So tomorrow my wife & I are off on our first cruise.
I wonder if a town might pay a cruise ship to bring in a boatload of suckers, or does the ship have to pay for the privilege of dropping anchor?
I had always assumed it was the latter – airlines pay landing fees for the privilege of using the airport, so I would assume there would be similar docking fees for cruise lines. But I honestly don’t actually know and never really thought about it before, and you do raise an interesting question.
It could actually be something in the middle, maybe the city offers the cruise line waived or at least reduced docking fees to entice them to stop there, similar to how cities offer companies tax breaks to entice them to locate there. I have actually heard of airports doing that with airlines; a small city trying to persuade an airline to serve their airport might offer discounted landing fees, so it seems plausible that a city with a seaport might do something similar with cruise lines.
And I see Johnny L.A. already answered the question while I was typing my post.
Thank you all. I shall be offline for the next week. Please have the world manage itself while I am on vacation.
In case you’re wondering why, in those vdo’s of people being left on the dock, as they watch the ship pull only a few yards off the dock, imploring it to return for them are always disappointed, it’s because if the ship pulls back in, they have to pay the docking fee again!
Don’t be late!
The Panama Canal is special, since cruise ships are charged $138 - $148 a berth to go through. Cite. That doesn’t count docking fees at Colon or Panama City. (My trip only docked at Colon.)
Yes, docking facilities are expensive to build and maintain, so pretty much any ship is going to pay substantial fees to use them.
Cruise ships have other ways to cover these than simply adding the fees to the cost they charge passengers. One common - and rather sleazy - one is to funnel passengers to certain stores with which the cruise company has hidden kickback arrangements. Link.
In essence, that’s no different to FB ads or the tour that always stops at the same souvenir shop.
I wonder if cruise passengers are getting savvier though? When we go on a cruise I research the ports online. Tripadvisor and others have plenty of comments and advice about where real bargains are to be had, as well as warnings about the rip-offs.
In Europe, some places are now looking at ways to limit the number and size of cruise ships because they have an adverse effect on their more profitable land-based tourist revenue.
Rather steep.
There are far more economical schemes, though obtaining permission for them is apparently far from easy. From this link about swimming the Panama Canal:
Those arrangements with onshore businesses are certainly common and a little sleazy, but I have to disagree with the “hidden” part. Like the article notes — they give presentations onboard the ship before each port extolling the virtues of certain shops. They give “expert” lectures on gems and precious stones designed to make the passengers more comfortable with buying expensive jewelry. They hand out coupons for their preferred shops.
While they may not advertise that they give kickbacks, it doesn’t require much intuition to work it out. In fact, many passengers are very comfortable with the cruise line having a close relationship to the store. From their end, the cruise lines offer satisfaction guarantees and certain warranties on onshore purchases from their affiliated vendors. This is VERY important to people buying expensive items from vendors in foreign countries.
The onshore facilities, including shop space, at many ports are owned by the cruise lines. On of the best examples is the Grand Turk Cruise Center, owned by Carnival. It features a large private beach with lounge chairs and services like massage and hair-braiding, shops and snack bars. The center also includes what is allegedly the largest swimming pool in the Caribbean, featuring a Margaritaville Restaurant with a swim up bar.
It can be a wonderful way to spend a vacation day, especially if yours is the only ship docked that day (as it was when I visited). But it can get awfully crowded if multiple ships are docked (Carnival owns multiple cruise lines including Princess, Holland America and Costa).
Then there are the cruise line owned private islands. Every major cruise line has one, and most cruises include a day there in their itinerary.
In the early 1990s I met with a guy who was working on a article for Conde Nast Traveler on things that had been accomplished in the past that it was no longer possible to do. One of them turned out to be swimming the Panama Canal. He asked permission of the administration and was denied. I’m sure in these days of “safety first” it would still be impossible to get permission.
I think it’s likely that, rather than safety, their main concern is not impeding millions of dollars worth of shipping trade in order to accommodate one person attempting a rather pointless achievement.
I don’t see how it would impede shipping. Small boats are “locked through” together with larger ships to save water, and a human swimmer could do the same. However, there are very strong currents in the lock chambers as they are emptied and filled, and this would be a hazard for a swimmer being “locked through.”
Every year there is a 3-day Ocean-to-Ocean Cayuco (dugout canoe) Race through the canal, with the permission of the Canal Authority, but the canoes have to portage around the locks.
I just assume the cruise line is making money somehow off everything off they “recommend” or sell… Whether it’s the shops they recommend or the tickets the ship sells for shore excursions operated by other companies or the restaurants/bars/souvenir shops on the private island* - the cruise lines are getting something.
- On some private islands, the cruise line provides food and drinks work the same as on the ship ( that is, if you have a beverage package that includes alcohol, you don’t pay for drinks on the island.) Harvest Caye ( owned by NCL) is different - all the businesses are independent , so you have to pay for drinks and food - the keycard doesn’t work . But Norwegian is getting something from those businesses- at least rent
I agree that unless you have just come from the cabbage patch the kickback arrangement is pretty obvious. That goes also for stores they dump you in during land excursions.
I’m not sure I’d trust any guarantees, considering the sleazy nature of the “art” auctions held right on the ship.