Fuel Supplement announced (4 merged threads)

[DoctorFeelgood]

So, I called customer service today to express my concerns about my March 1 cruise on (Celebrity) Azamara Quest, and about the fuel surcharge.

 

The agent wasn't very consoling... it was like talking to a machine.

 

So, I canceled my $13000 cruise.

 

Of course, X knows that most of you will not do as I have done, and that plenty more people out there are willing to buy my canceled suite.

[MoreCruisesNow]

Your cancellation-for-principle posting would be more impressive if there were any suites on the Quest March 1 sailing that sold for $13,000.00 or if there were any available at all.

[Buglovr]

I just phoned and spoke to "Michele" at Celebrity. She was told to tell guests that they would be receiving an OBC. She did not have any further information.

 

 

I just called and asked for a manager in the customer service Dept at Celebrity..She told me that nothing extra was being offered to cruisers for this fuel charge..I hope your lady is right though..

[Jade13]

Its the timing, not the amount that bothers me.

I am paying it and would have paid in full if I had known earlier.

 

I was told all the cruiselines have been charging it and Royal and X

are the last ones to do so. Would anyone know if that is an accurate

statement?

 

This is my problem. It is not being handled fairly across the board. Anyone with inside knowledge could have paid in full by the 15th. I was all set to pay in the next week and could have easily done it a week early.

[MoreCruisesNow]

Jade 13

 

There was no one with inside knowledge.

 

I suppose one could have seen Carnival doing it and NCL doing it on Thursday and suspected that RCI would follow shortly.

 

Of course, Carnival added it to bookings which were already paid-in-full, so that wouldn't have been too much of a clue.

[omeinv]

omeinv; What about the $3000 non refundable rt air fare to So America which I paid last MArch, the non refundable rt air to Igusu Falls, Br. that I paid $500 last June besides the $900 refundable deposit for my cruise? It's easy for you to say just act on principle (not principal). If I was booking just now, I agree that I would have a reasonable choice! Next time think!

 

 

Having thought, you still make my point. People claim "It's not the money, it's the principle" (Thanks by the way. Perhaps I'll get the spelling right from here on). If it's truly the principle, and not the money, one would cancel over the fuel surcharge, and accept any consequential financial hardship, in order to deprive Celebrity of successful implementation of the charge. RCL's offer to allow customers upset with the surcharge to cancel without penalty would seem to be the end of their reasonable responsibility. They offer to book air and hotel packages for customers, and accept responsibility for those arrangements. I (like most I suspect) typically make my own arrangements, as it's generally less expensive, and allows me flexibility in scheduling. However, I do this recognizing that I have assumed all the risk. Presumably you understood this when buying your air tickets, and making your other arrangements. I would submit, in your case it is the money, not the principle; but recognize your valid point that it took more than $140.00 to cause you to compromise on your principles. Indeed, I'm told everyone has their price.

 

Harris

[DoctorFeelgood]

Your cancellation-for-principle posting would be more impressive if there were any suites on the Quest March 1 sailing that sold for $13,000.00 or if there were any available at all.

 

It sounds like you are suggesting that I am being dishonest. I don't want to get into an argument with you. If you want, I can email you (or anyone else who doubts my word) my reservation receipt. My suite was #7119, and my fare was $12,920.54, on my receipt dated 6/20/2007. You may never see the open suite, because they will likely just resell it.

 

Sheesh, people here are so judgmental.

[DoctorFeelgood]

Sorry... I didn't mean to sound so defensive.

[Charles4515]

It sounds like you are suggesting that I am being dishonest. I don't want to get into an argument with you. If you want, I can email you (or anyone else who doubts my word) my reservation receipt. My suite was #7119, and my fare was $12,920.54, on my receipt dated 6/20/2007. You may never see the open suite, because they will likely just resell it.

 

Sheesh, people here are so judgmental.

 

I think I would have gotten pissed off and canceled too if I called them. Some seem to think this surcharge does not add up to much and we should just accept it. But to me the principle of it is wrong. If the costs go up they should increase the price of future bookings not add charges to already booked cruises. They should be buying fuel on the futures market so that increase costs don't go into effect for a year from now. That is how our condo association buys fuel. That way we can budget our monthly maintenance fees out a year and don't have to spring any surprise special assessments on the residents.

 

I hope a lot cancel or don't book. I plan to hold off on several cruises I was going to book except for a group cruise I book every year. I may only do that one next year instead of the three or four I have been doing. There are many other other vacation options than cruises. An all inclusive is looking like a good idea.

[SHill64]

....(surcharge) but it should only apply to new bookings and not existing ones.

 

I agree! What about the interest they'll make on my $900 dollars they've had since April 2007 on a May 2008 cruise and interest on another $900 they have from September 2007 to March 2009 on our South American cruise???

SDT

[Hflors]

Hflors: I beg to differ with you. I hope that RCCL/X does regret the day that they treated their loyal customers shabby. No, I'm not going to cancel my cruise that I booked 9 months ago for $140, especially since I would be penalized with other non refundable reservations. On the other hand, after this cruise (9th with this company) I don't think I will use X or Azamara again and go back to O, which by the way was great. Gee, my final payment was due in only 2 weeks, but I didn't know that waiting until that date would cost more. It just leaves a bad taste in my mouth!

 

dabear - you misunderstood my posting. What I was refering to was our country being attacked again as on 9/11. Yes I hope one day that RCCL/X does regret this treatment, but not at the expense of so many lives lost due to a new attack.

 

I wish I was free to cancel, but having already paid for two nights hotel, and airfare and also having talked sis and bil into taking this trip with us this year I am reluctent to lose so much money. Dh is really bugging me about this land vacation and it is looking better and better. I will wait to make that decision. But the deposit I was going to put on a cruise for next Oct is definately off as of now. I guess I will wait and see how the cruise lines handle this in the next few months.

[gillianrose]

I don't mind the added cost, but I wish for future bookings, it would be added into the price rather than treated as an extra item. I feel the same way about port fees and taxes. All I want is to know what it will cost in total per person to take a cruise. It's so hard to figure out what you can or cannot afford when you are looking at one price, but there are other costs that need to be factored in...

 

I agree, Drew. Every time I took a look at a Crystal cruise (I think they were one of the first to add the surcharge), there was always the notation that there would be a fuel surcharge added, which I thought was very annoying (especially at Crystal prices) and, as you stated, made it difficult to compare the true cost of things.

 

What I would really like to find is a website that quotes the full price one is expected to pay, and also allows for searches and comparisons based on PER DIEMS for each category.

 

I have resorted to Excel spreadsheets to do this on my own sometimes, but I really wish there were a website or cruise line that permitted searches or sorts by the daily cost of a cruise in each category, all taxes included (except for airline fees).

[CaribbeanCrazy]

It's the principle and the money:mad:

DH and I almost always look for a cruise with the best price. For us it's inside cabins all the way! To us $140.00 is a lot of money. Recently we looked around to find the best price we could for our 2008 cruise and we found it on the Mercury in April. I just figured it out and this increase is about 9% of our cruise fare. So maybe some of you that can afford to spend 4000.00 or 5000.00 dollars on a cruise don't think this increase is a big deal...but to us it is. We were very happy with the price we got this cruise for. But now it feels like Celebrity reach into our pockets and took out $140.00.:mad:

Actually I don't have a problem with them adding a fuel surcharge to cover the rising costs. I will expect this on future cruises and won't book if the added charge makes us go over our budget. But as I have stated...I feel the charge should only be for new bookings. We should know what we are paying before we put our deposit down. The deposit is after all to protect us from price increases....right?

I wrote a letter to Celebrity(suggested to me by a Customer Service Rep.)

I am not expecting compensation...so no flames:D I just wanted to let them know that I didn't feel it was very good business practice...and that I was very unhappy with their decision.

Anyways... I am trying not to let this put a damper on my over all excitement toward our cruise. There is nothing to be done about it...so no use crying over split milk.:) Maybe we will try to find a way to spend less money once onboard.:D

 

CaribbeanCrazy

[gillianrose]

Sorry... I didn't mean to sound so defensive.

 

You don't need to apologize to anyone. I applaud you for cancelling for a principle you believe in. We cancelled two cruises totalling over $25,000 with Celebrity because of the smoking problems we encountered on our summer cruise.

 

Our strongest statements to corporations are made with our wallets.

[c-legs]

Look at it this way bear...

 

All the Carnival folks who had paid in full and were still charged will go to RCI and take the places of all the folks who feel abused because they had bookings that were not paid in full.

 

Then all the RCI folks who are reasonable and have some perspective will become Celebrity cruisers precisely because they are reasonable and have some perspective.

 

And all the mad folks will begin taking all-inclusive land vacations and spend their time drinking the free booze and griping.

 

Sounds good to me.

 

:D :D LOVE IT !!!!

 

;)

[dkjretired]

:D :D LOVE IT !!!!

 

;)

 

And flying there on airplanes with surcharges...

 

Love it too...

[FinelyCruising]

Let's stop eating then too since bad weather and fires raise the price of food items. The transportaion costs for over the road fuel also mean higher prices for milk and every other darn thing in the grocery store.

 

C'mon...this isn't principle, it's silliness.

[dkjretired]

Let's stop eating then too since bad weather and fires raise the price of food items. The transportaion costs for over the road fuel also mean higher prices for milk and every other darn thing in the grocery store.

 

C'mon...this isn't principle, it's silliness.

 

I don't mean to be rude but I don't understand what the principle is that seems to be the problem here. Does anyone read their contracts or would these same people not hesitate to call and ask for a lower contracted price if available. I just don't understand it...

[FinelyCruising]

Don -- If you're asking me I don't know what the 'principle' is either.

 

I think cancelling a cruise because of a fuel surcharge and claiming it's 'out of principle' is silliness based on what is widely well known to be the reality of life these days with the costs of fuel. If the idea was well I paid for the most expensive cabin and you should give it to me....well then, I doubt I'd call that circumstance principle either.

[dkjretired]

Don -- If you're asking me I don't know what the 'principle' is either.

 

I think cancelling a cruise because of a fuel surcharge and claiming it's 'out of principle' is silliness based on what is widely well known to be the reality of life these days with the costs of fuel. If the idea was well I paid for the most expensive cabin and you should give it to me....well then, I doubt I'd call that circumstance principle either.

 

Agree, the one poster I do understand is the one who was honest enough to say that the additional monies were somewhat of a burden and thus cancelled. That I can understand because they know their situation.

[FinelyCruising]

That kind of fallout is the hard stuff to hear about....

[dkjretired]

Except, at least, Oceania. Oceania gave their passengers a grace period of about 18 days:

 

Guests choosing to pay in full prior to December 1, 2007 will be exempt from this surcharge.

 

Apparently the people on the Oceania board are not too pleased either, they have three pages of mostly complaints....

[DoctorFeelgood]

Don -- If you're asking me I don't know what the 'principle' is either.

 

The principle is that I already entered into a contract at an agreed upon price. In none of the other comparisons mentioned was a contract a component.

 

Good comparisons would be:

I signed a contract to buy a house, and a month later the owners told me that they were increasing the price by 10% because housing prices had gone up since I signed.

 

In June I booked and paid a deposit a December vacation at a European ski resort. They are cancelling my vacation because the US dollar sank 10% against the Euro since that time.

 

 

In any case, the reasons for my cancellation were/are twofold. The surcharge, and the migrating mission of Azamara.

[Jade13]

The surcharge, and the migrating mission of Azamara.

 

I am sure that was your main reason. By the way, what is the migrating mission of Azamara. I don't know anything about them.

[Lois R]

I am sure that was your main reason. By the way, what is the migrating mission of Azamara. I don't know anything about them.

 

Hi Jade, Azamara are much smaller ships than the Celebrity ships....

more expensive, no formal nights, all country club casual, open

dining for dinner. I believe (and I could be totally wrong of course)

but I believe they are trying to cater to the Oceania type of passenger.

Oh, no kids programs on A either.