Cruise guests traveling to St. Thomas may need to pay not one, not two, but three higher fees in 2025 in order to fund critical infrastructure projects requested by cruise lines. The new fees will begin on two separate dates, and which fees guests pay will depend on exactly where their ships dock.
The new fees were discussed at a public hearing hosted by the Virgin Islands Port Authority on Tuesday, December 17, 2024, following their approval in September.
According to the St. Thomas Source, cruise ship fees to visit the islands are set by tariff contracts with cruise lines. The new fees are earmarked to fund projects essential to cruise travel to the islands.
The largest fee increase is the port dues, which will increase from $6.84 per guest to $9.84 per guest. This $3 per person fee increase will help fund the Charlotte Amalie Harbor Dredging Project, which was specifically requested by Disney Cruise Line, Norwegian Cruise Line, and Carnival Cruise Line.
Dredging the harbor to a deeper depth will help accommodate larger cruise ships and improve navigability.
“[Virgin Islands Port Authority] is responsible for dredging the USVI’s harbors, but does not have the financial resources to do so,” said Carlton Dowe, the port authority director. “The government of the V.I. is assisting with funding the Charlotte Amalie Harbor Dredging, but it will not cover all costs.”
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The dredging project is slated to begin in the second quarter of 2025 and will take approximately two years to complete. The fee increase will begin from April 1, 2025.
It should be noted that the central government of the USVI has already earmarked $17 million in funding for the project, and therefore, cruise guests are not paying the entire cost directly.
The other two fees are both wharfage fees collected at the different docks, depending on where individual cruise ships berth. The fees are the same at both docks – currently $7.80 per cruise passenger, but set to increase by just $.44 per person, to $8.24 per passenger.
This fee increase will fund “marine operations and expenses” and helps maintain the facilities that cruise ships use as they dock. The higher fee will take effect from January 1, 2025 at the West Indian Company Dock in Havensight and from April 1, 2025 at the Austin “Babe” Monsanto Marine Terminal in Crown Bay and on St. John.
Potentially, if a cruise guest were traveling on an itinerary that included a visit to both St. Thomas and St. John, they could be hit with all three fee increases – the overall port dues, as well as wharfage fees at both destinations.
No fees are currently being increased for visits to St. Croix.
It should be noted that these latest increases follow a similar increase imposed on Royal Caribbean ships that began on January 1, 2024. That $5 per guest Capital Cost Recovery Charge has also helped with dredging costs.
Will Increased Fees Change Cruise Itineraries?
Discussion at the recent public hearing brought up concerns from local business owners, including fears that cruise lines might be considering changing itineraries for destinations without higher fees. Dowe noted that no cruise line has expressed such concerns at this time.
This comes as Mexico is working to impose a significant $42 per passenger fee on cruise guests to Costa Maya and Cozumel, a move that does have cruise lines reacting.
Following pushback from cruise lines, Mexico’s government has already delayed the proposed fee increase at least six months, until July 1, 2025.
St. Thomas is a wildly popular destination for Eastern Caribbean cruise itineraries. In addition to Disney, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, and Carnival, other cruise lines that regularly visit St. Thomas include Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, Celebrity Cruises, MSC Cruises, and more.
