Worried about a return of fuel surcharges? We've got you covered, says one cruise seller

mercedes · September 2, 2009

Worried about a return of fuel surcharges? You might want to take a look at the new offer from cruise seller CruiseDeals.com.

The online travel agency today is launching a Fuel Surcharge Guarantee promotion in which it is promising to pay any fuel surcharges tacked on to bills by cruise lines.

The unusual offer is for new bookings made at CruiseDeals.com during the month of September and applies to ocean view and higher category cabins.

“The last thing you want to worry about after you’ve budgeted for your vacation and paid your cruise fare is the possibility of the cruise lines reinstating their fuel surcharges,” says Jared Smith, general manager of CruiseDeals.com.

Most major cruise lines have said they reserved the right to bring back fuel surcharges if oil prices hit $65 to $70 a barrel -- a level at which prices have been hovering for several months. The price of oil on the New York Mercantile Exchange closed Tuesday at $68.05.

Fuel surcharges were common at cruise lines in 2009 as oil prices surged to nearly $150 a barrel, with some operators such as The Yachts of Seabourn adding as much as $105 per person, per week to customer bills. Cruise lines began removing the charges in December after oil prices plunged below $50 a barrel. Oil remained below $50 a barrel until April, when it began a steady rise to its current level.

Carnival Corp. Chairman and CEO Micky Arison allayed fears about a return of fuel surcharges in June when he said the industry giant had "no plans" to bring back fuel surcharges. At the time oil prices had just returned to $70 a barrel.