Another Fuel Supplement Gets Tossed Overboard

Following in the wake of Carnival Corporation and Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, this time it's Norwegian Cruise Line's turn to announce that the company’s current fuel supplement will no longer apply to bookings made on or after Nov 10, 2008 for sailings that depart on or after Jan 1, 2010.

For guests booked prior to Nov 10, 2008 for sailings that depart on or after Jan 1, 2010, the company has established the following guidelines for the refund of fuel supplements paid: The criteria for refund will be determined on a quarterly basis. Should the closing price on the NYMEX (New York Mercantile Exchange) of West Texas Intermediate fuel be below $65 per barrel two weeks prior to the beginning of the calendar quarter (dates listed in CruiseDiva.com's Cruise News), the company will refund fuel supplements paid in the form of an on-board credit.

The same criteria applies for guests booked on sailings that depart in 2009 (on or after Jan 1, 2009 and that depart on or before Dec 31, 2009), regardless of booking date.

NCL is implementing these changes in response to the recent decrease in global fuel prices; however, the company will continue to closely monitor global fuel prices to assess whether a reinstatement of the fuel supplement will be necessary.

If the dates on which the price of West Texas Intermediate fuel will be measured and the quarters during which refunds could apply, appear to be eerily similar to those of RCCL, that's no Halloween trick. They are identical.