Guests booked on Nicko Cruises' marathon world cruise are in for a extra line item: a fuel surcharge of €10 per person per night, applied across every segment of the Vasco da Gama's 2026-27 voyage.
For anyone sailing the full 193 days, that adds up to €1,930 per person — a meaningful sum on top of an already premium fare. The line says affected guests will receive revised invoices, and that the surcharge will be shown transparently on each booking confirmation rather than tacked on quietly.
Why now? Nicko Cruises points to fuel prices that stayed stubbornly above the levels used when the world cruise was first priced. According to the company, it held off announcing anything, hoping Middle East tensions would ease and oil prices would settle. That didn't happen. With prices still well above pre-March levels — and above where they stood when the programme was created — the line decided to communicate the surcharge to guests in early April.
The company struck a fairly conciliatory tone, saying it monitors price developments closely with its partners and will only pass on what is genuinely necessary, with the aim of maintaining a reliable, high-quality experience despite the circumstances.
The voyage itself remains a big-swing itinerary: the Vasco da Gama departs Hamburg on November 3, 2026, and spends more than six months crossing the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans before returning to the German port on May 5, 2027.
If you're booked on any segment — whether it's a two-week hop or the full circumnavigation — expect to hear from Nicko and budget roughly €70 per week per person extra. If you were eyeing the cruise but haven't committed, it's worth checking whether the surcharge is reflected in current pricing, and reading the booking terms carefully to understand how fuel costs are handled. Fuel surcharges have become a recurring feature on long-haul itineraries, so flexibility on departure dates and fare types can matter more than ever on voyages this long.