Fuel Surchage increases to $9 effective 6/12/08

[SJ]

I was just noticing that I can get 4 cents off a gallon at the gas station Iv been using if I pay cash. Then I said, thats a drop in the bucket!!! I might next time, never saw that it cost more to pay with a VISA card at the pump.

 

The right Visa card can get you 3-5% cashback. So for a 20 gallon fill up, you save 80 cents using cash. The same 20 gallon at $3.50(conservative estimate) is $70 at 3% cash back is $2.10 saving you an extra $1.30 or more depending how much you are paying for your gas.

 

Just something to consider...

[NotAPirate]

While I can understand the price of fuel and the expense involved I think Carnival is crazy to keep increasing the surcharge like this. While I think it's great that so many people are able to get OBC's for lower prices close to sailing it makes no sense for them to keep increasing fuel surcharges but yet discount cruises. I'd much rather they add that price into my cruise price and be done with the crazy "surcharge" name. I understand tips since we are passengers have the ability to increase, decrease or remove based on service but the fuel surcharge is required up front and we aren't getting it back or getting it adjusted. Enough games just add it in and tell me that my cruise now costs $1,063pp instead of $1,000pp plus an additional $63pp in fuel surcharges. Does it benefit Carnival somehow to charge this as an extra?

I understand a fuel surcharge to a certain degree and dont mind paying a small one, but any higher is an issue with me. I am already paying a fare to cover costs of operating the ship and fuel is an operating cost so I, in essence, am already paying a portion of the fuel cost and to keep tacking more on is getting to be a bit much.

At what point does it cease to become a 'sur charge' and become part of the posted price ? I mean at one point the cost of the cruise included 100% of the fuel costs. Is there any movement to legislate how long or what you can call a 'sur charge' ? Seriously at some point they will have to make this adjustment won't they ? I mean in, the not so distant future at this rate the cruise will be $800 and the surcharge $900....

Carnival (and other lines) are just as much at the mercy of the fuel companies as we are at the pumps. Have the gas prices in your location not gone up drasticly, even with the recent slight dip in the cost of oil per barrel?

 

The reason the surcharge is not added to the crusie fare is because agencies are paid commissions on the cruise fare, not taxes and fees. So, if the cruise lines (not just Carnival) add the fuel charge to the cruise fare, but then an opportunity comes where they can back that out (such as what happened about a month or tow ago where people were getting either refunded or onboard credits) any recompense they'd be giving us would be held up because the travel agent you/I/we used is required to send back that percentage of commission they were paid. Also, with it being a fee, Carnival is free to back that at anytime they can, pending the reduction of fuel cost, without having a ton of paperwork to deal with beyond refunding our credit cards or cutting us a check.

 

As to the cost of the cruise at one point including the operating costs, yeah, it did... when the fuel was contracted at a certain price and those rates were published. If you booked it and secured it BEFORE the fuel increase, it will remain that. But if you've been waffling/planning/debating and you get one price one week and call your agent again another, if it's gone up, there's nothing to be done. The cruise lines are being passed these costs from the fuel companies because the current market can bear the increase... meaning we the consumers are still buying the product even though they are raising the price. It's a fair market economy; if you really don't want to keep paying thses higher fuel costs, then find a way to cut out a lot of your gas expense. Because the fuel moguls will continue to up the price as long as We keep paying for it.

[firefly333]

The right Visa card can get you 3-5% cashback. So for a 20 gallon fill up, you save 80 cents using cash. The same 20 gallon at $3.50(conservative estimate) is $70 at 3% cash back is $2.10 saving you an extra $1.30 or more depending how much you are paying for your gas.

 

Just something to consider...

 

I use my RCL VISA to get points for my next cruise to have $$$ off <shrugs> not sure its worth it. The stupid guy at Kroger couldnt put thru a $900 charge, didnt know how so I had to use a debit card and didnt get any benefit. I figure that was only about $9 OBC on my next cruise, get over it. I plan on having a nice OBC on my next cruise with them.

[Lovely_Star]

Dang it! Considering what the cost of gas is nowadays I'm not surprised that the cruiselines are really feeling the crunch and increasing surcharges just look at the drama going on with the airlines but still it stinks :(

[yuckylucky]

I understand the argument behind "Well, it's costing us more money to gas up so we need you, the customer, to pay for it." Last week we ordered a large cheese pizza...no toppings...from our local pizzeria (not a chain). The price with tax was $14.91. The price of cheese and flour has gone up so they increased the price of pizza. I get it. Will I order a pizza again for dinner? Not at that price...it's just not worth it. I can make $15 go a lot further than eight slices. I can't entirely say the same thing for a cruise vacation though.

 

What I don't understand about the increasing fuel cost is the bigger picture: lots of cruisers talk about how they might continue to cruise, but will spend less doing so. For example, liquor is an easy item to mark up. If people (or should I say more people) bring their own booze on board to avoid buying drinks and paying gratuities, the cruise line will lose profit there. Same thing for not shopping on board. And those pictures and package prices they get from cruisers??? Kiss those good-bye as well.

 

I kind of think they're shooting themselves in the collective foot by either losing cruisers or keeping some but the ones they keep will spend less on the ship. But that's just me.

[SJ]

I understand the argument behind "Well, it's costing us more money to gas up so we need you, the customer, to pay for it." Last week we ordered a large cheese pizza...no toppings...from our local pizzeria (not a chain). The price with tax was $14.91. The price of cheese and flour has gone up so they increased the price of pizza. I get it. Will I order a pizza again for dinner? Not at that price...it's just not worth it. I can make $15 go a lot further than eight slices. I can't entirely say the same thing for a cruise vacation though.

 

What I don't understand about the increasing fuel cost is the bigger picture: lots of cruisers talk about how they might continue to cruise, but will spend less doing so. For example, liquor is an easy item to mark up. If people (or should I say more people) bring their own booze on board to avoid buying drinks and paying gratuities, the cruise line will lose profit there. Same thing for not shopping on board. And those pictures and package prices they get from cruisers??? Kiss those good-bye as well.

 

I kind of think they're shooting themselves in the collective foot by either losing cruisers or keeping some but the ones they keep will spend less on the ship. But that's just me.

 

Can you imagine how many people would book with Carnival if it decides to have the cheapest fuel surcharge instead of keeping step with NCL? I know I probably would not book an NCL cruise because of their smaller cabins and the highest fuel surcharges around.

 

That's why I believe the cruiselines are in collusion together to recoup the cost of fuel. If they were competing for passengers, they wouldn't be trying to outdo each other every 2 months. I guess this is also a marketing strategy; book your cruise now before the fuel charge increases.

[firefly333]

IWhat I don't understand about the increasing fuel cost is the bigger picture: lots of cruisers talk about how they might continue to cruise, but will spend less doing so. For example, liquor is an easy item to mark up. If people (or should I say more people) bring their own booze on board to avoid buying drinks and paying gratuities, the cruise line will lose profit there. Same thing for not shopping on board. And those pictures and package prices they get from cruisers??? Kiss those good-bye as well.

 

I kind of think they're shooting themselves in the collective foot by either losing cruisers or keeping some but the ones they keep will spend less on the ship. But that's just me.

 

Just me, but I dont see the average joe saying, ok the fuel charge was $126, so Im going to keep track and not buy $126 worth of drinks on my cruise. (talk about shooting themselves in the foot). Its a vacation. I doubt there will be that much more smuggling, just because of the fuel surchage, might be because folks are more broke overall and feeling squeezed, but not just because of the fuel surcharge. I just dont see your reasoning. There wouldn't be a 1 to 1 corelation.

[big_duck]

Just me, but I dont see the average joe saying, ok the fuel charge was $126, so Im going to keep track and not buy $126 worth of drinks on my cruise. (talk about shooting themselves in the foot). Its a vacation. I doubt there will be that much more smuggling, just because of the fuel surchage, might be because folks are more broke overall and feeling squeezed, but not just because of the fuel surcharge. I just dont see your reasoning. There wouldn't be a 1 to 1 corelation.

 

That's what everyone was talking about doing when the fuel charge was first announced, especially those who were dinged retroactively.

 

There is only like a brazillion threads here like that.

 

As a stockholder, I am concerned that some of the decisions that management has made lately between "dumbing down" the dining experience (As Venture would say), to the fuel surcharge could put profits in a death spiral.

[firefly333]

As a stockholder, I am concerned that some of the decisions that management has made lately between "dumbing down" the dining experience (As Venture would say), to the fuel surcharge could put profits in a death spiral.

 

As a fellow stockholder, it seems to me Carnival is being awful quick lately to try to squeeze every last drop of $$$ from us. I sense a hint of desperation in the actions too.

 

..... and ya, I did read all the threats about how folks were going to spend less on their vacations because of the original fuel surcharge, but I think a lot of that anger was from folks who had it applied to already booked cruises, I just dont see the same amount of anger if you know going in what the cruise will cost if you book it.

[yuckylucky]

Just me, but I dont see the average joe saying, ok the fuel charge was $126, so Im going to keep track and not buy $126 worth of drinks on my cruise. (talk about shooting themselves in the foot). Its a vacation. I doubt there will be that much more smuggling, just because of the fuel surchage, might be because folks are more broke overall and feeling squeezed, but not just because of the fuel surcharge. I just dont see your reasoning. There wouldn't be a 1 to 1 corelation.

 

People will rationalize their spending or lack thereof any way it suits them; Average Joe or otherwise. Just as people rationalize their arguments on this board any way that suits them. It doesn't have to be solely because of the fuel surcharge but it can be yet another "I'll show them" way of justifying their actions.

 

It's not a one-to-one correlation and I never said it was. However, again, looking at the bigger picture, the message of increasing the fuel surcharge might and probably will turn off some cruisers. There is also the chance that many people might opt for another cruise line because they wouldn't see a fuel surcharge on their bill if the cruise lines were more "creative" of how they package it.

[SJ]

NCL just raised theirs to $11 today. I guess RCL will raise theirs tomorrow.

 

Just another thought, is it fair to charge the same for a port intensive itinerary as a transatlantic cruise?

[dixiediva761]

$11 per day??? That really is a bit much!!!! That is 11% of what I paid for my current balcony on Liberty. I think that may make me not choose that cruiseline or it may just drive me to spend less on board. No pics, no perfume :( or extras and add a few "miniatures" in my luggage. :rolleyes:

[NotAPirate]

Can you imagine how many people would book with Carnival if it decides to have the cheapest fuel surcharge instead of keeping step with NCL? I know I probably would not book an NCL cruise because of their smaller cabins and the highest fuel surcharges around.

 

That's why I believe the cruiselines are in collusion together to recoup the cost of fuel. If they were competing for passengers, they wouldn't be trying to outdo each other every 2 months. I guess this is also a marketing strategy; book your cruise now before the fuel charge increases.

$11 per day??? That really is a bit much!!!! That is 11% of what I paid for my current balcony on Liberty. I think that may make me not choose that cruiseline or it may just drive me to spend less on board. No pics, no perfume :( or extras and add a few "miniatures" in my luggage. :rolleyes:

Yep, here it is:

http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=2627

 

... and Carnival's still the lowest.

[big_duck]

I wonder if Carnival increasing cruise fares $2 pp would have generated a 5 page thread?

 

I don't understand this particular boards obsession with the fuel surcharge. The other boards for Carnival brands may or may not make mention of it then move on. :cool:

[Mikel1733]

The following was posted on a business website:

 

"CCL has just announced a tender surcharge for all ports fleetwide. Any port of call requiring a tender to get to shore is affected by a new $5 PP roundtrip tender surcharge."

 

Anyone else see information on this?

[Flip2cruise]

The following was posted on a business website:

 

"CCL has just announced a tender surcharge for all ports fleetwide. Any port of call requiring a tender to get to shore is affected by a new $5 PP roundtrip tender surcharge."

 

Anyone else see information on this?

Posted by who? Can you put up the link? There have been quite a few running jokes about a tender surcharge.

[Mikel1733]

Posted by who? Can you put up the link? There have been quite a few running jokes about a tender surcharge.

 

http://messages.finance.yahoo.com/Stocks_%28A_to_Z%29/Stocks_C/threadview?m=tm&bn=3213&

[big_duck]

Carnival has made no such announcement.

 

It isn't even a Yahoo news story just something some Troll posted on a Yahoo message board.

[Flip2cruise]

http://messages.finance.yahoo.com/Stocks_%28A_to_Z%29/Stocks_C/threadview?m=tm&bn=3213&

 

I wouldnt put much stock in a post written by someone with the screen name "drunken carnival passenger". Yahoo boards are full of people making post to get people riled up.

 

I dont see Carnival ever charging for Tenders, that is something that can put into the cruise fare and we wouldnt know about it.

[firefly333]

The following was posted on a business website:

 

"CCL has just announced a tender surcharge for all ports fleetwide. Any port of call requiring a tender to get to shore is affected by a new $5 PP roundtrip tender surcharge."

 

Anyone else see information on this?

 

Stretching it a bit to call yahoo stock message boards a "business website". lol. I have seen so many posters who make up lies there you can't believe. Used to follow SBUX just for fun, so many crazies post nonsense, you can post anything you want, and shorts take advantage of gulliable folks to post outright lies on those yahoo boards.

[firefly333]

Yep, here it is:

http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=2627

 

... and Carnival's still the lowest.

 

Well, except for RCL, who is still at $8 pp per day.

 

If this keeps up, I may wait on a even better price than I was previously willing to pay for my cruise .... at some point this has to affect the price the cruiselines can charge.

[big_duck]

Stretching it a bit to call yahoo stock message boards a "business website". lol. I have seen so many posters who make up lies there you can't believe. Used to follow SBUX just for fun, so many crazies post nonsense, you can post anything you want, and shorts take advantage of gulliable folks to post outright lies on those yahoo boards.

 

What is really funny is that the guy is talking about $5 for tenders and he is getting response like: "No It's $9" or "It's not to exceed $154 per cruise". The genius' didn't even comprehend the original post. :rolleyes:

[flyingb]

All the cruiselines were banking on the retiring "baby boomers." A few years ago, there were several articles written about how baby boomers were going to be retired in 2009-10 and ready to travel and ever take their grandkids on ships.

 

Now some of those boomers are going to have to get part time jobs, if they want to travel.:o

 

This is what I do. ;) I work part-time and that is 'our travel' money! I hate this (sur-charge) as much as the next person. I agree with OP who said, 'add it to the price' and be done with it! This is just like everything else, either grin and bear it or stay home :p which is not an option for me.

Luv's Crusin'

[firefly333]

What is really funny is that the guy is talking about $5 for tenders and he is getting response like: "No It's $9" or "It's not to exceed $154 per cruise". The genius' didn't even comprehend the original post. :rolleyes:

 

You should read some of the posts on stock message boards, they are so stupid, I had to quit reading them, its not worth arguing with someone who is a liar. Its not like you are going to convince them to quit lying. They are short the stock or just having a bit of fun, who knows the truth.

 

Watching oil set new intraday records today, like a snake with the snack charmer.

[gmomof3k]

Can someone help..........:rolleyes:

I thought the fuel surcharge was already in the price when I booked the cruise...........:confused:

Or do they charge the fuel surcharge when you get on the ship to you S&S......:cool: