1. Your holiday contract

When you make a booking with us you guarantee that you have the authority to accept and do accept on behalf of your party the terms of these booking conditions. A contract will exist as soon as we issue our booking confirmation. This contract is made on the terms of these booking conditions, which 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 wish to do so.

2. Booking Details / data

1)When a booking is made with us all booking details will be read back to you. Once you have confirmed these details we will proceed to confirm the booking. 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 will incur charges. 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 sensitive 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. 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 as necessary for the performance of your package travel contract and as otherwise required or permitted by law, including the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. Full details of our data protection policy are available on our website or upon request.

2)If you have any special requests relating to diet, accommodation and so forth, these must be made known to us at the time of booking. We will do our best to comply with them but cannot guarantee to do so. We will, however, ensure that your specific requirements are communicated to the relevant supplier(s), and we will inform you in a clear, comprehensible and prominent manner before the contract is concluded whether the package is generally suitable for persons with reduced mobility, and, upon your request, provide precise information on the suitability of the trip in light of your needs.

3. Your financial protection

We provide full financial protection for our package holidays, including our own tailor-made packages. If you buy other travel arrangements from us that do not constitute a package holiday, such as an accommodation-only booking, this financial protection may not apply and we will inform you of the position at the time of booking. Where we sell other tour operators’ or providers’ holidays, packages, or travel services and act as agent rather than as organiser, our Agent Holiday Booking Conditions will apply and will be separately provided to you. In such cases, we will clearly inform you of the identity of the organiser of the package and the extent of our responsibilities before you are bound by any contract.

1)For our flight based package holidays, financial protection is provided through our Air Travel Organiser’s Licence number 5902. When you buy an ATOL protected flight or flight inclusive package holiday from 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 will provide you with the services listed on the ATOL Certificate (or a suitable alternative). In some cases, where we aren’t able to do so for reasons of insolvency, an alternative ATOL holder may provide you with the services you have bought or a suitable alternative (at no extra cost to you). You agree to accept that in those circumstances the alternative ATOL holder will perform those obligations and you agree to pay any money outstanding to be paid by you under your contract to that alternative ATOL holder. However, you also agree that in some cases it will not be possible to appoint an alternative ATOL holder, in which case you will be entitled to make a claim under the ATOL scheme (or your credit card issuer where applicable for a refund of monies paid). If we are unable to provide the services listed (or a suitable alternative, through an alternative ATOL holder or otherwise) for reasons of insolvency, the Trustees of the Air Travel Trust may make a payment to (or confer a benefit on) you under the ATOL scheme. You agree that in return for such a payment or benefit you assign absolutely to those Trustees any claims which you have or may have arising out of or relating to the non-provision of the services, including any claim against us, the travel agent (or your credit card issuer where applicable). You also agree that any such claims may be re-assigned to another body, if that other body has paid sums you have claimed under the ATOL scheme.

2)We maintain insolvency protection for your package holiday. In the event of our insolvency, if your package includes carriage of passengers, your repatriation will be secured. The insolvency protection is provided by:

(a)For flight-inclusive packages: the Civil Aviation Authority (ATOL Licence No. 5902), Gatwick Airport South, West Sussex RH6 0YR, telephone 0333 103 6350, email: [email protected]; or

(b)For non-flight packages: ABTA Ltd, 30 Park Street, London, SE1 9EQ, telephone 0203 117 0599, www.abta.com.

You may contact either body if services are denied to you because of our insolvency.

3)When you buy one of our package holidays that doesn’t include a flight, then financial protection is provided by way of a bond that we hold with ABTA, which meets the requirements of the Package Regulations. For further information please see www.abta.com.

4. 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 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.

5. Your Holiday Price

1)We reserve the right to alter the advertised prices of any of our holidays prior to booking. You will be advised of the current price of the holiday that you wish to book before your contract is confirmed.

2)When you make your booking you must pay a deposit (or the full amount, depending on the timing of your booking) which will be advised to you at the time of your booking confirmation. 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. Please note payment is sometimes required in full for flights. A contract will exist when we issue our booking confirmation to you. Your contract will consist of these booking conditions, any completed booking details and the contents of any relevant brochure of information relating to your package that has been provided to you at the time of booking. The balance due date of the price of your travel arrangements will be shown on your booking confirmation. If the deposit and/or balance is not paid in time, we reserve the right to cancel your travel arrangements and retain your deposit.

3)We can change your package holiday price after you’ve booked, only in certain circumstances. Changes in the price of the carriage of passengers resulting from changes to the cost of fuel or other power sources; the level of taxes or fees imposed by third parties including tourist taxes, landing taxes or embarkation or disembarkation fees at ports and airports; or exchange rates, mean that the price of your travel arrangements may change after you have booked. We will clearly state any price increase, provide a justification for the increase, and set out the calculation by reference to the cost change that gave rise to it. Surcharges will be applied in accordance with the Package Regulations and ABTA’s Code of Conduct. However, there will be no change within 20 days of your departure. If your holiday cost has increased due to the above, we will contact you and ask you to make payment to us. If this results in an increase equivalent to more than 8% of the price of your travel arrangements, you will have the option of accepting a change to another holiday if we are able to offer one (we will refund any price difference if the alternative is of a lower value), or cancelling and receiving a full refund of all monies paid, except for any amendment charges. Should you decide to cancel, you must do so within the time period shown on your final invoice. Should the price of your holiday go down due to the changes mentioned above, then any refund due will be paid to you. We may deduct from any refund our actual administrative expenses, which we will justify to you on request. However, please note that travel arrangements are not always purchased in local currency and some apparent changes have no impact on the price of your travel due to contractual and other protection in place.

4)For clients booking through a third party travel agent: When you buy a flight-based holiday, all monies you pay to the travel agent are held by him on behalf and for the benefit of the Trustees of the Air Travel Trust at all times, for financial protection under our ATOL licence in accordance with Clause 3 above. This is subject to the agent’s obligation to pay it to us for so long as we do not fail. If we fail, any money held at that time by the agent, or subsequently accepted from you by him, is and continues to be held on behalf of and for the benefit of the Trustees of the Air Travel Trust without any obligation to pay that money to us. When you buy a holiday not including a flight, all monies you pay to the travel agent are held by him on our behalf at all times.

5)In accordance with the Payment Services Regulations 2017 (SI 2017/752) (as amended), no surcharge will be imposed on you for paying by debit card or credit card. Where your payment is processed by a relevant supplier on our behalf, we will inform you of this at the time of booking.

6. If You Change Your Booking

If, after our confirmation invoice has been issued, you wish to change your travel arrangements in any way, for example your chosen departure date or accommodation, we will do our utmost to make these changes but it may not always be possible. Any request for changes to be made must be in writing from the person who made the booking or your travel agent. You will be asked to pay an administration charge of £50 (which reflects our reasonable administrative costs), and any further cost we incur in making this alteration. You should be aware that these costs could increase the closer to the departure date that changes are made and you should contact us as soon as possible. Note: Certain travel arrangements (e.g. Airline Tickets or other pre-paid services) may not be changeable after a reservation has been made and any alteration request could incur a cancellation charge of up to 100% of that part of the arrangements.

You can transfer your booking to another person, who satisfies all the conditions that apply to this booking, by giving us notice in writing at least 7 days before departure. Both you and the new traveller are responsible for paying all costs we incur in making the transfer, including (but not limited to) the cost of any transfer fees charged by suppliers such as airlines whose flight tickets are non-transferable. Any such transfer costs must be reasonable and shall not exceed the costs actually incurred by us. We will provide evidence of such costs to you on request.

7. If You Cancel Your Holiday

You, or any member of your party, may cancel your travel arrangements at any time. Written notification from the person who made the booking or your travel agent must be received at our offices. Since we incur costs in cancelling your travel arrangements, you will have to pay cancellation charges as follows, depending on how many days prior to departure we receive your cancellation instructions in writing. Please note that we may notify you of different cancellation charges applicable at the time you book, on the basis of the cancellation charges involved with our relevant suppliers. Any cancellation or amendment charges as set out in Clauses 6 and 7 will be calculated and payable in the Booking Currency (as defined in Clause 5) 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.

Please note that certain suppliers (for example, cruise lines and airlines) may impose their own cancellation charges from up to 150 days or more before departure, and these charges may vary between suppliers, and may apply in addition to the standard termination fees set out above. Where the supplier cancellation charges apply, the termination fee payable by you will reflect those actual supplier costs. We will notify you prior to booking of the position regarding cancellation charges.

Note: If the reason for your cancellation is covered under the terms of your insurance policy, you may be able to reclaim these charges.

You can cancel your booking without paying cancellation charges if the performance of your package, or the carriage of passengers to your destination, is significantly affected by unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances (as defined in Clause 8). In such circumstances, we will arrange for your booking to be terminated and for you to receive a full refund of all monies paid, without any deduction. We will have regard to advice from the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and other relevant bodies in assessing whether reasons of unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances (as defined in Clause 8 below) exist.

8. If We Change or Cancel Your Holiday

As we plan your holiday arrangements many months in advance we may occasionally have to make changes or cancel your booking and we reserve the right to do so at any time. Most of these changes will be minor and we will advise you of them at the earliest possible date. Examples of minor changes include alteration of your outward/return flights by less than 12 hours, changes to aircraft type, change of accommodation to another of the same or higher standard, changes of carriers. If a major change becomes necessary and we are constrained by circumstances beyond our control to significantly alter any of the main characteristics of the travel services that make up your package you will have the rights set out below.

Flight timings and carriers in the promotional literature are subject to change as a result of airline procedures which are beyond our control. Flight timings in the promotional literature are for guidance only. Actual times will be given on your ticket. We are required to advise you of the actual carrier operating the flight, connecting flight (if any) and transfer. The potential carriers likely to be used are as set out in the promotional literature. Any changes to the actual airline after you have received your tickets will be notified to you as soon as possible and in all cases at check-in or at the boarding gate.

We also reserve the right in any circumstances to cancel your travel arrangements. However, we will not cancel your travel arrangements less than 10 weeks before your departure date, except for reasons of unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances (as defined in Clause 8) or failure by you to pay the final balance. If we are unable to provide the booked travel arrangements, you can either have a refund of all monies paid or accept an offer of alternative travel arrangements of comparable standard from us, if available (we will refund any price difference if the alternative is of a lower value). Any refund due will be paid within 14 days of termination. If it is necessary to cancel your travel arrangements, we will pay to you compensation as set out in this clause.

If we make a major change to your holiday, we will inform you as soon as reasonably possible if there is time before the start of your holiday. You will have the choice of either accepting the change of arrangements, accepting an offer of alternative arrangements of comparable or higher standard from us if available (where we offer one, we will refund any price difference if the alternative is of a lower value), or cancelling your booked holiday and receiving a full refund of all monies paid. You may also claim compensation where appropriate for any damage sustained as a result of the failure. Please read any notification of changes carefully and respond promptly as if you do not respond to us within the timescale given your booking may be cancelled. Any refund will be made in the Booking Currency or, where we receive the refund from the 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.

If it is necessary to cancel your holiday, we will pay compensation as detailed below, except where the major change arises due to unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances.

Compensation levels for cancellation by us or suppliers under this paragraph:

The compensation that we offer does not exclude you from claiming more if you are entitled to do so.

* Unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances: This means a situation at the place of destination beyond our control, the consequences of which could not have been avoided even if all reasonable measures had been taken. These can include (but are not limited to) war, riot, civil unrest, industrial dispute, terrorist activity and its consequences, natural disaster, nuclear incident, fire, adverse weather conditions, epidemics, pandemics, significant risks to human health, or unavoidable technical problems with transport or acts of God.

9. If You Have A Complaint

If you have a problem during your holiday, please inform the relevant supplier (e.g. your cruise line or hotel) without undue delay, who will endeavour to put things right. If your complaint is not resolved locally, please follow this up within 28 days of your return home by writing to our Customer 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. Please keep your letter concise and to the point. It is strongly recommended that you communicate any complaint to the supplier of the services as well as to The Cruise Line without delay, as this will assist us in investigating and resolving your complaint. If you fail to follow this procedure, we may have been deprived of the opportunity to investigate and rectify your complaint whilst you were on holiday, which may be taken into account in assessing any claim you make. Please also see Clause 4 above on ABTA.

10. Our Liability to You

1)We accept responsibility for the proper performance of all travel services included in your package that you have booked with us, irrespective of whether those services are performed by us or by other service providers. You must inform us without undue delay of any failure to perform or improper performance of the travel services included in the package holiday sold to you by us. If any of the travel services included in your package are not performed in accordance with the contract or are improperly performed by us or our suppliers, we will, unless we prove that the lack of conformity is attributable to you, (a) provide you with an appropriate price reduction for any period during which there is a lack of conformity (including where the lack of conformity has affected the enjoyment of your holiday), and (b) we will pay you appropriate compensation for any damage you sustain as a result of the lack of conformity. However we will not be liable to provide a price reduction or pay compensation where any lack of conformity is due to: you or another member of your party; or a third party unconnected with the provision of the travel arrangements included in your package; or where the failure is due to unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances (as defined under unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances in Clause 8 above), the consequences of which could not have been avoided even if all due care had been exercised. Our liability to pay compensation under paragraph (b) above, except in cases involving death, injury or illness, shall be limited to a maximum of three times the cost of your package. This limitation does not apply to any right to a price reduction in accordance with the Package Regulations to which you are entitled to under paragraph (a) above.

2)Our liability will also be limited in accordance with and/or in an identical manner to:

(a)The contractual terms of the companies that provide the transportation for your travel arrangements. These terms are incorporated into this contract and are available on request; and

(b)Any relevant international convention, for example the Montreal Convention in respect of travel by air, the Athens Convention in respect of travel by sea, the Berne Convention in respect of travel by rail and the Paris Convention in respect of the provision of accommodation, which limit the amount of compensation that you can claim for death, injury, delay to passengers and loss, damage and delay to luggage. We are to be regarded as having all benefit of any limitation of compensation contained in these or any conventions.

You can ask for copies of the transport contractual terms, or the international conventions, from us.

3)If you or any member of your party are prevented from travelling on an aircraft because in the opinion of any person in authority at the airport you (or the relevant member of your party) appear, by reason of intoxication or use of drugs, either to be unfit for travel or likely to cause discomfort or disturbance to other passengers, our responsibility for your journey, including any return flight thereupon ceases. You must accept responsibility for your proper conduct (and the proper conduct of your party) and we therefore have the right to terminate our contract in circumstances of serious misconduct by you or any member of your party. For the avoidance of doubt, ‘serious misconduct’ means conduct that poses a genuine risk to the health, safety or reasonable comfort of other passengers or staff, or conduct that is unlawful.

4)Under retained EU law (Regulation (EC) No 261/2004, as retained and amended by the Air Passenger rights and Air Travel Organisers’ Licensing (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019) you have rights in some circumstances to refunds and/or compensation from your airline in cases of denied boarding, cancellation or delay to flights. Full details will be publicised at UK airports and available from airlines. However reimbursement in such cases will not automatically entitle you to a refund of your holiday cost from us. Your right to a refund and/or compensation from us is set out in these booking conditions. If any payments to you are due from us, any payment made to you by the airline will be deducted. If your airline does not comply with such rules then you can complain to the Civil Aviation Authority at www.caa.co.uk or by telephone on 0330 022 1908.

5)If it is impossible to ensure your return as scheduled due to unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances, we will bear the cost of necessary accommodation, if possible of equivalent category, for a maximum of three nights. The limit doesn’t apply to persons with reduced mobility and any person accompanying them, pregnant women and unaccompanied minors, or persons in need of specific medical assistance, provided that you notified us of these needs at least 48 hours before the start of your holiday.

NB this clause does not apply to any separate contracts that you may enter into for excursions or activities whilst on holiday (please also see Clause 13).

11. Prompt assistance whilst on your holiday

If you’re in difficulty whilst on holiday and ask us to help we will provide appropriate assistance, in particular by providing information on health services, local authorities and consular assistance; and helping you to find alternative arrangements and any necessary phone calls/emails. We will provide this assistance regardless of whether the difficulty was caused by us, a third party, or circumstances beyond anyone’s control. If the difficulty was caused by your own intentional act or negligence, you must reimburse us for any reasonable costs we incur in providing assistance to you. Our assistance will include, where necessary, helping with the making of alternative travel arrangements.

12. Passport, Visa, Immigration and Health Requirements

You and your party’s specific passport and visa requirements, and other immigration requirements are your responsibility and you should confirm these with the relevant Embassies and/or Consulates. We do not accept any responsibility if you cannot travel because you have not complied with any passport, visa or immigration requirements. We shall not be liable for any loss, expense, cost, damage, injury or loss of enjoyment suffered as a result of such invalidity or loss, including any responsibility if you cannot travel because you have not complied with such requirements. We will be happy to assist you in ensuring you fulfil passport and visa requirements. Please note if your passport is due to expire less than 6 months after your return from your holiday you will be required to renew it and provide updated details before you travel. 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.

British subjects require a passport. We will provide information about visas and health requirements and can also apply for visas on your behalf for a small fee and handling charge. If you do not hold a valid UK passport, please inform us at point of booking. Although we can apply for any visa on a client’s behalf, we cannot be held responsible for declined visas and normal cancellation charges will be levied should this occur. Higher charges may also be applied to non-British citizens and late applications which will be charged accordingly. 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

13. Excursions

Excursions or other tours that you may choose to book or pay for whilst you are on holiday are not part of your package holiday provided by us. For any excursion or other tour that you book, which does not form part of your package holiday with us, your contract will be with the operator of the excursion or tour and not with us. We are not responsible for the provision of the excursion or tour or for anything that happens during the course of its provision by the operator. However, where we facilitate the purchase of such additional travel services during your holiday, we will assess whether the combination of services constitutes a “linked travel arrangement” within the meaning of the Package Regulations. If a linked travel arrangement arises, we will inform you clearly, before you are bound by any contract, that you will not benefit from the protections applicable to packages, but that we will provide insolvency protection for payments made directly to us. We will comply with our obligations under the Package Regulations in respect of any linked travel arrangements.

14. Physical impairments, mobility and illness

1)Should you or any person in your party suffer from any serious physical conditions or a disability which may affect you or their travel or means you or they would experience difficulty in walking long distances and tire easily, please do bring this to our attention at the time of booking in order that we can provide the necessary assistance at airports and hotels, or at shore-based arrangements. Please note that some of the activities provided as part of your holiday, including shore-based activities, may not be suitable if you have any physical conditions, disability or reduced mobility. In the interests of safety and comfort for the whole group, you should be fit enough to participate or alternatively have an able bodied carer with you to assist.

2)We cannot be responsible in the event that you or any of your group are unable to enjoy all or any aspects of the trip or cannot join certain activities due to any special arrangements not being in place that you did not notify us of in advance, or where elements of a trip are not suitable for reasons that were not communicated to us at the time of booking. However, where you have properly notified us of your accessibility needs and we have failed to make suitable arrangements, you may be entitled to a price reduction, compensation, or both, in accordance with Clause 10, If you or a member of your group are taken ill whilst on holiday, we will make every effort to ensure that you have access to available local medical care and provide appropriate assistance to you as your package organiser in accordance with Clause 11; however, you and your next of kin remain responsible for managing all aspects of any medical emergency and ongoing care needs liaising with your insurance provider as necessary.

15. Severability

If any part of these Booking Conditions is held to be invalid, unreasonable or unenforceable, such portion(s) shall be deemed as severable from these Booking Conditions and the remainder of these Booking Conditions shall remain in full force and effect and enforceable.

16. Travel insurance

We strongly recommend that you take out comprehensive travel insurance cover 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. We may ask you to confirm that you have adequate travel insurance in place before your departure. For further guidance on travel insurance, please visit www.abta.com/tips-and-advice/planning-and-booking-a-holiday.

17. Entire agreement

The terms of these Booking Conditions and any documents or policies referred to herein shall govern the entire relationship between the parties to the exclusion of any other terms. Nothing in these Booking Conditions affects your statutory rights, including your rights under the Package Regulations, the Consumer Rights Act 2015 and any other applicable consumer protection legislation.

Last updated September 2026