Cruise Lines and Fuel Surcharges

Because of the skyrocking price of oil the cruise lines are now adding Fuel Surcharges for their North American Sailings. Below are the surcharges, dates and rules being added by the different Cruise Lines. It's important to read the fine print to see which passengers are affected as every line seems to have different policy. So far 20 cruise lines have announced these new fees.

Regent Seven Seas will add a fuel surcharge of $7.50 per person per day. The fee applies to all cruises booked after December 1, 2007, and to all passengers who have existing reservations but don't pay in full by that same date.

Carnival Corporation which owns Carnival Cruise Lines, Costa Cruises, Cunard Line, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises and The Yachts of Seabourn will add a $5 per person per day fuel surcharge to their US based brands bills starting on Feb. 1, 2008. There will be a maximum of $70 per cruise and only applies to the 1st and 2nd person in a stateroom. A standard 7 day cruise would amount to an additional $35 each for the first 2 passengers in a stateroom. Those already booked and paid in full for a sailing after Feb. 1, 2007 will have to pay the surcharge. Carnival already has implemented similar surcharges on its European brands, Costa Cruises and AIDA Cruises, which has been in place for months.

Oceania Cruises will add $7 per person per day to customer bills, or about $100 per week per cabin. The charge, which is effective Dec. 1, 2007 for new and existing bookings. Unlike Carnival, however, Oceania's surcharge won't apply to customers who already have paid in full for upcoming cruises. Oceania says customers who already have paid in full or pay in full by Dec. 1 will be exempt from the charge.

Silversea Cruises will implement a charge of $10 per person, per day, and is assessing the fee on all new cruise bookings for 2008 from this point forward. Those who have already made reservations prior to November 14, 2007, are exempt. The surcharge is in effect through 2008.

NCL Corporation which owns Norwegian Cruise Line, NCL America and Orient Lines says effective on all new bookings made on or after Dec. 1, 2007 the fuel supplement will be $7 per person per day for the 1st and 2nd guest in a stateroom and $3 per person per day for each additional guest in the same stateroom.

Cruise West, the charge will be $12 per person, per day and applies to anyone with future cruise bookings that doesn't pay in full by December 7, 2007.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd which owns Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Azamara Cruises has announced their fuel surcharge of $5 per person per day for the 1st and 2nd guest only not to exceed $70 per person per sailing that sail after February 1, 2008. Guests who have already paid for their cruise in full will not be required to pay the fee. Moreover, guests who were booked before November 16, 2007, and who do not agree to pay the supplement, may cancel their reservation prior to December 7, 2007, for a full refund, and they will not be subject to any cancellation charges that would normally apply. Those guests who do not cancel their reservation and pay in full will receive one logo item per stateroom on their cruise. Pullmantur Cruises, the Madrid-based, wholly owned subsidiary of Royal Caribbean Cruise Ltd., has also implemented a fuel supplement of €50 euros for its tours and cruises that depart on or after January 1, 2008.

Majestic America Line, the largest river and coastal cruising company in America, announced a fuel surcharge of $8.50 per person, per day for future sailings would be implemented due to escalating fuel prices. The surcharge applies to new bookings made after Dec. 15, 2007, and to existing bookings that are not paid in full by the same date.

Windstar Cruises, which operates a three-ship fleet of luxury yachts that explore the hidden harbors and secluded coves of the world's most treasured destinations, announced a fuel surcharge of $8.50 per person, per day for future sailings would be implemented due to escalating fuel prices. The surcharge applies to all currently published sailings through March 2009, that have not been paid in full by Dec. 15, 2007.

Viking River Cruises is adding a fuel surcharge of $7 per guest, per cruise night for all reservations that are not paid in full by Dec. 19. The surcharge will apply to all currently published sailings through December 2008.

Crystal Cruises fuel surcharge is $7 per guest per day for all 2008 reservations that are not paid in full by Jan. 1, 2008. Crystal is protecting 2008 bookings that are made and paid in full prior to Jan. 1, 2008 at the current fare, without the fuel surcharge. There will be no change to the current fuel surcharge of $5 per person, per day that is currently in effect for all 2007 voyages.

Uniworld Grand River Cruises has implemented a cruise fuel surcharge of $7.00 per person per cruise night for all 2008 European cruise programs and $10.00 per person per cruise night for all Russian and Ukraine cruise programs. All existing and new bookings for these cruise programs will have the surcharge added to the booking. If a booking is currently paid in full, or is paid in full on or before December 31, 2007, the surcharge will be waived.

Disney Cruise Line has not implemented a fuel surcharge and has committed not to impose a fuel surcharge on any existing bookings or any new bookings made through April 1, 2008. We will reassess market conditions at that time.

Tack World Discovery has pledged that it will not follow many major cruise lines in enacting fuel surcharges on its small ship cruise program. It comes down to Tauck choosing to maintain its sense of integrity and the image and reputation it has built over half a century rather than opting to pull in a few more dollars of revenue to offset increased cuel costs.

Blame the airlines for fuel surcharges. When petroleum prices began climbing back in 1999, the airlines saw not just a challenge but an opportunity. Instead of increasing their fares to match the increase in expenses, most major airlines created fuel surcharges, which are add-on fees. Now cruise lines are doing the same.

A fuel surcharge can be discontinued when fuel prices stabilize, instead of a fare increase to cover the additional fuel cost, and we know price increases never seem to come back down. Despite this small additional cost, cruising is still one of the best vacation values available.

Cruise / Travel Insurance

Planning to take a cruise? While booking you will be asked if you would like to purchase Travel Insurance. Your first instinct will probably be to say no. This is something you should really think about. There are usually two options on the Travel Insurance, those offered by the Cruise Line, and the other offered by the Cruise Agent. Not all insurance policies are the same, even though they may be written by the same company.

Usually the Travel Insurance offered by the Cruise/Travel Agency will cover more than the Travel Insurance offered by the Cruise Line, normally with higher limits. Some of the benefits of purchasing from the Cruise Agent are:

• Insure 3rd party travel arrangements at the same benefit limit and pricing schedule
• Coverage for Financial Default of an airline, cruise line, or tour operator
• Coverage for Missed Connection
• Trip Interruption
• Trip Delay
• Offers a waiver of the Pre-existing medical condition exclusion
• Provides higher medical benefit limits than the cruise line products
• May be purchased within 10 days after final trip payment
• Trip Cancellation
• Baggage & Personal Effects
• Baggage Delay
• Medical Expenses
• Emergency Evacuation
• Accidental Death & Dismemberment
• Is refundable.
• Provides all refunds in cash

Cruise lines advertise "cancel for any reason" coverage. Cash refunds are provided for "named peril" reasons. "Cruise credits" are provided for all other reasons.

On two different cruises I have been on I have seen a ambulance on the dock at a port of call. I watched as a stretcher took someone off the ship and head to a local hospital. Your Medical Insurance usually will not cover you when you are out of the United States. Travel Insurance will take care of you and even get you back home after you leave the hospital if the ship has left that port to continue the cruise and you have a passport so you can fly back home.

If you are flying to the Port, especially in the Winter months, there can be delays because of weather. Travel Insurance usually covers Missed Connections, Trip Interruption and Trip Delays. Some Travel Insurance Companies even have 24 hour support lines to help you get a new flight to your destination.

Most people think nothing will happen to affect their trip, but these are everyday possibilities. I always purchase the Travel Insurance, as I never know when something may come up that could ruin my cruise. So far I have not needed it but you never know when you will.

Seasickness and Cruising

First time cruisers often wonder if they will get seasick. For the majority of Passengers, sea sickness is not a problem. First, the sea cannot make you sick, is not a virus and therefore you cannot catch it. It is the motion of a car, plane, train, ship or amusement park ride that can make some experience sickness, the symptoms are the same and the cause is the same. The real name is motion sickness. Motion sickness happens when the body, inner ear, and eyes all send different signals to the brain, resulting in confusion and queasiness. It is a problem generally attributed to disturbance in the balance system of the inner ear. Your sensory perception gets out of synch as these nerve fibers attempt to compensate for the unfamiliar motion of the ship moving through water.

The good news for sufferers is that the condition often disappears without medical treatment within a few days. As your brain learns to compensate for the swaying and pitching of the ship you will get your “sea legs”. If you do feel sick and don't want to wait a few days to get your "sea legs", there are several remedies available, both medicinal like Dramamine, Dramamine II, Bonine and patches (Dramamine II and Bonine are non-drowsy formulas) and non-medicinal like Sea-Bands that are worn around the wrist, and they usually do the trick.

Almost all ships are designed with stabilizers that minimize side-to-side roll. When choosing a cabin, think about what is important to you. If you love the water, as I do, you will want a cabin with a balcony or at least a window. If you are susceptible to motion sickness, a cabin on a lower deck toward the middle of the ship is your best bet. The closer you are to the ship's center of gravity, the less motion you will feel.

Remedies must be taken before setting sail. Medication can be obtained from Pharmacies, and even in the ship stores - usually at a higher price, which help most people by sedating the balancing organs. These can cause drowsiness and instructions for their use should be read carefully and they should be taken with care. Ask your pharmacist for advice if you are not sure. At lunch on the day of the cruise before the ship leaves port, both my wife and I each take 1 Bonine tablet and that usually is all we need for a cruise.

Some people find special wrist bands effective and the Sea-Bands are sold in many pharmacies and luggage stores. There are also stick-on patches that can be worn on the skin behind the ear, but these are obtained by doctor's prescription only.

Don't let Seasickness keep you from taking and enjoying a cruise.