May 10, 2008 Ship of Thieves! Stealing the Magic..AGAIN!!! Panama Canal FL to CA!!! Part 5

[granmaz]

Deb - lots of love and hugs to you.

Raining here again!!

 

[tigger137]

Can you post the link for the canal website...i'll take a look. I love hassling DCL about problems...
Steph

www.pancanal.com - then Maritime Operations - Tolls Assessment

Enjoy!

 

[tigger137]

If I disappear again these next few weeks, please understand why and know that I will be back.....most importantly.....our cruise will be taking place during mother's day and there isn't anyplace else I would rather be on that day than with all of you on Mickey's ship. I think somehow I knew.

Deb

The cruise will include the 1st anniversary of my sister's death and I feel just as you do, there's nowhere else I'd rather be.

Make sure you take care of yourself at this difficult time.

 

[Jhalkias]

I've just been studying the Tolls Assessment page of the Panama Canal website. (Busy afternoon at work, can you tell?!)

It seems they've changed the method of assessing tolls on passenger ships and, for a ship the size of the Disney Magic, from 1 Oct 2007 they will charge tolls on a per berth basis rather than on tonnage.

The per berth charge is $100. Which is the extra amount DCL are passing on to us. But what happened to the amount DCL would have been paying under the old system? Surely we should only be paying the difference between the old and the new?

I've read it and re-read it, but it certainly appears to me that the per berth charge is instead of the tonnage charge not as well as.

By my quick reckoning, if the Magic is 83,000 GRT with a passenger capacity of 2,500, the toll for our crossing will be $250,000, ie $100 per passenger. But the old toll would have been $239,050. So DCL should only be charging the difference, which is less than $5 each. Even if the official capacity is higher, I still can't see how it can amount to an extra $100 each.

Perhaps someone with better math(s) than mine could take a look?

I included your post in my PM to Alvaro, and this was his response:

John, this post you included is pretty accurate on the analysis. The only innacuracy I found was that current tolls are paid on the tonnage, which for the purpose of paying tolls is the PC/UMS tonnage, which is not exactly the same as the gross tonnage (I don't know what it would be for the Magic but I can find out from the computer at work)

Nevertheless, appears to me that Disney is charging the full cost of transiting the Panama Canal to the passengers in addition to what they were already charging (I'm sure the bean counters at Disney had already included that cost in the price of your cruise)

The new Pma Canal toll system for passenger vessels does not translate into an increase of $100 per passenger. The $100/passenger fee is in lieu of whatever this ship is paying today.

We know how Disney loves to suck money out of our pockets but this seems just to bold a move to me... there most be something we are missing here. I'll get the PC/UMS information for the Magic so we can have more accurate figures... but I don't see the $$$ figure changing that much.

Hope that helps!

 

[lillygator]

Happy Wednesday everyone!

 

[Jhalkias]

Happy Wednesday everyone!

Happy Wednesday to you too V!

I sent an email to DU based on what Alvaro told us, asking them if they can check with DCL.

I'll keep you posted . . .

 

[granmaz]

Happy Wednesday to you too V!

I sent an email to DU based on what Alvaro told us, asking them if they can check with DCL.

I'll keep you posted . . .

Well done John and thanks. How great of Alvaro to get back to you so quickly too.

 

[birkner]

Wow....everyone has shown so much care and concern and I am truly blessed to know you all....thank you so very much.

Current outlook is not good.....Dr. said today that mom is being weined off the ventilator and they will send her home with hospice care and then it's just a matter of time and it won't be long. Her kidneys are completely gone, she will dehydrate again quickly....she still has the urinary track infection and pneumonia....her heart is weak....today we got the results of a cat scan and it showed that there was some bleeding in her head.

John and I finished making all the funeral arrangements with my brother's input over the phone. I feel so bad for him that he can't take time off now and be here....it's killing him. He'll only be able to take three days for the funeral.....We have decided to go with full traditional, which is what Doris would want, and it's going to be beautiful.....filled with everything and everyone she loves.

I don't mean to bring everyone down....on a lighter note, I spoke with DGS Kris today and he told me that he finished reading HP.....I HAD to ask about the ending and he told me. Now I know!

I too got my increase letter from DU....for me it's not so bad because we gained $150 from changing to a Cat 6 and now they're taking back $200 so I'm only down $50 net overall. It's not going to break the bank.

If I disappear again these next few weeks, please understand why and know that I will be back.....most importantly.....our cruise will be taking place during mother's day and there isn't anyplace else I would rather be on that day than with all of you on Mickey's ship. I think somehow I knew.

Deb:

John and I send our warmest hugs and thoughts to both of you during this difficult time. I faced this with my father two years ago and can appreciate just how difficult all of this is for you guys. Take care of yourselves and know we are all here for you when you have the time to return.

Noel

 

[pjpoohbear]

Here's what I think Disney was thinking on the $100 fee.

In the past it has been based on tonnage, so it was set and at booking Disney didn't know how many bodies to split the fee by. Now they have a set fee per person that they can charge without having to guess or do refunds in the future.

If it is true that Disney is collecting their orginal, included in fare, estimate of the tonnage based fee and the new structure fee, I wouldn't be happy.

They had to have accounted for the tonnage fee in the budgeting for the cruise in some way and past that along in the fares. Did anyone notice a reduction in their fares in recent weeks before the addition of the new fee?

 

[pjpoohbear]

Happy Hump (middle of the week for our UK friends) day V!

 

[granmaz]

Happy Hump (middle of the week for our UK friends) day V!

Thanks for enlightening us PJ! It has an entirely different meaning over here.

 

[HollyTyler]

Thanks to everybody checking into the PC fee! My brain is too frazzled and nonfunctional right now to try to get a grasp on it. All my brain energy is focused towards final exams, so for anything non school related, I'm basically a useless lump for the next 3 weeks. I'm sure my employer is really thrilled about my braindead condition.

 

[pjpoohbear]

Marilyn, as I was typing it occured to me how that would read if it wasn't a common saying in your neck of the woods, so....

 

[MrsMork]

Thanks for enlightening us PJ! It has an entirely different meaning over here.

It can have the same meaning here. We have lots of duel meaning phrases!

 

[lillygator]

is it time to go home yet??? I am really wanting to get out of here!

 

[pjpoohbear]

It can have the same meaning here. We have lots of duel meaning phrases!

ANGIE! My Disney sweetheart image of you , .

 

[Ginamarie]

Ugh- we got our letter today. An extra $300 for my cabin, but it means $400 for my mom's room (she's not going to be pleased!), $200 for DBro and $200 for my grandparents. Panama is making a killing on our group!

I'm going to join the club with people who want to leave work today!!!!

 

[tigger137]

I've had the following response from Dreams:

"We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused but this increase came as a surprise to us as well as to our clients. The management of Dreams Unlimited Travel has contacted Disney Cruise Line and requested further clarification on this matter. We are awaiting a response.

According to DCL, the $100.00 increase was in the government taxes being charged by the foreign ports the ship will be visiting. The taxes break down as follows:

Head Tax per person $139.99
INS User Fee per person $3.00
International Departure Fee $3.00
Custom User fee per person $1.75

I have requested further explanation of the $100 increase in the “Head Tax” and have been told that due to legalities, they are not allowed to give an explanation via the telephone. If you would like further clarification of this, you can send an email to DCL.Guest.Communications@DisneyCruise.com."​

So it would seem that DCL are now saying that the $100 increase is linked to the foreign ports the ship is visiting, no mention of the Panama Canal.

Anyone who booked direct with DCL - what explanation did you get direct from them when they told you of the increase?

I'm afraid more and more it seems to me that DCL have just decided they want an extra $100 from us all, have blamed it on 'taxes', but when challenged then make it up as they go along.

Right, I'm off to e-mail DCL to seek the information they won't give Dreams.

 

[HollyTyler]

For those of you wanting to leave work early today, I got to do just that! I left work at 9:30 this morning due to an unpleasant phone call from day care.

Let me just say first that everything's fine. Somebody called me to tell me I might want to come check on Tyler because he had been swinging from a bar, fell, hit his nose and was bleeding pretty heavily, a couple teachers had him in the bathroom with ice on his nose, trying to clean him up, but he was screaming that he wanted me. So by the time I get there, he's all cleaned up, not crying or bleeding anymore, sitting on a chair holding an ice pack on his nose, not looking very happy. It doesn't appear to be broken, just a huge mark straight across the bridge right between his eyes where he hit, and his whole little nose is red. It was pretty swollen, but after some motrin at home and ice packs, the swelling has gone back down.

From the questions his doc asked me when I called to ask if he should be seen (I felt clueless because it's his first injury), she feels certain it's not broken, but that he'll likely have 2 black eyes soon. I convinced him to lie down, watch a movie, then take a nap (I'm suprrised he actually took one), in an effort to keep him from being wild and bumping it because I was afraid of it bleeding again, but it doesn't seem like it will. Probably already on the mend!

KIDS!

 

[Ginamarie]

I've had the following response from Dreams:

"We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused but this increase came as a surprise to us as well as to our clients. The management of Dreams Unlimited Travel has contacted Disney Cruise Line and requested further clarification on this matter. We are awaiting a response.

According to DCL, the $100.00 increase was in the government taxes being charged by the foreign ports the ship will be visiting. The taxes break down as follows:

Head Tax per person $139.99
INS User Fee per person $3.00
International Departure Fee $3.00
Custom User fee per person $1.75

I have requested further explanation of the $100 increase in the “Head Tax” and have been told that due to legalities, they are not allowed to give an explanation via the telephone. If you would like further clarification of this, you can send an email to DCL.Guest.Communications@DisneyCruise.com."​

So it would seem that DCL are now saying that the $100 increase is linked to the foreign ports the ship is visiting, no mention of the Panama Canal.

Anyone who booked direct with DCL - what explanation did you get direct from them when they told you of the increase?

I'm afraid more and more it seems to me that DCL have just decided they want an extra $100 from us all, have blamed it on 'taxes', but when challenged then make it up as they go along.

Right, I'm off to e-mail DCL to seek the information they won't give Dreams.

My letter came direct from DCL, since we booked directly with them. It says, in pertinent part:


"The Panama Canal has recently adjusted the per person amoutn charged for Government Taxes and Frees to transit the canal. As a result, there is a need to collect an additional $100.00 per person for your party. We have enclosed a new confirmation, which reflects the revised balance due."


There is no individual breakdown on our invoice, except that it shows "Gvmt Taxes and Fees" as $428.22 for my cabin (2 adults and one infant).