Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. Announces Fuel SupplementMIAMI, Nov. 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- In an effort to deal with the sharp increase in fuel prices, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. today announced the implementation of a fuel supplement of $5 per guest per day for sailings that depart on or after February 1, 2008.
"I thank our guests for understanding our need to implement this fuel supplement," said Brian Rice, executive vice president and chief financial officer of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. "We have gone to great lengths to minimize the impact of rising fuel costs, for example, designing and building more fuel-efficient ships, installing energy-saving lighting, and using air conditioning more efficiently. Unfortunately, as fuel prices have reached record highs, we are forced to take this extraordinary step to offset those costs."
The company has taken measures to soften the impact of this decision. For example, the company will not apply the supplement on any bookings where the guest has already paid the full cost of the cruise. In addition, guests who were booked before November 16, and who do not agree to pay the supplement, may cancel their reservation prior to December 7, 2007, for a full refund of all monies they have paid to the company, 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, onboard their cruise. Finally, the supplement will apply only to the first and second guests in each stateroom and will not exceed $70 per person, per sailing.
The supplement will assist the company in offsetting the widespread increases in fuel prices, which have more than doubled in recent years. The supplement will be periodically reviewed, with the intent of being temporary, and may be adjusted as fuel prices fluctuate.
The company will provide travel agents with an administrative fee of $12 per existing booking to help offset the costs associated with contacting guests with existing reservations and collecting payment of the supplement for each booking that sails on or after February 1, 2008.
The charge will involve three Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. brands: Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Azamara Cruises. Pullmantur Cruises, the Madrid-based, wholly-owned subsidiary of Royal Caribbean Cruise Ltd, has also implemented a fuel supplement of (euro) 50 for its tours and cruises that depart on or after January 1, 2008.
"We know the rising cost of fuel has affected everyone, and, unfortunately, our company is no different," Rice said. "We hope the options we are providing, including additional time for guests to finalize vacation plans, will underscore our commitment to our guests."
The supplement is effective for new and existing North American bookings. The company cannot predict the impact of the fuel supplement on its earnings, as it does not know the number of new or existing bookings that will accept the proposed supplement.
Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. is a global cruise vacation company that operates Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, Pullmantur, Azamara Cruises and CDF Croisieres de France. The company has a combined total of 35 ships in service and seven under construction. It also offers unique land- tour vacations in Alaska, Asia, Australia, Canada, Europe, Latin and South America and New Zealand. Additional information can be found on www.royalcaribbean.com, www.celebrity.com. Documento sin título, Azamara Cruises, or www.rclinvestor.com.
SOURCE Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. -0- 11/16/2007 /CONTACT: Lynn Martenstein or Michael Sheehan, both of Royal CaribbeanCruises Ltd., +1-305-539-6572/ /Web site: http://www.royalcaribbean.com / (RCL)CO: Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.ST: FloridaIN: TRA MAR OIL LEISU:SB-HB-- CLF026A --2405 11/16/2007 08:00 EST PR Newswire - news distribution, targeting and monitoring
Thanks god!!! Just paid the final payment yesterday.
But don't know whether the Fuel surcharge will be implemented to the bookings made in Asia.
(as it states that :The supplement is effective for new and existing North American bookings)
According to the Press release, Asian and European cruises should NOT be affected. That can change of course. Pullmantur operates in the Caribbean and Europe, and the article did not say that the surcharge on their cruises were limited to North America.
It looks like RC waited to see how Carnival would implement theirs, listened to the reaction, and then tried to avert the things that caused the worst complaints.
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, John... but unless you are sailing without Marilyn, it adds $140 to the cost of your cruise.
I understand why they need to do this, but it was not a happy time at my house this morning when I got the email announcing the surcharge. With the cruises we have booked, the surcharge is adding $670 to our cruise bill.
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, John... but unless you are sailing without Marilyn, it adds $140 to the cost of your cruise.
I understand why they need to do this, but it was not a happy time at my house this morning when I got the email announcing the surcharge. With the cruises we have booked, the surcharge is adding $670 to our cruise bill.
I had a conversation earlier today with RCCL about this part of the press release...
"The supplement is effective for new and existing North American bookings."
What they explained to me this means is that any of their North American customers will be paying the surcharge, regardless of where they are sailing. We have a cruise booked that originates and ends in South America and the surcharge has been applied.
Originally Posted by elleluv I hate to be the bearer of bad news, John... but unless you are sailing without Marilyn, it adds $140 to the cost of your cruise.
I understand why they need to do this, but it was not a happy time at my house this morning when I got the email announcing the surcharge. With the cruises we have booked, the surcharge is adding $670 to our cruise bill.
OUCH
Yeah... that's what I thought... my language was a bit stronger through!
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Our next cruise is in January! 
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