Passenger Fuel Surcharge Announced...

[jhannah]

I must agree on this. The cost should be for EVERY DAY of the cruise, regardless of length. $450 for a 90-day cruise would be a small percentage of the cruise fare. That shouldn't hurt any more than $35 for a 7-day cruiser.

[rebeljohn]

.........just an added cost of doing business.........the fuel surcharge will not affect my decision to cruise.......I am in the shipping businesss, and fuel surcharges have been around for quite a few years. I'm surprised they haven't added one until now........

[Sea Island Lady]

The follwoing is part of an email from my TA this morning.

One of our reps was in today and Carnival Corp did say that if the price per barrel drops to $70 and remains there for 30 days, then they could drop the surcharges.

 

She goes on to say that her company's phone was ringing off the hook yesterday, after the first batch of "fuel charges" emails was sent out. Customers are not happy! :eek:

 

If you booked through a TA and you are not happy, just remember that it is not their fault. Be kind to your TA! ;) If you want to complain, go to Carnival.

[Mosaic]

Thanks everybody for the info.

I do not mind a fuel surcharge.

I do mind that (for us) it is applied retroactively. Even if it is in the contract.

 

If I purchase an airline ticket for $ 400.00 I expect it to be that price. Same as if I had some work done at my home for a given price...no one wants to see that price be higher, and many people will not accept those addional charges.

 

I will eat more:) .

[Sea Island Lady]

Just checked on airfare again the airline is imposing a surcharge of $70 pp per flight segment! :eek: Makes HAL's surcharge minuscule.

[Jade13]

Just checked on airfare again the airline is imposing a surcharge of $70 pp per flight segment! :eek: Makes HAL's surcharge minuscule.

 

 

Hmm, can the airliness do this if you have already purchased and paid for tickets? What about the paper tickets (I know I can't believe anyone still uses paper) for my reward tickets to Rome next summer? "Purchase" was through USAirways but Luftansa one way and SWISS the other.

[rzdj96]

I must agree on this. The cost should be for EVERY DAY of the cruise, regardless of length. $450 for a 90-day cruise would be a small percentage of the cruise fare. That shouldn't hurt any more than $35 for a 7-day cruiser.

That's what bothers me. We haven't any difficulties in companies charging a surcharge due to unforseen circumstances. However, the SELECTIVENESS of how Carnival Corp. imposed the surcharge doesn't justify the main reason for having it. I guess the 3rd & 4th passenger in a stateroom are helium filled and after 14 days the ships turn into sailing vessels. Simply remarkable!

[hammybee]

Thanks everybody for the info.

I do not mind a fuel surcharge.

I do mind that (for us) it is applied retroactively. Even if it is in the contract.

 

If I purchase an airline ticket for $ 400.00 I expect it to be that price. Same as if I had some work done at my home for a given price...no one wants to see that price be higher, and many people will not accept those addional charges.

 

I will eat more:) .

 

Airlines cannot impose an additional fuel surcharge, once you pay for and are ticketed for a no refund flight.

 

Cruise lines have the ability to impose a surcharge, at anytime.

 

It seems to me that although cruise lines have the right to do so, they are not. Instead, final payment date, the point of purchase, is the trigger. It's no coincidense that 2/1, the effective sail date, tracks back to final payment dates being in November, at the earliest.

 

Anyone with a booking can cancel before final payment date and obtain a full refund of their deposit.

 

I only wish this were true with airlines. Don't you?:)

[hammybee]

I would imagine they are paying more for the larger and more luxurious accomodations...As one who have always sailed in a inside I wouldn't know but assume those who do feel it's worth it.

 

Well actually, Deluxe Suite passengers are paying less than the least costly inside cabin, on a square foot basis. This is how I rationalize my occasional sailing in this category :D .

[Sea Island Lady]

Hmm, can the airliness do this if you have already purchased and paid for tickets? What about the paper tickets (I know I can't believe anyone still uses paper) for my reward tickets to Rome next summer? "Purchase" was through USAirways but Luftansa one way and SWISS the other.

NO, The surcharge was added into the fare, with a red note at the bottom of the each page saying that the $70 was added in for each segment.

 

My TA figured that for most itinerary, the surcharge is making out to be about 2 cents per mile...less for longer cruises.

[macmax]

re fuel supplement; To add insult to injury...HAL is converting the Canadian dollar at 18%.:eek: With the Loonie being worth about 7% MORE than the US dollar, they are making an additional 25% on Canadian bookings. Princess is almost as bad as they are charging 15%.:mad:

[hammybee]

re fuel supplement; To add insult to injury...HAL is converting the Canadian dollar at 18%.:eek: With the Loonie being worth about 7% MORE than the US dollar, they are making an additional 25% on Canadian bookings. Princess is almost as bad as they are charging 15%.:mad:

 

Just curious here......can't you use a U.S. travel agency and pay for your cruise in USD?

[cruisecrasy]

Perhaps you should do a comparison of fares on the Longer cruises vs the Shorter ones..

 

I just posted this on the other fuel surcharge thread..but it's also appropriate for this thread..

 

Actually those who are taking the longer cruises are paying more per day...Just did a comparison on the HAL WEB site, for an Outside "E" Cabin on the Veendam for 7 days & for the same Outside "E" cabin for 14 days a week later..Both cruises are into the Caribbean..

 

March 9- "E" Cabin was $1217.38 pp for 7 days or 173.91 per day.

 

Mar 16 -"E" Cabin was 2491.89 pp for 14 days or $177.99 per day..

 

Difference: The 14 day cruise is $4.08 more per day per person...

 

Agree it's not much but there is a difference..Suspect that the difference is greater on the more expensive cabins..

 

I can attest to the fact that the longer cruises of 21 days or more are also more per day...So we're happy that the fuel surcharge max is $70.00 since we book the longer cruises...

 

Also think about this..Where else would you get a Room with all meals for $171.00-$180.00 per day? Cruise prices have not significantly increased over the years, but the expense of running these cruises have increased tremendously...

 

Yes, we can refuse to accept this but I certainly won't "cut off my nose to spite my face" ;) ..Our cruises are still a bargain!

 

JMO..:) Betty

 

Please consider that different dates on the same itinerary can affect the cost - May cruises, for example, to Alaska can vary based on which date during that month that u choose. This cld apply to March 9th & March 16th sailings also..and cld explain the difference in fares..

 

I am not disputing cost of the cruises just the unfairness of charging short cruise pax $5 per day but limiting what longer cruise pax pay..This is likely popular with longer cruise pax I am sure though..

 

Happy cruisin'

[cruisecrasy]

I must agree on this. The cost should be for EVERY DAY of the cruise, regardless of length. $450 for a 90-day cruise would be a small percentage of the cruise fare. That shouldn't hurt any more than $35 for a 7-day cruiser.

 

One consideration though is that if all pax pay a per day fee wldn't that mean that all pax shld pay less than the $5 proposed...as more $ will be coming in..?

 

Happy cruisin'!

[Barek]

re fuel supplement; To add insult to injury...HAL is converting the Canadian dollar at 18%.:eek: With the Loonie being worth about 7% MORE than the US dollar, they are making an additional 25% on Canadian bookings. Princess is almost as bad as they are charging 15%.:mad:

You can ask that you be billed in and then pay in US dollars. The conversion to Canadian dollars will then be made by your bank or credit card company - which given current exchange rates, that should be more favorable to you than if you pay what is billed directly in your currency by the cruise lines.

 

See this thread for more info: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=656522

[serendipity1499]

Please consider that different dates on the same itinerary can affect the cost - May cruises, for example, to Alaska can vary based on which date during that month that u choose. This cld apply to March 9th & March 16th sailings also..and cld explain the difference in fares..

 

I am not disputing cost of the cruises just the unfairness of charging short cruise pax $5 per day but limiting what longer cruise pax pay..This is likely popular with longer cruise pax I am sure though..Happy cruisin'

 

Understand completely what you are saying...I understand that different dates on the same itinerary can have different fares, such as in Alaska...That's why I compared the Caribbean fares a week apart..I don't believe that is the reason for the differnce in fares..

 

We take the longer cruises, & always have paid more per day than passengers on 7 day cruises..Most Cruise Lines charge less per day for their 7 day cruises, because that is where they make most of their money..

 

Now lets turn the tables, you don't think it's fair that we are only charged $35.00 (7 days)..Do you think it's fair that passengers on a 7 day cruise pay less per day than those on a 14 day cruise for the same ship one week later? Why should I pay more than you? I don't think that's fair at all;) ...But life is not fair..

 

The powers to be in Carnival Corp are not dummies! Knowing that the daily rate is higher on the longer cruises, they decided to do it this way in order to keep those of us who are paying the higher daily rate...If a couple had to pay $360.00 more for a 36 day cruise vs $70.00, don't you think they would think twice about the cruise..I would bet quite a few would cancel the long cruises if they imposed the Fuel charge every day...

 

As Hammy pointed out, your contract for your ticket is at final payment, not before! If you are so unhappy with the way the fuel surcharge is being handled, then you have a choice of either accepting it or not...You are entitled to a full refund of your deposit..

 

The major airlines are now considering canceling &/or grounding some of their flights, because of fuel costs..If I had to fly to a port I would be more concerned about that, then I would about paying the extra $35.00 more per week..That will create a mess in peak season!

 

JMO...Happy cruising everyone..:) Betty

[hammybee]

[quote name=serendipity1499;12316207

The major airlines are now considering canceling &/or grounding some of their flights' date=' because of fuel costs..If I had to fly to a port I would be more concerned about that, then I would about paying the extra $35.00 more per week..That will create a mess in peak season!

 

JMO...Happy cruising everyone..:) Betty[/quote]

 

I am a news radio junkie and this was the buzz of the hour, today. The cost of fuel is causing airlines to discontinue flying certain routes, reduce frequency and in some cases, just ground the planes because they cannot afford to fly versus what consumers are willing to pay.

[jtl513]

Re: no fuel surcharges for extra pax in the cabins...

 

Do they not use as much fuel to be hauled around as the first 2 pax in the cabin ...

Not really. The weight of a person is so miniscule compared to weight of the ship (175 lbs vs 55000 to 82000 tons) that it really doesn't make much difference if they're hauling around an empty cabin or one with 3 or 4 people in it.

[hammybee]

Not really. The weight of a person is so miniscule compared to weight of the ship (175 lbs vs 55000 to 82000 tons) that it really doesn't make much difference if they're hauling around an empty cabin or one with 3 or 4 people in it.

 

Obviously, we have not met.;)

[jhannah]

Right. The weight of passengers is very small compared with the weight of a ship, and would have relatively minor impact on fuel economy.

 

By the way, the tonnage of a ship is not a weight, but a volume. One ton is 100 cubic feet.

[kryos]

Thanks everybody for the info.

I do not mind a fuel surcharge.

I do mind that (for us) it is applied retroactively. Even if it is in the contract.

Exactly. That's the big difference. In my case, I was informed by my TA about the surcharge before I actually booked the cruise. So, at least HAL played fair in my case. I could very well have declined to book. But I chose to go ahead and make the booking, with full knowledge that I would be charged an extra $70 for my 65 day cruise ($5 per day fuel surcharge up to a maximum of $70 for the voyage). But someone who had already booked their cruise, I could well understand them being upset to have the surcharge dumped on it after the fact. That would anger me too.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[jtl513]

Obviously, we have not met.;)

I just picked 175 pounds as an average weight for all pax. DW and I average 193. :)

 

Right. The weight of passengers is very small compared with the weight of a ship, and would have relatively minor impact on fuel economy.

 

By the way, the tonnage of a ship is not a weight, but a volume. One ton is 100 cubic feet.

Yes, I've heard that before, but keep forgetting it! So what would be your guesstimate of the weight of a Vista?

[George W. Bush]

I just picked 175 pounds as an average weight for all pax. DW and I average 193. :)

 

Yes, I've heard that before, but keep forgetting it! So what would be your guesstimate of the weight of a Vista?

 

 

Well in general the weight of the ship would be equivalent to the weight of the volume of water that the ship displaces, ie the total M^3 of ship that is underneath the waterline X the density of water ( a figure that changes slightly with normal temperature variations and greatly with salinity.)

 

So . . . put on your SCUBA gear and see how much of the ship is underwater!

 

 

I don't approve of the surcharges, but fortunately they aren't being applied to my sailing. Between the automatic tips at and the fuel we're looking at an additional $30 per couple per day. That's quite a bit of money.

[cruisecrasy]

Understand completely what you are saying...I understand that different dates on the same itinerary can have different fares, such as in Alaska...That's why I compared the Caribbean fares a week apart..I don't believe that is the reason for the differnce in fares..

 

We take the longer cruises, & always have paid more per day than passengers on 7 day cruises..Most Cruise Lines charge less per day for their 7 day cruises, because that is where they make most of their money..

 

Now lets turn the tables, you don't think it's fair that we are only charged $35.00 (7 days)..Do you think it's fair that passengers on a 7 day cruise pay less per day than those on a 14 day cruise for the same ship one week later? Why should I pay more than you? I don't think that's fair at all;) ...But life is not fair..

 

The powers to be in Carnival Corp are not dummies! Knowing that the daily rate is higher on the longer cruises, they decided to do it this way in order to keep those of us who are paying the higher daily rate...If a couple had to pay $360.00 more for a 36 day cruise vs $70.00, don't you think they would think twice about the cruise..I would bet quite a few would cancel the long cruises if they imposed the Fuel charge every day...

 

As Hammy pointed out, your contract for your ticket is at final payment, not before! If you are so unhappy with the way the fuel surcharge is being handled, then you have a choice of either accepting it or not...You are entitled to a full refund of your deposit..

 

The major airlines are now considering canceling &/or grounding some of their flights, because of fuel costs..If I had to fly to a port I would be more concerned about that, then I would about paying the extra $35.00 more per week..That will create a mess in peak season!

 

JMO...Happy cruising everyone..:) Betty

 

For reminding me of that which I am already aware, that I can cancel my booking if I am unhappy.

 

Not sure I understand your reasoning.

Shorter cruise pax make more $ for the cruiselines so they shld pay extra per day but longer cruise pax don't so they only pay a set amount (14 days worth) & get the rest of the days free?

 

U keep saying u pay more but u have only proved to me that 1 week apart the longer cruise cost more per day than the shorter - this can still be because of the date, not necessarily because it is a longer cruise.

 

Besides, if the shorter cruise pax make the most $ for the cruiselines & I agree with u that cruiselines are not stupid and yes might even be doing this so as not to scare away the longer cruise pax but then why not simply charge them 1/2 the amt that shorter cruise pax pay to make more $.

Or the shorter cruise pax cld pay $3 pppd and the longer $2 pppd.

I am sorry but NO I do not think most people that can afford a 36 day cruise wld care much about another $360 charge.

 

Then there is the question of the 3rd,4th etc. pax in each cabin. Seems they get 'hauled' for free. If it costs more to fuel the ship does it not cost more to haul 3 or more people than 2?

 

I agree that life can be unfair, its why some of us fight to make it more so..

 

Happy cruisin'!

[jtl513]

Then there is the question of the 3rd,4th etc. pax in each cabin. Seems they get 'hauled' for free. If it costs more to fuel the ship does it not cost more to haul 3 or more people than 2?

Not really. The weight of a person is so minuscule compared to the weight of the ship that the fuel used would not be much different if the ship were cruising around entirely empty of passengers. The entire passenger weight on a Vista ship might be, say, 175 pounds times 1900 people, or 166 tons. That is perhaps 0.2% of the ship's empty weight.