Carnival Fuel surcharge scam!!

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viet630

Guest
I have a cruise booked for March with carnival. I have had it booked for almost a year now.I have had it paid in full since August.Now a couple weeks ago my cruise planner called and said you owe us another $80.00 for a fuel sucharge.I paid it under duress.Now I find out that the Canadians are getting a rebate on thier fuel surcharge! I was ticked off before, now I am furious..Please if you have been hit with this charge get ahold of Carnival and raise the dickens, don't take it laying down, you will get run over...Cal or write Carnival...
 
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viet630

Guest
Any American who thinks this deal is unfair call carnival at 1-800-819-3902 ext. 83369.That will put you directly to a supervisors desk. Tell them you feel this is unfair that it be added on after the fact. And that some people are paying it and others are not.. Let them know how you feel...
 
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viet630

Guest
I have called my pcp, she reffered me to a supervisor. I had no luck getting the fuel surcharge refunded.I have decided to just go along with the rip off. But I will not spend any extra for pictures, in the ship store or the casino.I also will not order any drinks over what we normally would, I might even cut a few of those out.I will spend $100.00 or more less on this up comming cruise. More than one way to skin a cat!
 
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Deno42

Guest
How about going to the pursers desk and having your gratuities removed from your account, or credited to your sail card. Then tell them the reason is because you feel the fuel charge is wrong after you've already booked at a set price. That way they will know why. Then if you feel your service has been great, give each server cash and the cruise line is unaware. Plus, this guaranties each person really gets their money, not what the cruise line wants to give them.
 
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Cruizer

Guest
If you remove your gratuities from your on board account, and then tip in cash, the employee is required to report the tip and put it in the pool. Failure to do this could result in the employee being fired.

Doing what you said only hurts the employee who had nothing to do with this, it does not hurt Carnival. If you want to hurt Carnival, then cancel your cruise. If your cruise is too important to cancel, then obviously your cruise is more important than the surcharge.

Of course you could always take your business to one of the cruise lines that did not follow Carnival's lead on this. Renaissance and Commodore come to mind. All of the major cruise lines have added a fuel surcharge. so either stop cruising or learn to live with it.
 
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Deno42

Guest
You sound like a truly dedicated cruise ship employee. I'm not saying an extra fuel charge isn't needed because of higher oil prices, but not once I've booked and paid the price quoted, that should be the end. As far as a happy cruiser slipping a twenty dollar bill to a person doing a great job is between me and him. If the cruise line takes this persons tips and gives part to indivduals that does nothing for me then thats wrong. I will find out if this is true, and I don't need people like you to tell me to live with it.
 
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Cruizer

Guest
I don't work for any cruise line, nor any business supported by the cruise lines. You can slip whatever to whomever you want. If the company rules require the employee to report the tip and the employee does not, then that employee can be fired. How you feel about that is irrelevant.

If you are upset with the cruise line, either take your business elsewhere or stop complaining - it is your choice.
 
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Betty Ann

Guest
Here is what I do not understand:

I went to law school, worked as an attorney for several years and am now a judge. The whole basis for a contract is that both parties agree to all terms. For instance, one person wants to buy a car. The other wants to sell a car. First person offers $100 for the car. Second person says, okay, I'll take the hundred dollars but only if you will also paint my house. First person says, ok it's a deal. Afterwards, second person wants first person to replace windows before painting house. Court would say no, because that term wasn't a part of the contract.

In the case of the fuel surcharge, when did I ever agree to it. The paperwork I got AFTER I paid the deposit does have some terms on it, but nothing about the fuel surcharge. I paid in full later and still haven't received anything from Carnival that has ALL of the terms to which carnival says I'm subject. I agree that I can go find it at the website, but I didn't know that until after I paid in full. So, in Court, how is carnival going to prove that I booked the cruise subject to all of their terms?

There must be something I'm missing, because surely someone else would have thought of this. So, enlighten me, please.
 
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Mbandy

Guest
Here's one T/A's point of view....mine.

As a T/A, this has been a sore spot for me. Different cruise lines have instituted it in different ways. Some cruise lines are including the surcharge in the "government taxes & fees" which does seem to be misleading. Other lines are including it in the "non commissionable fare" (commonly referred to as "port charges"). Other lines are breaking out the charge separately.

IMHO the surcharge should have applied to new bookings only. After all, cruise lines often offer promotions which are valid "for new bookings only" which precludes people who already booked from realizing the benefit of the promotion so why not treat the new surcharge the same way? =huh

To attempt to answer Betty Ann's question. I don't know how "legal" it is but the cruise lines instituted the surcharge in November for sailings after February 1st. That means that affected guests had the option of cancelling their cruise with a full refund of any monies paid. Doesn't seem right, but that was the general attitude..pony up or stay home.

One thing I am thankful for is that most people I have had to inform have just been resigned about it. They realize that it is not the travel agent's fault and no one has gone off on me about it. It is also not the fault of the reservations agents at the cruise lines; they don't make the rules either. It is certainly not the fault of the on board employees who work so very hard to take care of those of us who love cruising so don't exact your pound of flesh from them.

I know it is frustrating. The only best advice I give my affected passengers is don't dwell on it. $5 a day is about the price of one cocktail. That's just not worth the aggrivation of worrying about it. To me, instead of cutting back on your on board enjoyment, Get your $5 a day back...by using more free stuff. Order TWO lobster tails at dinner...more shrimp cocktails or an extra steak. Use room service TWICE as much...more fruit plates in the morning...more cheese & crackers in the afternoon just because it is free. I could easily use $5 a day more of free cruise line stuff.

OK off my =soapbox
 
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Gayle V

Guest
I like your way of thinking, Micheal. Double shrimp cocktails for me, every dinner. That's my plan, and I'm sticking to it. :grin
 
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viet630

Guest
I paid the sucharge and feel that I still got a good deal on the crusie. Iwas the way they handled it.Once I have agrred to buy anything at c ertain price I expect to apy that price.In this case I had been booked for almost a year and had been paid in full for several months.. I will not buy anything at the ship store. I will buy very few drinks if any, and I will not gamble in the casino. I will buy maybe 1 picture. So you tell me Carnival who is the winner here.And eat , I will have at least 2 lobsters and shrimp every night.I will get ven if I have to take my bussiness elsewhere the next time I will do that..
 
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viet630

Guest
I do not dispute the fact that fuel prices are up. I do however think once you have agreed on a price on anything, be it a cruise or a car you should pay the agreed upon price.And you should not be charged more after you have paid your bill.That is like going to a restuarant to eat, paying your bill and when you get your credit card statement there is another $80.00 added to it.Like i said i will spend a lot less on the ship than I do normaly!
 
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Black99x

Guest
Adjusting gratuities would be my way around it also... I see how some would feel bad about it but not spending as much on the ship will not hurt the cruise lines as much as having upset employees... I recently called to make a name change as was charged $25 and I need to re-print the ticket myself... They will not be seeing the total gratuities from me and I will not even feel bad about it!!! :)
 
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viet630

Guest
Now that you mention it I will do the same .I will go to the pursers desk and tell them I do not want to do the automatic gratuities and will do it the conventional way.I do not like auto grats anyway, it tends to lead to poor service in some cases.Maybe if more people do this we will get the message across, Carnival has not listened to my complaints yet so lets give this a try!
 
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Cruizer

Guest
Now you want to punish the employees of the cruise line. They had no say in the fuel charge. You are now trying to make the argument that two wrongs make a right.

If you want to hurt the cruise line, cancel your cruise. If you are unwilling to do so, then please justify how hurting the employees is any more right than the wrong Carnival did to you?
 
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Goguinness

Guest
To me this is much ado about nothing. The price of crude has gone up. I have to pay more for my car. There is nothing I can do except maybe buy a smaller, more efficient car, and how long would the payback be on that. Fuel is a tremendous cost for the cruise lines. So I have to pay a few bucks more for my cruise. Guess what, I'm going to enjoy the cruise and not let a relatively few dollars more spoil my cruise.

Paul S
 
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viet630

Guest
I Agree, lets all just rollover and take it! After I make a deal on my next new car I will ask them to raise the price for me after I have written the check! I geuss it will make me feel better to give the dealer extra after the deal was made?
 
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Cruizer

Guest
[quote viet630]I Agree, lets all just rollover and take it! After I make a deal on my next new car I will ask them to raise the price for me after I have written the check! I geuss it will make me feel better to give the dealer extra after the deal was made?[/quote]Why would you ask the dealer to raise the price? This implies that you asked Carnival to charge a fuel supplement.
 
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Deno42

Guest
Way to go Cruiser, You look for a negative approach on every post. I think that most everyone agrees that once a price is posted and a person agrees to the price and pays in advance,then the deal is done. I agree that the fuel prices have got out of hand so advertise the new price needed and the new customers will pay that price. I see what Viet630 is saying, car prices, food, or whaever. I know Cruiser. Live with it or cancel the cruise that I have had paid for months now.
 
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