Fuel Surcharge rebates? What's the latest?

I'm hearing rumors about cruise lines kicking back fuel surcharges paid...since fuel prices are down.
What's the latest OFFICIAL word from the lines?

Who, what, when?

It is true!! Carnival Corp. is going to eliminate the fuel surcharge for 2010 bookings.

Here is part of the press release I received today!

Six brands of Carnival Corporation & plc -- Carnival Cruise Lines, Costa Cruises, Cunard Line, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises and The Yachts of Seabourn -- have announced that effective October 31, 2008 the existing fuel supplement will be eliminated for all new bookings on 2010 departures. At that same time, a price increase on 2010 sailings will become effective. Additionally, the company has established specific guidelines under which the current fuel supplement may be reimbursed to consumers for 2008 and 2009 voyages.
For 2008 and 2009 departures, if the price of light sweet crude oil according to the NYMEX (New York Mercantile Exchange Index) is $70 per barrel or less at the 2:30 p.m. close of business as reported by Reuters on each of the 25 consecutive trading days ending five trading days prior to the guest’s cruise departure date, the fuel supplement will be refunded in the form of a shipboard credit. Guests who book a 2010 cruise prior to October 31, 2008, will be charged the current fuel supplement but will also be eligible for a refund of the fuel supplement in accordance with the same fuel price conditions that are being implemented for the 2008 and 2009 departures.

Jeanie....you are so fast answering questions! (you gotta love this woman!)

I found the release shortly after posting on Princess' website. Basically, if the groundhog sees it's shadow when the moon is high in the sky over Wall Street...and it's sees that shadow for 25 days (not including weekends or holidays) prior to your cruise...you won't get a refund, but you'll get 'groundhog credit'. (redeemable only at Petco for Groundhog Food)
Or something like that.

Ok, I have one more question:

How do they know that crude oil tastes SWEET!

With my luck, that SWEET crude will go up to $71 on the 24th day before I cruise!

Did RCCL when they dropped the fuel surcharges for sailings in 2010 also increase their prices to match the fuel surcharge?
kk99

kk99 wrote:

Did RCCL when they dropped the fuel surcharges for sailings in 2010 also increase their prices to match the fuel surcharge?
kk99

That certainly would be the cynical viewpoint. However, I did not look at enough 2010 prices before and after the announcement to make a comparison. They did not announce a fare increase.

Virtually all of the cruise lines have now announced some kind of modification of fuel charges for 2008 and 2009 sailings based on the price of oil. Of course, they are all a little bit different, just to keep us on our toes.

kk99 wrote:

Did RCCL when they dropped the fuel surcharges for sailings in 2010 also increase their prices to match the fuel surcharge?
kk99

I'm not a TA but I am on the CF group sailing for Halloween 2010 and my cruise price coincidentally went up exactly $70 a few days before the Nov 10th date when RCL dropped the fuel surcharges from the 2010 cruises. Many other cruises went up exactly $70 it seems from posts Iv read. My price is holding steady at exactly $70 up pp.

I remember hearing that they would be raising the cruise prices...and leaving the surcharges off. Less complicated that way...and you'll never have to wonder whether you are getting a rebate...you just won't.

Since we had the Halloween 2010 prices with fuel supplement ... the cruise fares have gone up exactly $70 per person (1st and 2nd pax) since the fuel supplement was dropped. Since I don't have the prices on other sailings before and after, I cannot prove that the increase happened on all sailings but I'm assuming that they did.

i am going rccl in february and they dropped the fuel supplement and refunded the $60 (since i booked well over a year ago it was only $5 per day) as an obc

we also did get fuel charge back to our room credit which was great, that just means i can have more foofoo drinks with umbrella's in them, i love the umbrella's
and the foofoo drinks

yeah for foofoo drinks!!!

darlene...you were up kinda late talking about foo foo drinks! Maybe you had a couple already???

NDJollyMon wrote:

darlene...you were up kinda late talking about foo foo drinks! Maybe you had a couple already???

no foo foo drinks last, just shopping in st. cloud and had caffine before and could not sleep, too much on my small brain

I can say, that I haven't seen prices go up on the groups that I have, that the fuel surcharges were dropped.

Dolores