Help...on the phone with NCL now

[hayesktrm]

I called to make my final payment and it is almost $200 more than my invoice!!! She says that she can only go by what the computer says and I said I have a copy of the invoice that tells me the price. Anyone ever have this problem. I booked directly with them, so they need to honor this, right? Now she's saying that taxes went up!!! I'm going to talk to a supervisor.

[Toyz711]

does the original invoice include the $50 alaska tax per person?

just wondering, i know that some of the ones on the alaska board have said it was included in thier final payment. NCL can't do anything about that one...it's totally alaska.

[Wendolyn]

Do you have access to a fax machine? If so, send her a copy of your original invoice. (Same if you have an e-mail invoice). Then inform her that 'bait and switch' is illegal in the United States. One of the benefits of locking in on prices early is to avoid potential increases in price.

[hayesktrm]

That's what they said it was. I'm still mad because on my invoice it doesn't say anything about it and they have known for quite some time. I know it's a losing battle, but I told her that my invoice said I owed a certain amount and nowhere on the invoice did it say they could increase it. The supervisor told me that on the invoices before the first of the year, it said that there would be an increase and to expect this and that it was written in bold. I told her I was holding the invoice and no where did it say this. I thought this was a little deceptive since they knew about it. I thought that was included in the fare already so now I have to pay an extra $200 that I wasn't planning on.

[hayesktrm]

Since it's the $50 pp Alaska tax, she said there was nothing she could do (I offered to fax it to her). I think I'll send a letter stating that I was never informed of this and send a copy of the invoice.

[Toyz711]

some of the alaska vendors are still trying to stop the extra tax, but as of last week they are going through with charging it. some of the cruise lines were trying to not charge it until they knew for sure. everyone going to alaska with a cruise, will have to pay it.

[lvtotrvl1]

Every cruiseline had to add this tax. It does not go to the cruiseline, but to Alaska, so there is no way around it. Cruiselines have the right to raise taxes if they do increase. There have been many threads about this same issue. Travel agents contacted all their clients to let them know...not sure why NCL wouldn't ....maybe not enough staff.

[Wendolyn]

They've known about the tax increase for some time, so if they neglected to notify you post-purchase, that's their problem. If your invoice shows a 'final payment' amount that does not reflect the Alaska tax, then that is the amount you owe. It is their job to know the port fees and taxes and to apply them properly at original purchase time.

[Toyz711]

there was a BIG discussion about it on the alaska boards, everyone is unhappy about it. especially the small local tour vendors. many court fights going on to try to stop it...but no one thinks they will win.

it was all over the news before the 1st of the year...had some people thinking they didn't want to go where they had to pay a tax like this.

 

but the truth is local port taxes and state taxes and government taxes change every day, since they aren't taxing the ship but the actual traveler...they pass them on.

[Don Haynes]

The citizens of Alaska passed this tax through the ballot box last November. Question is, did she/he book the cruise before the new tax took affect?

 

NCL has the right to pass this new tax to it customers, just like businesses in America pass on any sales tax increases to their customers. Its not NCL fault, its Alaska. This time its the state of Alaska that is gouging.

 

In fairness to Alaska, none of their small towns can easily afford the expensive docks they have built for the cruise lines. Juneau has three expensive docks for cruise ships. How many towns in America have three cruise docks? Not even Bermuda can easily afford to expand its cruise docks either.

[Toyz711]

others from the OTHER cruise lines, have reported the same problem..they booked the cruise before the law was passed. on their final payment the costs had gone up. most had booked a year (or more) before the cruise.

the tax became real when the last objection was turned down the by the courts. still more court fights, but it still a real tax ..payable on the final payment.

[lvtotrvl1]

They've known about the tax increase for some time, so if they neglected to notify you post-purchase, that's their problem. If your invoice shows a 'final payment' amount that does not reflect the Alaska tax, then that is the amount you owe. It is their job to know the port fees and taxes and to apply them properly at original purchase time.

 

This is an incorrect statement. Cruiselines can and do pass increased taxes on to clients. It doesn't happen often but does happen. On NCL's invoices it states"....Important information:Please refer to NCL's destination brochure for information....and for all other terms and conditions"

 

In the terms and conditions it states under guarantee and rate..."Once we have received your deposit or full payment, the cruise rate is secure except in the event of substantial increase in operating costs, tariffs or taxes prior to the sailing date. In such case, we reserve the right to add a surcharge....

[flowerchild]

They've known about the tax increase for some time, so if they neglected to notify you post-purchase, that's their problem. If your invoice shows a 'final payment' amount that does not reflect the Alaska tax, then that is the amount you owe. It is their job to know the port fees and taxes and to apply them properly at original purchase time.

 

 

If you booked your Alaska cruise this year, it should have been part of your total price.

 

If you booked it last year, like I did, it will be added to your final balance.

 

The law was passed in the fall of last year and became effective 90 days later. All 2007 sailings had this tax added.

 

How could the cruiselines know if the ballot would pass or not or when the new tax would be imposed? All cruiselines share the same policy of reserving the right to change the taxes and port fees, this is not a new policy.

 

I think it is unreasonable to be upset with the cruiseline for having to charge this tax. I've been on these boards since August of last year and knew all about the new tax before it happened.

 

Taxes go up, it is a fact of life.

[hayesktrm]

Thanks for the comments. Here's why I am upset. NCL has no control over the taxes changing, however, they do have control over contacting their clients when these things change. I booked this cruise on November 17, 2006 so they should have known it was coming and told me when I booked that it "may" happen. At the very least, they should have contacted me as soon as it went into effect in January with a new invoice and an explanation. My issue is when I booked our cruise, I chose the cabin I could afford. I was not thrilled that we couldn't afford a balcony this cruise because my husband was laid off last year. The outside staterooms were also expensive, but I thought I could justify it. If I had known then it would be more, I might have chosen an inside to save the extra money. If they had told me in January, I might have been able to rebook an inside or looked for another less expensive ship. However, now the prices have gone up and my cabin is the same cost as an inside and the inside cabins they do have are few. They have taken away all my options because their customer service dropped the ball. The woman on the phone also said that in bold the invoices warned of the Alaska tax that may be inposed. On mine, there was nothing.

 

Again, I understand that the tax increase was out of their control, but they really should have let me know when I had the time to do something about it.

 

Funny, they sent me a new invoice over email right after my phone call with them...with the explanation of the new tax and the new amount. Now why couldn't they have done that 4 months ago???

[Toyz711]

then to confuse the issue even more

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=550437

they are discussing whether everyone will get the tax refunded it the vendors win or the tax is delayed. no one knows for sure what is going on with the tax, not even the alaska state government.

[shoreguy]

One thing you assume when booking direct is you are in control of and responsible for your booking. No TA to watch for changes and you let you know. I log in at least once a month and check my bookings and balance that are available online.

 

You have to check as ship happens and just not price changes. Cabins can be moved as has happened to some here. In my case my whole booking for the Jewel fell out of the system. Had I not noticed it right away I would have tried to make final payment and not had a cruise to pay for.

 

I am certain your balance was updated months ago and available to you. Would it have been better had NCL been proactive in notification ? Yes. But the tax has been widely discussed here and you could have confirmed any impact in time to make changes. You are in this case your own TA and the burden falls on you to keep current.

 

Sorry I don't know of any options and all I can say is you will love Alaska.:)

Enjoy

[hayesktrm]

Toyz...at least you gave me some hope :) . Thanks!

 

After I had a bad TA and couldn't contact the cruiseline directly because it was handled by a TA, I have always booked directly. I have never had any problems. I would check to see if my reservation to see if it was still there, but I never thought to look at the price. I had the invoice so why would I think it would change? Now I guess I'll know better. To be honest, I never saw any posts regarding this issue. I would expect the cruiseline to keep on top of things like that for me, even if they aren't my TA.

[shoreguy]

I would expect the cruiseline to keep on top of things like that for me, even if they aren't my TA.

 

The fact is they don't :mad:

[Toyz711]

even with TAs we hear about people not being notified about something..that's the thing about traveling, it's never perfect. shoreguy is right, it would be nice for the cruiselines to keep you informed of all/any changes..but that's impossible. just for NCL alaska that would be 3 ships x 2,000 passengers per week. it really is up to the traveler/cruisers to keep themselves informed and to expect the unexpected. the good thing about the internet, we can go to websites, like NCL.com, and double check things.

i checked once a week, i needed to make that our rooms weren't changed..we had sick FIL across the hall from us.

[cruizinwithkids]

Interestingly enough, I booked the Dream to Bermuda the day 2008 books became available. Since I've been to Bermuda enough, I knew that the taxes and port fees were incorrect, but I was hoping. As a result of this thread, I just checked and sure enough my cruise price has increased about $80 per person.

 

While disappointed the good thing is that I wanted to change my room, but didn't want to call attention to my booking.

[Wendolyn]

I have my invoice for our POA cruise this August right in front of me, showing it is paid in full. Nowhere does it state that they may have to add additional fees should taxes, etc, go up. I understand that could happen, but the agents' claim that it is in boldface is not true in our case either. I agree with the OP that the least NCL could have done was notified persons booked with Alaskan itineraries of the additional charges. It is obvious why they don't- people might just decide against the cruise, go with less expensive cabins or even curtail their excursions to accommodate the added costs. It could be that they don't want to expend the manpower and money to notify people, or that they simply don't care. It's bad business, at any rate. I am a business owner, and I always notify people when the cost of their service goes up, for whatever reason. Fifty dollars per person may not seem like much, but it can add up fast and put a serious dent in a family's budget.

[nclcruiser76]

Quick question :confused:

 

I booked my cruise to Alaska in March 2006. We're going in August 2007 and my invoice never changed. I just paid it off on Monday and they didn't mention anything. Not that I want to pay the extra fee, but I want to make sure that it doesn't cause me problems later.

 

Can you tell me where on my invoice it would say Alaska tax? Is it included in Government Taxes/Fees? My taxes and fees are $232.58 for the two of us. Just curious to see if the Alaska tax is included.

 

Thanks :)

[KeystoneCruiser]

NCL is notorious for not telling their customers anything that might cause the customer to cancel the cruise. I can cite many, many examples of this.

 

Like the OP said, had she known about this tax (which I agree is out of NCL's control) when it went into effect, she might have been able to switch to a lesser cabin or even cancel the cruise due to financial problems. But of course had NCL been professional about it and tell the people, they would have lost money and Colin and Andy have to have their perks even at the cost of common people......:mad:

[OceanDreaming2]

My taxes and fees are $232.58 for the two of us. Just curious to see if the Alaska tax is included.

 

It's the same on our invoice. The government taxes/fees are listed just under the Guest Fare on the left hand side of your invoice.

[shoreguy]

Quick question :confused:

 

Can you tell me where on my invoice it would say Alaska tax? Is it included in Government Taxes/Fees? My taxes and fees are $232.58 for the two of us. Just curious to see if the Alaska tax is included.

 

Thanks :)

 

Yeap that is the current tax and fees - 232.58