Port tax/Gov. fee can be raised/lowered by Travel agent?

[skipperscove]

I booked a Princess cruise with an online agency. My Port taxes and Government fees were $255.85 per person. My cousin booked the same cruise but with another agency. They charged her $77.00 per person. I looked it up on the Princess website and they are charging $153.70 per person. Shouldn't Port taxes and Government fees be exactly the same amount no matter who you buy the cruise from?

[Mike M]

Yes they should:

Actually Port Charges are Non-commissionable fares. They are more than just amount that is charged by the port for you to dock there. The cruise lines throw a bunch of other charges into this bucket that the agent doesn't make a commission on. However the cost of taxes and port fees should be the same between what the cruiseline is selling the cruise for and what agent sells it.

My guess is that the agent is rebating part of their commission in order to sell the cruise for less and deducting that from the non-commissionable fare (port charges). I also take it that their cruise is selling for that much less than yours. Overall not a bad deal.

Take care,
Mike

[skipperscove]

Hi Mike. You are right about my cousin paying less than me for the cruise. She booked the exact same cabin right next to me and got it for $847.30 LESS than I did. On Monday I will cancel with the agency I used and book it again with the agency she used. Thank you for answering about the difference in Port taxes/Gov. fees.