1. Your Holiday Contract

These are the terms on which we will make a booking for your travel or holiday requirements. When making your booking we will arrange for you to enter into a contract with the principal(s) or other supplier(s) (e.g. tour operator/airline/cruise company/accommodation company) named on your booking confirmation. We can book you a package holiday, in which case you will have one contract with the principal, or we can book the services that make up your holiday with different principals or suppliers, in which case you will have separate contracts with each of them. As agent our liability to you is limited to the booking services we provide to you as agent. We do not accept responsibility for the travel arrangements themselves, which are provided by the relevant principal(s) or supplier(s). However, nothing in these terms excludes or limits our liability for: (a) death or personal injury caused by our negligence; (b) fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation; or (c) any other liability which cannot be excluded or limited under applicable law.

The principal’s(s’) or supplier’s (s’) Terms & Conditions will apply to your booking and we advise you to read these carefully as they do contain important information about your booking. Please ask us for copies of these if you do not have them. Our Terms of Business are governed by English Law and the jurisdiction of the English Courts. You may however, choose the law and jurisdiction of Scotland or Northern Ireland if you live there and wish to do so. All travel arrangements which are sold through us are not an offer by us to sell any travel arrangements, but an invitation to you to make an offer to the suppliers of the arrangements. We are free to accept that offer on behalf of those suppliers or to reject it.

2. Booking Details

When a booking is made all details will be read back to you. Once you have confirmed these details we will proceed to confirm the booking with the principal(s) or supplier(s). Please check that all names, dates and timings are correct on receipt of all documents and advise us of any errors immediately. Any changes to these details may incur the charges stated below, or as notified to you at time of booking. Please ensure that the names given are the same as in the relevant passport.

The booking information that you provide to us will be passed on only to the relevant suppliers of your travel arrangements or other persons necessary for the provision of your travel arrangements. The information may therefore be provided to public authorities such as customs or immigration if required by them, or as required by law. This applies to any special category information that you give to us such as details of any disabilities, or dietary and religious requirements. Certain information may also be passed on to security or credit checking companies. We will share your personal data with such third parties only where it is necessary and lawful to do so. Further details of the categories of third parties with whom we share your data are set out in our Privacy Policy. If you are travelling to the United States, the US Customs and Border Protection will receive this information for the purposes of preventing and combating terrorism and other transnational serious crimes. If you travel outside the United Kingdom, controls on data protection may not be as strong as the legal requirements in this country. If we cannot pass this information to the relevant suppliers, whether in the UK or not, we will be unable to provide your booking.

We process your personal data in accordance with our Privacy Policy, a copy of which is available on our website or upon request. The legal basis for processing your personal data for the purpose of making and managing your booking is that the processing is necessary for the performance of our contract with you. Where we process special category data (such as information about disabilities, dietary or religious requirements), we do so on the basis of your explicit consent, which you may withdraw at any time by contacting us. For transfers of personal data outside of the United Kingdom, we ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place in accordance with applicable data protection legislation. You have the right to access, rectify, erase, restrict, object to the processing of, and port your personal data, as well as the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office. For more information on your rights, please see our Privacy Policy.

3. Payment

You will be required to pay a deposit or make full payment for your booking, as notified to you at the time of booking. The currency in which your booking is priced and in which payment is to be made (the Booking Currency) will be confirmed to you at the time of booking and will be shown on your booking confirmation. The Booking Currency may differ from pounds sterling. Where the Booking Currency is not pounds sterling, please ensure that you are aware of the applicable currency before confirming your booking, as the deposit, balance payment, and other payments associated with your booking will (unless otherwise stated) be calculated and payable in the Booking Currency.

Where you only pay a deposit you must pay the full balance by the balance due date notified to you. If full payment is not received by the balance due date, we will notify the principal(s) or supplier(s). The principal(s) or supplier(s) may cancel your booking and charge the cancellation fees set out in their Terms and Conditions.

For the purposes of The Payment Services Regulations 2017 (SI 2017/752) (as in force from time to time) from 13 January 2018 where possible your credit card or debit card payment may be received and processed by the relevant principal or supplier (as applicable) and not by us. Where possible we may use your credit card or debit card details provided by you to pay the principal or supplier whose payment service provider will then process any monies received from you and by providing your payment details to us, you acknowledge and agree to this. No surcharge will be applied for payments made by debit card or credit card, in accordance with the Payment Services Regulations 2017.

4. Currency Conversion

Where the Booking Currency differs from the currency of your payment card or bank account, your card issuer or bank may convert the transaction into your home currency at their prevailing exchange rate and on the date they process the payment. The exchange rate applied, and the date of conversion, are determined by your card issuer or bank and are outside our control. You should contact your card issuer or bank before making payment if you wish to confirm the rate that will apply. We do not guarantee any particular exchange rate, and any difference between the exchange rate available at the date of booking and the rate applied by your card issuer or bank at the date of processing shall be borne by you. We are not responsible for any losses, costs or shortfalls arising from exchange rate fluctuations or adverse currency movements between the date of booking and the date on which any payment, refund, cancellation charge or other sum is processed. Please be aware that your card issuer or bank may separately apply their own fees or charges in connection with foreign currency transactions.

5. ABTA

As a Member of ABTA, we are obliged to maintain a high standard of service to you by following ABTA’s Code of Conduct. We can also offer you ABTA’s scheme for the resolution of disputes which is approved by the Chartered Trading Standards Institute. If we can’t resolve your complaint, go to www.abta.com to use ABTA’s simple procedure. For more information about ABTA’s Code of Conduct and the benefits of ABTA’s alternative dispute resolution scheme, please visit their website. Further information on the Code and ABTA’s assistance in resolving disputes can be found on www.abta.com. You also have the right to refer any dispute to a certified alternative dispute resolution (ADR) provider. We will inform you of the relevant ADR entity in any final response letter issued to you.

6. Cancellation and Amendments by You

Any cancellation or amendment request must be sent to us in writing (including email) and will not take effect until received by us. For package holidays, you have the right to cancel your booking at any time before the start of the package, subject to the applicable booking conditions for that package. If you cancel or amend your booking the principal(s) or supplier(s) may charge the cancellation or amendment charge shown in their Terms and Conditions (which may differ from the terms on the website and may be 100% of the cost of the travel arrangements). Any cancellation charges must be reasonable and proportionate to the cost of the package.

The cancellation or amendment charge will be calculated and payable in the Booking Currency (as defined in Clause 3) applicable to your booking. Where the Booking Currency is not the currency of your payment card or bank account, the amount charged to your card or account may differ from the stated charge due to exchange rate fluctuations, and any such difference shall be borne by you. You may also have the right to transfer your booking to another person, subject to satisfying all relevant conditions. Cancellation charges are based on the supplier’s price and not our discounted price. For details of cancellation charges on your booking please call The Cruise Line on 0800 008 6677.

7. Cancellation by Principal or Supplier

In the event that your holiday is cancelled or amended by the principal or supplier, the compensation or refund offered will depend on the terms and conditions of the relevant principal or supplier, which will have been made available to you. For package holidays, if the organiser cancels the package before the start date (other than because of your fault or unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances), you are entitled to: (a) a full refund of all payments made within 14 days; and (b) where appropriate, compensation for any damages you suffer as a result of the cancellation.

We are committed to assisting you where possible in the unlikely event of cancellation by the principal or supplier. We will ensure that any refunds due back to you in accordance with the supplier’s terms and conditions are made without undue delay from us, where we receive these from the supplier. Any refund will be made in the Booking Currency or, where we receive the refund from the principal or supplier in a different currency, in the currency in which we receive it. Where a refund is processed in a currency other than the currency of your original payment, the amount credited to your card or bank account may differ from the amount originally paid due to exchange rate movements between the date of your original payment and the date of the refund. We are not responsible for any shortfall arising from such exchange rate movements.

8. Insurance

Many principals/suppliers require you to take out travel insurance as a condition of booking with them. We strongly recommend you take out travel insurance as soon as possible after booking. In particular, you should ensure that your policy provides adequate cover for the cost of cancellation and the cost of assistance, including repatriation, in the event of accident, illness or death. For further guidance on travel insurance, please visit www.abta.com/tips-and-advice/planning-and-booking-a-holiday. Please note that we do not sell insurance. We do not require you to purchase insurance from any particular provider and you are free to arrange insurance from a provider of your choice.

9. Financial Protection

All of the package holidays sold through us come with protection for your money, as set out in the terms and conditions applicable to those package holidays. Package holidays are protected by the package organiser and the confirmation documentation issued to you will confirm the protection in place from the relevant supplier. You are entitled to a full refund for payments made for services not performed as a result of our or the organiser’s insolvency. For package holidays, you are also entitled to repatriation if necessary.

When you buy an ATOL protected flight or flight inclusive holiday through us you will receive an ATOL Certificate. This lists what is financially protected, where you can get information on what this means for you and who to contact if things go wrong.

We have taken out insolvency protection with ABTA. You can contact ABTA at 30 Park Street, London, SE1 9EQ- [email protected] if services are denied because of our insolvency.

Note: This insolvency protection does not cover contracts with parties other than with us, which can be performed despite our insolvency.

A copy of the Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018 can be found at https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukdsi/2018/9780111168479/contents.

For package holidays, we or the organiser must provide you with assistance if you are in difficulty, including by providing appropriate information on health services, local authorities and consular assistance, and helping you to make distance communications and to find alternative travel arrangements.

10. Delivery of Documents

All documents (e.g. invoices /tickets / ATOL certificates, if applicable) that require to be posted will be sent to you by First Class post. Alternatively, we may email these to you, as discussed at time of booking. Once documents leave our offices we will not be responsible for their loss unless such loss is due to our negligence or failure to exercise reasonable care and skill. If tickets or other documents are lost and need to be reissued, any reissue costs charged by the principal or supplier will be payable by you. You can ask for delivery by other means and we will pass on any charges incurred for this.

11. Passports, Visas and Health

Your specific passport and visa requirements, and other immigration requirements are your responsibility and you should confirm these with the relevant Embassies and/or Consulates. Whilst responsibility for ensuring compliance with passport, visa and immigration requirements rests with you, we will take reasonable steps to provide you with general information about such requirements for your destination(s) at or before the time of booking. We do not accept responsibility for any failure on your part to comply with such requirements. Neither we nor the principal(s) or supplier(s) accept any responsibility if you cannot travel because you have not complied with any passport, visa or immigration requirements. Please note that these requirements may change between booking and departure.

You should have at least 6 months left on an adult or child passport to travel to most countries in Europe (not including Ireland). Please take special note that for all air travel within the British Isles, airlines require photographic identification of a specific type. Please ask us for full details, if relevant to your trip. If you renewed your current passport before the previous one expired, extra months may have been added to its expiry date. Any extra months on your passport over 10 years may not count towards the 6 months needed.

For the latest foreign travel advice from the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, including security and local laws, plus passport and visa information, please visit www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice. If you are travelling to Europe, please note that since the UK left the EU, your passport must have been issued less than 10 years before the date you enter the destination country and must be valid for at least 3 months after the day you plan to leave. You can also find further information on passport requirements at www.gov.uk/going-and-being-abroad/passports

It is your responsibility to check with your own doctor regarding any health or immunisation requirements. We strongly recommend that you seek advice on recommended vaccinations and health precautions from a health professional – such as your GP, a practice nurse, a pharmacist or a travel health clinic – ideally at least eight weeks before departure. Further travel health advice can be found at https://travelhealthpro.org.uk/countries.

12. Final Travel Arrangements

Please ensure that all your travel, passport, visa and insurance documents are in order and that you arrive in plenty of time for checking in at the airport or your departure location. It may be necessary to reconfirm your flight with the airline prior to departure (if applicable). You should take a note of any reference number or contact name when reconfirming. If you fail to reconfirm you may be refused permission to board the aircraft and you are unlikely to receive any refund.

13. Complaints

Because the contract(s) for your travel arrangements is between you and the principal(s) or supplier(s), any queries or concerns relating to the travel arrangements should be addressed to them. If you have a problem whilst on holiday, this must be reported to the principal/supplier or their local supplier or agent immediately. If you do not follow this procedure there may be less opportunity to investigate and rectify your complaint. The amount of compensation you may be entitled to may be affected depending upon the circumstances.

If you wish to complain when you return home, write to the principal/supplier. You will see the name and address plus contact details in any confirmation documents we send you. We will of course assist you with this if you wish – please contact Guest Services. If the matter cannot be resolved and it involves us or another ABTA Member then you have the option to use ABTA’s ADR scheme, approved by the Chartered Trading Standards Institute, see www.abta.com.

If your complaint is not resolved locally, please follow this up as soon as reasonably practicable, and in any event we recommend within 28 days of your return home by writing to our Guest Services Department at The Cruise Line, Cruise Line House, 109-111 High Street, Hurstpierpoint, West Sussex BN6 9PU, giving your booking reference and all other relevant information. It is strongly recommended that you communicate any complaint to the supplier of the services as well as to The Cruise Line without delay. Nothing in this clause affects your statutory rights, including your right to bring a claim against the package organiser under the Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018, where you have booked a package.

14. Service Charges

In certain circumstances we apply a service charge for the services we provide. The charges are as follows:

For the purposes of The Payment Services Regulations 2017 (SI 2017/752) (as in force from time to time), and in accordance with Clause 3 of these booking conditions your credit card or debit card payment will be received and processed by the payment service provider of the relevant principal or supplier where applicable. No surcharge will be applied for payments made by debit card or credit card.