While a cruise seems like an all-inclusive deal at first, like most other forms of luxury travel there are always optional cost add-ons.
However, most travelers think of those as fun things, like a brightly colored cocktail or a special dinner. They're not expecting to have to shell out more for something like the gas that keeps the cruise ship running.
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And yet they may be doing just that, if what Carnival Chief Executive Josh Weinstein said in a Sept. 29 earnings call is any indication. Weinstein said that a surcharge is "certainly not off the table."
Fuel costs for Carnival (CCL) -) are at one of their all-time highs, with an impact of $130 million in Q4. That's the reason you might see a fuel surcharge on a future bill — although Weinstein says if you already have a trip booked, you don't need to worry.
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"There are certainly considerations that have to be made about what's the norm in society with the expectations of our customer," Weinstein said.
Future bookings, on the other hand, may be subject to as much as $9 per person per day, as outlined in Carnival's contract of carriage. So if you've already read the fine print when you purchased a ticket, you know the surcharge is not exactly new.
But the surcharge is considered a temporary solution, as Weinstein says the long-term plan is less consumption of fuel altogether.
"We continue to work aggressively to manage fuel costs the best way possible by consuming less," he said.
"I know this is stating the obvious, but not only is this effort benefiting our bottom line by hundreds of millions of dollars, it's also better for the environment."
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