Carnival Corp Brands Implement Fuel Surcharge

Beginning with cruises departing February 1, 2008, all the Carnival brands (Carnival, Princess, Holland America, Costa, Cunard and Seabourn) will assess a $5/person per day fuel surcharge, not to exceed $70/person per sailing. This fee will be applied to the first and second passengers in a cabin only.

The fuel surcharge will be applied to all bookings, existing and new, which sail after February 1, 2008.

What does this mean? Well, the airlines have long assessed similar surcharges. It was bound to happen some time to the mainstream cruise brands, as most of the luxury brands (Regent, Crystal, etc.) have assessed a similar surcharge for the past couple years. While Carnival Corp is "hopeful" they will be able to eliminate the charge at a future date, don't count on it. They'd rather have this added to taxes and fees, rather than integrate it into their base fares, as it gives the appearance of lower prices when the consumer is shopping for cruises, since taxes and fees aren't part of the advertised pricing. Yes, it's a bit deceptive, but that's the way the industry works.

Rest assured that when you ask for a quote from me, I'll always quote the complete price, including port charges, taxes and surcharges.

By the way, I'd expect a similar announcement from Royal Caribbean International (RCCL, Celebrity and Azamara brands) sooner rather than later.