Think the tolls you pay driving to work are bad? They're nothing compared to the tolls the big cruise ships pay to cross the Panama Canal, and the canal fees just keep shooting up as vessels fight for space in the increasingly congested waterway.
Reuters reports today that the Panama Canal Authority charged the Disney Cruise Line a record $331,200 last month to let the Disney Magic make a one-time crossing.
The fee smashes the record for a cruise ship set last October, when Norwegian Cruise Line paid $313,000 to get the Norwegian Pearl through the 50-mile waterway between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
Reuters notes that non-reserved slots for crossing the canal are sold at auction to the highest bidder, with yachts, cruise liners and container vessels all competing for the same limited spaces.
