I agree that something is not right with the 3-night repo taxes & fees. It's $290.91 for 2A 1C. That's HIGH. A normal 3-night on the Dream - taxes & fees are $186.66. A 7-night Southern taxes/fees are $228.66; an Eastern on the Fantasy are $246.36.
Wonder what the deal is??
I'm reassured to know that it isn't just me who thinks this is odd.
When I asked I was told because it's not a closed port
I wonder what the real answer is?
My TA asked.
DCL said they "thought" it could be because it is isn't a closed loop cruise and that Port Canaveral port charges are higher than San Juan.
But how can departing San Juan, calling into
Castaway Cay, and arriving in Port Canaveral cost more than departing San Juan, calling into 4 other ports, and arriving back into San Juan?
DCL shouldn't "think", they must know. They are the ones who have come up with these figures.
I don't have an issue with the overall cruise price but I don't like being asked to pay for something without being given full details. By comparison, I have a transatlantic airfare booked for later this year where the airline clearly breaks down the government charges into the 9 individual components (yes, 9 separate government taxes/fees on one airfare!). So I can see exactly what I'm being charged for, and by which government, and it's clear that these charges have not been imposed by the airline.
Without a similar breakdown from DCL, I can't help but suspect that they are padding out the cruise fare and hiding it behind "taxes".
Could it be DCL is expecting a high vacancy rate for the 3 night cruise so they have to spread the cost over fewer passengers?
If this is the case then it is the cruise fare which should be higher. Taxes are a separate issue, and DCL should only be charging passengers the taxes which they have to pass on to the authorities.
But they don't have an unblemised record on this. For the 2008 WB Panama Canal cruise, the canal fee was increased after people had already booked. Instead of charging passengers just the additional cost, DCL added the whole amount on again - so passengers were charged twice for the same 'tax'. DCL insisted and insisted that this wasn't the case although quite clearly it was. They did eventually back down but it took the involvement of passengers and TAs (DUL in particular) and, I believe, the media, before they admitted the error.
DCL's finance people are not infallible. But getting them to actually look at the discrepancy is the problem. I'd like a full breakdown of exactly what those "Government Taxes & Fees" consist of, but I don't suppose I will get one. Without that breakdown then I will continue to believe that the true answer as to why the figure being charged by DCL is so high is, "Because we can".
How can she resist 10 nights if they do the B2B?
