Alert: Rising Oil Prices Could Add Hundreds to Your Cruise Bill — Even if Paid in Full

You researched your cruise months in advance, compared itineraries, found the perfect deal, and paid it off in full before the final payment date. Now you are counting down the days until you set sail. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, you get notice that a new charge has appeared on your account. Welcome to the world of cruise fuel surcharges!

With oil prices climbing sharply (and not looking like they are coming down anytime soon) this tiny clause buried in your cruise contract is getting renewed attention for us frequent floaters. Here’s everything you need to know about what fuel surcharges are, when cruise lines can charge them, how much they could cost you, and what some of the major cruise lines’ specific policies say and don’t say.

First Just What Is a Cruise Fuel Surcharge?

A fuel surcharge, sometimes called a “fuel supplement”, is an additional per-person, per-day fee that cruise lines reserve the right to add to your bill when the price of oil rises above a defined threshold and that number varies by cruise line (and sometimes is not a set number)! If the price of crude oil rises above a certain “trigger price” a cruise line reserves the right to tack on this extra charge.

This isn’t a new concept but it is rarely enforced. The last time fuel surcharges in the cruise industry became widespread you have to go all the back to when the oil price spike that began in late 2007, when oil prices soared beyond $100 a barrel (like it is now btw). At the time, major brands such as Royal Caribbean and Carnival Cruise Line did add a fuel surcharge of $5 to $10 per person, per day. On a long cruise that can really add up or if you have say have 4 people in your cabin.

The fine print in cruise contracts often says such fuel surcharges can be levied upon passengers even if they have paid for their cruises in full. In other words, even if you lock in the price of a cruise well before sailing and pay it all off, you could still see an added bill for fuel arrive at the last minute when you sail or when you go to settle your bill the last day of your cruise.

Why Should We be Paying Attention to This Now?

Fuel is one of the single largest operating expenses for any cruise company – just like airlines. In 2025, Carnival Corporation spent more than $1.8 billion on fuel for its ships or nearly $5 million per day across all its cruise lines. Wow! Royal Caribbean Group spent $1.1 billion on fuel, or around $3.1 million per day. That was when oil was “cheap” – not like today.

Most of the major cruise lines do try to hedge against rising oil prices (unlike airlines who have given up on this practice) but that only can help for a period of time. Strangely, Carnival is one of the big lines that does not hedge.  So if the cost of oil keeps going up up up or stays high for a long period of time then we are going to pay more to sail.

Cruise Line Fuel Surcharge Policies: How Much do They Charge?

Not every cruise line handles this the same way. Some are specific and transparent about their trigger prices and maximum charges. Others are, shall we say, rather vague about just how much they are going to extract from us. Here’s a breakdown of where the major lines stand as of today:

• Carnival Cruise Line (CCL)
  Carnival says it reserves the right to charge a fuel supplement of up to $9.00 USD per person per day, without prior notice, in the event that the price of light sweet crude oil according to the NYMEX (New York Mercantile Exchange Index) is greater than $70.00 USD per barrel of oil. Carnival may collect any fuel supplement in effect at the time of sailing, even if the cruise fare has been paid in full. So clearly they could impose this if they want to at this point.
• Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL)
  Norwegian Cruise Line is explicit and consistent in its policy. Straight from the company’s own terms and conditions on their website they say: Norwegian Cruise Line reserves the right to charge a fuel supplement without prior notice should the closing price of West Texas Intermediate Fuel increase above $65 per barrel on the NYMEX (New York Mercantile Exchange Index). In the event a fuel supplement is charged, Norwegian will have sole discretion to apply the supplementary charge to both existing and new bookings, regardless of whether such bookings have been paid in full. Such supplementary charges are not included in the cruise fare. The maximum charge is capped at $10.00 per passenger per day. Again, we are well above that oil price number in 2026.
• Royal Caribbean International (RCI)
  Royal Caribbean’s policy is notably less specific when it comes to a dollar-per-barrel trigger price (nice right – said no one ever). Royal Caribbean International says it reserves the right to modify published rates, including cruise fares and airfare costs, at any time without prior notice, whether through an increase or decrease. According to Royal Caribbean’s cruise contract, the cruise line has the right to impose a fuel surcharge on its guests without warning, either when booking the cruise or anytime before the sailing begins.

In practice, Royal Caribbean has shown a reluctance to actually implement the charge. When oil prices rose in 2022, Royal Caribbean Group opted not to pass the costs directly onto passengers. In fact, over the past decade or so, most of the majors have not wanted to face the backlash of tacking on a big extra charge and anger passengers.

• Celebrity Cruises, part of the Royal Caribbean Group, takes a more detailed approach. For US reservations, Celebrity Cruises reserves the right to impose a fuel supplement on all guests if the price of West Texas Intermediate fuel exceeds $65.00 per barrel. The fuel supplement for 1st and 2nd guests would be no more than $10 per guest per day, to a maximum of $140 per cruise; and for additional guests would be no more than $5 per person per day, to a maximum of $70 per cruise.
• MSC Cruises
  My least favorite cruise line, MSC, has a policy that follows the broader industry structure but with a slightly higher cap. If at any time after booking, the closing price of West Texas Intermediate Fuel exceeds $65.00 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Stock Exchange, the carrier may impose a fuel supplement of up to $12.00 per guest, per day.
• Princess Cruises
  Princess Cruises, another Carnival Corporation brand, has a comparable policy. Princess Cruises suspended fuel supplements but reserves the right to reinstate them if the price of light sweet crude oil, according to the NYMEX, should increase above $70 per barrel. I think we are starting to see a trend?
• Holland America Line
  Holland America, also under the Carnival umbrella, follows a similar structure. Holland America reserves the right to reinstate fuel supplements if the price of light sweet crude oil, according to the NYMEX, should increase above $70 per barrel. The line has historically paused its fuel surcharge but makes clear it can be reinstated if the market warrants it.
• Costa Cruises & Cunard Line
  Costa Cruises may charge cruise fuel supplements if the NYMEX oil price exceeds $70 per barrel. Cunard reserves the right to impose a fuel supplement on all passengers if the NYMEX oil price exceeds $70 per barrel, even if fares have been paid in full.
• Virgin Voyages
  One notable exception in the modern cruise landscape: Virgin Voyages says directly they do not charge a fuel supplement. For travelers who want price certainty, this is a meaningful differentiator and does show how different Virgin is even in this area of the cruise experience.

Will Cruise Lines Actually Charge This Fee?

Having the right to charge a fee and actually doing it are two very different things. Just because oil is higher than the trigger level doesn’t mean the charge is automatically applied. It’s at the cruise line’s discretion. But what really scares me, and should scare you, is if one of the lines does decide to stick the daily fee to us it will be HIGHLY LIKELY the other majors will go “monkey see money do” and jump onboard as well.

Is There Anything We Can Do to Protect Ourselves?

Short answer – not really. Sure we can read your passenger ticket contract before final payment. It’s not the most thrilling document, but the fuel surcharge clause is in there most of the time so you can be prepared for it. There is also a chance your travel insurance could cover unexpected pre-departure fees or changes to your booking terms. Finally, keep an eye on oil prices as your departure date approaches. Of the terms found that mention a price directly, the fuel supplement is normally in the $10–$12 per person, per day range. On a 10-night cruise for two people, that could mean up to $240 in surprise charges.

The bottom line: the cruise lines have crafted these clauses carefully, and they can and do use them when economic conditions demand it to make sure the cruise is profitable to them and not sailed at a loss. Let’s just hope they choose NOT to do so but the longer oil stays high the more likely we can expect to see our bills go up – even if already paid in full! – René