Terms & Conditions:

Your booking contract is with Australian Pacific Touring Pty Ltd (APT), herein after referred to as ‘The Company’. Your contract incorporates all of the following terms and conditions. You should read and understand your contract, and please ask The Company or Global Journeys if you require any clarification.

Prices – Deposits – Discounts – Payments Your booking price is set out in this website 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 price is guaranteed.

A $1000 security deposit per person, per cruise/ tour is required within seven days of booking confirmation. For tours that involve a rail journey aboard the Golden Eagle Trans-Siberian Express (EULTS15, EULTSR15, EULTSR13, EULTS13) a deposit of $2000 is required. For tours that combine a river cruise with a rail journey aboard the Golden Eagle Trans-Siberian Express (EUWT25, EUWT29, EUWRT28) a deposit of $3000 is required. Final payment is due 100 days prior to departure unless stated in the terms of a special offer. Children under eight years of age are not accepted on Europe river cruises. Children under 18 years must be accompanied by an adult. The Company reserves the right to cancel any ticket or booking or to refuse to carry any passenger where payment has not been received by The Company within the specified time. All fares are in Australian & New Zealand currency. Credit card surcharges apply.

Included in Our Cruise and/or Tour Price
All coach/cruise travel, accommodation, airfares (as indicated in individual itineraries), gratuities, airport transfers on the first and last day, sightseeing, meals, admissions, port charges and the services of a cruise director as stated in the itineraries. All APT Exclusive Sailings include the services of a tour director on Europe land touring. On Egypt and Jordan tours a local specialist tour director is provided in each country (refer to itineraries for details).

Gratuities
Are included for all cruise staff on all river cruises and extended land touring on APT Exclusive Sailings. See itinerary pages for any variations to the above. Tipping cannot be redeemed for a cash refund.

Airport Transfers
Airport transfers are included on the first and last day of the tour. These are only available on the first and last day of the tour package, at designated times. No refund will be given for unused transfers. Transfers cannot be re-routed to other pick-up 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 The Company at least 60 days prior to travel, otherwise transfers cannot be guaranteed. See itinerary pages for any variations to the above.

Not Included in Our Cruise and/or Tour Price
Airfares, airport taxes, laundry, passport and visa fees, food not on the regular table d’hôte menu, 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.

Late Bookings
Payment in full is required at time of booking for reservations made less than 100 days before departure from Australia or New Zealand. If a reservation cannot be confirmed, all monies will be refunded.

Cancellation Policy
For all tours within this publication, the following applies:

All cancellations must be received in writing by The Company and are not effective until this notification has been received. If tour or cruise has commenced, 100% of the full tour price is charged. 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 Global Journeys.

Medical Assistance
The Company does not employ medical staff on our ships (except in Russia). Should you require medical attention, local medical services can be contacted immediately. You are responsible for all charges that result from a visiting a medical facility, or for a medical practitioner visiting you. The Company is not responsible for the type or quality of the medical services you may receive.

Smoking
For other passengers’ comfort there is no smoking on coaches or ships (except in designated areas).

Amendment Fees
A fee of $50 per person will apply to any additional changes requested to your original booking after it has been made and confirmed. To change your departure date, you are required cancel your original booking and make a new booking. Applicable cancellation fees will apply. Once documents are issued, a fee of $70 per person is applicable for any changes.

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.

SuperDeals
Conditions apply. Strictly limited offer on set departures. Subject to availability at time of booking. Cannot be combined with any other offer. Offers maybe withdrawn at any time. Savings figures shown are the maximum possible savings available for the itinerary on which they appear and may not apply to all departures or all suite categories. For full SuperDeal details and conditions, please refer to our Europe SuperDeals publication (MISC672).

Hotels
Hotel rooms in Europe are often smaller than those in Australia and New Zealand and in some of the more remote places, hotel standards may not be quite as high as in major centres. We do, however, research and utilise only the most suitable accommodation available in the area, ensuring that high levels of cleanliness, comfort and service are maintained. The hotels listed in this brochure will be used on almost all departures. If a change becomes necessary for any reason, hotels substituted will be the equivalent of those shown. It is standard policy that hotel rooms are not available for check-in before 3 pm.

Solo Travellers
A limited number of single rooms/suites/cabins are available by request at time of booking. Please note: Single rooms/suites/cabins are usually smaller and often only have one single bed. On APT Exclusive Sailings, where a solo traveller wants to be matched with a traveller of the same gender to avoid paying the single supplement, passengers must accept compatibility with your roommate can’t be guaranteed. Any on-board accommodation changes, if available, are at own expense. Single supplement must be paid at time of final payment and if a match is found then supplement will be refunded prior to travel.

Passengers Needing Special Assistance
The Company welcomes passengers with disabilities or special needs provided they are accompanied by two companions capable of providing all assistance required. Any disability or medical condition requiring special attention must be reported to The Company 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, or any additional expenses incurred. Coaches 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 coaches, 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 cannot provide individual assistance to a passenger for walking, dining, getting on and off coaches or other transportation vehicles or other personal needs.

Important Information Exclusion of Liability
1. Our products include the services of operators, such as hoteliers, airlines, cruise companies and other operators, who are not agents, servants or employees of The Company. Although we take care in selecting the operators of services and the optional tour excursions, we cannot and do not take responsibility for the conduct of the operators, their servants and agents or for any ramifications of that conduct. These tours may include activities such as climbing, exploring, swimming and snorkelling. The passenger accepts that these activities involve varying degrees of risk.

2. No passenger will be permitted to embark or continue on any cruise or tour while their mental or physical condition is, in opinion of any representative of The Company, such as to render them incapable to care for themselves, or whereby they became objectionable to other passengers, or they became 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.

3. By booking a cruise and/or tour you, the passenger acknowledges and agrees that The Company as well as the transportation companies and other providers, will take all reasonable steps to provide an enjoyable experience. The Company accepts no responsibility for any loss of enjoyment by you due to circumstances beyond its control. The Company further accepts no responsibility for any death, injury, illness, damage, detention, delay (including mechanical breakdown) or any other loss beyond its reasonable control. The Company limits its liability to the amount of the tour or cruise price paid by you, or provision of replacement product, and provides no warranties in addition to those set out under the Trade Practices Act 1974. Nothing herein restricts you from exercising your rights and remedies pursuant to law.

4. Global Journeys will forward deposits and other payments to us on your behalf, but Global Journeys is not our agent for the purpose of receipt of monies. Receipt of deposits and subsequent payments by Global Journeys does not constitute receipt of those monies by us and Global Journeys has no authority expressed or implied to receive monies on our behalf. There is no liability on the part of The Company in respect to any monies paid to Global Journeys unless and until The Company notifies you (by way of a booking confirmation advice or payment receipt advice) that monies have been received by The Company. The Company reserves the right to cancel any ticket or booking or refuse to carry any passenger where payment has not been received by The Company within the specified time.

Travel Insurance
Travel Insurance is not included in your tour cost. For your protection we strongly recommend that you purchase adequate comprehensive insurance that includes coverage for medical expenses, loss of luggage, cruise and land content and airfare charges that may occur due to cancellation, disruption, loss of deposit or strikes. Ask Global Journeys about this.

Service Inquiries
If a problem occurs during your tour you should, in your own interests, advise your tour/cruise director so that steps can be taken to resolve the matter. If you remain dissatisfied, any complaint must be made in writing to The Company within 30 days.

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, high or low water levels 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 holidays due to bad or unusual weather.

Itineraries
Itineraries are subject to alteration without notice and are intended as a guide only. Deviations to the planned cruise/touring itineraries and hotels are possible due to road, river or weather conditions, strikes or other reasons beyond our control, although every effort will be made to keep them as they are shown in the brochure and final documents. Should conditions render cruise/land touring routes unsafe for navigation, The Company reserves the right to provide alternative services, including but not limited to, accommodation on the docked ship and/or substitute ground arrangements. In the event of water level problems on stretches of any river, it may be necessary to operate part of the itinerary by motorcoach. We will make the effort to ensure that the places visited, excursions operated and the hotels or ships offered are as similar as possible to the ones originally planned but meals and accommodation may be at a different standard. Any resulting changes will not result in a refund for the original services. Any additional expense incurred by the passenger is not The Company’s responsibility. The Company can give no guarantee as to exact arrival and departure times for carriers and operators used by The Company in the tour and The Company 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. For a group to operate and to provide an enjoyable group atmosphere, a minimum number of participants is required. If a minimum number of passengers cannot be achieved on the escorted touring and cruising packages, it may be necessary to cancel a scheduled departure and to offer the nearest possible alternative or to offer a package as a non-escorted alternative. The decision to operate a tour is usually made four to eight weeks prior to departure. The tour documentation sent to you after your balance has been paid in full should be treated as your finalised itinerary. Please check this carefully.

Website
Our website contains a lot of information and very occasionally mistakes are made when entering prices and/or information online. Global Journeys Pty Ltd are not responsible for errors/omissions or updates.

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. The Company is not responsible for delays or missed portions of cruise/tour relating to incorrect travel documents or visas.

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. It is not possible for large coaches to be used for some city sightseeing. Many towns and cities will be visited by way of walking tours and accordingly, a reasonable level of fitness is required. For river cruising, clients must be able to climb ramps, for ship embarkation/ disembarkation. Depending on river levels, these may have a number of steep steps. Tours of France, Switzerland and other alpine regions may include mountain excursions to, at times, high altitudes. Please consult with your doctor to ensure you have an adequate level of fitness and are in good health before participating in these touring excursions.

Luggage Limits
Each passenger is entitled to take one piece of luggage that does not exceed 160 cm (63 inches), or weigh more than 20 kg (44 pounds). Extra bags: An extra charge will be imposed to cover porterage handling of any additional luggage. Your tour/cruise director will advise the additional charge, however a guideline would be the equivalent to A$5 per hotel.

Back to top