NCL is assessing a Fuel Surcharge on Pride of America 2016 sailings

[Freckles_51]

You probably already know this, but they do have the Cadillac Diner. Someone posted a menu not too long ago and it looked pretty much like the normal Blue Lagoon/O'Sheehans menu. Not sure if they have the dinner specials like O'Sheehans has on the other ships though. Maybe that is what you are asking about?

 

Thanks, yes I knew there was a Cadillac Diner but didn't know the menu was the same as O'Sheehan's. :)

[pizzalady1]

I wanted to get back to all of you. I emailed both guest services and public relations about this apparent surcharge. After 3 weeks, I still have not received a response, not even an automatic reply. Terrible customer service!

[njhorseman]

I wanted to get back to all of you. I emailed both guest services and public relations about this apparent surcharge. After 3 weeks, I still have not received a response, not even an automatic reply. Terrible customer service!

 

There is no fuel surcharge. The additional charge is Hawaii Gross Excise Tax. That was explained earlier in this thread.

 

Yes, NCL's customer service isn't very good. The same can be said for many, if not most, large corporations.

[jakesnana]

Sounds like crew retention should be a priority. Entice the crew with incentives to return for a few contracts to offset those USCG Mariner's costs. Make sure crew conditions onboard ship are excellent with plenty of support & training, great leaders to learn from and look up to, and a clear career path for those that want to go the distance. Perhaps even pay more than McDonalds! It may be less expensive for NCL in the long run.

 

My grandson worked as a dishwasher on the POA in 2012 and HATED it. They made no effort to bunk similar ages and jobs together. He was 19 and berthed with a 30 something and a 40 something year old men. They all worked in different depts. so they all had different sleeping schedules. He worked 12 hour shifts from 6 PM till 6 AM, then need to be up during the day to attend meetings and training. For him it was one and done !!!!

[jakesnana]

If I had to guess, I would imagine that the "bank" is not individual, but the portion of our Daily Service Charges that NCL refers to as being for the benefit of the crew's 'Health and Welfare' which goes into a pool, one of the uses for may be to purchase plane tickets for crew members who have emergencies at home, but not for those who just decide to quit mid contract.

 

I can verify this is not true, as I PAID for my grandson's ticket to come home after he decided that working aboard the POA was not for him.

[punkincc]

I can verify this is not true, as I PAID for my grandson's ticket to come home after he decided that working aboard the POA was not for him.

 

:confused:This is exactly what I said. He quit mid contract, so his airfare was not covered.

[chengkp75]

I can verify this is not true, as I PAID for my grandson's ticket to come home after he decided that working aboard the POA was not for him.

 

First off, all previous discussions were concerning international crew and their contracts. The US crew on POA are in a totally different situation legally, and so their contracts do not allow for the company to withhold pay to cover "repatriation" costs. Their contract states that if they quit or are terminated for cause before their contract is over, they must pay their own transportation, while if they complete their contract, the company will pay for it. I worked 4 years on the US flag ships in Hawaii, and always had the company arrange for and pay for my transportation, as I completed each "contract".

 

Even the NRAC (non-resident alien crew) that NCL brought in as supervisors and trainers, and who were not US citizens or residents of the US, were bound by US labor laws, so their future air travel was not withheld, but since these people had to have worked for NCL for 10 years prior, that really wasn't a problem. They even had to pay US income tax and Social Security.

Edited December 14, 2015 by chengkp75

[chengkp75]

I can verify this is not true, as I PAID for my grandson's ticket to come home after he decided that working aboard the POA was not for him.

 

However, neither you nor your grandson paid for the transportation to and from the SIU school in Maryland, nor for the required training he received there in order to get his merchant mariner's document. I can't remember, but I believe the company paid the USCG fee for obtaining the document, as well as the fee for the TWIC card, which requires an FBI background check. These fees in themselves are a few hundred bucks, and the training is thousands.

[littlelulu01]

We checked a few sporadic dates in 2016 and they all had it.

 

The one we looked at was 3/26 for the 7 day.

Our booking engine (travelport - part of Apollo) shows taxes of $112.93 per person and fuel surcharge of $123.61 per person (this was a party of 2 in lowest inside)

 

Going to NCL's website it shows taxes and fees combined for 2 of $473.08. The prices come out exactly the same. However the fuel surcharge amount on a different date - 11/26/16 - is about half what it is on this March cruise.

 

Oh, and there's also the fact that the fuel supplement is being added but it doesn't meet NCL's posted explanation of when and why they might add it:

 

Oil is in the low $40's

 

The taxes and port fees on other sailings (non pride) are lumped together but they are always changing and for the life of me I just can't figure out how/why. I get that the lines have different contracts with the ports and so different fees for same ports. Example: a quick search for Alaska out of Vancouver and I see the Sun taxes and port fees are $317 and Disney magic is $178. NCL changes the fees pretty regularly though. Mediterranean cruise taxes and port fees for a two week b2b were $167pp booked about a month ago. Today the same ship, same sailing is $235pp. If only wanting to book 1/2 of the b2b taxes and port fees are much higher. $166 for the first half. It's not a new phenomenon and not exclusively NCL. All the lines except Disney change the fees pretty regularly.

 

That fuel charge is a real kicker though. Would not surprise me in the least to see it. Another poster commented about selling the breakaway long after they knew about a change. NCL also sold rooms on 1/3 of their fleet up till the day prior to canceling them in August. Many people had to pay quite a bit more to rebook on a similar replacement sailing. Anywhere else that's called bait and switch but with NCL apparently not. Passengers on cancelled Epic sailings were given a whopping $50 onboard credit to rebook similar dates on board the Spirit and they're charging twice the price with less perks. If NCL can redeploy 1/3 of the fleet and screw over thousands of passengers I'm sure they can implement a fuel surcharge too.

[njhorseman]

The taxes and port fees on other sailings (non pride) are lumped together but they are always changing and for the life of me I just can't figure out how/why. I get that the lines have different contracts with the ports and so different fees for same ports. Example: a quick search for Alaska out of Vancouver and I see the Sun taxes and port fees are $317 and Disney magic is $178. NCL changes the fees pretty regularly though. Mediterranean cruise taxes and port fees for a two week b2b were $167pp booked about a month ago. Today the same ship, same sailing is $235pp. If only wanting to book 1/2 of the b2b taxes and port fees are much higher. $166 for the first half. It's not a new phenomenon and not exclusively NCL. All the lines except Disney change the fees pretty regularly.

 

That fuel charge is a real kicker though. Would not surprise me in the least to see it. Another poster commented about selling the breakaway long after they knew about a change. NCL also sold rooms on 1/3 of their fleet up till the day prior to canceling them in August. Many people had to pay quite a bit more to rebook on a similar replacement sailing. Anywhere else that's called bait and switch but withge NCL apparently not. Passengers on cancelled Epic sailings were given a whopping $50 onboard credit to rebook similar dates on board the Spirit and they're charging twice the price with less perks. If NCL can redeploy 1/3 of the fleet and screw over thousands of passengers I'm sure they can implement a fuel surcharge too.

 

There is no fuel surcharge. What the poster saw is the Hawaii Gross Excise Tax.

If the taxes and fees charged to a cruise line change why shouldn't the fees paid by the passenger change?

Edited December 14, 2015 by njhorseman

[pizzalady1]

There is no fuel surcharge. What the poster saw is the Hawaii Gross Excise Tax.

If the taxes and fees charged to a cruise line change why shouldn't the fees paid by the passenger change?

 

If this is true, then why do the screen prints show a column for Fuel Surcharge?

[njhorseman]

If this is true, then why do the screen prints show a column for Fuel Surcharge?

 

It's a problem with the particular computer system . It doesn't have a properly labeled "bucket" so it displays the charge on the fuel surcharge line. It's not a system meant for use or viewing by consumers. It's used by travel agencies to book travel.

[chengkp75]

It's a problem with the particular computer system . It doesn't have a properly labeled "bucket" so it displays the charge on the fuel surcharge line. It's not a system meant for use or viewing by consumers. It's used by travel agencies to book travel.

 

That was my guess as well, and I know you are in the travel industry. I believe that since the law is so specific about calling out port fees and taxes, which can vary during the time a cruise is available for booking, that the Hawaiian tax, which is unique to those cruises, is broken out separately, and the only other "slot" the booking engine has is "fuel surcharge".

 

If I remember the lawsuit regarding the fuel surcharge correctly, it is required to be broken out and specified if applied, so if you do a mock booking through NCL and it is not shown as a separate item, then it is not a fuel surcharge, and NCL includes the "sales tax" in the basic fare, since it is not a variable cost.

Edited December 14, 2015 by chengkp75

[SuiteCruiser]

It's a problem with the particular computer system . It doesn't have a properly labeled "bucket" so it displays the charge on the fuel surcharge line. It's not a system meant for use or viewing by consumers. It's used by travel agencies to book travel.

 

Is the GET not treated as a tax? I would think if it's a tax, it should be under taxes, but maybe that's just me.

Edited December 14, 2015 by SuiteCruiser

[chengkp75]

Is the GET not treated as a tax? I would think if it's a tax, it should be under taxes, but maybe that's just me.

 

Because of a class action suit back in '97, the courts ruled as to what could or could not be included in the "port fees and taxes" portion of the cruise fare. Things like sales tax on items purchased onboard while in a US port are variable to the individual cruiser, so they were not included in the "port fees and taxes" settlement. The GET is essentially a sales tax on the entire cruise, so it most likely cannot be listed under the "port fees and taxes", but NCL includes the fixed tax in the fare. However, given that the notice that started this whole thread comes from a travel professional booking engine, I would assume that the GET is a non-commissionable part of the fare, which is why it is called out in that instance.

[swedish weave]

It's a problem with the particular computer system . It doesn't have a properly labeled "bucket" so it displays the charge on the fuel surcharge line. It's not a system meant for use or viewing by consumers. It's used by travel agencies to book travel.

 

Does that mean NCL can't or won't hire programmers who have the ability to correct the programs to reflect the actual transactions ????

[chengkp75]

Does that mean NCL can't or won't hire programmers who have the ability to correct the programs to reflect the actual transactions ????

 

It isn't an NCL program. And the travel agency group that works the program don't feel that a singular cruise that charges sales tax on the cruise fare is reason to revise the software. JMHO.

Edited December 14, 2015 by chengkp75

[njhorseman]

It isn't an NCL program. And the travel agency group that works the program don't feel that a singular cruise that charges sales tax on the cruise fare is reason to revise the software. JMHO.

 

I concur with your opinion.

[njhorseman]

That was my guess as well, and I know you are in the travel industry.

 

In the interest of accuracy, I was in the travel industry. It was among several businesses I owned, along with a couple of decades in management positions with large insurance companies. I'm now retired.

[chengkp75]

In the interest of accuracy, I was in the travel industry. It was among several businesses I owned, along with a couple of decades in management positions with large insurance companies. I'm now retired.

 

I couldn't remember if you were still involved or retired, but I know to trust your insight. Retirement is still about 4 years off, still paying for the youngest's college.

Edited December 14, 2015 by chengkp75

[littlelulu01]

There is no fuel surcharge. What the poster saw is the Hawaii Gross Excise Tax.

If the taxes and fees charged to a cruise line change why shouldn't the fees paid by the passenger change?

 

Perhaps you know how it works and can explain. What I'm confused about is how taxes and port fees can change up and down sometimes on what seems to be every couple days. I was watching Alaska sailings last year and the closer sailing got the taxes and port fees changed considerably every couple days even though the stateroom price I was tracking was the same. Do the ports change fees that often? I assumed that the cruise lines would have locked in port fees for x amount of time vs leaving themselves or customers up to whatever the ports feel like charging on a day to day basis.

 

For my med sailing I'm tracking price and saw the price had jumped last week. It was the taxes and port fees, not the fare that changed. Another thing I find confusing is how the taxes and port fees are so different if booked as two separate cruises vs one b2b. If the cruise fare is the same then the taxes and port fees should logically be the same but that's not the case in most of the cruise prices I track. Not just NCL. I track Celebrity and HAL too and see the same phenomenon. I assumed that the fare you pay has nothing to do with taxes and port fees because the taxes and port fees in a haven suite are the same as the inside stateroom.

Edited December 15, 2015 by littlelulu01

[Loonbeam]

I've worked with the Apollo software. Flexible is not really a word in that particular lexicon, so a lot of things get kludged in the back ends.

 

It isn't an NCL program. And the travel agency group that works the program don't feel that a singular cruise that charges sales tax on the cruise fare is reason to revise the software. JMHO.

[chengkp75]

Perhaps you know how it works and can explain. What I'm confused about is how taxes and port fees can change up and down sometimes on what seems to be every couple days. I was watching Alaska sailings last year and the closer sailing got the taxes and port fees changed considerably every couple days even though the stateroom price I was tracking was the same. Do the ports change fees that often? I assumed that the cruise lines would have locked in port fees for x amount of time vs leaving themselves or customers up to whatever the ports feel like charging on a day to day basis.

 

For my med sailing I'm tracking price and saw the price had jumped last week. It was the taxes and port fees, not the fare that changed. Another thing I find confusing is how the taxes and port fees are so different if booked as two separate cruises vs one b2b. If the cruise fare is the same then the taxes and port fees should logically be the same but that's not the case in most of the cruise prices I track. Not just NCL. I track Celebrity and HAL too and see the same phenomenon. I assumed that the fare you pay has nothing to do with taxes and port fees because the taxes and port fees in a haven suite are the same as the inside stateroom.

 

Some of the taxes and port fees are charged on a "passenger berth" or "tonnage" basis, so the charge for a ship calling at the port is constant. What changes is the number of passengers this charge is divided amongst, so this theoretically could change hour by hour as more guests book or cancel. Some of the port fees are based on operational decisions like whether the ship takes fuel or puts garbage off. The cost of the fuel or garbage removal is not part of the taxes and fees, that is operating expense. However, some ports require pollution measures while fueling, and security screening for taking garbage ashore (seriously), so this can vary between legs of cruises or between the same port on different cruises.

 

I can't say why the taxes and fees would vary between a B2B and the same two cruises booked separately, unless it has to do with CBP, and whether they charge per passenger for clearing the ship at disembarkation (and I don't know if this is the case or not), or the embarkation/disembarkation port charges a fee (since it is their facility and their personnel) based on the number of guests checked through, and the in transit B2B cruiser doesn't get charged this.

[jakesnana]

However, neither you nor your grandson paid for the transportation to and from the SIU school in Maryland, nor for the required training he received there in order to get his merchant mariner's document. I can't remember, but I believe the company paid the USCG fee for obtaining the document, as well as the fee for the TWIC card, which requires an FBI background check. These fees in themselves are a few hundred bucks, and the training is thousands.

 

He never went to Maryland for any type of training. He went directly from home to meet the ship in Honolulu. He DID spend the first week onboard training, so I don't know if that is what you are talking about.

 

I paid for the MMC and the TWIC card, not NCLA. Between the two of them it was between $400-500 and we needed to go to Port Canaveral to get them.

 

NCLA DID pay for his flight to HNL, but not his transfer to the ship (I had to arrange that).

 

I'm not sure if things have changed since you were onboard, but you were partially correct, in that he received training. You would think that if NCLA is going to put so much money into training and flying these people to the ship, they would want to TRY and make their lives onboard the ship more livable so that they would want to stay. I'm sure your experience as an officer was TOTALLY different than a dishwasher's experience.

[chengkp75]

He never went to Maryland for any type of training. He went directly from home to meet the ship in Honolulu. He DID spend the first week onboard training, so I don't know if that is what you are talking about.

 

I paid for the MMC and the TWIC card, not NCLA. Between the two of them it was between $400-500 and we needed to go to Port Canaveral to get them.

 

NCLA DID pay for his flight to HNL, but not his transfer to the ship (I had to arrange that).

 

I'm not sure if things have changed since you were onboard, but you were partially correct, in that he received training. You would think that if NCLA is going to put so much money into training and flying these people to the ship, they would want to TRY and make their lives onboard the ship more livable so that they would want to stay. I'm sure your experience as an officer was TOTALLY different than a dishwasher's experience.

 

Basic Safety Training is an IMO required training, that is required before issuance of an MMC, if I remember correctly (there may be a contingency for employers who have a program). So, for the first week, did he do any work onboard, or was it just training. If just training, which I assume it had to be in order to get through a BST course, then the company was providing meals, instructors, and cabins for "potential" crew. This is never done on any other ship.

 

May I ask what his problems with the ship or company were? Was there anything that the recruiter said or implied that wasn't true? I'm not sure what the company could do to make the job "more livable". More pay? That requires a raise in cruise fare, and probable loss of customers. More workers to reduce the workload? Where do you house them? Larger cabins? That would mean less cabins, and less crew, so we are back to the more crew solution.

 

As for being an officer, I can tell you that the worst accommodations I've ever had in 40 years at sea were on the cruise ships, as well as the worst pay and worst work/vacation rotation. Yet I would have stayed with them if they had kept the ships there, because of the interesting nature of the job. I also worked in a part of the ship that averaged 130*, was so noisy you used hand signals, and got so dirty it took fingernail brushes and lava soap to clean our hands. And given all that, I had to clean up, and change uniform three times a day to be able to eat the same food the dishwasher was eating in his soiled uniform, and then change back to a working uniform after meals.

 

Deck and engine crew (not just the deck and engine officers) are nearly all "day workers", meaning that they are on duty from 0600-1800, which means they have no mid-day break to go ashore like most of the hotel staff did.

 

I know how the crew lives. I know that only certain people can tolerate a job where your every action is regulated, and you are away from family and friends. However, I know that there are those who decided not to continue working on the ships, but who had a positive attitude, good customer interaction, and a commitment to see the contract through.