Fuel Supplement for UK Bookings?

[peteukmcr]

We're going to pay our outstanding balance very shortly (before it is due so we can budget for the rest of our holiday) and have a question regarding the fuel supplement.

 

The RCI UK website states

 

Guests with existing bookings for sailings that depart on or after 1 January 2009, and who are not yet paid in full, will have the supplement automatically removed from their outstanding balance.

 

Our latest invoice still shows the fuel supplement and it is still included in our outstanding balance.

 

From earlier notifications I understood that the fuel supplement was to be included in the outstanding balance and then it would be credited as OBC.

 

I'm confused as I don't want to pay the oustanding balance including the fuel supplement only to find that it isn't included as OBC when we board.

 

I can't easily contact RCI as their phone lines are no longer open in the evening in the UK (due to cutbacks in resourcing no doubt) so I would welcome anyones experience with this from those who have recently settled their outstanding balance in the UK.

[sandancer]

I assume you have booked directly with RCCI and not through a travel agent. If that is so, you could always e-mail them with your query. As you are paying before the due date, they have time to reply. I can tell you that we did not pay the fuel supplement on our recent Independence cruise and the invoices we are holding for our future cruises all state that the fuel supplement is suspended for all 2009 cruises.

[Missus Makkem]

We're going to pay our outstanding balance very shortly (before it is due so we can budget for the rest of our holiday) and have a question regarding the fuel supplement.

 

The RCI UK website states

 

Guests with existing bookings for sailings that depart on or after 1 January 2009, and who are not yet paid in full, will have the supplement automatically removed from their outstanding balance.

 

Our latest invoice still shows the fuel supplement and it is still included in our outstanding balance.

 

From earlier notifications I understood that the fuel supplement was to be included in the outstanding balance and then it would be credited as OBC.

 

I'm confused as I don't want to pay the oustanding balance including the fuel supplement only to find that it isn't included as OBC when we board.

 

I can't easily contact RCI as their phone lines are no longer open in the evening in the UK (due to cutbacks in resourcing no doubt) so I would welcome anyones experience with this from those who have recently settled their outstanding balance in the UK.

 

Call RCCL,they are open until 7 p.m weekdays & Sat & Sun, for reservations,accounts mon-fri 9- 5.30p.m

they might tell you it will be repaid as O.B.C. insist on a deduction to your invoice.

I had paid my final payment March 09, they still refunded to my bank account.

[peteukmcr]

Thanks for your prompt reply. We have booked direct with RCI and I have emailed them but they haven't replied yet, probably busy with the WOW sale!

 

Having investigated deeper, as we booked in May 2008 I think we have to wait until June 2009 and see the price of West Texas Intermediate Fuel on 17th June 2009 for the 3rd quarter of 2009. As their statement of 24 Oct 2008 states:

 

For 2009 sailings and 2010 sailings booked before 10 November 2008, we will determine on a quarterly basis whether fuel supplements will be refunded.

 

So it looks like we'll have to pay the fuel supplement if we want to settle in May 2009 and hopefully get OBC if the price of fuel in June 2009 is less than $65.

[peteukmcr]

Call RCCL,they are open until 7 p.m weekdays & Sat & Sun, for reservations,accounts mon-fri 9- 5.30p.m

they might tell you it will be repaid as O.B.C. insist on a deduction to your invoice.

I had paid my final payment March 09, they still refunded to my bank account.

 

Thanks for the info, their telephone message just tells you to call back during normal business hours, but doesn't tell you what they are!

[Elizanessie]

Pete

 

Tomorrow if you call OSU (operations support unit) at RCCL on-01932

834243 and say to them you wish to have the FS removed before final payment,explain how you are unhappy at it being paid back to you as OBC, you should be able to get it removed.

Many UK Cruisers have done this already ;):D

[loobylouuk]

Hi i am on ios in 3 weeks and was told by my ta prior to paying the full amount that my holiday was going to be reduced by another £100, which it was immediately and that £50 on board credit would be given (in dollars as obc)for the refunded fuel supp.....hope to get it,think i have it in writing somewhere.

i was very happy as i had already got the holiday as a fab price.

Good luck with yours.

Lou

[suvicki]

We have just paid our final payment.

We have been told, by our TA, that it will be given back as OBC.

[peteukmcr]

Pete

 

Tomorrow if you call OSU (operations support unit) at RCCL on-01932

834243 and say to them you wish to have the FS removed before final payment,explain how you are unhappy at it being paid back to you as OBC, you should be able to get it removed.

Many UK Cruisers have done this already ;):D

 

Thanks Liz for the number, invaluable, you're always a great source of info!

 

Hi i am on ios in 3 weeks and was told by my ta prior to paying the full amount that my holiday was going to be reduced by another £100, which it was immediately and that £50 on board credit would be given (in dollars as obc)for the refunded fuel supp.....hope to get it,think i have it in writing somewhere.

i was very happy as i had already got the holiday as a fab price.

Good luck with yours.

Lou

 

Thanks Lou, hopefully we'll get it back.

 

We have just paid our final payment.

We have been told, by our TA, that it will be given back as OBC.

 

Thanks for the reply, as long as we get it back I'm not too bothered, my concern is that if there's a dispute if we pay it now and it doesn't show up as OBC when we board in Port Canaveral.

[sidari]

Pete ...best of luck with RCI ..... notice you have been on the Brilliance, we are on it in under 6 weeks and wondered what you thought of the ship?

 

Dave.

[peteukmcr]

Pete ...best of luck with RCI ..... notice you have been on the Brilliance, we are on it in under 6 weeks and wondered what you thought of the ship?

 

Dave.

 

Hi Dave

 

Thanks for the best wishes. Loved Brilliance, it was only a short cruise, but loved the ship especially as we're used to Voyager and Freedom class. Missed the Royal Promenade that is on these ships, but loved the Sea View Cafe on deck 12 for late night pizza and the dance club in the Viking Crown on deck 13 at night. Also really enjoyed having breakfast in the outside seating area of the Windjammer for breakfast, really nice when in port early in the morning. Have a great cruise!

[moogiechompy]

 

Thanks for the reply, as long as we get it back I'm not too bothered, my concern is that if there's a dispute if we pay it now and it doesn't show up as OBC when we board in Port Canaveral.

 

We emailed RCI uk before we left in April querying this and had a reply back that they would be refunding the fuel surcharge as OBC. We took the email with us but didn't need it as the OBC was automatically credited on the second day of our cruise(for our 13 night cruise it worked out at $95 each :)) so you shouldn't have any problems if you do have to pay it in the final payment.

[nellydean]

We are on a med cruise in August and I rang RCI UK last month to request they take off the fuel supplement. At the time, the person I spoke to said that if we left it on then we would get a very good exchange rate, as it is done at the time of booking, which in our case was last October, when the dollar was almost 2 to the pound, and he said we would get about 256-260 dollars OBC.

I declined, but anyone else who is yet to do this might take this into consideration (depending on how much you are likely to spend onboard, of course)

[peteukmcr]

I thought I'd give an update on my request to RCI to remove the fuel surcharge. I tried the number provided by Liz but it's always busy. Anyway I received the following email reply.

 

Dear Guest,

All fuel supplements are being refunded as onboard credit. If you find this

unsuitable please call 01932834243 to discuss removing the fuel.

 

Many thanks for your email.

Regards

Info UK Email Team

Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity & Azamara Cruises

 

I think we'll go ahead and make final payment including the fuel supplement and at least I have this email to present to Guest Services if it's not applied as OBC.