FAX from HAL to my TA

[grannynurse]

This is a copy of a fax my TA received from HAL and sent to me


Dear Travel Professional:

Alaskan voters recently approved an initiative that, among other things, imposes a $50 per person tax on all Alaska cruise passengers. Cruise lines are legally obligated to collect the tax from passengers and remit the monies to the state.

It is expected that it will be implemented and impact all of the cruise industry's 2007 Alaska cruises. Cruise lines, including Holland America Line, will be collecting the tax as part of the final payment for your clients' Alaska cruise. If there is any development that results in either a reduction or elimination of the tax, we will make the appropriate change to your client's booking.

As soon as the final implementation information is made available, we will promptly send it to you. In the meantime, we request that you contact your clients and advise them of this additional Alaska tax assessment.

As always, we appreciate your support for all our ships and programs.

Holland America Line


Just thought you'd like to see this.
GN

[RuthC]

Thanks for posting this, grannynurse.

What I find interesting is that it was even sent to you at all. The fax clearly says this is for 2007 cruises; you are leaving any second---2006. Someone, somewhere who is taking an Alaska cruise in the next few weeks is going to get this and get very confused.
Bet on it.

Anyway, have fun.

[LAFFNVEGAS]

GN, I had also heard about this letter from my TA this past weekend. Gee, not like those prices for next year's Alaska cruise are expensive enough:eek: What's another $50.00 bucks a peron when I have to pay another $2100.00 more for the same category as this year.

[jhannah]

And you can bet your bippy the prices will be even higher if this legislation and all its components (income tax, share of casino winnings, etc.) stand up to legal scrutiny. :(

[sail7seas]

Thanks for sharing the letter, GN.


Lisa.........Did I read correctly that you will be in the same category cabin for the same cruise next year as this year and your fare (not considering the $50 Alaska tax) is $2,100 higher? Same cabin; same number of days; same itinerary?

[sail7seas]

And you can bet your bippy the prices will be even higher if this legislation and all its components (income tax, share of casino winnings, etc.) stand up to legal scrutiny. :(

I'm not sure what you mean, Jim?

Casino winnings over a certain amount are already taxed.
We already pay a very hefty income tax in Massachusetts.......that is why the state is called Taxachusetts.

[kikiwik]

If it's that much more wait until the prices start to go down to book. I can't believe that it would be that much more. Is it 2100 per person or total. I can see the price hike if your planning on going on the noordam because it's newer.

[grannynurse]

My TA sent it as a "heads-up" telling me that it could be possible that we would be assessed another $50 pp at check-in at the pier. I don't expect this as someone said it wouldn't take effect for 90 days after passage which doesn't kick in until this Alaska season is over. AMOF we're on the last Westerdam Alaska cruise for 2006.
GN

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Thanks for sharing the letter, GN.


Lisa.........Did I read correctly that you will be in the same category cabin for the same cruise next year as this year and your fare (not considering the $50 Alaska tax) is $2,100 higher? Same cabin; same number of days; same itinerary?



Sail, to be fair it is not the same ship and itinerary or the same month but we did a 7 day round trip this year in a S Suite and what we are looking for for just a few weeks later in June for a 7 day round trip for a SC Suite on both the Oosterdam and the Noordam (they have the exact same prices) is going to be $2100 total more than we paid for this years cruise. I have checked several on-line agencies and they are all within a $100 of each other and the price my TA has quoted me is the same.:( We are still going to book this when we go on the Veendam in less than 2 weeks but if prices don't take a drop I may just change to a SS. We really prefer the S Suite and like the extras and normally do not mind paying for it but that to be is a very big increase. The sad part the SS will still be $300 more than we paid for the S Suite if prices do not come down.
On a good note at least the Mexican Riviera prices do not seem to be drastically more, maybe a couple of hundred but that is definitely not a big increase and I will gladly pay to get my favorite cabin.:)

[Atomica]

I've noticed that, on average, a lot of HAL's Alaska sailings next year are far more expensive than they were this year. However, I remember thinking the same thing last year.

Hopefully Lisa if you do book you'll be able to get a reduction in price if it goes down, though I understand the S-suites are probably the first to get snapped up. For people booking guarantees or cruising in an inside, outside or balcony cabin though, I think there will still be deals to be had by waiting it out a bit.

I doubt that passengers sailing to Alaska this month, as we are, would be slapped with a $50pp charge, since the actual legislation won't be in place for 90 days - which puts us somewhere in late November before it comes into effect. I don't think that HAL, or any other line, could legally do that to the remainder of the 2006 sailings.

[Krazy Kruizers]

grannynurse

Thanks for posting the fax your TA got.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Several cruises that we have looked at are very much higher than what we paid for them last year.

[Krazy Kruizers]

We had our TA check the prices for back-to-back Alaskan cruises for next summer.

Suite --- $4300 more than what we paid for this years and that doesn't include the extra $50 per person per cruise!!

[Krazy Kruizers]

[B]Sail

I bet if you were to check the price you paid for your Volendam cruise that you took last January and compared it to January 2007, you would probably find an increase.

[sail7seas]

We are paying less for our back-to-back Maasdam Canada/New England for next June.

Our Veendam 14 day is about the same as we paid for Ryndam, same itinerary, this year.
[Maybe we paid too much last year? :eek]

We have had two price drops for our Noordam cruise since we booked. TA found one of the price drops and a 'fellow cruiser' notified me about the other. Our TA granted the reduction for both.

[sail7seas]

We had our TA check the prices for back-to-back Alaskan cruises for next summer.

Suite --- $4300 more than what we paid for this years and that doesn't include the extra $50 per person per cruise!!


That's shocking. Am I ever happy I have no desire to cruise Alaska. That kind of sticker shock certainly doesn't make me want to change my mind!!

[LAFFNVEGAS]

It has been my observation that it is Alaska for 2007 that the prices have gone UP crazy. While I have seen a very small increase on the others they are not much to speak of. We are also going to book another 4 day repositioning cruise and the price for a S Suite is exactly the same amount we are paying for this years cruise. Plus this years cruise took 2 prices drops from when we first booked it. So actually they are starting out the prices for them as less than they did last year. I am trying to figure out why they (and this is not just HAL) are raising the prices so much. My TA says ALL the cruiselines prices for Alaska next year have gone way up. The bad part is they are selling especially the balconies and suites. But like others we too will book so we can get a particular cabin and hope the prices go down, yet if everyone books early there will be no reason to drop the prices. It sounds like just the cruise lines WIN with this.:o

[jhannah]

I'm not sure what you mean, Jim?

Casino winnings over a certain amount are already taxed.
We already pay a very hefty income tax in Massachusetts.......that is why the state is called Taxachusetts. This legislation calls for a 33% tax of casino earnings. It also restructures (increases) the income tax. The net effect is more than the $46 head tax and additional $4 port tax.

[fcorey]

This legislation calls for a 33% tax of casino earnings. It also restructures (increases) the income tax. The net effect is more than the $46 head tax and additional $4 port tax.

It will be interesting to see if it actually stands up to a legal challenge as the state my be stepping on some federal ground in the language used. If it were just the $50 per person I dont think they would have cared so much. Its the other issues like the required environmental engineer that they must pay for to monitor environmental proceedures etc as well as the casino taxes that they are really not happy about. There has also been some speculation that they are hoping that this will reduce some of the ships and their effect on the environment.

[kryos]

yet if everyone books early there will be no reason to drop the prices. It sounds like just the cruise lines WIN with this.:o
Yep! You'll be charged whatever the market will bear, and apparently it is willing to bear a lot these days for Alaska cruises.

Glad I'm not in the market for an Alaska cruise.

Blue skies ...

--rita

[SDHALFAN]

I was actually thinking about an Alaskan cruise next year since it has been 20 years since I was in Alaska. At those prices forget it - I didn't find Alaska all that interesting anyway.

I have a long cruise planned for the beginning of next year and then a deposit on a Panama Canal cruise in November of 2007. Looks like I'll be spending a lot of time cruising the Mexican Riviera, or round-trip Hawaii from now on.

Valerie;)

[cruznon]

We really wanted to return to ALaska next summer, but not at the rates I've seen.... Cruise lines really rake in the bucks on their Alaskan cruises! I guess we'll also continue with Mexican cruises.