Cunard Fuel Surcharge?

[Alibobs]

Hello Everyone, I have been lurking on this thread for a couple of weeks now! We are considering a TA from NY to Southampton in June. we will have flown out to Toronto, done the Falls then the Maple Leaf down to NY for a few days before joining the QM2

It is a significant birthday for me this year, hence the trip.

We have just received the following from our TA and wonder if anyone else has heard about this?

 

 

Good Afternoon

 

We have been advised by Cunard today that they will be adding fuel supplements to new bookings from the 6th February 2012.

 

The Bookings will increase by £8.00 per person per day.

 

If you are still interested in the Cunard cruise our office is open tomorrow 11 until 4pm

 

Please call us and we can book the cruise for you.

[ToadOfToadHall]

http://www.cunard.co.uk/About-Cunard-Line/Fuel-Supplement/

 

$9 a day it says, which ain't £8.

 

I booked in November last year and they added £3/day.

 

It's standard cruise line stunt. If the price of fuel was to come down, do you think they would be giving you money back ? Hmm, let me think.

[Alibobs]

Thanks Toad - I saw that on the Cunard website but it refers to 2011 bookings - I cannot find any reference to 2012.

 

I agree with you about any rebates - I thought the price of oil was coming down but have yet to see any positive feedback!

[zider]

Official Press Release

 

Following global increases in the price of fuel, P&O Cruises and Cunard Line will be introducing fuel supplements for all new 2012/2013 bookings made from 6 February 2012.

 

The previous 2011/2012 fuel supplements will remain the same.

 

The supplement payable will be dependant on the departure date of the cruise -

 

2011/2012 Departures will incur a £6.00 per person per day supplement, up to a maximum of £120 per person

• 2012/2013 Departures will incur a £8.00 per person per day supplement, up to a maximum of £250 per person.
  

The supplement will apply to every paying passenger travelling, including 3rd and 4th person fares and paid children’s places.

 

No supplement will be applied to free child places

[Alibobs]

Thank you Zider

[bluemarble]

I must say the Cunard fuel supplement has me confused. This thread got me wondering how the fuel supplement actually appears when booking a voyage. Here is what I see on the U.S. Cunard web site (cunard.com) when I attempt to price a seven day transatlantic crossing on the QM2 in July.

Guest 1:

 

Fare before Fuel Supplement: $1,795.00

?This is the fare per person before any Sea Fuel Supplement is added

Fees: $35.24

Your Fare: $1,830.24

?This is the total Fare payable inclusive of all savings and Sea Fuel Supplement

The fine print in the footnote to the total fare states the following:

Voyage fares shown include a fuel supplement of $9.00 per person, per day (up to a maximum of $300) on all paying guests for voyages departing on or after 14 April 2011.

Can anyone help me make sense of this? There would appear to be four possibilities.

 

1) The base fare of $1,795.00 actually includes the $9.00 per day fuel supplement even though it is described as "Fare before Fuel Supplement".

2) The $9.00 per day fuel supplement will be added as an additional charge to the "Your Fare" amount, even though it states this amount is inclusive of the fuel supplement.

3) No fuel supplement is being charged even though the fine print states there is a $9.00 per person per day fuel supplement.

4) Something else is going on here that I am just not comprehending.

 

Regards,

John.

[KirkNC]

Wow, surprising as I am not aware of any other line charging a fuel surcharge (though the fine print allows it to be done).

[zider]

This part is Confusing.

 

Guest 1:

 

Fare before Fuel Supplement: $1,795.00 ?This is the fare per person before any Sea Fuel Supplement is added

Fees: $35.24

Now a 7 day crossing at $9 a day does not ad up to $35.24 in fact no matter how many days a cruise is the Fuel Surcharge will always total Whole Dollars & no! Cents. Conclusion they have not updated the system properly.

 

 

 

[bluemarble]

Wow, surprising as I am not aware of any other line charging a fuel surcharge (though the fine print allows it to be done).

 

This part is Confusing.

 

Guest 1:

 

Fare before Fuel Supplement: $1,795.00 ?This is the fare per person before any Sea Fuel Supplement is added

Fees: $35.24

Now a 7 day crossing at $9 a day does not ad up to $35.24 in fact no matter how many days a cruise is the Fuel Surcharge will always total Whole Dollars & no! Cents. Conclusion they have not updated the system properly.

Thanks for the feedback.

 

I agree the "Fees" category cannot account for the fuel supplement. Another popular U.S. cruise booking web site lists that $35.24 charge as "Government Fees". For what it's worth, I cannot find any mention of the Cunard fuel supplement on that other site.

 

Regards,

John.

[ToadOfToadHall]

Thanks Toad - I saw that on the Cunard website but it refers to 2011 bookings - I cannot find any reference to 2012.

 

So it does, I'd failed to spot the year, sorry.

[Salacia]

Recently I received in the post Cunard 2012 European Voyages brochure. Each voyage mentioned is accompained by a text box with pricing. At the bottom of each box in small type is included "At the time of printing, no fuel supplement is in effect. Cunard reserves the right to impose a fuel supplement in the future."

 

Since the fuel supplement has been in effect for so many months, it makes me wonder when the brochure was printed...or if there really is currently no fuel supplement in effect as stated in the brochure (which appears very unlikely).

[Salacia]

Thanks for the feedback.

 

I agree the "Fees" category cannot account for the fuel supplement. Another popular U.S. cruise booking web site lists that $35.24 charge as "Government Fees". For what it's worth, I cannot find any mention of the Cunard fuel supplement on that other site.

 

Regards,

John.

 

Bluemarble, I noticed that the cruise booking website that I have used often in the past isn't showing any fuel supplement either. However, a fuel supplement was shown (and I was invoiced for it) when I booked my Dec/Jan 2012 QM2 voyage. Regards, -S.

[bluemarble]

Recently I received in the post Cunard 2012 European Voyages brochure. Each voyage mentioned is accompained by a text box with pricing. At the bottom of each box in small type is included "At the time of printing, no fuel supplement is in effect. Cunard reserves the right to impose a fuel supplement in the future."

 

Since the fuel supplement has been in effect for so many months, it makes me wonder when the brochure was printed...or if there really is currently no fuel supplement in effect as stated in the brochure (which appears very unlikely).

 

Bluemarble, I noticed that the cruise booking website that I have used often in the past isn't showing any fuel supplement either. However, a fuel supplement was shown (and I was invoiced for it) when I booked my Dec/Jan 2012 QM2 voyage. Regards, -S.

 

Thanks, Salacia.

 

I just examined the fine print in a Cunard "Experience the Romance of Europe" brochure I recently received and I am seeing a similar statement about no fuel supplement currently being in effect. Based on the available information, it would seem now that the most likely explanation to the discrepancy in the price quote I obtained from cunard.com is that currently there is no fuel supplement being charged here in the U.S.

 

I will be interested to see what happens on Monday, when the announced fuel supplement increase from £6.00 to £8.00 which prompted this thread is to go into effect.

 

Regards,

John.

[maina]

We just booked for May 29th TA, during the 3-day sale, and the price we were given did not include a fuel supplement. Can that be applied retroactively, i.e., you have already booked and have been given what you think is a "firm" price? We've paid the deposit, and the balance is due Feb. 29th. Under the terms of the sale, the deposit is not refundable (as it apparently normally would be). If we have not yet paid the balance, how likely is it that the fuel surcharge would be added? And would this be legal? I, too, saw the fine print about fuel supplement charges not being in effect currently; this was in the online Cunard site, which presumably would be easier to update, and not the printed brochure.

[zider]

This is from Cunards website.

 

Cunard is currently assessing a fuel supplement of $9.00 per person, per day (up to a maximum of $300 per person). This supplement applies to new bookings made on or after 28 February 2011 for voyages departing on or after 14 April 2011.

The supplement applies to each paying guest travelling, including 3rd and 4th person fares and paid children's accommodations.

 

This fuel supplement amount is subject to change even after a booking is paid in full.

 

Updated: February 2011

 

Now i read that as they can add the Supplements even after Final payment has been made.

[Underwatr]

Now i read that as they can add the Supplements even after Final payment has been made.

I think that language has been there all along, but it seems they've always made the changes only to future bookings.

[Salacia]

If memory serves me correctly, a few years ago there was a court case in the US regarding fuel surcharges being added after cancellation period. I haven't been able to locate the legal decision, but I believe it was decided that adding fuel surcharges after the cancellation period (or even after booking?) is illegal, despite the disclaimer that a cruise lines 'reserves the right to impose a fuel supplement in the future' . Hopefully others with a memory better than mine will comment further.

[Sahaj]

Wow, surprising as I am not aware of any other line charging a fuel surcharge (though the fine print allows it to be done).

I asked Cunard why they charge a fuel supplement, when other lines do not?

The answer I received was that since Cunard moved their offices from the US (even though they are part of Carnival; a US corporation), they charge the fuel supplement now. My TA reminds me that Cunard is one of the few major lines worldwide that does so!