Pay for oil prices????

[planb]

Has anyione heard if they are going to impose the 9.00 per day for oil jump???? Hope not would mean looking at other options in the future for travel. Sail in 1 1/2 weeks.

[firefly333]

Not at this time. ...besides its too late to cancel...go and have fun.

 

Who knows what they will do in the future. You need to plan on that they can add it at anytime, same as they can do now.

[gtalum]

Does $126 (the fuel surcharge for two people on a 7 day cruise) really change the relative value proposition of a cruise vs other vacation options?

[jaded99]

We're cruising in a couple of months and hoping they don't add the fuel surcharge... but we are expecting they will anyway, and are budgeting for that. If they do, oh well, we knew they reserved the right to, can't win 'em all and it's better than services being cut. If they don't, well, that's another 18 DoDs I can have... :cool:

[CT Cruiser10]

You should be fine. I would imagine that Carnival locks in fuel prices but they probably can only do this 3-6 months prior to cruising. The cost of hedging against fuel prices 12 months out is probably prohibitive so they reserve the right to impose a daily fuel surcharge if the fuel costs increase too much. I think that people sailing in 3-6 months may see the fuel surcharge being reimposed (as the fuel for those sailings has not been purchased yet), but not those sailing 2-3 weeks from now (since that fuel has already been purchased).

[AWCHIEF]

My theory is that they already have, in increased cruise booking cost. The of cost of booking a cruise has been going up, up and up. I would rather it be done that way than nickle and dime me to death with extra charge items.

[Shipbound]

If the cruise lines do charge a fuel fee it will hurt the travel industry because with the cost of airline fares going way up how much will people be willing to pay for a cruise or any vacation that is the question. I really believe if the cost of vacations keep going up people are going to stay close to home. There has to be a breaking point in what people are willing to pay. What do you think?

[PA Dutchman]

Looks like the stars are aligning not just with oil prices look out.

[Name Of The Game]

Airfare is going up enough. :mad:

 

Wish we had booked it already.

[zqvol]

Has anyione heard if they are going to impose the 9.00 per day for oil jump???? Hope not would mean looking at other options in the future for travel. Sail in 1 1/2 weeks.

 

 

If they do there is nothing you can do but pay it. The current contract is very clear that it can be imposed at any time without notice, which satisfies the requirements of the FL Atty Gen. If it is imposed it will likely be without notice and take effect with sailings beginning on that day.

[Texas Realtor]

Honestly, I wish they would implement it, just to clear the air. I would be happy to pay it, rather than see them raise the drink prices or skimp in other ways. I am probably going to try a more upscale line next time anyway. I was really rubbed the wrong way when they decided to cancel dominica on my cruise next week. We booked the airfare over the summer to get good prices, which we did, but the reason we picked the cruise was a port per day itenerary.

 

Bottom line is they will get their money.

 

I am afraid the internet social media is going to tear apart a lot of regimes in the middle east which in turn is going to drive up the price of oil.

[salty dingo]

One would expect the surcharge to come back soon. That is the whole purpose of it... when oil prices rise customes pay more. Just like at the pump. It's fair and people will accept it.

 

If they do impose it, they should do so for new bookings only. They can do it retroactively, but I think that would be a bad PR move.

[Texas Realtor]

If they do there is nothing you can do but pay it. The current contract is very clear that it can be imposed at any time without notice, which satisfies the requirements of the FL Atty Gen. If it is imposed it will likely be without notice and take effect with sailings beginning on that day.

 

They could and probably will have a lot of unhappy passengers if they do. I would not be because I am aware of it, but I am sure a lot of people that book the inside rooms would be devastated, especially carnival passengers.

 

On another note, if crude prices were already above the 70/barrel price tag when you booked, there is an implication that they would not implement the fee. It could cause a class action lawsuit based on an implied contract.

[ATL2LAS]

They have done it in the past...I hope it doesn't happen again:(

[conchead]

My theory is that they already have, in increased cruise booking cost. The of cost of booking a cruise has been going up, up and up. I would rather it be done that way than nickle and dime me to death with extra charge items.

 

My wife daily checks cruise prices always looking for new ideas

for our schedules.

 

She has told me everytime I mention the fuel surcharge, that she is thinking they are already adding

it into the cruise fares. She has seen so many price jumps.

I hope she is right For the 2 of us it will be $90. No deal breaker for sure

but it would be much more fun to use that $90 onboard.

[blakey]

So, will they add the fuel charges if you've already made final payment? Might be an incentive to go ahead and pay for the cruise earlier than planned.

[firefly333]

On another note, if crude prices were already above the 70/barrel price tag when you booked, there is an implication that they would not implement the fee. It could cause a class action lawsuit based on an implied contract.

 

Nonsense. You might want to read the contract that says they can add it any time, and you agreed to those terms.

 

There is no implied contract, that because they havent done it, they cant.

[Earthworm Jim]

If the cruise lines do charge a fuel fee it will hurt the travel industry because with the cost of airline fares going way up how much will people be willing to pay for a cruise or any vacation that is the question. I really believe if the cost of vacations keep going up people are going to stay close to home. There has to be a breaking point in what people are willing to pay. What do you think?

 

I don't think it's a point per se, it's gradual. The higher the price, the more people that will be unable/unwilling to pay it. But it's not like any one price is the one that will be too much and drive people away.

 

You are looking at it from the buyers perspective (naturally, since we are the buyers) of air and cruise costs going up. But if the price of oil going up means Carnival is losing money for each cabin sold, they are going to risk increasing the price so they can make money again. If it doesn't work, they may be forced to lose a little money per booking rather than have cabins go unsold and lose a lot of money, but that's obviously not going to be their first choice.

 

 

If they do impose it, they should do so for new bookings only.

 

Why would they do that? If they were going to only impose the surcharge on new bookings, then they could accomplish the same thing by just raising prices. The only advantage of a fuel surcharge over raising prices is the surcharge allows them to get more money from those already booked as well.

[firefly333]

So, will they add the fuel charges if you've already made final payment? Might be an incentive to go ahead and pay for the cruise earlier than planned.

 

It would make no difference. Even if they used the final payment date, it wouldnt matter if you paid or not more than likely. It clearly states they can add it if they want.

[shwabob]

I'm hoping they're not just hedging the fuel costs and buying in advance, but also slightly increasing prices/improving efficiency so they don't have to hit us with the 'fuel surcharge'. Nonetheless, I'm fully prepared for it to happen in May on my Victory cruise.

[planb]

I guess I was wondering if the word was getting out. We did have it happen when they last imposed it. BUT... it was after we hit the ship and was on our ship and sail the day of embarkation already waiting for us. Very Very angry customers that whole sailing and lots of complaints to the pursers desk. People said they were going to get what they paid in fuel charges with all sorts of strange ways. I too would like to know so this time we would just add the credit to our account and not worry. I am sure they see people back off of traveling but those of us who love to find ways to save and work out other resources throughout the year.

[luvtovaca]

On a past cruise (2009), we paid the fuel surcharge at booking, but since oil prices dropped, it was removed :). Way I figure it, if they add it before our next sailing to which we didn't pay it at booking, we kind of "break even". Either way, we knew going into the booking it was a possiblity, so we won't be caught off guard if they do reinstate the charge.