Brace Yourself for Even Higher Fuel Surcharges

It looks like fuel surcharges are here to stay and, if anything, poised to go higher.

On Thursday Norwegian became the latest line to announce plans for a higher surcharge, noting that on May 1 its fees will jump to $9 per person per day for the first and second passengers in a cabin. The fee for any additional passengers in the same cabin will rise to $4 per person per day.

The line has been charging $7 per person per day since November.

The Norwegian hike comes just nine days after Carnival Corp. announced that it will hike fuel surcharges at six lines that it owns, including Carnival, Princess, Cunard and Holland America. The company says fuel surcharges at those lines for the first two people in a cabin will jump to $7 per person, per day -- a $2 increase.

Carnival also is adding a fuel surcharge for the third, fourth and fifth passengers in any cabin, something it did not have before. That fee will be $2 per person, per day.