Taxes and port fees higher with TA?

[CJDepew]

Wondering if anyone else has run into this dilemma. Contacted a CLIA certified TA to book a cruise on the Conquest for a group. She got back to me with cabin prices and the quote included $159 port tax, $118.08 govt tax per guest. If you start the booking process on the Carnival website for the same cruise the taxes and port fees are $236.02 for the entire cabin, which is significantly less.

 

Has anyone else experienced this? Since the information is freely available on the Carnival website I can't figure out why the numbers are significantly different.

 

Thanks!

Carolyn

[BigB0882]

I read another thread where it was explained that Carnival hides some of the taxes in their fare. People don't like to see the price of a cruise and then see THAT much more to pay in port fees and taxes. The TAs don't usually do this because they can not get a commission on the taxes and port fees, so they list them all completely separately. This is also why TAs usually show lower fare prices even though the totals often come out nearly the same.

Edited March 27, 2015 by BigB0882

[CdrescherRBL152]

There could be depending on where you live serevle reasons. One being how the fares, taxes, etc. are showen. Another could be that booking thru a T.A. you may as you do in Mass pay sales tax not only for the state where the cruise starts from but also Ma. as that is where the sale took place. No dosn't seam right to me either. And yes there is also a move to stop it. But keep in mind at one point Ma. wanted stores in NH to collect Ma sales tax from cars that were reg. in Ma. for the purchase of tires in NH.

[Ken076]

The Cruiselines quote fares as "CruiseFare" + "Government Fees & Taxes".

 

Travel Agents do not get commission on the entire Cruisefare and breakout the "NonCommisionable Fare" (NCF) portion separate from the Cruisefare (and often lump it with "Government Fees and Taxes"). The TA quote is generally "Commissionable Cruise Fare" + (NCF + Govt Fees & Taxes).

 

Ken

[Havingfun2010]

I read another thread where it was explained that Carnival hides some of the taxes in their fare. People don't like to see the price of a cruise and then see THAT much more to pay in port fees and taxes. The TAs don't usually do this because they can not get a commission on the taxes and port fees, so they list them all completely separately. This is also why TAs usually show lower fare prices even though the totals often come out nearly the same.

 

 

That would contradict Carnivals method of luring customers with cheap, cruises.