NEWS: Cruising to Hawaii Is Getting MORE Expensive in 2026

If you’re planning on taking a cruise this year, including Disney Cruise Line voyages, it’s important to keep up with all that’s going on in the cruise industry to stay prepared.

Hawaii is a popular destination for many cruise lines, as well as a popular vacation destination in general. However, if you’re planning to travel to this beautiful state soon on a cruise, be prepared to pay more due to a new tax on cruise ships.

According to the Hawai’i State Legislature website, the Transient Accommodations Tax has been increased for the first time, and will now result in more fees for affected cruise ship passengers.

Lawmakers recently passed bills that would require cruise ship passengers to pay either a per-person fee or an 11% tax on ship cabins, like the TAT paid by hotels and vacation rentals.

The tax will increase on January 1st, 2026. Beginning July 1st, 2026, the Governor is required to “request in the executive budget or supplemental budget that an amount of general funds that approximates the additional Transient Accommodations Tax revenue generated by this Act be expended to advance certain climate change mitigation and tourism projects.” This means that this tax will go towards specific projects that, for example, support:

Protecting native forests, reefs, and coastlines
Ensuring buildings and infrastructure are made to be more climate-resilient
Reduction in damage from wildfires and flooding
Improve parks, trails, and beaches
Make tourism less harmful and more sustainable

According to local news affiliate Khon2, “The new tax will be 11% of the prorated cruise fare for days docked in the islands,” and cruise companies are expected to pass this tax down to their cruisers upon booking. Why is this being done? Well, until now, cruise companies and their passengers haven’t paid any portion of the TAT tax, and now, this change will align the cruise industry with hotels and rentals on land and “makes sure all visitors contribute to Hawai’i’s upkeep.”

We’ll be sure to keep you updated on this development and how it’s expected to impact cruise pricing into 2026, so stay tuned to AllEars!

“That’s An Extra $500 to the Price of a Ticket.” Cruise Industry Reacts to Proposed Tax Increases

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