Ed
03-24-2008, 08:21 AM
Disney Cruise Line mulls fuel surcharge
Scott Powers
Jason Garcia and Sara K. Clarke, Sentinel Staff Writers
March 24, 2008
Even if Disney Cruise Line ultimately decides to join its fellow cruise companies and tack on a new ticket surcharge to cover skyrocketing fuel costs, it will not follow the others in charging even those guests who have already booked.
"We will not do that," Tom McAlpin, president of Celebration-based Disney Cruise Line, said last week. McAlpin made the comments following the announcement of a new contract that will keep Disney ships sailing out of Port Canaveral for the next 15 years.
Disney is the only major cruise line that hasn't already adopted a fuel surcharge. Carnival Corp. and Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., for instance, announced in November that they would charge passengers as much as $70 a person or $140 a stateroom on cruises departing as of Feb. 1.
But what has made the charges especially controversial -- and prompted an investigation from the state attorney general -- is that most cruise lines decided to make customers who had already booked pay the new charge. Royal Caribbean recently announced a settlement with state officials to give a refund to anyone who was charged retroactively, but Carnival is so far standing by its decision.
Disney has already committed to not adopting an extra fuel charge until at least April. After that, though, is anyone's guess. While McAlpin said last week that Disney is "fighting" the concept, he also noted that fuel costs are getting worse and that a surcharge might be necessary. "We're looking at it," he said.
Scott Powers
Jason Garcia and Sara K. Clarke, Sentinel Staff Writers
March 24, 2008
Even if Disney Cruise Line ultimately decides to join its fellow cruise companies and tack on a new ticket surcharge to cover skyrocketing fuel costs, it will not follow the others in charging even those guests who have already booked.
"We will not do that," Tom McAlpin, president of Celebration-based Disney Cruise Line, said last week. McAlpin made the comments following the announcement of a new contract that will keep Disney ships sailing out of Port Canaveral for the next 15 years.
Disney is the only major cruise line that hasn't already adopted a fuel surcharge. Carnival Corp. and Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., for instance, announced in November that they would charge passengers as much as $70 a person or $140 a stateroom on cruises departing as of Feb. 1.
But what has made the charges especially controversial -- and prompted an investigation from the state attorney general -- is that most cruise lines decided to make customers who had already booked pay the new charge. Royal Caribbean recently announced a settlement with state officials to give a refund to anyone who was charged retroactively, but Carnival is so far standing by its decision.
Disney has already committed to not adopting an extra fuel charge until at least April. After that, though, is anyone's guess. While McAlpin said last week that Disney is "fighting" the concept, he also noted that fuel costs are getting worse and that a surcharge might be necessary. "We're looking at it," he said.