NCL drops a Port, not refund of Port fees and Taxes

[Beer Belly]

We are on the May 7th sailing to Bermuda that originally had stop at Norfolk Virginia, but NCL decided to remove Norfolk for whatever reason. I emailed our Travel Agent to ask if there were any Port Fees or Taxes refunded for the Port they removed, she responded " I called Norwegian and confirmed that there will be no compensation for the missed port in Virginia. I was informed that as part of your cruise contract, Norwegian has the right to change the itinerary.  Please let me know if you have any other questions.".......when I asked if there were Port Fees and Taxes for Virginia, they are not being refunded ?.....response   "Yes, that is what I was told by Norwegian.  It is unfortunate."  When I questioned the amount of Port Fees and Taxes for Virginia..."The total taxes and fees are 308.76 per person, they don't get broken down by port."  I can understand an itinerary change for safety reasons, it's hard enough to except the idea of a drop of a Port "because they can", but to not refund any Port Fees and Taxes for that Port, to me that is theft.

Edited February 10, 2023 by Beer Belly

[shof515]

This is normal. I sailing on the Escape to Bermuda in October. Norfolk was dropped a few weeks ago and port taxes stayed the same

[Funky Fusion FoodsJ]

32 minutes ago, Beer Belly said:

We are on the May 7th sailing to Bermuda that originally had stop at Norfolk Virginia, but NCL decided to remove Norfolk for whatever reason. I emailed our Travel Agent to ask if there were any Port Fees or Taxes refunded for the Port they removed, she responded " I called Norwegian and confirmed that there will be no compensation for the missed port in Virginia. I was informed that as part of your cruise contract, Norwegian has the right to change the itinerary.  Please let me know if you have any other questions.".......when I asked if there were Port Fees and Taxes for Virginia, they are not being refunded ?.....response   "Yes, that is what I was told by Norwegian.  It is unfortunate."  When I questioned the amount of Port Fees and Taxes for Virginia..."The total taxes and fees are 308.76 per person, they don't get broken down by port."  I can understand an itinerary change for safety reasons, it's hard enough to except the idea of a drop of a Port "because they can", but to not refund any Port Fees and Taxes for that Port, to me that is theft.

It all works out over time.

[ngrund]

I'm hopeful that we will get an onboard credit once we sail-

 

I believe that the fees we've been charged right now are still just an estimate of the total port fees for the trip, The actual total fees for Bermuda won't be known until we actually set sail (final passenger count).

 

Different line, but I was just on a Carnival trip and once onboard we received $10 and change refund of port fees each.

 

 

 

[dexddd]

They started dropping Norfolk last year which didn't quite make sense because you'd think provisions would be cheaper than NYC.  Why??  No idea other than maybe pre Sail and Sustain, for your convenience, of course.

 

Getting refund or obc, very low chance.  We missed a port in September and they would not even reply no, they just ignored it.  I can say we've never been hit for increase if it ever happened.

[belchro22]

We've skipped ports in the past and received $10 credit. Hardly worth worrying about.

[Beer Belly]

33 minutes ago, belchro22 said:

We've skipped ports in the past and received $10 credit. Hardly worth worrying about.

times 3,000+ passengers

Edited February 10, 2023 by Beer Belly

[sailorusvi]

They estimate port fees. Until the end of the cruise they will not know if they estimated correctly or not, even with a dropped port.

 

At least in my experience, there are both fixed fees (typically based on length and/or tonnage) and per passenger fees (typically an arrival and departure tax).  In addition to that, I've been hit with overtime fees for arriving on a Sunday or holiday among other random fees.

 

My experience was on a much smaller scale than a cruise ship, but figuring out the exact per person costs in advance was not as straightforward as you would expect.

 

I've read some people have recieved port fees back at the end of the cruise, but it's hit or miss.

[Homosassa]

OP, there has be numerous threads that contain explanations on how port fees are calculated and when, if ever, there  may be a small refund in the form of onboard credit.

 

I suggest that some research be done and learn that there is no theft.

[MoCruiseFan]

3 hours ago, Beer Belly said:

We are on the May 7th sailing to Bermuda that originally had stop at Norfolk Virginia, but NCL decided to remove Norfolk for whatever reason. I emailed our Travel Agent to ask if there were any Port Fees or Taxes refunded for the Port they removed, she responded " I called Norwegian and confirmed that there will be no compensation for the missed port in Virginia. I was informed that as part of your cruise contract, Norwegian has the right to change the itinerary.  Please let me know if you have any other questions.".......when I asked if there were Port Fees and Taxes for Virginia, they are not being refunded ?.....response   "Yes, that is what I was told by Norwegian.  It is unfortunate."  When I questioned the amount of Port Fees and Taxes for Virginia..."The total taxes and fees are 308.76 per person, they don't get broken down by port."  I can understand an itinerary change for safety reasons, it's hard enough to except the idea of a drop of a Port "because they can", but to not refund any Port Fees and Taxes for that Port, to me that is theft.

 

Read your contract, no compensation is due.  On the second point, you are ASS-u-mnig that NCL was refunded the fees which may not be the case.

 

[PTC DAWG]

3 hours ago, Beer Belly said:

We are on the May 7th sailing to Bermuda that originally had stop at Norfolk Virginia, but NCL decided to remove Norfolk for whatever reason. I emailed our Travel Agent to ask if there were any Port Fees or Taxes refunded for the Port they removed, she responded " I called Norwegian and confirmed that there will be no compensation for the missed port in Virginia. I was informed that as part of your cruise contract, Norwegian has the right to change the itinerary.  Please let me know if you have any other questions.".......when I asked if there were Port Fees and Taxes for Virginia, they are not being refunded ?.....response   "Yes, that is what I was told by Norwegian.  It is unfortunate."  When I questioned the amount of Port Fees and Taxes for Virginia..."The total taxes and fees are 308.76 per person, they don't get broken down by port."  I can understand an itinerary change for safety reasons, it's hard enough to except the idea of a drop of a Port "because they can", but to not refund any Port Fees and Taxes for that Port, to me that is theft.

How can it be "theft" if you agreed to it?  You may not like it, I get that, but it's not theft.  

[Beer Belly]

It's like paying a plumber who never entered your home or performed a service. I agree to a change of itinerary, but to charge for an intentionally missed Port, not weather or safety related and charged.....

[sailorusvi]

17 minutes ago, Beer Belly said:

It's like paying a plumber who never entered your home or performed a service. I agree to a change of itinerary, but to charge for an intentionally missed Port, not weather or safety related and charged.....

 

The thing is they may have underestimated another port's fees. So it might be a wash in the end.  That is why they wait till the end of the cruise to issue credits, if any.

[rxlowry]

Think of the beverage taxes saved though. 

[Liljo22]

1 hour ago, Beer Belly said:

It's like paying a plumber who never entered your home or performed a service. I agree to a change of itinerary, but to charge for an intentionally missed Port, not weather or safety related and charged.....

Its more like you are paying a contractor to renovate your house.  He estimated the total cost of the renovation based on the initial SOW.  Turns out the electrician was not needed to run new wiring but the plumber ended up costing more which may offset the savings from the electrician.  

 

As others have said, port fees are just estimates.  My last cruise, the ports did not change but I ended up getting an $11 OBC because they over estimated the fees.  I have never had a cruise line charge me after the fact for underestimating the fees but I assume it has happened and they just ate it.  

Edited February 10, 2023 by Liljo22

[cruiseny4life]

Sorry, you won't get your fees back. You'll need to cruise another line if you'd like a refund on port charges for itineraries that change ahead of the cruise. If they had made the change while you were onboard, it's possible you would have been refunded. 

 

Everyone else above, while they're trying to make comparisons, aren't acknowledging the obvious truth that NCL does not refund port fees if they cancel a port ahead of the cruise. I hope someone (with actual experience) can prove me wrong. 

[belchro22]

6 hours ago, Beer Belly said:

times 3,000+ passengers

Who more than likely ate and drank more than $10 worth while on the ship instead of in port.

[belchro22]

6 hours ago, belchro22 said:

We've skipped ports in the past and received $10 credit. Hardly worth worrying about.

 

6 hours ago, Beer Belly said:

times 3,000+ passengers

Who more than likely ate and drank more than $10 worth while on ship instead of in port.

[Beer Belly]

3 hours ago, rxlowry said:

Think of the beverage taxes saved though. 

Got a point there. NCL can use this going forward to create more income....lure people on the ship, cancel a Port because you can, keep all Port fees...it's a win

[Beer Belly]

3 hours ago, rxlowry said:

Think of the beverage taxes saved though. 

Got a point there. NCL can use this going forward to create more income....lure people on the ship, cancel a Port because you can, keep all Port fees...it's a win

[BirdTravels]

9 hours ago, Beer Belly said:

We are on the May 7th sailing to Bermuda that originally had stop at Norfolk Virginia, but NCL decided to remove Norfolk for whatever reason. I emailed our Travel Agent to ask if there were any Port Fees or Taxes refunded for the Port they removed, she responded " I called Norwegian and confirmed that there will be no compensation for the missed port in Virginia. I was informed that as part of your cruise contract, Norwegian has the right to change the itinerary.  Please let me know if you have any other questions.".......when I asked if there were Port Fees and Taxes for Virginia, they are not being refunded ?.....response   "Yes, that is what I was told by Norwegian.  It is unfortunate."  When I questioned the amount of Port Fees and Taxes for Virginia..."The total taxes and fees are 308.76 per person, they don't get broken down by port."  I can understand an itinerary change for safety reasons, it's hard enough to except the idea of a drop of a Port "because they can", but to not refund any Port Fees and Taxes for that Port, to me that is theft.

It’s about $8 for the missed port. Nothing to get too excited about. 

[G-DawgMN]

28 minutes ago, Beer Belly said:

Got a point there. NCL can use this going forward to create more income....lure people on the ship, cancel a Port because you can, keep all Port fees...it's a win

 

 Port fees are always estimate, NCL has no way to know for sure what the actual cost is until the ship sales (it's based on passenger count etc). NCL doesn't charge you more if they underestimated the costs, but I was just on the Epic and NCL gave a $13 refund for port fees to everyone once we were on the ship. We didn't miss a port, they just overcharged.

 

  Maybe try to keep a positive outlook and hope that NCL has positive intent and will do the right thing when you go on your cruise.

 

 

[lfdemt]

5 minutes ago, KSSS2013 said:

 

 

 

  Maybe try to keep a positive outlook and hope that NCL has positive intent and will do the right thing when you go on your cruise.

 

 

If I didn't just spend 5-6 hours jumping through NCL's never ending hoops to get them to follow their own policies, this would be easier to do.  

 

Having them lie outright and hang up or put on hold only to be dropped several times does not scream NCL has a positive intent.  

[G-DawgMN]

2 minutes ago, lfdemt said:

If I didn't just spend 5-6 hours jumping through NCL's never ending hoops to get them to follow their own policies, this would be easier to do.  

 

Having them lie outright and hang up or put on hold only to be dropped several times does not scream NCL has a positive intent.  

 

 

 What port taxes were you having an issue with (since this is a thread on that).

 

 I recommend a good travel agent, they can do all the work for you so you don't have to spend time on the phone dealing with any issues. All cruise lines have huge hold times these days and most front line support just reads from a script so aren't the most useful.

 

 

[Liljo22]

27 minutes ago, KSSS2013 said:

 Maybe try to keep a positive outlook and hope that NCL has positive intent and will do the right thing when you go on your cruise.

 

 

You know that is not going to happen.  We have seen this story before.  They are already upset with NCL so everything is going to be nitpicked on the actual cruise and they will come back on here and tell everyone how terrible NCL is now.   While they say they are done with NCL, they will spend the next 2 years on this board telling everyone how NCL wronged them. 

 

This isn't exclusive to the NCL board but is guaranteed how it will play out.