General Information and Conditions 

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General Information & Conditions - Luxury River Cruising

 APT’s fair trading contract with you

It is our intention to set out clearly and simply the responsibilities which we at Australian Pacific Touring (UK) Ltd. (hereforth referred to as APT (UK) Ltd.) have to you and which you, in turn, have to us when a contract is made between us. A contract will exist as soon as we issue a confirmation invoice in response to your booking and subsequent deposit paid. On our part we have obligations to provide you with the tour you have booked on the terms clearly stated below and within this brochure. Your contract is entered into with APT (UK) Ltd.

Prices – Deposits – Discounts – Payments

Your booking price will be set out in this brochure unless it is varied by advertising or a special offer, or is increased after the publication date to cover changes in government taxes and charges, exchange rate variations, fuel surcharges or other material increases by suppliers. Once you pay your deposit your cruise price is guaranteed. A £500 deposit per person, per cruise/tour is required within seven days of booking confirmation for all Europe and Russia River Cruises & Egypt tour/cruises. A £1000 deposit is required for all Vietnam & China tour/cruises. Final payment is due 120 days prior to departure unless stated in the terms of a special offer. Children under eight years of age are not accepted on all tours and river cruises. Children under 18 years must be accompanied by an adult. APT (UK) Ltd reserves the right to cancel any ticket or booking or to refuse to carry any passenger where payment has not been received by APT (UK) Ltd. within the specified time. Payment in full is required at time of booking for reservations made less than 120 days before departure. Credit card surcharges apply. If a reservation cannot be confirmed, all monies will be refunded. All fares are in British Pounds.

Publication Validity

The itineraries and fares shown are kept as up to date as possible - please check at the time of your enquiry or booking to ensure you are aware of any changes. Itineraries and fares after 31 December 2012 may be different from those indicated.

Included in our Cruise and/or Tour Price

All flights, airport taxes, coach/cruise travel, accommodation, sightseeing, meals, admissions, port charges and the services of a cruise director as stated in the itineraries. Gratuities, for local shore guides (excluding Russia), river ship staff and your cruise director are also included.

Not Included in our Cruise and/or Tour Price

Laundry, passport and visa fees, meals, drinks, excess baggage, fuel surcharges and optional excursions not specified in the itinerary. Extra overnight accommodation is not included at the start or end of tour if not specified in the itinerary.

Cancellation Policy

For all 2012 holidays within this brochure, the following applies:

All cancellations must be received in writing by APT (UK) Ltd and are not effective until this notification has been received.

If tour or cruise has commenced, 100% of full tour price. There is no refund for unused services or if portions of the cruise and/or land arrangements are missed. Cancellation fees also apply to additional accommodation reserved prior to and after the tour. These cancellation fees are in addition to any fees that may be levied by your travel agent.

If You Decide to Change Your Booking

Should you wish to change your tour arrangements in any way after we have accepted your booking, we shall endeavour to meet your wishes, but a handling fee of £50 per person will be charged to cover administration costs if documentation has already been issued. If you wish to change/amend your booking within 60 days of tour departure date, normal cancellation charges as detailed above in our cancellations clause will apply. Please note all flight inclusive air tickets are ticketed from deposit received. Certain airfares cannot be changed after a reservation has been made and any alteration request will incur a 100% cancellation charge of that element of your travel arrangements. Any changes may incur an additional amendment fee.

Amendments or Cancellation by APT (UK) Ltd.

It is unlikely that we will have to make any changes to your tour, but it must be remembered that we plan the arrangements many months in advance, and sometimes, changes may be needed and we reserve the right to make them whenever it is necessary.

Most of these changes are minor. If a change becomes necessary, we will inform you or your travel agent as soon as is reasonably possible. Unless the change significantly alters the holiday, compensation will not be payable. As is normally the case with group tours, a minimum number of bookings is required in order for a tour to be financially viable and to have a pleasant group atmosphere. In the event that adequate numbers cannot be achieved, it may be necessary for APT (UK) Ltd to cancel a scheduled departure and to offer the nearest possible alternative (or, of course, a full refund of the money paid). Generally, such tours detailed in this brochure will operate provided that we have achieved the minimum number of fully paid adult bookings. The date on which the decision is made about whether a tour will operate is no later than six weeks before the scheduled departure date.

Passengers Needing Special Assistance

Any disability or medical condition requiring special attention must be reported to APT (UK) Ltd. at the time of booking. The company will make reasonable efforts to accommodate the special needs of disabled cruise participants, but is not responsible for any denial of services by carriers, hotels, restaurants, or other independent suppliers, nor any additional expenses incurred. Motorcoaches and minibuses are not equipped with wheelchair ramps. Not all river cruise ships have elevators. Cabin doors and restrooms are not wide enough to allow access by standard wheelchairs. Wheelchairs and walkers cannot be carried on motorcoaches, due to space limitations. Wheelchair passengers should be aware of these limitations. For safety reasons, passengers in wheelchairs cannot be carried on ramps in ports where the ship is at anchor. We regret that we can’t provide individual assistance to a cruise member for walking, dining, getting on and off motorcoaches or other vehicles, or other personal needs. Travellers who need such assistance must be accompanied by a qualified companion.

Exclusion of Liability

Health and Medical Conditions: If you, or any member of your party have a medical condition or disability which may affect your holiday, we ask that you please tell us before you confirm your holiday booking so we are able to advise as to the suitability of your chosen arrangements. In any event, you must provide us with full details in writing at the time of booking. If we reasonably feel we are unable to properly accommodate particular needs of the person concerned, we reserve the right to decline the booking or ask for the person to be accompanied by a person who is able to provide full assistance to them throughout their tour. No passenger will be permitted to embark or continue on the tour while their mental or physical condition is, in the opinion of any representative of the company, such as to render them incapable of caring for themselves, or whereby they become objectionable to other passengers, or they become a hazard to themselves or other passengers. The company will not be responsible for expenses resulting in such persons being precluded from completing the tour for any reason.

Airfares

All airfares are subject to variation and flight and booking class availability. Conditions apply. Once tickets are issued, airfares are subject to cancellation and amendment fees. Surcharge may apply to variations of airline routings. Airport taxes vary for each departure point and routing of airline. Airline schedules are subject to change without notice.

Trains

At the time of booking you will be advised of your provisional departure/arrival times. Your confirmation invoice will show the rail arrangements reserved for you. Please note that some rail confirmations cannot be made until 3-6 months in advance of travel. Train times are subject to change at any time by the rail operator.

Single/Triple Accommodation

A limited number of single rooms/cabins are available by request at time of booking. Single supplement must be paid with final payment. Should shared rooms/cabins be necessary, a proportional refund of the single supplement will be provided at the end of the tour. Please note: Single rooms/ cabins are usually smaller and often only have one single bed. Please note: Triple cabins are not available.

Itineraries

Itineraries are subject to alteration without notice and intended as a guide only. Alterations may occur due to road or weather conditions, strikes or other reasons beyond our control. In the event of water level problems on stretches of any river, it may be necessary to operate part of the itinerary by motorcoach. Any additional expense incurred by the passenger is not APT (UK) Ltd’s responsibility. APT (UK) Ltd. can give no guarantee as to exact arrival and departure times for carriers and operators used by APT (UK) Ltd. in the tour and APT (UK) Ltd. will not be liable for failure to make connections with any other services or attractions beyond its control. If accommodation listed becomes unavailable, we reserve the right to substitute hotels with alternative accommodation of a similar standard.

Visa and Passports

All passengers must have a valid passport with at least six months validity from the return date. Passengers must consult with the appropriate consulates to ensure any applicable visas for countries visited have been obtained prior to departure. Meeting necessary passport and visa entry requirements and cost is the sole responsibility of the passenger. APT (UK) Ltd. is not responsible for delays or missed portions of cruise/tour relating to incorrect travel documents.

If You Have a Complaint

If a problem occurs during your tour then, in your own best interests, you should tell a representative so that steps can be taken to resolve the matter on the spot, there and then. If you remain dissatisfied, any complaint must be made in writing to us within 30 days. Any disputes arising out of, or in connection with this contract which cannot be amicably settled may be referred to arbitration, under a special scheme arranged by the Association of British Travel Agents. Full details will be provided upon request or can be obtained on the ABTA website (www.abta.com). The scheme does not apply for amounts greater than ￡5,000 per person. Neither does it apply to claims which are in respect of physical injury or illness or their consequences.

Consumer Payment Protection

APT (UK) Ltd. has arranged full bonding with ABTA in order to protect consumer payments. This protection follows the guidelines of the latest European legislation and complies fully with all legal requirements within the UK. For full details please contact our London office.

Insurance

Passengers are recommended to ensure that they arrange comprehensive travel insurance cover.

Travel Documents

Please ensure you carefully read your confirmation invoice, tickets and all other documents we send to you as soon as you receive them, and contact us or your travel agent, if any information appears to be incorrect. We regret that we cannot accept any liability if we are not notified of any inaccuracy in any document within 14 days of us sending to you or your agent. While we will do our best to rectify any changes made outside this time, it is your responsibility for any additional costs which may be involved, except in the case of an error made by APT (UK) Ltd. and where there is reason for you not contacting us within the specified time. Each passenger is responsible for ensuring that all necessary travel documents (e.g. passports, visas, vaccination certificates etc.) are valid and effective. We strongly recommend that you verify current information with your Travel Agent.

Force Majeure

Compensation will not be payable if we are forced to cancel or change your travel arrangements in any way for reasons of war, threat of war, riot, civil strife, industrial dispute, terrorist activity, natural or nuclear disaster, fire, adverse weather conditions or other circumstances amounting to force majeure. World weather is becoming more erratic and unpredictable and we cannot be held responsible for disruption to your holiday due to bad or unusual weather conditions.

Freedom of Choice Touring

On Premier Plus Cruises in Europe and during tours of Vietnam & Cambodia, Freedom of Choice Touring activities are booked by your Tour Director while on tour. They are subject to availability, seasonal and operational factors and public holidays or festivals and the like.

Data Protection

Please be assured that we have measures in place to protect the personal booking information held by us. However, in order to make your booking and ensure that your travel arrangements run smoothly, we need to use the information you provide and pass on to the operator or other relevant suppliers. The information may also be provided to public authorities such as customs or immigration if required by them, or as required by law. We will only pass your information on to persons responsible for your travel arrangements. This applies to any sensitive information that you give to us such as details of any disabilities or dietary/religious requirements. (If we cannot pass this information to the relevant suppliers, whether in the EEA or not, we will be unable to provide your booking. In making this booking, you consent to this information being passed on to the relevant persons.)

Shore Excursions

The timing of the shore excursions on all river ship departures may differ slightly for each departure. They are intended as a guide only and are subject to change without notice.

Airport Transfers

Airport to ship transfers are included on the first and last day of the tour at designated times. No refund will be given for unused transfers. Transfers cannot be re-routed to other pickup points or destinations. Passengers who miss the pre-booked transfers must make their own way to/from the ship/hotel at own expense. Transfers must be booked and details advised to APT (UK) Ltd. at least 60 days prior to travel, otherwise transfers cannot be guaranteed. Please refer to your itinerary for any variations to the above.

Free home-airport transfer offer where applicable available to households within 45 miles of Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester and Glasgow airports. For passengers outside these zones, APT will provide a transfer credit of £50 per booking. The transfer service is operated by a reputable third party.

Luggage Limits

Each passenger is entitled to take one piece of luggage that does not exceed 160 cm (63 inches), weight limit 20 kg (44 pounds). Extra bags: An extra charge will be imposed to cover porterage handling of any additional luggage.

Consumer Protection – ATOL

The Air Holidays in this brochure are ATOL protected. The company holds an Air Organisers Licence granted by the civil aviation authority. Our ATOL number is ATOL 6781. In the unlikely event of insolvency the CAA will ensure that you are not stranded abroad. For information please visit www.atol.org.uk

Consumer Protection – ABTA

APT (UK) Ltd. is also a member of ABTA with membership number V9080. ABTA protects consumer payments. This protection follows the guidelines of the latest European legislation and complies fully with all legal requirements within the UK. For further information about ABTA, the Code of Conduct and the arbitration scheme available to you if you have a complaint, please contact ABTA, 68-71 Newman Street, London W1T 3AH. Tel. 0207 637 2444 or www.abta.com

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