Cruise fee doubles at vacation hot spot as passengers brace for even steeper hikes

Cruise passengers heading to Mexico are now paying a higher fee to visit some of the country's most popular destinations as the latest increase in a phased tax plan takes effect.

As of Aug. 1, the fee for foreign cruise passengers visiting Mexican ports increased from $5 to $10 per person, with additional increases scheduled over the next two years, according to Mexico's phased plan.

The charge applies to foreign cruise passengers visiting popular cruise destinations, including Cabo San Lucas, Puerto Vallarta, Cozumel and Costa Maya. It can be collected by cruise lines or their shipping agents.

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Clint Henderson, a managing editor of the travel site The Points Guy and based in New York, told Fox News Digital the increase likely won't be enough to deter most travelers, but said it adds to the growing expenses consumers face when traveling.

"While it's not horrible and likely won't be a deal-breaker for most tourists, it's another example of prices going up for travel across the board, and it's frustrating as a consumer rights advocate," Henderson said.

"Consumers keep getting hit with more and more taxes and fees for everything related to travel," he added.

The $10 charge is only one step in Mexico's plan, with the fee scheduled to increase again over the next two years.

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"The messed-up thing about this new fee is [that it's] just one of several increases to come over the next few years," Henderson said. "It will eventually go up to $21 over the next few years."

"We'll have to see if this ends up denting cruise demand for Mexico," he added.

Henderson noted that cruise passengers had previously been exempt from the immigration fee imposed on certain foreign travelers entering Mexico.

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"That's no longer the case," he said, "and it's going to raise costs for tourists."

The $10 charge, however, is still significantly lower than the fee Mexico originally planned to impose on cruise passengers.

Fox News Digital previously reported that Mexico's Congress approved an immigration levy of 860.56 pesos, roughly $42 at the time, on foreign cruise passengers in December 2024 — prompting pushback from the cruise industry.

The law took effect Jan. 1, 2025, but Mexico granted cruise passengers a 100% fiscal credit through the end of June, effectively postponing collection of the fee.

Following negotiations between the Mexican government and the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA), the two sides reached an agreement that set the initial fee at $5 per passenger beginning July 1, 2025.

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"On behalf of the FCCA and our member cruise lines — representing over 95% of cruise capacity in the Caribbean and Latin America — we thank the Federal Government of Mexico for working with us to reach an ‘in transit fee’ agreement," the FCCA told Fox News Digital at the time.

The association said the agreement was intended to protect cruise tourism while supporting Mexican communities that rely on visitors.

Under the phased plan, foreign cruise passengers paid $5 beginning in July 2025 before the fee doubled to $10 on Aug. 1 of this year.

The next increase is scheduled for July 1, 2027, when the charge will rise to $15 per passenger.

Then, beginning Aug. 1, 2028, travelers will pay $21 through Sept. 30, 2030, under the current plan.

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The impact of additional taxes and fees can become more noticeable when travelers are paying for an entire family, Henderson said.

"It's definitely making Mexico more expensive as all these taxes and fees start to add up," he said.

The increase arrives as travelers are seeing jumps in costs throughout the industry.

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"Unfortunately, cruising, like everything else, is getting more expensive," Henderson said in a previous interview.

He pointed to higher expenses for staffing, entertainment, food, beverages and fuel as some of the costs facing cruise operators.

"There's a lot of demand. There's a lot [of] people [who] want to cruise," Henderson said. "It's become very popular and things have gotten much more expensive."

Still, Henderson said cruising can offer good value when travelers consider the transportation, accommodations and entertainment included in the price.

"Cruising is still a relative bargain," he said.

Fox News Digital’s Ashley DiMella contributed reporting.