A hefty cruise fee increase implemented in Iceland has led to numerous cancelled port calls. The infrastructure fee came into force on January 1 causing several cruise lines to limit or completely shift ships away from Iceland.
Each call is now subject to the new fee is ISK2,500 (about $26) per passenger – five times the cost of the existing Accommodation Tax on cruise guests.
So far, Akureyri Port has been informed of 44 cruise call cancellations while other Iceland ports have confirmed cancelled calls and local media reported at least 80 scheduled calls have been scrapped for 2025. Cruise lines have told port officials the short notice of the fee has forced them to skip calls.
MSC Cruises told Akureyri Port management that it could skip Iceland cruises altogether.
“This new proposed infrastructure fee is at a level where it could affect viability of Iceland in our future itineraries and plans,” the cruise line wrote.
“It’s reasonable for this industry to contribute but it must be implemented with adequate notice,” Sigurður Jökull Ólafsson, Chairman of Cruise Iceland told national new broadcaster RÚV.
While Cruise Iceland is not opposed to a fee increase in principle it, “has be implemented gradually so it wouldn’t hit operations as hard as it does now.”
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