Ok, this time around the surcharge won't affect us since we leave prior to the date RCCL set. But I was reading about the various lines and it still irks me that the people are the ones who end up being the ones the take the final cost. industry passes it on to the companies and the corporations pass it on to their individual companies and they pass it on to us (the buck stops here)
Anyway I'll be curious to see when and if fuel prices come back down if they drop the surcharge.
My daughters gymanstics coach clipped on a $5 cost to offset her expected heating costs last winter. Wouldn't you know in the spring we didn't get $5.00 taken off of our fee.
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Carnival Fantasy 6/05
RCCL Sovereign of the Seas 4/07
RCCL Navigator 12/07
RCCL Navigator 11/08
RCCL Liberty 7/4/09
Ok, this time around the surcharge won't affect us since we leave prior to the date RCCL set. But I was reading about the various lines and it still irks me that the people are the ones who end up being the ones the take the final cost. industry passes it on to the companies and the corporations pass it on to their individual companies and they pass it on to us (the buck stops here)
Anyway I'll be curious to see when and if fuel prices come back down if they drop the surcharge.
My daughters gymanstics coach clipped on a $5 cost to offset her expected heating costs last winter. Wouldn't you know in the spring we didn't get $5.00 taken off of our fee.
__________________
Carnival Fantasy 6/05
RCCL Sovereign of the Seas 4/07
RCCL Navigator 12/07
RCCL Navigator 11/08
RCCL Liberty 7/4/09
It's also interesting to see the differences between the various cruise lines. It makes sense on some level, since the corporate parent would likely be the ones negotiating with the suppliers. Yet, as an example, our family of three will be paying anywhere between $70-$140 on our 7-night HAL cruise in August, for a booking made a few months ago. ($5 for each of first two in cabin, up to maximum $10, per person per day.)If we book now on NCL, the surcharge for a 7-nighter would be $119 ($7 pppd for first two, $3 pppd for 3rd pax). And, had we booked NCL a few months ago for a cruise in August, there would be no surcharge.
I would hope that the lines would drop the surcharges someday. I have a feeling it will be a long wait, though.
it still irks me that the people are the ones who end up being the ones the take the final cost. industry passes it on to the companies and the corporations pass it on to their individual companies and they pass it on to us (the buck stops here)
This is the way it has always been, and in a free market economy it is the way it should be. The consumer always pays the freight. It amazes me that people think corporations pay income taxes, fees, etc. No, they don't. The costs of doing business are rolled into the price for the goods or services provided by the corporation or company. If they weren't then those of us who invest in corporations and companies would see diminished profits and we'd take our money elsewhere. And then that company fails. I really don't see it as unreasonable for a cruise line to say "hey, our fuel costs are skyrocketing and we have to ask our customers to help shoulder the cost". Bottom line is neither the corporations or their shareholders are in this to be charities.
I'm not saying its unreasonable to pass a higher cost to consumers when they have to pay a higher cost. my comment was mostly about the lack of reverting back to the orginal price when that higher cost returns to normal again. I can almost guarantee that fuel surcharge will stay on there forever. Even if oil prices drop back down below $80 a barrel.
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Carnival Fantasy 6/05
RCCL Sovereign of the Seas 4/07
RCCL Navigator 12/07
RCCL Navigator 11/08
RCCL Liberty 7/4/09
It also reminds me of something I read in the paper today. When a Bottling plant moved out of the area last year they raised our water prices because of the lost revenue of the plant leaving. that was their reason. They are petitioning the Utility Commission to raise rates again because we have growth in the area now and they need to upgrade services.
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Carnival Fantasy 6/05
RCCL Sovereign of the Seas 4/07
RCCL Navigator 12/07
RCCL Navigator 11/08
RCCL Liberty 7/4/09
I would just remind everybody that this is not the first time fuel surcharges have been added. And they were eventually dropped. There is no reason to think they will not be dropped this time when/if oil prices come down.
Fuel surcharges are now and will be far into the future part of our lives unless changes are made. Sadly, the market is not working as it should and there are, in my opinion, three reasons for this. First, it is in the best interest of many countries and people to keep energy prices high. Countries such as Venezuela, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, the Gulf States, Russia and **** are enjoying boom times. And in places like Houston and elsewhere in the domestic oil business, business is to put it mildly, just great. Neither have an incentive to reduce prices.
Secondly, the rest of the world is using much more oil, as the economies of India, China, and others allow for the purchase of automobiles and other energy uses.
Third, there is an absence of leadership on this issue. At the very highest levels of our great country, the word "conservation" is equated with devil worship or completely antisocial behavior.
It is not for me to go into detail about what we can do, but simply stated, I hope that the US oil business doesn't go the way of the village blacksmith or typewriter manufacturers. As the United States has a truly wonderful combination of common sense and technology, I hope the men and women of the US oil business enjoy themselves because the boom times are going to end. In another year there will be a change in Washington and with leadership at the top the greatest country in the world is going to solve its energy crisis.
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