Panama Canal Port Fees

[BWV Dreamin]

I have been pricing out WBPC on other cruise lines while I am waiting for Disney to release the 2019 sailings. What Ihave learned is the port fees and taxes per person were over $400! Is this the norm when sailing PC? Or just this other cruiseline? This was for an 11 day cruise, where Disney is 14 or 15 day. Would Disney’s be even higher than $400/pp as it a longer cruise?

 

[Geomom]

Unfortunately that looks about right. I just looked at Disney's 14 nt 10/18 Panama canal cruise. Yep, it comes up as $1652 for our family of 4 for port fees/taxes; so over $400/person. In addition to the 8 ports (starting/ending ports, 6 stops); there is the Panama canal fees as well.

 

[jdb in AZ]

Disney pays a premium to cruise through the Canal during the day so the passengers get the best views. And of course they pass the premium fees on to the passengers.

 

[BWV Dreamin]

Unfortunately that looks about right. I just looked at Disney's 14 nt 10/18 Panama canal cruise. Yep, it comes up as $1652 for our family of 4 for port fees/taxes; so over $400/person. In addition to the 8 ports (starting/ending ports, 6 stops); there is the Panama canal fees as well.

Wow. Are Alaska cruises the same as far as really high port fees/taxes?

 

[Geomom]

Wow. Are Alaska cruises the same as far as really high port fees/taxes?

No, port fees for our Alaskan was $600 total for the 4 of us, so $150/person. Our Northern European next year is $550 for the 4 of us, so even less.

The big cost for the PC cruises IS the Panama Canal part. Disney pays a ton of money to cross during the daytime.

 

[Ralph&Pam]

Just checked the port fees and taxes for the EBPC that leaves this Friday: about $792 for the two of us, so very nearly $400 pp.

 

[lorimay]

We were looking at Princess Panama cruise for January 2018 and there port fees were $300 per person a little less than Disney, hmmmmmmm.....

 

[lorimay]

Just checked the port fees and taxes for the EBPC that leaves this Friday: about $792 for the two of us, so very nearly $400 pp.

Have a great time!

 

[Quellman]

Part of that fee is a guaranteed crossing date. Like a fatpass. Disney shows up, and sails through. Many cargo ships just anchor and wait for their turn.

 

[jrabbit]

We were looking at Princess Panama cruise for January 2018 and there port fees were $300 per person a little less than Disney, hmmmmmmm.....

how many other ports are involved and are they the same as DCL's? Really no reason to go hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm since port fees are "Fixed and Flexible" ... Fixed meaning each port has a fee for the size of ship and possibly number of passengers (or capacity), facilities used and date of docking. Flexible meaning that if you miss a port, DCL will refund you the fees for the port missed.

and I don't think that they are adding the Disney 25% surcharge to those fees.

 

[jdb in AZ]

The Princess ship doing the Panama Canal in January is much larger than the Wonder with more passengers to help pay their share of the fees the Canal charges. But the larger ship would also have to use the new Panamax locks, so you'd think they'd have to pay even more.

 

[Geomom]

The Princess ship doing the Panama Canal in January is much larger than the Wonder with more passengers to help pay their share of the fees the Canal charges. But the larger ship would also have to use the new Panamax locks, so you'd think they'd have to pay even more.

I wonder if certain times of year cost more than others? Partly due to demand?

 

[adSimba]

AFIK Disney always uses the new locks now

 

[jrabbit]

None of DCL's ships fit through the old locks . the "duck tale" made the Magic and Wonder too long to fit.

 

[ahain]

As I recall from some of Captain Puckett's informational sessions, the fees that are assessed for passenger ships going through the locks are calculated - at least in part - based on the max capacity (# of people) the ship COULD hold - not necessarily how many are currently on the ship. Also, as others have mentioned, DCL pays more for the prime time slot - starting the transit soon after daylight so the entire transit is during the day. I don't recall the actual figures Capt Puckett shared, but the fees for the new locks were staggering.

 

[Rob1872]

Part of that fee is a guaranteed crossing date. Like a fatpass. Disney shows up, and sails through. Many cargo ships just anchor and wait for their turn.

That was the awesome part of being on the bridge as Officer of the Deck for a US ballistic missile submarine transit of the Panama Canal. The entire transit was daytime, and we had a military priority with Panamanian gunboats escorting us. There were several cruise ships that I passed that had to hang out and wait for us to go by; I remember thinking that they all had paid thousands of dollars to go through the canal and I was getting a paycheck to do it with head of the line privileges!

 

[Tractortom]

I was just reading the other day of a HAL ship (I'm not positive which ship) passed through the Panama Canal and the cost was $350,000! It seems that they do pay by the head, and that ship held less than 2000 passengers and 900 crew. So, I'm sure that part of that cost is passed along to the passengers in the way of taxes and fees. Our cruise on Zuiderdam next month locks up to Gatun Lake and back out, and we are paying $380 per person in taxes, fees and port fees.

Tom in Okeechobee, FL

 

[cmwade77]

Am I the only one that really doesn't car what the port fees, taxes, etc. are? All I really care about is what the total price is.

 

[BWV Dreamin]

Wow very educational. Our disboard posters are very informed!!

 

[GPaLarry]

When we did our EBPC in 2008 I was told by a cast member that DCL paid nearly $450,000 in fees for the ship to go through the canal. I have no idea what it might be today. If I had a canoe and wanted to go through today I might have to sell the house, the car and, perhaps, the dog (oh no) just to get in the queue.