MSC Warns Guests As New Cruise Fee Takes Effect in Greece
MSC Cruises is making sure that their future guests (and their wallets) are prepared for the new sustainable tourism fee taking effect in Greece this month.
In 2024, the Greek parliament approved legislation that would create a new tourism tax to help combat over-tourism at the Greek Isles.
But in mid-July, which is the middle of the peak cruise season, the new tax will officially take effect.
“Starting July 21, 2025, the Greek Government will introduce a new cruise passenger fee for all guests visiting Greek ports, as part of their Sustainable Tourism program,” MSC wrote to impacted guests.
MSC Armonia, MSC Sinfonia, MSC Lirica, MSC Opera, MSC Fantasia, and MSC Divina will all be sailing to Greece this summer.
“This fee, similar to those already in place for hotels and other types of accommodation, is designed to support local infrastructure, promote sustainable tourism, and enhance visitors’ experience,” the cruise line continued.
“Please note that this mandatory fee applies to all guests, regardless of age, who transit through a Greek port – including ports of call as well as the port of disembarkation.”
The fee will automatically get added to passengers’ onboard accounts the night before the scheduled visit, and all onboard accounts have to be settled prior to disembarkation.
If cruisers choose not to go ashore, the fee will drop off from their onboard account within 24 hours.
“For your convenience, MSC Cruises will pay this fee directly to the Greek authorities on your behalf. We will simply add the fee to your shipboard account the night before each visit,” the cruise line explained.
“If you choose to stay onboard and not go ashore, the expense will be automatically removed from your account within 24 hours.”
Similar letters will likely be coming to guests of other cruise lines (if they haven’t already), as MSC Cruises is obviously not the only brand to sail to Greece.
Just to name some examples, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises, Disney Cruise Line, Norwegian Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, and Costa Cruises all have at least one ship deployed to the region this summer.
How Much is Greece’s New Cruise Fee?
The fee that cruise guests will have to pay will vary based on the time of year and the cruise ports they visit.
For example, Mykonos and Santorini are considered to be more popular and therefore visits come at a higher premium.
Looking back at 2023, Greece welcomed over 7 million cruise guests, with 1,298,968 cruisers visiting Santorini and 1,192,220 people sailing to Mykonos.
Preliminary numbers for 2024 show that Greece welcomed an estimated 7.9 million cruisers last year, which marks a 13% increase compared to 2023, and that number is only expected to grow in 2025.
During the peak season that runs from June 1 to September 30, it will cost €20 ($23.61 USD) per person to go ashore in Mykonos and Santorini, and €5 ($5.90 USD) to visit less busy Greek ports.
For the month of October and from April 1 to May 31, it will cost €12 ($14.17 USD) per person to visit Mykonos and Santorini and €3 ($3.54 USD) to visit other Greek cruise destinations.
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November 1 to March 31 will be the cheapest time of year to sail to Greece, with the fee dropping to €4 ($4.72 USD) per person to visit Mykonos and Santorini and €1 ($1.18 USD) for everywhere else.
The Greek government is hoping to raise €50 million ($59,044,425 USD) to put toward upgrading strained tourism infrastructure and improving cruise ports.
Hopefully, cruise guests will feel like their contribution will be a worthy investment, as it should improve their own experience in the ports in the long run.