Do you have to pay a fee to enter ports?

[Tammyedwards922]

I've never cruised before, so apologies if this is a silly question. A friend just told me he cruised to Cuba in 2019 and had to pay a $70 per person fee at customs to enter the country. Is this normal? If so, where can I find out how much the fees are for each port stop? I haven't seen it mentioned anywhere on this site. 

[skrufy]

8 minutes ago, Tammyedwards922 said:

I've never cruised before, so apologies if this is a silly question. A friend just told me he cruised to Cuba in 2019 and had to pay a $70 per person fee at customs to enter the country. Is this normal? If so, where can I find out how much the fees are for each port stop? I haven't seen it mentioned anywhere on this site. 

Have been cruising since 2004 and never have paid a port fee at the port. The port fees are paid by the cruise line to dock. You pay this fee when making payment for the cruise.

[Flatbush Flyer]

30 minutes ago, skrufy said:

Have been cruising since 2004 and never have paid a port fee at the port. The port fees are paid by the cruise line to dock. You pay this fee when making payment for the cruise.

Port fees are different than customs/immigration/tourist visa et al. costs which some countries charge (even for “in transit” visitors). Your cruise line invoice SHOULD list which, if any, visas are required, which will be handled by the ship (as a courtesy or as an optional purchase) and which will be your responsibility to have in hand at embarkation. 
That said, I’ve seen errors on the invoice regarding which specific visa may be required. So, once you have your itinerary set, check with the nearest consulate for the countries involved and take care of the process with plenty of time to spare.

Worst problem we’ve had was Sri Lanka during a change in their government. Fortunately, a $150 phone bill to the in-country immigration hotline (which accomplished zero) was forgiven by AT&T and a consular officer in L.A. “bird dogged” the issue and got us the necessary visas. 
Bottom line: Pay attention to visa requirements.

[sparks1093]

12 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Port fees are different than customs/immigration/tourist visa et al. costs which some countries charge (even for “in transit” visitors). Your cruise line invoice SHOULD list which, if any, visas are required, which will be handled by the ship (as a courtesy or as an optional purchase) and which will be your responsibility to have in hand at embarkation. 
That said, I’ve seen errors on the invoice regarding which specific visa may be required. So, once you have your itinerary set, check with the nearest consulate for the countries involved and take care of the process with plenty of time to spare.

Worst problem we’ve had was Sri Lanka during a change in their government. Fortunately, a $150 phone bill to the in-country immigration hotline (which accomplished zero) was forgiven by AT&T and a consular officer in L.A. “bird dogged” the issue and got us the necessary visas. 
Bottom line: Pay attention to visa requirements.

Pretty much this. Port fees are included in your cruise fare and handled by the cruise line, visas are a different matter. Most of the other countries in the Caribbean do not require a visa for a US citizen, but of course not all cruisers are US citizens. 

[1025cruise]

As has been said, generally, no, you don't need to pay additional fees. Cuba is an exception as they require US Citizens to pay for an entry visa upon entering. 

 

There are other countries that require entry visas. A lot of the time, the cruise line handles it.

 

[Traveling Mike]

You do not have to worry about it unless you are going to cruise to a country that usually does not take tourists.  Even when we stopped at Russia there was no charge.  Almost any cruise port welcomes people from the ships to get off and spend your money.

 

When you are looking at ports you need to decide if you are going to take a shore excursion or do something on your own.  I am guessing when cruising first starts up you might have to take a ship shore excursion.  after they open up more you can determine if you pay to go with a group or go on your  own.  The ship excursions are nice because you leave as a group, travel as a group and the ship will not leave without your group.  The bad thing is you are in a group and travel slowly with the group.  On your own can be cheaper and see what you want to see.  You can also just get off and wonder around the port on your own.  The one warning is the ship will leave without you.  Google "pier runners" and watch the videos and you will make sure you know what time it is.

[Hlitner]

As a general rule, "Port Charges/Fees" are part of the price you pay the cruise line (it is usually broken out in the booking info and called something like "fees," port charges, etc.  There are a few exceptions around the world in a few ports.  For example, the port used for Ho Chi Minh City/Saigon has an extra fee that is added to vehicle fees (such as tour buses and taxis) but that is usually handled as an add-on to private tours and included in ship excursion prices.  

 

Speaking of "ship excursions,"  since it was raised in another post, we have cruised for over 40 years to hundreds of ports and have probably taken less then 5 cruise line excursions.  We normally go off on our own (trains, rental cars, public transit, etc) or join a small private tour (often arranged here on CC under the Roll Call boards).  We have never missed a ship (came close twice) and despite having met an awful lot of folks on all those cruises we have never met anyone who has missed the ship.   It does happen, but is pretty rare and is generally because the cruisers are just idiots :).   

 

Hank

[dkjretired]

On a very few ports, you may have to pay a transportation fee to get to the touristy areas

[CoolNickname]

On 2/20/2021 at 4:22 PM, Tammyedwards922 said:

I've never cruised before, so apologies if this is a silly question. A friend just told me he cruised to Cuba in 2019 and had to pay a $70 per person fee at customs to enter the country. Is this normal? If so, where can I find out how much the fees are for each port stop? I haven't seen it mentioned anywhere on this site. 

This was a Visa fee not a port fee. Americans pay a fee for a Visa when entering Cuba. Some cruises arrange to set them up and pay the fee for you in advance and some you pay the fee at entry. Or at least this was the situation when we went to Cuba. I've never had to pay a fee at entry at any other cruise port but always have port fees charged when paying for my cruise.