Lawsuit Accuses RCCL of Bogus Taxes

A lawsuit filed on Friday is claiming that Royal Caribbean Cruises and subsidiary Celebrity Cruise Lines overcharged passengers at least $150 million in fraudulent taxes. "We are outraged by the actions of the attorneys filing this suit," said Lynn Martenstein, vice president, Corporate Communications. "Our figures show they are dead wrong in their facts and we feel they are hugely irresponsible in using the media to sensationalize a nonexistent case." "We actually pay more in government taxes and fees than we charge our guests," she explained, citing a preliminary analysis of guest charges and payments made to government. Using actual figures paid by two of the plaintiffs as examples, the RCCL said they were charged $26 and $40, respectively, for government taxes and fees. The company, in turn, paid approximately $45 and $58, respectively, to cover such taxes and fees.