Cruise passengers are the next travellers facing surcharges as oil prices soar 

The conflict in Iran has caused oil prices to surge, forcing several  airlines to up their fares .

But it’s not just air travel that’s affected by the rising costs. Cruise passengers could soon be paying extra on their trip, too.

StarCruises and Dream Cruises, both operated by Resorts World Cruises, notified passengers on March 17 of new fuel surcharges applied to bookings made on or after March 20.

“Due to recent geopolitical developments in the Middle East, oil prices have increased significantly, leading to higher fuel and related expenses,”  StarCruises said in a guest notice .

“This surcharge will be reviewed in line with fuel price movements and may be adjusted downward if prices ease or revised for new bookings should prices continue to rise.”

The cruise line is adding a fee of 200 Hong Kong Dollars per person per night (roughly $35), while Dream Cruises is charging and additional 15 Singapore Dollars per person per day, or roughly $16, on sailings of the ship Genting Dream out of Port Klang, Malacca (both in Malaysia) and Singapore.

This means that on a five-night cruise, a family of four could be hit with an additional fee of around $700.

Meanwhile, river cruise line CroisiEurope has announced it will add a surcharge of US$5.28 per person, per day, for passengers departing from now until April 14.

So far, no other cruise lines have followed suit — but many reserve the right to do so.

For example, Norwegian Cruise Line  specifies on its website that it may impose a fuel supplement of up to US$10 per passenger per day “without prior notice” if the price of West Texas Intermediate crude oil increases above US$65 per barrel.

Recently, the price of oil  has topped US$100  a barrel.

Royal Caribbean also reserves the right to impose a supplement for fuel on new and existing bookings. However, many cruise lines are protected from rising costs. Both Royal Caribbean Group and Norwegian Cruise Line have hedged around half of their fuel needs for 2026, meaning they have locked in prices via financial contracts.

But Carnival Corporation, the world’s largest cruise company, does not hedge fuel, leaving it more vulnerable to soaring costs.

National Post has contacted Norwegian Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean and Carnival for comment.

For now, it remains unclear when — or if — oil prices will ease.

The volatility follows Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway through which roughly one-fifth of global oil supply passes.

U.S. President  Donald Trump has threatened “hell” for Iran if it does not make a deal to open the Strait by 8 p.m. ET on Tuesday.

Posting on social media on Tuesday morning, he said: “A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will.”

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