# How much does it cost cruise ships to travel through the Suez Canal? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 14, 2014, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-does-it-cost-cruise-ships-to-travel-through-the-suez-canal/683666 "2014-03-14T03:44:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Duke\_of\_York](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f6c823/32.png) [@Duke\_of\_York](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_York)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2014, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-does-it-cost-cruise-ships-to-travel-through-the-suez-canal/683666/1 "2014-03-14T03:44:37Z")
I have heard it’s around $25000.00 which would work out at around $12 per passenger. Does seem a ball park figure? So sorry Mods, can you move this to General Questions? ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2014, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-does-it-cost-cruise-ships-to-travel-through-the-suez-canal/683666/2 "2014-03-14T03:53:04Z")
Well, a large tanker costs [$325,000](http://beforeitsnews.com/eu/2013/05/panama-canal-and-suez-canal-pricing-policies-2521474.html). A Cruise ship is smaller, but still, I think your figures might be off by a zero. If you have the draft figures, you can [see for sure](http://www.suezcanal.gov.eg/calc.aspx). ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2014, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-does-it-cost-cruise-ships-to-travel-through-the-suez-canal/683666/3 "2014-03-14T04:19:47Z")
> [@Duke\_of\_York](#): > > So sorry Mods, can you move this to General Questions? So moved. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2014, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-does-it-cost-cruise-ships-to-travel-through-the-suez-canal/683666/4 "2014-03-14T04:20:52Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Well, a large tanker costs [$325,000](http://beforeitsnews.com/eu/2013/05/panama-canal-and-suez-canal-pricing-policies-2521474.html). A Cruise ship is smaller, but still, I think your figures might be off by a zero. If you have the draft figures, you can [see for sure](http://www.suezcanal.gov.eg/calc.aspx). I know cruise ships pay on the order of hundreds of thousands of dollars to go through the Panama Canal. ---
**Author:** ![Duke\_of\_York](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f6c823/32.png) [@Duke\_of\_York](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_York)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2014, 8:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-does-it-cost-cruise-ships-to-travel-through-the-suez-canal/683666/5 "2014-03-14T08:15:59Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > I know cruise ships pay on the order of hundreds of thousands of dollars to go through the Panama Canal. Thanks. The knowledge of Dopers knows no bounds. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2014, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-does-it-cost-cruise-ships-to-travel-through-the-suez-canal/683666/6 "2014-03-14T17:32:51Z")
Cruise ships are charged $134 per berth. The QE2 (by way of example) had 1892 berths, so it would have cost $253,528 for portage through the canal. Most cruise ships are much smaller than that. The per-berth figure seems high, though; cruise liners are much faster to accelerate and slow than tankers, so they should take much less time to pass through the locks. ---
**Author:** ![bizerta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@bizerta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bizerta)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2014, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-does-it-cost-cruise-ships-to-travel-through-the-suez-canal/683666/7 "2014-03-14T17:50:45Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > … so they should take much less time to pass through the locks. Are you confusing the Panama Canal with the OP’s sea-level Suez Canal? ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2014, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-does-it-cost-cruise-ships-to-travel-through-the-suez-canal/683666/8 "2014-03-14T17:57:49Z")
Yes. Yes I am. I must have been thrown off by \*\*Colibri’\*\*s post. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2014, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-does-it-cost-cruise-ships-to-travel-through-the-suez-canal/683666/9 "2014-03-14T23:36:33Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Well, a large tanker costs [$325,000](http://beforeitsnews.com/eu/2013/05/panama-canal-and-suez-canal-pricing-policies-2521474.html). A Cruise ship is smaller, but still, I think your figures might be off by a zero. If you have the draft figures, you can [see for sure](http://www.suezcanal.gov.eg/calc.aspx). [This article](http://www.eptours.com/X-Suez-Canal.pdf) says the average toll for Suez is $205,000. I think the OP has dropped a decimal place in the figure he recalls. Per the article you linked to, I think it’s very interesting that the tolls on the two canals are so similar, despite having drastically different operating expenses. The amount that can be charged depends mostly on how much time a ship can save by using each canal, which is similar. [QUOTE=Duke of York] Thanks. The knowledge of Dopers knows no bounds. [/QUOTE] I’ve heard the spiel at the Panama Canal Locks often enough from taking visitors there. And I can see the canal waiting area from my window as I type this. ---
**Author:** ![Duke\_of\_York](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f6c823/32.png) [@Duke\_of\_York](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_York)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2014, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-does-it-cost-cruise-ships-to-travel-through-the-suez-canal/683666/10 "2014-03-15T03:37:19Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > I’ve heard the spiel at the Panama Canal Locks often enough from taking visitors there. And I can see the canal waiting area from my window as I type this. Can I ask you to keep a lookout on the 1st Aug. when we pass through on the Dawn Princess? We’ll give you a wave if we see a face at the window:) If you have any cool info about the area please send it via a PM