Cruise passengers in S'pore to pay S$15 fuel surcharge from Mar. 20 amid Middle East conflict

Passengers booking sailings on Dream Cruises Genting Dream and StarCruises Star Voyager from Mar. 20 will have to pay an additional S$15 per person per night as cruise operators move to offset rising fuel costs linked to tensions in the Middle East.

Fuel surcharge added to onboard account

The surcharge applies only to new bookings made on or after Mar. 20, according to separate guest notices issued by the operators on Mar. 17.

It covers guests aged two and above and will be charged on top of existing cruise fares.

For Genting Dream sailings departing from Singapore and nearby homeports, the surcharge will be applied at S$15 per guest for each night of travel.

The same rate will apply to Star Voyager sailings departing from Singapore and Port Klang, Malaysia.

Rather than being collected upfront during booking, the total amount will be added automatically to passengers’ onboard accounts and settled before disembarkation.

The cruise operators added that the surcharge may be reviewed depending on fuel price movements, meaning it could be lowered if oil prices ease or adjusted again for future bookings if costs continue rising.

Other transport operators have also raised charges

The cruise surcharge comes as other transport operators in Singapore have also begun adjusting fares in response to higher fuel costs.

Earlier in March, ferry companies operating routes between Singapore and the Indonesian islands of Batam and Bintan introduced fuel surcharges on outbound trips from Singapore, with passengers paying additional fees on top of ticket prices.

Taxi operator ComfortDelGro has also announced temporary fare adjustments and booking-related charges to help drivers manage higher operating costs arising from the same fuel price pressures.

Similar surcharges on other regional sailings

Outside Singapore, similar fuel surcharges are also being introduced across other sailings under the same cruise group.

Passengers boarding Star Voyager from Hong Kong will pay an additional HK$200 (S$33), while those travelling on Star Navigator sailings departing from Keelung in Taiwan will face a surcharge of NT$600 (S$24).

The operators said surcharge levels vary depending on each ship’s operating requirements and itinerary.

Top image via dreamcruises.official/Instagram