Should cruise lines include taxes in the base price?

Back in September, sister companies Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises very quietly tweaked their pricing structures. The big change? Cruise and airline taxes and fees are no longer listed separately from the base fare, a standard practice that causes the final cruise vacation bill to be several hundred dollars higher than the list price. Now, it's "what you see is what you get" -- the listed price is what you will pay for the cruise, period.

Get the full details in our news piece.

Do you think other cruise lines should follow suit? Vote in our poll and share your comments below.

I think they should also include the "suggesting tipping" charges..then people wouldn't spend endless hours trying to figure out how to avoid them. Then when they see the price, it's closer to the "all inclusive" vacation they've always misunderstood cruising to be.

I think they should also include the "suggesting tipping" charges..then people wouldn't spend endless hours trying to figure out how to avoid them. Then when they see the price, it's closer to the "all inclusive" vacation they've always misunderstood cruising to be.

Sort of "Back to the Future."

Problem is the lines expect the pax to pay part of the wages AFTER they have had the cruise. Some people overspend their budget (answers 1 & 2 above would help that), some are just cheap and some are from cultures where tipping is not usual.

Basic rule: If you can't afford twice the cruise price, save up or pick a less expensive cruise.

Oceania is now including soda as well.

Sort of "Back to the Future."

 

Problem is the lines expect the pax to pay part of the wages AFTER they have had the cruise. Some people overspend their budget (answers 1 & 2 above would help that), some are just cheap and some are from cultures where tipping is not usual.

 

Basic rule: If you can't afford twice the cruise price, save up or pick a less expensive cruise.

I think of the cost of cruising like I think about home repairs -- whatever the quoted price from the contractor, add at least 50% more, and you'll get close to what it will really cost! :D

I just figure out the tips, taxes, possible excursions ahead of time...and if I can afford it, I go. If I can't I don't. But I don't try to get around any of the costs by avoiding tips, or smuggling booze on board, or any of that.

And not just cruiselines! If any entity charges you for something, if you can't get it without paying a tax, fee, surcharge, processing fee, etc etc, whatever they want to call it, if it is not optional, than INCLUDE it in the price and be done. If the price of "whatever" is $800, plus "taxes and fees" of $200, then the "whatever" costs $1000. If the additional charges ybecause of whatever circumstances, that's one thing and, it could say "plus appriate taxes and fees", but I frequently get mailings that advertise a specific price (for a cruise) and pre printed it says, "plus $200 port taxes and fees". Well, if EVERYONE HAS to pay that $200, then the cost of the cruise is NOT the advertised price. It's that price plus $200 for EVERYONE.

It is sometimes confusing as some include them and some don't. Most include port charges in the fare but then list taxes and fees separately.

The cruise I booked today had Port charges of 165 and taxes of 128 pp. but the 165 was bundled in the pp fare price.

you know some of this is both sour grapes and stupidity. I do think the advertised price for airlines and cruises should include all taxes etc. But if the cruise fare included service charge and the you had to cancel you are SOL because if final payment has past your lose the right to get your money back. I personally like mandatory service charges unless you have a service problem that can't corrected can't be removed and it should be collected on the ship so the home office can't play with it. at least then if you cancel you aren't made to pay it. If it is just included in the base fare you will wind up paying more(overhead, profit taxes etc) right now when its prepaid its just a credit applied on board...but any one who cruises should know that there is an added fee for the crew. If not they are just intentionally ignorant.

I want to see the final price upfront. And I want to see what it includes on the main page of the website. That way if different lines include different things, it's obvious right away. It's fine with me if they automatically include tips. I always prepay them anyway. I would like to see an option to prepay for everything available on board.

i would like to see it ALL (port charges & taxes) in the price and not be SURPRISED when i get that final TOTAL:eek:

When you go to a store, the "tax" isn't included in the price of anything you purchase...why should a cruise be different? Everyone knows (or should) that there are taxes!

I'd like to see fares include tax and port charges at a minimum.

But I do not want to see mainstream cruises include pop, liquor, shore excursions, specialty dining because those items aren't necessary for a cruise experience ... but port charges and taxes are!

I like the 'What you see is what you pay'. That is my T.A's policy.

john

unsure you'll ever see taxes included...possibly fees but unlikely...when have you ever been to a hotel (or any service industry location really) that didnt have some sort of tax...its just the nature of purchasing a good or service...not really nickel and diming...if you want to avoid all other costs there are luxury lines and others that do all inclusive stuff...quite a bit more expensive though

Perhaps it is a good idea for taxes to be stated separately -- shouldn't you want to know what your government is charging you? In Europe there is a value added tax built into the price of everything you buy - in the US it is bad enough that the Federal and State fuel taxes on gasoline (major elements in what you pay) are not revealed -- if people were aware of all the taxes they were paying they might hold their governments more accountable.

In any event, you are told what the taxes and port charges on a cruise come to before you make your payment, so what's the problem?

Just as a matter of principal, I believe that all taxpayers should know exactly how much they are paying in taxes of any sort.

I voted yes for all to be included in the fare. Teh mass market lines claim you can cruise for $50-$60 pp/day, but this is not true when you add taxes, port fees, gratuities, etc.

When you go to a store, the "tax" isn't included in the price of anything you purchase...why should a cruise be different? Everyone knows (or should) that there are taxes!

cb,, when I go to a store where I live,, the taxes are always the same percentage of the price,, for travel ,, you NEVER really know what the heck the taxes will be..

I like the 'What you see is what you pay'. That is my T.A's policy.

 

john

Totally agree, I think its kind of sneaky to see ads with large letters proclaiming one price

"Cruise for 499" ,, only to find out its really " cruise for 750!"

Sure,, there is the fine print,, but fine print is just that, small and hard to see, and inexperienced travellers do not automatically realize how the price changes once all the taxes and fees get added in. I helped my nephew plan a Europeon trip this past summer, and it was an eye opener for sure for him.

Just give me a total price, that is all that is really important.

I think it's unfair to call buyers "stupid" for not being able to figure out the full cost of a cruise on sites that don't include everything in the fare. I think most of them do now - perhaps not the fuel surcharge - but at least most of the taxes and fees.

It's not like going to the retail store and knowing that the tax will be 6% (or whatever it is in your state). It's more like buying a cell phone plan for $59/month and finding out it's really more like $95/month with all the ridiculously vague fees and taxes added on. How would anyone know how to figure those out in advance??

The cruise sites I visit typically include everything (or nearly everything) when quoting the price, so I don't feel like I'm being decieved. But I'm sure we've all experienced well-meaning friends who run to us with a newspaper advertisement for a 7-day cruise for $299!! Yeah...that's per person, for an inside cabin, based on quadruple occupancy and not including fees, taxes, port costs, gratuities, etc.

They can show the total before taxes, list the taxes line by line and give a total. No big deal!

It would also be relatively simple (from a programming standpoint) to show recommended tips for each cruise and even include an information sheet indicating the cost of soft drinks, water, speciality restaurants, etc.

I wonder if there is a reason why cruise lines want to make it so complicated:confused:

I like the idea of including all mandatory (excluding gratuity) charges...fare, port charges, taxes, fuel surcharges. Makes it easier to compare real costs, without doing the math. When actually booking, you will be given the breakdown of these charges.

If you think this is bad, you should see the breakdown of fees, taxes, surcharges on my simple telephone bill!

The problem is that there is no uniformity. Some TA's give you a complete quote inclusive, while some do not. I think that most of us who are comparison shopping like to compare the "apples to apples" and the "oranges to oranges".

I like the idea of including all mandatory (excluding gratuity) charges...fare, port charges, taxes, fuel surcharges. Makes it easier to compare real costs, without doing the math. When actually booking, you will be given the breakdown of these charges.

 

If you think this is bad, you should see the breakdown of fees, taxes, surcharges on my simple telephone bill!

I think they should include qratuity in the cost. All cruise lines should include a manatory pre paid gratuity in their prices.