Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) announced today that the company’s current fuel supplement will no longer apply to bookings made on or after November 10, 2008 for sailings that depart on or after January 1, 2010.
For guests booked prior to November 10, 2008 for sailings that depart on or after January 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 specified below), the company will refund fuel supplements paid in the form of an on-board credit.
For guests booked on sailings that depart in 2009 (on or after January 1, 2009 and that depart on or before December 31, 2009), regardless of booking date, 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 specified below), the company will refund fuel supplements paid in the form of an on-board credit.
The dates on which the price of West Texas Intermediate fuel will be measured and the quarters during which refunds could apply are:
| Fuel Price Determination Date | Quarter of Possible Fuel Supplement Refunds | |
| December 18, 2008 | First Quarter 2009 | |
| March 18, 2009 | Second Quarter 2009 | |
| June 17, 2009 | Third Quarter 2009 | |
| September 17, 2009 | Fourth Quarter 2009 | |
| December 18, 2009 | First Quarter 2010 | |
| March 18, 2010 | Second Quarter 2010 | |
| June 17, 2010 | Third Quarter 2010 | |
| September 17, 2010 | Fourth Quarter 2010 | |
| December 17, 2010 | First Quarter 2011 |
Determination of what quarter a sailing is in will be based solely on the sailing date. The entire cruise will be considered to be part of the quarter that the sailing date originates in.
These new fuel supplement policies apply to guests booked through all NCL offices around the world.
The company is implementing these changes in response to the recent decrease in global fuel prices. NCL will continue to closely monitor global fuel prices to assess whether a reinstatement of the fuel supplement will be necessary.
Carnival Cruise Lines has announced that its Miami-based Carnival Liberty, which was originally scheduled to reposition to Europe in May 2009, will instead remain in Miami to operate year-round Caribbean cruises.
Prior to its Baltimore deployment, Carnival Pride will operate its previously scheduled Panama Canal cruise from Long Beach, Calif., to Miami March 22-April 5, 2009, as well as a six-day cruise departing April 5 and two seven-day Caribbean cruises departing April 11 and 18, 2009, all operating from Miami.The Long Show- This episode we wrap up the trip, we run long as a result but not too long.
The majority of this show was talk about Liverpool, Belfast, Greenock/Belfast, South Queensferry/Edinburgh, and Newcastle. The reception we had at every port was simply amazing with thousands turning out at several ports to greet the ship as we arrived and see us off as we left.
If you haven’t spotted it yet, the Photo Gallery is broken again. We’re still trying to figure out the best way to fix it but in the mean time you can find the pictures on Flickr. Not all the pictures are up yet, but so far here are pictures from Liverpool, Cobh, and South Queensferry. We’ll be adding more pictures over the next few days, as a bonus almost all of the pictures we’re putting on Flickr are Geotagged which means you can look at a map and see where we took most of the pictures.
The Port of Galveston will welcome back Carnival Cruise Lines and its devoted passengers, beginning November 1, 2008.
Following Hurricane Ike, Cruise Terminal 1 underwent a speedy but thorough top-to-bottom overhaul, and seven weeks later to the day, the Carnival Ecstasy will return to its homeport of Galveston. The Carnival Conquest will follow shortly, returning on November 2, 2008. Both vessels will embark passengers only on their first post-storm call, but will be back to a normal schedule thereafter, both disembarking and embarking in Galveston.
Port Director Steven M. Cernak had high praise for Carnival’s operational work and customer service in the weeks following the storm. He said, “Carnival’s advance planning and experience enabled them to swiftly relocate the ships temporarily while they continued to provide excellent passenger service. That allowed us to fast-track our repairs at the cruise terminal.”
All cruise terminal services and operations are now in place; including air-conditioning, web-based pre-paid parking, and Customs and Border Protection services are up and running. The Port was on the scene as soon as the storm waters receded, with work crews immediately tearing out carpeting and walls, meticulously cleaning the passenger facility, and then quickly installing new amenities. Terminal equipment, including passenger gangways, rolling doors, luggage X-ray machines and electrical systems, underwent expedited repairs.
Much of the credit for the expeditious cleanup, according to Cernak, goes to Belfor USA. Belfor is a damage recovery and restoration firm specializing in water and wind damage. Cernak applauded them for their rapid, careful and comprehensive response under very trying conditions. He said, “It was a tough order to fill, with no city utilities at first to support their tasks and with debris everywhere impeding movement. The Belfor team arrived, almost fully self-contained and self-sufficient. They brought our terminal back to life in record time.”
The Youth Zone, a haven for children and teens, joins the ranks of six other previously-announced, diverse neighborhoods that will be aboard the world’s largest cruise ship due to launch in November 2009. Oasis of the Seas features a unique concept that will provide guests with the opportunity to seek out relevant experiences based on their personal style, preference or mood in seven neighborhoods, including Central Park, Boardwalk with the AquaTheater, the Royal Promenade, the Pool and Sports Zone, the Vitality at Sea Spa and Fitness Center, Entertainment Place, and the Youth Zone.
The latest neighborhood unveiling introduced a wealth of kid- and teen-friendly adventures that lie within the Youth Zone – covering a total expansive area of more than 28,700 sq. ft. (2,669 sq. meters) -including, Kids Avenue, a central boulevard connecting children with dedicated Adventure Ocean spaces and various themed play areas; the cruise line’s first nursery for infants and toddlers (six months or older); and state-of-the-art teen areas.
We’ve got the details on Oasis of the Seas’ youth program when you click on “more” below.
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