Carnival Joins Royal Caribbean In Fuel Surcharge Refund

Carnival Corp. will reimburse a total of $40 million to customers who were charged a fuel surcharge after they had already booked a cruise prior to November 7, 2007. The agreement was reached with the Florida's Attorney General Office, which negotiated a similar deal in March with Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises.

The settlement included six Carnival Corp. brands, Carnival Cruise Lines, Costa Cruises, Cunard, Holland America, Princess Cruises and Seabourn.

Refunds for affected guests will be as such: for cruises departing on or prior to April 4, 2008, guests will receive a refund in the same form they used to purchase their cruises; for cruises departing April 5 through June 23, customers will receive their refund in the form of an onboard credit; and for cruises departing on or after June 24, guests' bookings will be altered to remove the supplement.

Still, the fuel surcharge of $5 per passenger per day, which applies to first and second guests in a stateroom and can't exceed $70 per person, remains intact for all bookings made on or after November 7. (DE)