MAL announces fuel surcharge--can they do this?

Try this link:

http://www.majesticamericaline.com/press/PressReleases.aspx

And click on the top press release. $17 a day per couple seems a bit excessive, $119 for a seven night cruise. Does anybody have an idea of how much Bunker C the DQ uses in a typical/average day?

And, not for nothing, but a mere EAGLE as the logo on Majestics press release page? Hee-hee-hee...

I'm with you David - I didn't think they could do this legally, as we contracted to pay a certain price for a trip. Any legal opinions out there??
I'm also beginning to wonder about our deposits - at one time they were counting this, and money from trips already paid, as part of their cash on hand - I didn't think this was legal either - thought it was suppposed to be kept in an escrow account until a trip actually got underway.
They have a very unusual bookkeeping system!

David and Pat, I think you already suspect this:

Read the top left of page 55 of the"Mississippi River and Tributaries" or the top right of page 121 of the "2007 Cruises" brochures from Majestic. If you have an older brochure just look at the fine print in the back.

Read "Fare, Policy and Program Changes"...it doesn't say anything about a prepurchased ticket or "contract".

But, my friends, you both know I agree with you...life isn't fair, is it?

Here's some more fuel for the fire...sorry about the pun....

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21755394/

Curious about the blame placed on the airline industry because I was about to post that fuel surcharges seem common in the airline industry.

As it relates to Bunker C- that doesn't seem logical since it is so thick and has to be heated to make the viscosity right and seems more fuel efficient than most oil-based products. But I really don't know.

It seems to me that it would be legal to pass along an extraordinary increase in costs but not legal to use pre-payment funding although certainly able to use the interest earned on prepayment funding. All of the travel business has focused for years on giving the deepest discounts to the people who sign up the earliest and pre-pay as much as possible. It has never wanted to reward the last-minute traveller. That makes good sense.

Hi, steamboating gang:
Unfortunately, the cruise industry is within their rights to levy an 'oil surcharge' for booked passengers. It's happened in the past from my experience. I've booked a family group of six on PRINCESS CRUISES in February for a 12 day Caribbean, South America/Central America/Panama Canal jaunt. Okay, gang, I can hear you saying, "Dale, you're a traitor to the cause." 40 lashes at the main mast.

PRINCESS CRUISES notified me by business E=Mail last week to look for an announcement on this. In a day it arrived that all in the family would have a $50 per head 'fuel charge' added to our bills. TRAVEL WEEKLY announced last week that other lines under the 'Carnival Cruise Co.' umbrella would also be notified of between $5 and $7 per day charge per head. If you pause, look back you may recall this happening previously with fuel charger on air tickets.

We win some and lose some. A year or so ago I received checks here reimbursing all of our family party for port taxes on a cruise two years previous that were later declared excessive in court. Depending on the ship, passengers received between $4 up to $11 per head. You figure it out.
Well, what do I know?

Cheers,
R. Dale Flick

Maybe Chief Schenk will jump in here. I'm not sure how much bunker C they are using anymore. They have always had the capability of firing the boilers with #2 Diesel, and did from time to time even in the early 1970's, if Bunker C were not available. It is no big deal to switch from one to the other, if I remember correctly, though I stand ready and willing to be corrected. When I worked on the boat, it was more a cost savings than anything.

Another factor here is the vastly increased use of Diesel power in recent years on the DQ. I think the generators are all diesel now -- there was some discussion on this thread a few months ago about the steam turbine and its use, how much load it would carry, etc., but I cannot remember the final outcome of that. I do know that with more and more added electric-wise, there is far more in the way of power being generated by diesel generators. Now, I know also the new generation of diesels is FAR more efficient than the older ones. My point is, there may not be that much bumker C being burned; it may be more (or all) diesel.

Folks,

Check here

http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=2270

All cruise lines have announced fuel surcharges. And yes, they can legally do it.

Lufthansa has raised its fuel surcharge for international flights too.

Carmen

One question bothers me. Has the price of petroleum products risen as far or as fast against the euro as it has against the dollar? Our dollars are buying less and less every day that we indulge in the luxury of war. This is called inflation.
No business can predict the costs of governmental stupidity or greedy sheiks. Surcharges are one of the few ways business can contend with them. FREE enterprise does not come FREE!

Alan,

We´re paying more and more for gas too. Currently regular is EUR 1.40 per liter, that´s app. $7.60 per gallon.

Carmen

Within the article Bruno posted check out the writer's previous article on "Rolling on the River", about her trip on the AQ and how she thought as a younger person she wouldn't like it, but now wants to ride again! And as to the airlines' surcharges, I've never had a purchased fare raised by one. I guess the key is MAL saying 'for those fares not fully paid yet'. Presumably if you've paid the entire fare by now you won't have the surcharge too.