Are oil surcharges per person or per cabin?

[firefly333]

I see oil surcharge language is still part of the contract that we agree they can charge a oil surcharge.

 

Forecasts of $100 a barrel oil getting more air time. Today they said even a few are buying options for $200 a barrel oil in the future. 

 

The price of oil is obviously hurting cruise stock prices. Hitting the airlines too. Higher oil prices cut into earnings.

 

I dont expect it this year, but I got a lot of cruises booked on rcl next year. Oil could easily hit $100 a barrel by xmas. ..after $100 it wouldnt surprise me if rcl wasnt thinking hard about it. Last time they added it and took it off already booked because it wasnt in the contract .. now it's there.

[firefly333]

My topic might get moved as too ge real, but I'm only booked on rcl, dont care what other lines do.

[BND]

It's been in the contract for a long time.  We've been cruising since 2005 and I don't remember us ever having a surcharge (although it's possible I forgot about it because it didn't amount to much) even though oil prices fluctuated during those years.  I remember lots of discussion about it on here a few years ago too.

Edited October 18, 2021 by BND

[firefly333]

4 minutes ago, BND said:

It's been in the contract for a long time.  We've been cruising since 2005 and I don't remember us ever having a surcharge (although it's possible I forgot about it because it didn't amount to much) even though oil prices fluctuated during those years.  I remember lots of discussion about it on here a few years ago too.

I remember it but was cruising with my sister. That's why I dont remember if it was pp or per cabin. Seems like it got up to about $140 per cruise. Might not be much to you but was to me. Depends on if you book expensive cabins or not maybe. It started off small. .. back when oil went over $150 a barrel was about the top.

 

Hopefully they wouldnt add it to already booked. Sure would hit me hard with so many booked.

[robandana]

I think Royal has integrated the fuel surcharge into the taxes and fees. Not sure if we will ever see a specific fuel surcharge anymore. 

[Ashland]

Several years ago when they were assessing a fuel charge...prices went down and we were given a credit pp. Haven't seen this assessment charged in a long long time...so I wouldn't worry.

 

If they do decide to start charging, it will either be on new bookings after a certain date or may be incorporated into fees.

[Aquahound]

1 hour ago, firefly333 said:

I see oil surcharge language is still part of the contract that we agree they can charge a oil surcharge.

 

 

I seem to remember it being per person.  I say that because if memory serves me right, it was broken down to a max they could charge per person per day.  

 

 

1 hour ago, BND said:

It's been in the contract for a long time.  We've been cruising since 2005 and I don't remember us ever having a surcharge (although it's possible I forgot about it because it didn't amount to much) even though oil prices fluctuated during those years.  I remember lots of discussion about it on here a few years ago too.

 

Cruise lines were applying the surcharge around the 2008-2009 timeframe.  

Edited October 18, 2021 by Aquahound

[firefly333]

2 minutes ago, Ashland said:

Several years ago when they were assessing a fuel charge...prices went down and we were given a credit pp. Haven't seen this assessment charged in a long long time...so I wouldn't worry.

 

If they do decide to start charging, it will either be on new bookings after a certain date or may be incorporated into fees.

Anyone have a cruise soon to read the contract? I cant get into my dec 12 docs yet.

 

Carnival for sure has language they can add a fuel surcharge you click to agree to when you able to do the boarding times and log into your cruise. I had fuel surcharges added and paid them when they hit last time, so maybe that's why I remember it so well. 

[Aquahound]

8 minutes ago, firefly333 said:

Anyone have a cruise soon to read the contract? I cant get into my dec 12 docs yet.

 

 

I just return from Ovation.  This is what my contract said...

 

21. SUPPLEMENT CHARGES: Operator reserves the right to impose a supplemental charge relating to unanticipated occurrences including, but not limited to, increases in the price of fuel. Any such supplement charges may apply, at Operator’s sole discretion, to both existing and new bookings (regardless of whether such bookings have been paid in full). Such supplements are not included in the Cruise or CruiseTour Fare.

[Ashland]

11 minutes ago, Aquahound said:

 

I just return from Ovation.  This is what my contract said...

 

21. SUPPLEMENT CHARGES: Operator reserves the right to impose a supplemental charge relating to unanticipated occurrences including, but not limited to, increases in the price of fuel. Any such supplement charges may apply, at Operator’s sole discretion, to both existing and new bookings (regardless of whether such bookings have been paid in full). Such supplements are not included in the Cruise or CruiseTour Fare.

Thanks...I was pretty sure the terminology was still in the contract (since they rarely make changes)...I just couldn't remember the exact wording.

[firefly333]

20 minutes ago, Aquahound said:

 

I just return from Ovation.  This is what my contract said...

 

21. SUPPLEMENT CHARGES: Operator reserves the right to impose a supplemental charge relating to unanticipated occurrences including, but not limited to, increases in the price of fuel. Any such supplement charges may apply, at Operator’s sole discretion, to both existing and new bookings (regardless of whether such bookings have been paid in full). Such supplements are not included in the Cruise or CruiseTour Fare.

Thank you. I was sure it was in what we click to agree to, just cant see my dec small print yet.

 

I guess the $130 or $137 I remember being added was such a small amount, some say it was nothing big to them. I think I have 8 rcl next year so for me a significant amt. It topped out last time around $150 a barrel which we arent even close to yet. Started when oil went over $100 a barrel as a small $20 or $30 surcharge. I remember it well. 

 

I'm solo this time, with some solo good prices .. we will see. But I am hearing $100 forecast by year end. 

[nelblu]

I remember being instituted, but were sued by either the state of Florida or US government and after that the surcharge was gone and not appear again.

 

Here's an article from 2008 and cruise lines policies.

 

 

 

Fuel Surcharge - Ricardo & Miriam (cruise4lovers.com)

[ONECRUISER]

2 hours ago, firefly333 said:

I remember it but was cruising with my sister. That's why I dont remember if it was pp or per cabin. Seems like it got up to about $140 per cruise. Might not be much to you but was to me. Depends on if you book expensive cabins or not maybe. It started off small. .. back when oil went over $150 a barrel was about the top.

 

Hopefully they wouldnt add it to already booked. Sure would hit me hard with so many booked.

Agree, remember charged but not sure either myself

[pcur]

I found a web page from 2009 with all the surcharges for pretty much all the cruise lines.  The ones that published their surcharge were charging $10 per day per person with a maximum of $140.

 

(can't provide a link because it's a travel agency's web site; BIG no no here)

[chengkp75]

3 hours ago, robandana said:

I think Royal has integrated the fuel surcharge into the taxes and fees. Not sure if we will ever see a specific fuel surcharge anymore. 

Nope.  After a class action suit a few years ago, the cruise lines are very limited in what they can include in the "taxes and fees", and fuel surcharge isn't one of them.  I agree that it is unlikely that a surcharge will be added in the near future, but it could still happen if there is a great surge in bunker price.  As long as the ships continue to burn 3% sulfur (high sulfur) residual fuel (those ships that have scrubbers), bunker prices will not fluctuate as greatly as crude prices, since the residual fuel will continue to be an "end product" from many refineries, who will be looking for buyers for this byproduct of making their "bread and butter" product, gasoline.

[nelblu]

2 hours ago, pcur said:

I found a web page from 2009 with all the surcharges for pretty much all the cruise lines.  The ones that published their surcharge were charging $10 per day per person with a maximum of $140.

 

(can't provide a link because it's a travel agency's web site; BIG no no here)

See my link on post #13.  It lists most cruise lines and their fuel surcharges.

[robtulipe]

We had a $50 per person fuel surcharge for our May/ 08 ten night one way cruise on Radiance OTS to Hawaii that embarked in Ensenada, Mexico. I still had the invoice saved as a document on our old computer and the surcharge was eliminated just after that cruise. .

That was for both of  two in a cabin.

Edited October 18, 2021 by robtulipe

[robandana]

8 hours ago, chengkp75 said:

Nope.  After a class action suit a few years ago, the cruise lines are very limited in what they can include in the "taxes and fees", and fuel surcharge isn't one of them.  I agree that it is unlikely that a surcharge will be added in the near future, but it could still happen if there is a great surge in bunker price.  As long as the ships continue to burn 3% sulfur (high sulfur) residual fuel (those ships that have scrubbers), bunker prices will not fluctuate as greatly as crude prices, since the residual fuel will continue to be an "end product" from many refineries, who will be looking for buyers for this byproduct of making their "bread and butter" product, gasoline.

Very interesting, thanks for the clarification.