Like most cruisers, I hate being nickeled and dimed to death.  And while surcharges and extra fees feel like that sometimes, they’re really fare increases that reflect the rising cost of doing business. 

There’s a reason cruise lines call them as “surcharges” and “extra fees”. They pay travel agents a 15% commission on the price of the cabin.  However, they DON’T want to pay a 15% commission if it can be avoided. So, by calling increases surcharges and fees, they skip paying the extra 15%.  It’s the same reason that port charges are categorized as separate charges.  

Airlines pass along the increase of doing business by simply raising fares. It would be a lot simpler and raise less of a fuss if the cruise industry did the same. For example, I generally notice that cost of living has climbed in New York but .  Imagine my shock when I read that milk had increased 64% since 2003 in New York!  Personally I’ll take denial over reality any day. Does that mean we should switch to beer?

I asked Carnival Cruise Lines’ Jen de la Cruz about the actual increase in the price of fuel.  “The price the company pays for fuel has increased 140 percent over the past three years, with a 50% increase occurring in just the last seven months.  Up until now the company has been absorbing this significant fuel cost increase.  Unfortunately, we cannot continue to absorb the increase…..,”  she said.

Aside from gasoline, have you noticed prices increasing where you live?

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