Cruise lines introduce surcharges

01-Jun-08

Hebridean International Cruises is to introduce fuel surcharges to its customers for 2008 and 2009, Luxury Travel can exclusively reveal.

The news comes after Crystal Cruises announced plans to implement a fuel surcharge for clients booking on or after 23 June.

Hebridean applied the fuel charge to all 2008 bookings for the summer season.

"Every cruise company now facing these higher fuel costs acts in their own way to collect this revenue," said Hebridean International Cruises in a letter to its clients.

Clients will be charged £12 per person per day on Hebridean Spirit and £7 per person per day on Hebridean Princess. For bookings for 2009 a fuel charge has been accounted for in the pricing of the cruises. However, Hebridean said it had received no complaints from guests.

"Hebridean is different from many other cruise lines in that most of its bookings for its 2008 season have now already been made and applying the charge to just new bookings would not greatly contribute to the extra cost of fuel," the letter said. "It is appreciated that many of our guests have paid in full for their cruise, however, I must point out that we offered very attractive financial savings to those who decided to take this option."

Alan Glen, managing director, Glen Travel, said: "It's the same with airlines and it can't be good for business." However, he added, clients often look at bottom line costs for luxury cruises.

Crystal Cruises UK sales and marketing director Sophie Higgins said fuel costs were escalating beyond expectations and its surcharge of £6.25 per guest per day would not fully cover the increased costs. Silversea Cruises and MSC Cruises also introduced charges for 2008 bookings. (See Ocean Cruising, p40.)