US for 15 days. I expected it to be more with the cost of the transit and many stops. To be honest I rarely look at the fees, it is what it is, either the cost to the trip is too high or it’s not. 

[hallux]

5 hours ago, cruiser2015 said:

$841 pp for 15 night Canal

Yikes!!  Yours is $300more pp than my cruise going the opposite way!!

1 hour ago, DominicAUS said:

My Panama Canal cruise next month is just over $500US for 15 days.

I think we're on the same one - January 27...

[cruiser2015]

5 minutes ago, hallux said:

Yikes!!  Yours is $300more pp than my cruise going the opposite way!!

I think we're on the same one - January 27...

Oops.

Actually $537 pp

I read that figure from my TA's latest statement. Although the words "shore excursions" does not appear, they added them to the taxes and fees on their billing summary, unlike NCL which shows them separately.

[CruiseMH]

It is not important what you expect to be reasonable,it is only important what the ports/governments actually demand.

So you can either accept them or choose another kind of holiday.

 

My private special tip: Just look at the total price of your cruise.Are you satisfied with it then book it and have fun.

 

[So_Tweetie]

9 hours ago, cruiser2015 said:

Sailing in 3 weeks.

$841 pp for 15 night Canal

Brutal!

[So_Tweetie]

5 hours ago, DominicAUS said:

My Panama Canal cruise next month is just over $500US for 15 days. I expected it to be more with the cost of the transit and many stops. To be honest I rarely look at the fees, it is what it is, either the cost to the trip is too high or it’s not. 

When booking with Princess and Royal, the fees are shown on the page where you browse sailings. I find it easier to scroll past and not consider cruises with high fees that way. On NCL though, I got my heart set on a birthday cruise and thought I had found a fantastic price all the way until I got to checkout and the fees were revealed. 

[So_Tweetie]

3 hours ago, CruiseMH said:

It is not important what you expect to be reasonable,it is only important what the ports/governments actually demand.

So you can either accept them or choose another kind of holiday.

 

 

Wow, thank you for the enlightening information. 

[cruiser2015]

4 minutes ago, So_Tweetie said:

Brutal!

Please note my correction.

$537 pp

The summary statement that I pulled the first figure from had paid shorex included.

[chengkp75]

14 minutes ago, So_Tweetie said:

Brutal!

The total fees and tariff for a Canal transit for a Panamax cruise ship will be about $400k.

[DominicAUS]

8 hours ago, hallux said:

Yikes!!  Yours is $300more pp than my cruise going the opposite way!!

I think we're on the same one - January 27...

I’m on the LA to Miami on 12th. I have some friends on the 27th. I can’t promise I won’t the ship dry of Champagne or Grey Goose lol 

[cruiser2015]

1 hour ago, DominicAUS said:

I’m on the LA to Miami on 12th. I have some friends on the 27th. I can’t promise I won’t the ship dry of Champagne or Grey Goose lol 

I'll be there with you.

I grant you my allotment of bubbly.

🤪