How much is the cost of the cruise (not include any excursion) ?

I am new and tried to get a good idea of how much is the cost of the cruise. For example I got an email from princess like this

7-day Alaska Voyage of the Glaciers

Between Vancouver, B.C. and Anchorage (Whittier) Per guest

Interior fares from

$719*CAD

*Taxes, Fees & Port Expenses of up to $260 CAD are additional.I am from Toronto Canada. So does it means the cost of the cruise is

719 + 260 (taxes, fees and port charge) = 979 CAD

I know that this does not include flight , transfers between Airport and port any any other on-board expenses or excursions. The reason I asked is I got a quote from a travel agent which looks like 650 for the cruise 400 for tax and the total is 1050. I know that they have to charge me for the service. Is that really 979 (if I book on the web site myself ) + 71 dollar service charge or There is actually other tax that I have to pay and their service charge is less than 71 dollar.

I am new and tried to get a good idea of how much is the cost of the cruise. For example I got an email from princess like this

7-day Alaska Voyage of the Glaciers

Between Vancouver, B.C. and Anchorage (Whittier) Per guest

Interior fares from

$719*CAD

*Taxes, Fees & Port Expenses of up to $260 CAD are additional.I am from Toronto Canada. So does it means the cost of the cruise is

719 + 260 (taxes, fees and port charge) = 979 CAD

I know that this does not include flight , transfers between Airport and port any any other on-board expenses or excursions. The reason I asked is I got a quote from a travel agent which looks like 650 for the cruise 400 for tax and the total is 1050. I know that they have to charge me for the service. Is that really 979 (if I book on the web site myself ) + 71 dollar service charge or There is actually other tax that I have to pay and their service charge is less than 71 dollar.

Yes, the fare is $979 if you book it directly. The travel agent has taken the "non-commissionable" portion of the fare (that part the cruise line will not pay the TA a commission on) out of the fare to advertise a lower fare (650 vs 719), however, they then put the "non-commissionable" portion of the fare into "port taxes, port charges, fees and expenses" (note the bolded is not in the cruise line's direct list of additional charges). They are higher because they are likely offering some OBC (on board credit) that you can use for drinks, excursions, or other expenses.

A good travel agent does not charge you for the service, as they get a commission from the cruise line.

Check the cruise line's website, and you will most likely find that there are additional "daily service charges" per person, per day, that will be charged to your account onboard.

I am a bit confused by the "service charge" as very few legit cruise agencies charge any kind of service charge (the cruise line pays them). Also, if you look at the cruise line's own web site and price out a cruise, the taxes/fees should be about the same as the cruise/travel agency is quoting. You might also keep in mind that all of the mass market cruise lines have a daily gratuity...which is not included in the cruise fare. Sometimes you can get pre-paid gratuities covered by a cruise agency or cruise line as part of a promotion. Otherwise, think in terms of approximately $13-$15 per day per passenger...on top of the cruise fare.

Hank

I know about the $13-15 gratuities which I know is not included in the quot. In this quot , I am obviously charged $71 more.which I thought is perhaps commission.

"A good travel agent does not charge you for the service, as they get a commission from the cruise line.". I need to call them to find out about this extra charge or I should just call another agent.

If you are considering using this agent, definitely ask why their price is higher than going direct with the cruiseline. But I would not even bother with that and would find a high volume travel agent that discounts Princess cruises. You will get a lower price than booking direct with Princess.

Thanks for all the good advises. I am grad that I asked and found out that agent get their commission from the cruise line instead of assuming that it is normal that they charge us more. I'll call a few more agents to compare the price.

Also try to do a booking for the cruise on the cruise line site and see if there are really any cabins in that category available - frequently there are not so the price reflects a cabin at a higher rate.

That's a good point. But the agent I contacted told me that they have reserved some cabin at a lower rate, that's why they can quote me 650 instead of 719. But they some how make the tax higher to get money from me. I guess 'reserved cabin at lower price' is again not true.

Check out this thread, several people have listed cost for cruise for most if not all items.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2561611&highlight=actual

You should not pay more to book with a TA than directly. The TA is paid by the cruiseline, not you. If the TA isn’t charging less OR offering me something extra (like onboard credit) I simply book with the cruise line. The advantages with booking with a TA are limited.

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Make sure you double check what stateroom category the TA is offering.

Note, the cruise line ads say FROM. The cabin the TA is quoting you for, may be for a better cabin, or on a different sailing date than the one that is in the cruise line ad. Or, perhaps the TA is throwing in some OBC or another perq.

The $13-$15 service charge goes to service employees on board. Instead of tipping your housekeeper, restaurant servers, and others you don't even interact with, you are charged a flat amount per person per day and it is split between everyone. A lot of people still tip a little bit ($1 per person at dinner, $5 per person to housekeeper at the end of the trip) but it is not expected.

That is the price PER PERSON, based on DOUBLE occupancy. If only you are traveling, you the cost for the cabin is double the "per person " price.

Also double check with any travel agent you may use to make sure they do not charge for changes to your reservation. Some do, the good ones wont. For instance, you decide to go with a bigger cabin and expect to pay for the difference in price, some travel agents charge you just for making the change.

So ask the questions before you book with an agent. If you are unsure who is good and who is not, then ask your friends and family and see if any of them have used an agent and what their impression is of them.