How much money do you think they got?

[George W. Bush]

And was it worth it?

 

How much money do you think HAL got by increasing the fares of customers who already paid by adding the fuel surcharge? Its one thing to increase the cost for customers who hadn't paid yet (and thus knew up front what the cost of the cruise would be) , but do you think the money they got from the pre-existing customers was worth alienating and aggravating thousands of customers?

 

In other words, do you think that $5 per day x 7 days per person was worth pissing off a percentage of their customer base?

 

 

It has been my experience that many people become disproportionately angry over small things. HAL will receive just a small increase in revenue for the sailings, but I suspect many people will remember the surcharge with a great deal of anger.

 

What do you think?

[GmaPajama]

I avoid controversial threads, but have to add my 2 cents here. Considering the overall cost of a cruise, I believe $70 each is simply a non-issue. If that's what it takes to maintain the cruising we so enjoy, I'm more than happy to contribute.

[MercedMike]

OK, as a math teacher, I like to see it all in black and white.

 

On the principal of KISS (Keep it Simple, Stupid) let's use an arbitrary 10 ships of 2000 pax each, that's 20,000 pax at sea every day. $5 x $20,000 is 100,000 a day. For the year that is $36,500,000. HMMM ... 36 million bucks is a pretty good chunk of change.

 

Yep, maybe it was worth it.

 

:D

[AWED23]

OK, as a math teacher, I like to see it all in black and white.

 

On the principal of KISS (Keep it Simple, Stupid) let's use an arbitrary 10 ships of 2000 pax each, that's 20,000 pax at sea every day. $5 x $20,000 is 100,000 a day. For the year that is $36,500,000. HMMM ... 36 million bucks is a pretty good chunk of change.

 

Yep, maybe it was worth it.

 

:D

:) $36,000,000.00 that is a chunk, but teacher, I have a question....How do you factor the $70 cap that HAL has put on the surcharge?...I think that $70 equates to 10 days of cruising...Tough equation to formulate but I'll bet you have an answer...I am still waiting for an English teacher to tell me how to spell the word T.. in the sentence, "There are three ways to spell the word T.., TO,TWO,TOO"...Any English experts out there?...:) LOL

[George W. Bush]

Your estimate is high. I specifically worded the question to exclude the money from new bookings--so for the figure to be 36 million every single room in every single ship for the next year would have had to be already booked. That's unlikely, in my opinion.

 

However, even if the figure is 36 million . . . how much does the corporation spend on advertising every year? Is 36 million dollars really enough of an incentive to aggravate so many customers? Especially if one considers that the people who are being aggravated are those who have already shown an interest in cruising and are you "targeted" demographic.

[George W. Bush]

Your estimate is high. I specifically worded the question to exclude the money from new bookings--so for the figure to be 36 million every single room in every single ship for the next year would have had to be already booked. That's unlikely, in my opinion.

 

However, even if the figure is 36 million . . . how much does the corporation spend on advertising every year? Is 36 million dollars really enough of an incentive to aggravate so many customers? Especially if one considers that the people who are being aggravated are those who have already shown an interest in cruising and are you "targeted" demographic.

[leoandhugh]

I think that most of the paid up passengers you refer to be may be a little pissed, but that is as far as it will go with most of them. If the passenger base is going to be aggravated by something like that, they are not the usual base who have learned that when it comes to cruising, you roll with the punches, make the best of it, and enjoy your cruise. I think you are over-reacting.

[sail7seas]

I noticed Fed Ex and UPS are adding fuel surcharges.

Last night, I placed my holiday order with one of the MAJOR Holiday Basket/gift catalog companies and they added 13 cents to the price of every article in the already distributed catalog as a fuel surcharge.

 

Our local florist has increased the price of delivery.

 

Am I the only one seeing many business are assessing a fuel surcharge?

If I don't like it, I don't have to place the order. I don't have to use UPS or FedEx. I don't have to order anything by phone or online that requires shipping.

If I don't like that HAL has done as so many other companies and added a IMO reasonable fuel surcharge, I don't have to cruise their ships.

 

JMHO.......

[peaches from georgia]

It has been my experience that many people become disproportionately angry over small things. HAL will receive just a small increase in revenue for the sailings, but I suspect many people will remember the surcharge with a great deal of anger.

 

What do you think?

I think people are so aware of the increasing price of gasoline in their own lives, plus the fact that they went on a great vacation where $5/day is a tiny fraction of their cost/day, that most pax will think very little about it and when they are remember ing their wonderful cruise they won't even remember the fuel surcharge.

[sail7seas]

However, even if the figure is 36 million . . . how much does the corporation spend on advertising every year? Is 36 million dollars really enough of an incentive to aggravate so many customers? Especially if one considers that the people who are being aggravated are those who have already shown an interest in cruising and are you "targeted" demographic.

 

JMHO........

 

It has not been my impression from people with whom I have spoken and the many messages that have been posted here on these Boards that a great many people are aggravated. I'm not seeing or hearing that. I am not seeing them alienating themselves from HAL or any cruise line which has put fuel charges in place.

 

None of us like price increases but almost all of us understand these fuel surcharges assessed by all these companies. It is my opinion you think far more are aggravated than is actually the case.

 

Not to say any of us like it........ ;)

 

We have five cruises booked which will be subject to this additional charge and we are accepting of it.

[Sage]

I would like two cruises. First sentence is the number two. I would like to board the ship. The second sentence is used to express motion or direction. I want to go on a cruise too. This too is used when you could subsitute the word also.

 

Usually when something is paid for, there are no additional charges, so I can see where some would be upset, and if they can add on one amount with out consent, then what stops then from adding a larger amount?

[hammybee]

Our friend, Bicker, said it better than anyone, a week or two ago.

 

It went along the lines of, "if we do not want to pay, we have the choice to "do without". Doing without, is the power of the consumer."

 

How any of us feel about it, does not matter. Whining about it, does not matter. Rationalizing it, does not matter. Speculating about the potential size of gravy train, does not matter.

 

Either we pay it, or do without.

It really is this simple.

[kwpatel]

Our friend, Bicker, said it better than anyone, a week or two ago.

 

It went along the lines of, "if we do not want to pay, we have the choice to "do without". Doing without, is the power of the consumer."

 

How any of us feel about it, does not matter. Whining about it, does not matter. Rationalizing it, does not matter. Speculating about the potential size of gravy train, does not matter.

 

Either we pay it, or do without.

It really is this simple.

 

Well said... :D

[bUU]

Yeah, it went something like that. :)

[KAYEF]

:) $36,000,000.00 that is a chunk, but teacher, I have a question....How do you factor the $70 cap that HAL has put on the surcharge?...I think that $70 equates to 10 days of cruising...Tough equation to formulate but I'll bet you have an answer...I am still waiting for an English teacher to tell me how to spell the word T.. in the sentence, "There are three ways to spell the word T.., TO,TWO,TOO"...Any English experts out there?...:) LOL

 

Actually, the sum of $70. equates to 14 days of cruising, not 10.

If you go to the thread that sort of "announces" cruiselines adding this fuel surcharge, you will find a line that added something like $12. per day (I just saw it about 2 a.m. so my memory isn't containing it well right now:confused: )

Nothing like this would stop our cruising. My belief is that there are some mighty happy gas company stockholders in this world.............when people complain about high prescription costs in our country, I always ask them if they hold stock in those types of companies as well.

Anyhow, enjoy your cruise if you still go.............I'm sure you will find a cruise a VERY economical way to travel.:)

[hammybee]

Yeah, it went something like that. :)

 

 

Here is a copy of what I referred to. It's a powerful statement:

 

In the end, consumers emasculate themselves by refusing to employ the tool that provides them ultimate power, i.e., the ability to "do without".

[WindyCity]

By the same token, should I be upset that my final cost of our cruise increased due to increased port charges for the Panama Canal? In the overall cruise cost, $70 is a drop in the bucket for a fuel surcharge. Our lawn service has been adding a fuel surcharge since last year - we go with the flow. And the 36,000,000 that was figured did not calculate in the increased cost of fuel to HAL - so one can't be misled that this amount is all profit.

[barbon2]

Hi,

I am booked on the Eurodam for Dec. 08. Received a letter from our TA explaining the fuel service charge. We are being charged $35 pp for a seven day Caribbean cruise for a total of $70. I think this is reasonable considering the price of fuel. We had the option to cancel our cruise with no penalities if we did not want to pay this charge. I think before I would ever let $70 stand in my way of cruising or not, I would opt for a lessor stateroom catagory. As other posters have stated, fuel surcharges are being added everywhere. Perhaps we all have choices on a cruise. If the $70 would be a factor in my cruise, I would opt for one less spa treatment, a different selection of wine, etc. Also as others have posted, there are other lines which offer less expensive cruises to begin with. We happen to be very satisfied with HAL so this would not be an option for us.

Barbara

[jhannah]

Here is a copy of what I referred to. It's a powerful statement:

 

In the end, consumers emasculate themselves by refusing to employ the tool that provides them ultimate power, i.e., the ability to "do without".

Yes, it's extremely powerful. We as a people (broad brush) are selfish and self-serving. We'd rather not stand for something if it ends up being an inconvenience to us. That's why we remain dependent on foreign oil. And that brings us to the present "dilemma" we're in with respect to fuel prices.

 

I'm not cancelling any cruises booked over $5 per day. Although the sailings are booked, I haven't received the product yet. Before the TV leaves the store, the shop owner can get any price out of me he chooses (unless I choose to do without.) He wouldn't have the gall to send me a bill for added charges after I'd gotten home with the TV. It's the same principle with the cruise lines. We've paid a deposit, and maybe even paid in full. But we haven't "taken the cruise home" yet. Make sense?

[InTheWASide]

And was it worth it?

 

How much money do you think HAL got by increasing the fares of customers who already paid by adding the fuel surcharge?

 

...but do you think the money they got from the pre-existing customers was worth alienating and aggravating thousands of customers?

 

In other words, do you think that $5 per day x 7 days per person was worth pissing off a percentage of their customer base?

 

HAL will receive just a small increase in revenue for the sailings, but I suspect many people will remember the surcharge with a great deal of anger.

 

What do you think?

 

 

I think you aren't letting it click in your head from the announcement, that this was done by CARNIVAL CORPORATION and that it applies to:

-CARNIVAL

-PRINCESS

-CUNARD

-SEABOURN

-HAL

-COSTA

 

HAL:

-didn't ask for it,

-doesn't benefit from it,

-didn't initiate it,

-wasn't given an option to keep absorbing it

-or to 'tweak' what the parent company told them they were going to be doing.

 

Neither did the others for that matter.

 

Plus, now you have to figure that every single well-recognized cruise line has added some sort of supplement (with the exception of Disney) and that those imposed by Carnival Corp are among the lowest. $5 per person, per day capped at $70 and back to back sailings are included in that cap... This is minimal, and surely isn't a "break the bank" sort of thing for anyone taking the OPTION to go on a cruise in the first place.

 

As Sail mentioned up above...

Taxis

Delivery companies

Floral deliveries

Pizza places

Airlines

Airport shuttles

some bus lines, trains, etc.

ferry systems

etc

etc

etc

have all imposed their version of a fuel surcharge because to put it in VERY blunt terms...

The price of fuel is SCREWING EVERYONE and I'm pretty sure it's more closely related to the current administration than a lot of people would like to believe... but anywho...

 

Not only does everyone have the option to "do without" (also as mentioned previously on this thread) but before you start blaming HAL or any of the other lines within Carnival Corp, it may be wise to actually READ the press releases and see if it says "Carnival Corp" or "HAL" in key places.

 

I fully understand everyone's frustration, but the contracts allow it to happen, people signed into those contracts, it's capped at a reasonable amount, the option to cancel was given and "everyone's doing it" so I think the LEVEL of "outrage" expressed by some in multiple threads is a bit rediculous.

 

Me personally?

 

I would be annoyed by it, but I would know that I'll be on a HAL ship, getting HAL service, and if the fuel surcharge helps Carnival Corp offset the increase in fuel costs so that they can reound from the falling dollar, not get screwed at the cost it will take to build a sister to Eurodam and allow HAL to keep expanding its fleet and cruise options in various regions...

 

I'm all for it!!

 

:D

[bUU]

In the end, consumers emasculate themselves by refusing to employ the tool that provides them ultimate power, i.e., the ability to "do without".

Oh yeah... that was a good one. :D

[shepp]

I avoid controversial threads, but have to add my 2 cents here. Considering the overall cost of a cruise, I believe $70 each is simply a non-issue. If that's what it takes to maintain the cruising we so enjoy, I'm more than happy to contribute.

 

So if you decide not to simply not pay $70 of your onboard account, what do you think the odds are of HAL figuring, "Well, considering all that they've already paid overall, $70 is a non-issue?"

[nurseblissful]

my husband is a contractor. we have found that people can be happy with a total price, but when it is broken down to this much for this person for this service, there is a lot of resistance. weird, huh? i cleaned houses to get through college. people would be happy with my price and then when they found out how much time it took, they started adding all kinds of things....same concept. if carnival simply said the prices were going up, i wonder if people would be ok with that? i am ok with paying another $140 for our cruise. that is change compared to what we spend...:cool:

[NoNoNanette]

HAL:

-doesn't benefit from it

 

How does Holland America NOT benefit from it? Of course they do. They benefit in extra income not originally charged to future passengers.

 

HAL certainly benefited from a "trickle down" from Carnival. Otherwise, they'd be out the bucks. :)

 

(We "escaped" the extra surcharge. If I would have gotten an extra charge, I would have been a bit miffed, but would not have canceled my cruise....to me, that 10 bucks is "chump change", but it would be a matter of principle)

[mamaofami]

What is the point of complaining about something over which you have no control?

 

I agree with Bicker and Hammy. Pay or stay home. That's what I have to do when I pull up at the pump to get gas for my car.