St. Thomas Elevating Charges on Cruise Visitors in 2025

Cruise visitors touring to St. Thomas could must pay not one, not two, however three larger charges in 2025 so as to fund crucial infrastructure tasks requested by cruise traces. The brand new charges will start on two separate dates, and which charges visitors pay will rely on precisely the place their ships dock.
The brand new charges had been mentioned at a public listening to hosted by the Virgin Islands Port Authority on Tuesday, December 17, 2024, following their approval in September.
In response to the St. Thomas Supply, cruise ship charges to go to the islands are set by tariff contracts with cruise traces. The brand new charges are earmarked to fund tasks important to cruise journey to the islands.
The biggest payment improve is the port dues, which can improve from $6.84 per visitor to $9.84 per visitor. This $3 per individual payment improve will assist fund the Charlotte Amalie Harbor Dredging Undertaking, which was particularly requested by Disney Cruise Line, Norwegian Cruise Line, and Carnival Cruise Line.
Dredging the harbor to a deeper depth will assist accommodate bigger cruise ships and enhance navigability.
“[Virgin Islands Port Authority] is answerable for dredging the USVI’s harbors, however doesn’t have the monetary assets to take action,” stated Carlton Dowe, the port authority director. “The federal government of the V.I. is helping with funding the Charlotte Amalie Harbor Dredging, however it is not going to cowl all prices.”
Learn Additionally: When Is the Finest Time to Go to the US Virgin Islands?
The dredging venture is slated to start within the second quarter of 2025 and can take roughly two years to finish. The payment improve will start from April 1, 2025.
It ought to be famous that the central authorities of the USVI has already earmarked $17 million in funding for the venture, and subsequently, cruise visitors will not be paying all the value instantly.
The opposite two charges are each wharfage charges collected on the completely different docks, relying on the place particular person cruise ships berth. The charges are the identical at each docks – presently $7.80 per cruise passenger, however set to extend by simply $.44 per individual, to $8.24 per passenger.
This payment improve will fund “marine operations and bills” and helps preserve the amenities that cruise ships use as they dock. The upper payment will take impact from January 1, 2025 on the West Indian Firm Dock in Havensight and from April 1, 2025 on the Austin “Babe” Monsanto Marine Terminal in Crown Bay and on St. John.

Doubtlessly, if a cruise visitor had been touring on an itinerary that included a go to to each St. Thomas and St. John, they could possibly be hit with all three payment will increase – the general port dues, in addition to wharfage charges at each locations.
No charges are presently being elevated for visits to St. Croix.
It ought to be famous that these newest will increase comply with a comparable improve imposed on Royal Caribbean ships that started on January 1, 2024. That $5 per visitor Capital Value Restoration Cost has additionally helped with dredging prices.
Will Elevated Charges Change Cruise Itineraries?
Dialogue on the latest public listening to introduced up considerations from native enterprise homeowners, together with fears that cruise traces may be contemplating altering itineraries for locations with out larger charges. Dowe famous that no cruise line has expressed such considerations right now.
This comes as Mexico is working to impose a major $42 per passenger payment on cruise visitors to Costa Maya and Cozumel, a transfer that does have cruise traces reacting.
Following pushback from cruise traces, Mexico’s authorities has already delayed the proposed payment improve no less than six months, till July 1, 2025.
St. Thomas is a wildly standard vacation spot for Jap Caribbean cruise itineraries. Along with Disney, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, and Carnival, different cruise traces that frequently go to St. Thomas embrace Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, Celeb Cruises, MSC Cruises, and extra.
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