How do you tell if the cruise you are pricing has a fuel surcharge?

[happy cruzer]

I look at the online travel sites alot (probably tooooo much).

 

So how do you tell if a cruise has a fuel surcharge and how much it is? I haven't seen it added as a seperate item. Is it included somewhere in the pricing?

 

Thanks.

[snuks2]

We booked on the Golden Princess for the 23 of Feb,,,,,we quoted a PRICE,,,,paid a deposit,,,,, then got an email a few days ago about the fuel surcharge,,,,,,effective Feb 1,2008,,, any cruises,,,,$80.50 for 2 ppl the 3rd is free?????? YYYYY????? Why a fuel charge for the first 2 ppl??

 

snuks2

[stellatj]

i would think anything you book for after feb will now include the fuel charge as the price you are quoted.

[cruisingisforme]

Any sailing after Feb 1 2008 will have a fuel surcharge for 1st & 2ns pax only.

[melika091900]

yes ours was shown separately than our regular price when we booked our cruise a few months ago,

they added a section stating Fuel surcharge..

[happy cruzer]

Ok, A little more detail. I was concerned that if I booked a cruise now for after Feb on a Carnival line then I still might be surprised like folks are being now with a surchage that will be paid on the ship.

 

So I went on line to one of my fav online travel agencies and got a quote on a cruise I already had a quote on from 2 months ago. The "new" fuel surchage did not appear seperately; the cruise taxes and fees in the quote went up by the $5 pp per day amount. So that is where it is being quoted on new bookings.

 

Melika, If I were you I would double check the fuel surchage on your Carnival cruise, the one I am curious about was just announced around 11/12/2007 for any cruises after 2/1/2007. You might have another charge if you booked several months ago??? I would try to find out.

 

The new lines that announced them recently i.e around 11/12 are Carnival (all their lines) and Oceania.

 

Thanks.

[MEcruzr]

For the current info regarding fuel surcharges on the different cruise lines, read this: http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=2256

[wilson9112]

It seems many people dont have a problem with this charge. Even though it is not alot, it just seems wrong to me. Why can't the cruise lines suck it up for once and they just have to pay more. They always pass the increase to us. Im sure they are still making money! Ok, Im still cruising LOL...I will pay, yes, but its just a thought:D They dont want to pay more but neither do we:confused:

[blindrid]

Ever since I've taken my first cruise, it's been in the contract that all of us have agreed to. I don't think it's that big of a deal.

 

I went to check out booking a cruise yesterday and the two lines I looked at were very specific at the fuel surcharge. I also know that the possibility exists that there may be additional charges. I view it as an itinerary change. There's nothing for sure.

[LHP]

Our PVP always gives us an "out the door" quote. He knows to include any and all charges. In the future, this will include the fuel surcharge as well.

[DanJ]

It seems many people dont have a problem with this charge. Even though it is not alot, it just seems wrong to me. Why can't the cruise lines suck it up for once and they just have to pay more. They always pass the increase to us. Im sure they are still making money! Ok, Im still cruising LOL...I will pay, yes, but its just a thought:D They dont want to pay more but neither do we:confused:

 

What do you mean "suck it up for once"? Who's been sucking up the higher prices all along? Competitive pressures and economic downturns have kept them from being able to raise the base rates, so it has to come from somewhere. At least the surcharge is there for all to see and can be adjusted up or down as fuel prices dictate, (and yes, fuel surcharges do drop, as I've seen at our company when

fuel prices have dropped), instead of just burying it in the rates and never being accountable for the charge.

[melika091900]

Ok, A little more detail. I was concerned that if I booked a cruise now for after Feb on a Carnival line then I still might be surprised like folks are being now with a surchage that will be paid on the ship.

 

So I went on line to one of my fav online travel agencies and got a quote on a cruise I already had a quote on from 2 months ago. The "new" fuel surchage did not appear seperately; the cruise taxes and fees in the quote went up by the $5 pp per day amount. So that is where it is being quoted on new bookings.

 

Melika, If I were you I would double check the fuel surchage on your Carnival cruise, the one I am curious about was just announced around 11/12/2007 for any cruises after 2/1/2007. You might have another charge if you booked several months ago??? I would try to find out.

 

The new lines that announced them recently i.e around 11/12 are Carnival (all their lines) and Oceania.

 

Thanks.

 

yeah im sorry i meant that they just added it on our reservation recently ,

it sounded confusing the way i said it , sorry,

then last week i looked at our reservation and there was the new charge fuel surcharge..

i knew it was coming since i was reading it on here. i was just glad they charge it before you get onboard, i didnt want to have to think about another 70$ charge on our onboard account ;)

[freddiebud]

This is a new charge dependant on many factors: the cruise line, the day you sale and the day you make your final payment. I would go directly to the cruise web site for specifics.

[linda_22003]

We booked on the Golden Princess for the 23 of Feb,,,,,we quoted a PRICE,,,,paid a deposit,,,,, then got an email a few days ago about the fuel surcharge,,,,,,effective Feb 1,2008,,, any cruises,,,,$80.50 for 2 ppl the 3rd is free?????? YYYYY????? Why a fuel charge for the first 2 ppl??

 

snuks2

 

Can you pay by a certain date to avoid it? Regent is putting a fuel surcharge on our cruise in March, but if we pay in full by December 1, we won't be charged for it. We'll pay by December 1, although if someone is really bothered by a $70-$80 charge, maybe the cruise wasn't really an affordable choice in the first place.

[wilson9112]

What do you mean "suck it up for once"? Who's been sucking up the higher prices all along? Competitive pressures and economic downturns have kept them from being able to raise the base rates, so it has to come from somewhere. At least the surcharge is there for all to see and can be adjusted up or down as fuel prices dictate, (and yes, fuel surcharges do drop, as I've seen at our company when

fuel prices have dropped), instead of just burying it in the rates and never being accountable for the charge.

 

That is exactly what I meant. Im not crying over the charge, just saying they should just pay more. I dont feel sorry for them, they make tons of money. If they didnt, they would not be in business. They make so much on our other charges that it makes up for it. Any excuse to just get more money. It sounds like you work for them or something. As I said, Im paying and still cruising. I just felt that its a cost they should inherit!

[DanJ]

Can you pay by a certain date to avoid it? Regent is putting a fuel surcharge on our cruise in March, but if we pay in full by December 1, we won't be charged for it. We'll pay by December 1, although if someone is really bothered by a $70-$80 charge, maybe the cruise wasn't really an affordable choice in the first place.

 

No, it is for cruises that depart on or after Feb 1, period, no matter if you've paid in full already or not.

 

Pat, no I don't work for them. I work for a transportation company that has a fuel surcharge in effect. I was just saying that it has gone down when fuel prices have dropped, to illustrate to those that have said in this or the myriad other threads that this charge is there and won't ever go down that companies with surcharges do move them up and even down.

[wilson9112]

No, it is for cruises that depart on or after Feb 1, period, no matter if you've paid in full already or not.

 

Pat, no I don't work for them. I work for a transportation company that has a fuel surcharge in effect. I was just saying that it has gone down when fuel prices have dropped, to illustrate to those that have said in this or the myriad other threads that this charge is there and won't ever go down that companies with surcharges do move them up and even down.

 

Yes, you are so right. It will not go away. No matter what, a cruise is still the best deal out there even with the fuel charges:D

[cruisinbuddy]

Easy, if they all don't right now, they will.

[melika091900]

Can you pay by a certain date to avoid it? Regent is putting a fuel surcharge on our cruise in March, but if we pay in full by December 1, we won't be charged for it. We'll pay by December 1, although if someone is really bothered by a $70-$80 charge, maybe the cruise wasn't really an affordable choice in the first place.

 

 

our final payment is due 12/12 and our cruise is in feb and the charges are already on our reservation whether we paid in full or not , the charges will be there...

 

yeah i dont see what the big deal is everyone huffing and puffing over it ... yeah its an extra charge, but its not that much.. and like linda said maybe the cruise wasn't really an affordable choice in the first place

[MEcruzr]

My son is going on a school trip to Italy in April. Guess what I got in the mail today from the tour company?? Notice of a fuel surcharge "to be determined 30 days from travel date". Right now they expect it to be in the $50 range, but "it may increase". It's not just the cruise lines. Everyone is paying more for fuel... it's going to be a very costly heating season this winter.

[pinksuit]

I look at the online travel sites alot (probably tooooo much).

 

So how do you tell if a cruise has a fuel surcharge and how much it is? I haven't seen it added as a seperate item. Is it included somewhere in the pricing?

 

Thanks.

Well, well, I finally received a notice from my TA today (Princess). We are being acess $55.00 per person for our 12 day cruise to Australia/New Zealand. This is effective for all sailings Feb. 1st '08 and onward.

PinkSuit

[tomprice]

The relatively low cost and the fact that there is only one surcharge is an attempt to make it palatable. But, what is this surcharge was $50/day? What if they implemented surcharges for other essentials like food, baggage handling, or even cleaning supplies aboard the ship?

 

My point is this. It ought to be included in the base fare. If the lines can't afford to do it for existing bookings, you should be able to cancel penalty-free. Hopefully, this is some of their rationale for their February implementation date. Of course, this doesn't help you out if you've already booked air or have one of those travel agents that have cancellation fees in addition to those assessed by the cruise lines.

 

If we, as pax, accept this, I see no end for where it will go. The cruise lines are being squeezed for profits; you can see it in their stock prices. But do we really want them to migrate to a model like Sky Bus airlines where they quote you a cheap price but charge you for literally everything else?

 

I, for one, will not book again until they sort this out.