Refunds for "some" Fuel Supplement

[LHP]

http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/business_tourism_aviat...carnival-to-ref.html

IF you booked before Nov 7, 2007....

[LHP]

Here is another write up about it with more detail.

Here is another stock link, so it is official.

http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/080331/clm289.html?.v=1

Press Release Source: Carnival Corporation & plc


Carnival Corporation & plc to Voluntarily Rescind Fuel Supplement for Guests Booked Prior to November 7, 2007
Monday March 31, 6:01 pm ET


MIAMI, March 31 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE: CUK) has announced a voluntary refund of the company's fuel supplement for applicable U.S. bookings that were made prior to November 7, 2007, under an agreement with the Florida Attorney General's Office.
The fuel supplement, announced November 7, 2007, was applied to all U.S. bookings for voyages departing on or after February 1, 2008, regardless of when the booking was made, for cruises on the Carnival Corporation & plc brands Carnival Cruise Lines, Costa Cruises, Cunard Line, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises and The Yachts of Seabourn. However, this effective date allowed guests already booked at the time of the announcement the opportunity to cancel and receive a full refund.

The company will now refund the fuel supplement for those guests who were already booked at the time the supplement was announced. Refunds for affected guests will be implemented based on cruise departure date according to the following schedule:


-- For cruises departing on or prior to April 4, 2008, guests will
receive a refund in the same form they used to purchase their cruise.

-- For cruises departing from April 5, 2008 through June 23, 2008, guests
will receive an on-board credit.

-- For cruises departing on or after June 24, 2008, guests' bookings will
be adjusted to remove the supplement.


The fuel supplement remains in effect for all bookings made on or after November 7, 2007. The $5 per person per day fuel supplement applies only to the first and second guests in a stateroom and will not exceed $70 per person per voyage. Also, at the time the fuel supplement was announced, travel agents whose clients had existing reservations were offered $10 per booking in administrative compensation for notifying those clients of the supplement. Those travel agents will still receive the $10 per booking.
__________________

[Dave]

Thanks for the update! Carnival and RCI have "done the right thing" for those who had booked cruises prior to the supplement implementation dates. I believe this leaves NCL as the outlier.

[LHP]

I completely agree Dave.

I understand the fuel crunch and have no problems paying it for any cruises NOW that I know about it. But simply having it "tacked on" after I had booked and paid for my cruise was a little irritating!!

[Dwayne]

Thanks LHP for posting this! I just checked my email and it was sent out late Monday evening. This is the right thing to do. I never agreed with the business practice of adding it after the booking was made, even if it was covered in the legalease.

I must admit I didn't think they would do it unless forced to. I was wrong on that if it was voluntary as is being touted. Way to go Carnival !

They have the site updated now too.

Fuel Supplement Update on Carnival.com

Dwayne

[Spiritfilled]

That's good news I am going to tell my family members and also call my TA too. Thanks for the update.

[Rodney]

Way to go Carnival - this is the right thing to do and will make a lot of people happy! Me included! Yeah for on board credit!

[DUTCHMAN]

HUMMM guess I still have to pay it, we booked in Feb 08. Ya well I'm going anyway.

[LHP]

Originally posted by DUTCHMAN:
HUMMM guess I still have to pay it, we booked in Feb 08. Ya well I'm going anyway.

Sadly yes. As best as I understand it, the AG for Florida determined that it was "legal" to charge a fuel charge as long as it was listed separatedly and clearly stated.

However, Carnival realized that charging folks for cruises already booked BEFORE the 11/7 announcement was just not a very "cool" thing to do.

Which is how it should have been all along.

Everyone charges fuel surcharges now....it just needed to be "upfront" and not added after a booking.

[Dave]

was just not a very "cool" thing to do.

You really have to wonder what they were thinking, and that includes RCI. Surely someone at the conference table said "you know, this could easily become a PR nightmare and blow up in our faces".