Extra charges are hard to swallow

The doyen of cruise ship writers has taken a pop at the Ryanair-style pricing tricks which he says are creeping into cruise fares.
Douglas Ward, author of the Berlitz Guide to Cruising and Cruise Ships, claims that extra supplements can bump up the fare and “take the glow off an apparent giveaway price.”
He adds: “A highly discounted fare may apply only to certain dates and itineraries, while passengers’ preferred cabin grades and location may not be available or they may be limited to first seating at dinner.”
But surely that has always been the case with all kinds of package holidays. While it is true that cruise operators have added extra-cost restaurants, coffee bars and entertainment which would once have been part of an all-inclusive fare, no-one forces passengers to pay for them.
At least cruise ships don’t impose ludicrous charges – or even limits – for baggage, although passengers can be hit by unexpected, and obligatory, service charges. An extra 15 per cent on top of every bar bill can be hard to swallow for Brits who are not used to tipping when they go down to the pub.
Ward, whose 25th edition of the annual cruising bible is published on September 26, says that fares have never been such good value, as the cruise lines offer discounts in order to fill their ships during the economic downturn.