Terms & Conditions

Price Validity
Prices listed in this brochure are valid at the time of publication but are subject to change. They may be varied by advertising or special offers, or changed after the publication date for any reason, including without limitation, to cover changes in government taxes and charges, exchange rate variations, fuel surcharges, airline charges, a force majeure event or other material increases by suppliers. The most up to date pricing may be found on our website. Prices will be confirmed at time of booking and honoured for up to seven days. Once the security deposit is paid the price will be guaranteed. 

Deposits 
A non-refundable deposit is due at the time of booking:
• Journey price is less than $50,000 per person: $2,500 deposit per person
• Journey price is $50,001 or more per person: $5,000 deposit per person

Final Payment 
Final payment of the balance of your holiday package price is due 90 days prior to the commencement of the tour for Australian domestic journeys and 120 days prior to the commencement of the tour for all other journeys. Payment in full is required at time of booking for reservations made less than 90 days before the commencement of the tour for Australian domestic journeys and 120 days before the commencement of the tour for all other journeys.

Captain’s Choice reserves the right to cancel any ticket or booking or, refuse to honour any price or carry any passenger where payment has not been received by Captain’s Choice within the specified time. All fares and charges are in US Dollars. Payment in full is required at the time of booking for reservations made within the final payment period. If a reservation cannot be confirmed, all monies will be refunded. 

Price Change 
Changes in transportation costs, including the cost of fuel dues, taxes or fees chargeable for services such as landing taxes or embarkation or disembarkation fees at ports and airports and exchange rates mean that the price of your travel arrangements may change after you have booked. However, there will be no price change within 30 days of your departure. We will absorb and you will not be charged for any increase equivalent to 2% of the price of your travel arrangements, which excludes insurance premiums and any amendment charges. You will be charged for the amount over and above that, plus an administration charge of $1 per person together with an amount to cover agents’ commission. If this means that you have to pay an increase of more than 8% of the price of your travel arrangements, you will have the option of accepting a change to another vacation 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 14 days from the date on your final invoice. We will consider an appropriate refund of insurance premiums paid if you can show that you are unable to transfer or reuse your policy. Should the price of your vacation go down due to the changes mentioned above, by more than 2% of your vacation cost, then any re-fund due will be paid to you. 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. 

Airline Deposits and Payments 
The holiday package deposits shown above exclude any commercial airline payments, should Captain’s Choice be arranging flights with your booking. The required payments and payment schedule for flights will be advised by your Guest Relations consultant.

Travelling with Minors
Children under 12 years of age are not recommended on tours and cruises. Children under 18 years of age must be accompanied by an adult and share their accommodation with an adult.

Included in Holiday Package Price
All travel, accommodation, airfares (if indicated in individual itinerary), gratuities, transfers, sightseeing, specified excursions, meals, wine, beer and soft drink are included at lunch and dinner only, admissions, port charges, taxes and the services of a Tour Manager as stated in your itinerary are included in your package price. Your World experiences are included unless otherwise indicated but may be limited by capacity.  

Not Included in Holiday Package Price
Airfares (unless stated), passport and visa charges, travel insurance, vaccinations and suggested on-tour medications, items of a purely personal nature (laundry bills, bar bills, phone calls, etc), all drinks (other than those mentioned above during lunch and dinner), expenses incurred for items purchased away from group tour (meals, tours, transport, etc), excess luggage, plus any other items not mentioned. Captain’s Choice tours of 5 days or less are not applicable for past passenger discounts.

Choosing Your Holiday
Holidays operate on nominated dates. To maximise enjoyment of your Captain’s Choice holiday and to ensure that it lives up to your expectations, it is important that you choose the right holiday package for your requirements. Our marketing collateral contains limited information, however, there is more information online at www.captainschoice.com and our qualified staff are available to discuss your options.

Gratuities
Gratuities for the land portion of your tour, shore excursions, and on board your river or expedition cruises are included within the tour price. Gratuities cannot be redeemed for cash.

Hotels 
In more remote places, hotel standards may not be quite as high as in major centres. Captain’s Choice endeavours to utilise the most suitable accommodation available in each destination to ensure that passengers enjoy high levels of cleanliness, comfort and service. The hotels listed will be used on almost all holiday packages, however, if a change is necessary for any reason, Captain’s Choice will endeavour to ensure that alternative accommodation is of an equivalent standard to those shown. Hotel rooms are generally not available for check-in before 3pm and require check-out by 10am. 

Twin or Double Rooms
Accommodation in all hotels, regardless of the rating, is in standard rooms (sometimes named superior/deluxe) based on twins or doubles unless otherwise stated.

Solo Travellers
A limited number of single rooms/suites/cabins may be available by request at time of booking your cruise/holiday package. Single room/suites/cabins are not available on certain cruises. Single rooms/suites/cabins are usually smaller than standard twin or double rooms and often only have one single bed. 

Cruising – Cabin/Suite/Stateroom Selection
Captain’s Choice will make every effort to assign specific cabins, cabin numbers or locations on the ship if requested. If this is not possible, Captain’s Choice reserves the right to make changes to cabin assignment, within the category booked, without prior notice.

Passengers Needing Special Assistance
Captain’s Choice welcomes passengers with disabilities or special needs however, please note the following: 
1. Any disability or medical condition requiring special attention must be reported to Captain’s Choice at the time of booking including all important information relating to your health, mobility and fitness which may affect your partial or total participation in the cruise or tour. This information is also crucial to allow Captain’s Choice to ensure the tour you have chosen is suitable and meets your needs. Any changes to health, mobility and fitness must also be reported to Captain’s Choice as soon as possible and prior to departure. Where possible Captain’s Choice will make reasonable adjustments to the tour to accommodate your special needs however, it cannot do so if the adjustment required would be unreasonable in all of the circumstances, including if such adjustments would affect your safety and/or the safety and/or enjoyment of other passengers. 

2. If you require special assistance or care (such as pushing a wheelchair, assistance with dressing or assistance with walking or hearing emergency alarms unaided), you must travel with a companion capable of providing the required assistance or care. Please be aware that Captain’s Choice does not provide personal assistance and consequently deaf passengers must share accommodation with a person capable of hearing alarms in cabins when travelling on European river cruises. On all other packages, passengers travelling alone who are unable to hear emergency alarms should notify us at the time of booking to ensure necessary arrangements can be made.  As Captain’s Choice tours frequently include visits to gardens where structured walkways may not be present, it may not be possible to use wheelchairs in such places, and consequentially wheelchair passengers will need to accept the direction of our guides regarding their participation in such visits. Captain’s Choice is unable to assist any passenger with walking, dining, boarding or disembarking any transportation vehicles (including river and ocean cruise ships and trains). To safely participate in embarkation and disembarkation you must be able to do so without the need for special assistance. You must also be able to do so without unreasonably impacting other passengers’ safety and/or enjoyment. 

3. While Captain’s Choice will make reasonable efforts to accommodate the special needs of disabled passengers, it is not responsible for any denial of services by any third party entities it has travel arrangements with, such as carriers, hotels, trains, restaurants or other independent suppliers, or for any additional associated expenses charges by those parties. 

4. Please note coaches and minibuses are not equipped with wheelchair ramps. Most river and ocean ships have elevators, however not all Captain’s Choice ships have elevators. Many ships require the use of stairs to go between decks. Further, side by side docking may require passengers to climb and descent stairs to cross over vessels to disembark and embark at times. Captain’s Choice ships often sail through remote areas that do not have convenient docking facilities. In such circumstances it will be necessary for passengers to negotiate temporary gangplanks and uneven surfaces. If the crew decide that it is not safe for a passenger to negotiate such operations they may require passengers to stay on board. Cabin doors and restrooms may not be wide enough to allow access by standard wheelchairs. Wheelchairs and walkers cannot be carried on coaches, due to space limitations. For safety reasons, passengers in wheelchairs cannot be carried on ramps in ports where the river or ocean cruise ship is at anchor. Captain’s Choice is unable to provide individual assistance to any passenger for walking, dining, disembarking or embarking cruise ships and/or coaches or other transportation vehicles or other personal needs.

Health and Fitness
A good level of fitness and health is required to participate on Captain’s Choice’s holiday packages. In some destinations there are extensive sightseeing excursions by foot which includes the climbing of stairs. Mobility is needed boarding or alighting coaches, river cruise ships and trains. We recommend a visit to the doctor before travelling to overseas destinations and consult with them regarding any vaccinations which may be required. It is your responsibility to advise Captain’s Choice of any pre-existing medical conditions that may affect the normal conduct of a holiday package and the enjoyment of other passengers. A Health, Fitness & Mobility Questionnaire will be provided and requested to be completed at the time of booking if you advise of any health, fitness or mobility issues. Captain’s Choice is not liable for any injury, illness, or loss of enjoyment which could have been reasonably prevented had we been made aware of a pre-existing condition and been provided an opportunity to review it. We will not be responsible for any costs associated with cancellation penalties or the return of passengers from a tour, and a refund for lost touring cannot be claimed.

A doctor will travel with the group on any tour 2 days or longer. A doctor may or may not accompany Your World experiences. The doctor is an independent registered medical practitioner who is available to provide immediate but limited medical attention to tour guests should the need arise. The doctor carries his or her own independent professional indemnity insurance and carries a limited amount of medical supplies. Captain’s Choice Pty Ltd is not responsible or liable for any advice or treatment that may be provided by the doctor, or any failure on the part of the doctor to fully diagnose or treat any medical injury or condition which may arise or be identified during the course of the tour. Due to exclusions in professional indemnity insurance, Australian doctors are unable to provide medical services while travelling in the United States or its territorial waters. In lieu, the Tour Doctor will assist in arranging local medical services during this time. You are responsible for all charges that result from visiting a medical facility, or for a medical practitioner, other than the Tour Doctor visiting you. Captain’s Choice is not responsible for the type or quality of the medical services you may receive. A Health & Mobility Statement is to be completed by all guests prior to departure.

Visa and Passports 
All passengers must have a valid passport that is valid for at least six months after the holiday package return date, except Australian residents travelling on domestic tours wholly within mainland Australia, Tasmania and Lord Howe Island. Australian passengers on Australian coastal, and Norfolk Island packages will require valid passports valid for at least six months. Passengers are solely responsible for meeting necessary passport and visa entry requirements and paying all associated costs. Details of visa requirements and applicable application forms will be sent to you by Captain’s Choice approximately 16 weeks prior to departure. Captain’s Choice will lodge your applications and endeavour to obtain the required visas on your behalf (at an additional cost). Captain’s Choice is not responsible for delays or missed portions of the holiday package resulting from incorrect travel documents or visas.

Shore Excursions 
The timing of the excursions on all holiday packages may differ slightly for each package. The published times are a guide only, and are subject to change without notice. It is impossible for large coaches to be used for some city sightseeing excursions and many towns and cities will be visited by way of walking tours. Clients must be able to climb ramps to embark or disembark cruise ships. Depending on water levels, these may have a number of steep steps. Holiday packages may include time in high altitude regions.

Your World Experiences 
Minimum and maximum group numbers may apply on some Your World experiences. If your first choice of option is unavailable you may be asked to choose an alternative.

Transfers 
Airport transfers are included on arrival at, and departure from your destination at designated times, unless otherwise stated. No refund will be given for unused transfers. Transfers cannot be re-routed to other pick up points or destinations. Should the selected airline offer airport transfers, these will be utilised subject to airlines terms and conditions. Passengers who miss the pre-booked transfers must make their own way to/from the ship/hotel at their own expense. Some holiday packages include group transfers from or in between airports/hotels/ships and vice versa. A group transfer is generally a shared transfer departing at a set time and the type of vehicle used will normally be dependent upon the size of the group. 

Home-Airport-Home Transfers 
Are included on all Captain’s Choice tours when booking within a radius of 60 driven kilometres from the nearest domestic or international airport. For journeys over 60 kilometres there will be an additional charge per car per kilometre. Should the selected airline offer home to airport transfers, these will be utilised subject to airlines terms and conditions. No refund will be given for unused transfers. Passengers who miss the pre-booked transfers must make their own way to/from the airport at their own expense. This service is only available for departures from mainland Australia and is not available from all airports.

Public Holidays & Festivals
Most countries have public holidays, religious or otherwise. Festivities may temporarily disrupt your holiday and some religious holidays may result in a reduction of facilities and entertainment. 

Other Special Offers
Special Deals and Special Offers other than those advertised herein may be promoted by Captain’s Choice after the program is released. These new special deals/offers do not apply to existing bookings unless otherwise stated. For terms and conditions relating to special deals and special offers are available on our website.

Changes or Additions to Your Holiday
If you want to change any part of your holiday arrangements after the invoice has been issued, we will do our best to make the change, but it may not be possible. Any request for changes must be made in writing by the person who made the original booking, or his or her travel agent. If it is possible to make the change, it will be subject to an administration charge and payment of any further costs incurred as a result of the change. 

Cancellation Policy
The following Captain’s Choice cancellation fees apply (in addition to charges of any independent suppliers e.g. airlines and hotels):

Australian domestic journeys
• 90 days or more prior to departure: Loss of deposit
• Less than 90 days prior to departure: Loss of 100% of holiday package price

All other journeys
• 120 days or more prior to departure: Loss of deposit
• Less than 120 days prior to departure: Loss of 100% of holiday package price

All cancellations must be received in writing by Captain’s Choice and are not effective until this notification has been received. If your holiday has commenced, 100% of the full holiday package price is charged. There is no refund for unused services or if portions of the holiday package are missed.

Additional cancellation fees may also be charged in respect of accommodation reserved outside the holiday package dates. These cancellation fees are in addition to any fees that may be levied by Captain’s Choice and your travel agent (if any). You acknowledge that the amounts estimated under the Cancellation Policy are reasonable and represent a genuine pre-estimate of Captain’s Choice’s loss and are otherwise reasonably necessary to protect the legitimate interests of Captain’s Choice. If you request changes after Captain’s Choice has issued your documents, Captain’s Choice may charge you an administration and processing fee of $70 per person in addition to any applicable cancellation fees.

Cancellation of Ticketed Airfares
A Captain’s Choice cancellation fee of $50 per person applies for ticketed airfares, in addition to any airline cancellation fees that are applicable.

Changes to Ticketed Airfares
If you wish to amend the date or routing on your ticketed air booking, a Captain’s Choice amendment fee of $30 per person for the first change and $85 for any subsequent changes will be charged in addition to airline change fees and additional taxes that are applicable. If, for any reason, a name change to a ticketed airfare is required, a $125 per person name change fee will apply for every change in addition to any applicable airline fees.

Captain’s Choice endeavours to provide you with all the services confirmed to you at the time of your booking. However, we plan arrangements a long time in advance of your departure date using independent suppliers such as airlines, hotels etc., over whom we have no direct control. On occasion changes do have to be made, and Captain’s Choice reserves the right to cancel or amend holiday packages/excursions accordingly. All tours require a minimum number of bookings in order to be financially viable and to have a pleasant group atmosphere. In the event adequate numbers cannot be achieved, it may be necessary to cancel a scheduled departure and offer the nearest possible alternative date (or a refund of the monies paid for arrangements made by Captain’s Choice).

Local Purchases
Captain’s Choice is not responsible for any items you may purchase locally i.e. jewellery/furniture etc. You acknowledge that you are solely responsible for any import duty or freight costs.

Personal Belongings & Lost Items
For security reasons, valuables should be kept to a minimum and packed in your hand luggage along with your medicines. It is your responsibility to look after your property at all times and you must ensure you are adequately covered by comprehensive travel insurance in the event of any loss.

Noise and Vibration
Captain’s Choice takes reasonable steps to minimise noise and vibrations on its cruising vessels. You acknowledge and accept that some noise and vibration may be experienced on vessels and that Captain’s Choice is not liable to you for any such noise or vibration.

Seat Allocation on Coach Tours
To ensure all passengers enjoy forward and window facing seats, on longer tours a daily seat rotation system may apply at the discretion of the tour director. We do not warrant that the seat rotation will be adjusted to suit personal preference. Coaches used are 40-seater vehicles. In the unlikely event of unforeseen circumstances, a replacement vehicle may be offered which may not fulfil this specification.

Disruption to Cruising & Itinerary Arrangements 
Itineraries are intended as a guide only and are subject to alteration without notice. Alternations may be necessary for various reasons including, without limitation, road, river or weather conditions, strikes, airline schedule changes or other reasons beyond Captain’s Choice’s control. If conditions render any routes unsafe for navigation, Captain’s Choice reserves the right to provide alternative services including, but not limited to, accommodation on the docked ship or substitute land arrangements. 

Itineraries will operate as far as possible as published. However, sometimes for reasons beyond our control, it may be necessary to make alterations to your itinerary. 

Captain’s Choice will not be liable for any direct or indirect costs that you incur as a result of any event or other factor beyond our control which necessitates a change in your itinerary. Additionally, you are not entitled to any refund for any alterations to your itinerary that are caused or contributed to by any flood or water level events or such other events which are beyond our control. 

Captain’s Choice cannot guarantee exact arrival and departure times for carriers and operators used by Captain’s Choice and Captain’s Choice will not be liable for failure to make connections with any other services or attractions beyond its control.

Data Protection Policy
Any personal information (including sensitive information and health information) that Captain’s Choice obtains and retains from you or about you is necessary for our business purposes. Our Privacy Policy details why we collect this information, who we may disclose it to (including overseas recipients), and the main consequences if we do not collect it. Our Privacy Policy also contains information about how you may seek access to, or correction of, the personal information held about you, and our complaint resolution procedures. Our Privacy Policy is available at www.captainschoice.com/privacy or by request to us. By providing personal or sensitive information to us, you are agreeing to the terms of our Privacy Policy.

Photo/Video 
Photographs or videos of the tour may be taken, which will be used for guest photobook gifts. If you would not like your images to be used for the photobook, please advise your Guest Relations consultant prior to the journey departing or your Tour Manager during the journey.

COVID-19 Travel Requirements 
Before booking and before you travel, ensure that you check the latest government travel requirements. In addition, ensure that you are familiar with Captain’s Choice safety measures and obligations which apply to all guests. This may include temperature tests, Rapid Antigen Testing, completion of a health questionnaire, mask wearing, and a requirement to isolate if COVID-19 symptoms present during the journey. Compliance with the travel requirements is mandatory and anyone refusing to comply can be denied boarding.

Limitation of Liability 
1. Our holiday packages include the services of independent providers, such as hoteliers, airlines, cruise companies and other operators, who are not agents, servants or employees of Captain’s Choice. Although we take care in selecting the independent service providers and the optional excursions conducted by some independent service providers, Captain’s Choice is not responsible for the conduct of the independent service providers, their servants and agents or for any ramifications of that conduct. Optional excursions may, depending on your holiday package, include activities such as climbing, exploring, bike riding, swimming and snorkelling. You accept and assume the risk involved with these activities.

2. If, in the opinion of any representative of Captain’s Choice, your mental or physical condition, or general behaviour is such as to affect your own health and safety, render you incapable to care for yourself, cause you to become a hazard to yourself or other passengers or result in you becoming objectionable to other passengers or staff, you will not be permitted to embark or continue on the whole or any part of the holiday package. Abuse or harassment of any kind toward crew, contracted suppliers or other guests may result in immediate removal from a holiday package. Guests will be responsible for arranging and paying for their own transport home if they are asked to leave the tour. Captain’s Choice is not liable to you for any costs associated with such decision and you will not be refunded for any part of the holiday package.

3. Captain’s Choice accepts no responsibility for any death, injury, illness, loss (including loss of enjoyment), damage, detention, delay (including mechanical breakdown) beyond its control. 

4. Any term, condition or warranty expressed or implied by statute or otherwise in respect of the holiday packages contained in any of our collateral are excluded to the full extent permitted by law. Nothing in these booking conditions excludes, restricts or modifies the application of the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth) as amended, consolidated, supplemented or replaced.

5. To the full extent permitted by law, Captain’s Choice’s  liability arising under or in connection with these booking conditions: (a) is limited to the re-supply of the products or services or the payment of the cost of re-supply of the products or services to you; and (b) excludes liability for any indirect or consequential losses suffered by you or any third party, howsoever caused, including but not limited to pure economic loss or any special, extraordinary or punitive damage to you or any other party.

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

7. Specific meal requests are requests only and cannot be guaranteed. 

Smoking
Government regulations forbid smoking in tourist coaches however frequent stops are made for those wishing to smoke. Smoking is not permitted in hotel rooms or ship cabins. Requests for smoking/non-smoking rooms will be passed on to hotels but cannot be guaranteed.

Responsible Service of Alcohol
Our staff are trained in the responsible service of alcohol and are obliged by law to refuse service to any guest who, in their reasonable opinion appears to be intoxicated or behaves in an aggressive or offensive manner.

Complaints
If you have a problem during your vacation, please inform the relevant supplier (e.g. your hotelier) and our representative immediately 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 office at #530, 999 Canada Place, Vancouver, BC, V6C 3E1 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 our representative without delay and complete a report form while on vacation. If you fail to follow this simple procedure we will have been deprived of the opportunity to investigate and rectify your complaint whilst you were in resort and this may affect your rights under this contract. Arbitration: Any and all disputes concerning this contract, the brochure or other material or your trip or the trip itself shall be resolved solely and exclusively by binding arbitration according to the then current commercial rules of the Commercial Arbitration Act of British Columbia. In any such arbitration, the costs will be shared equally between the parties. Costs shall not include costs by a party for representation by counsel. Unless the parties otherwise agree the rules of the British Columbia International Commercial Arbitration Centre shall apply.

Luggage Limits
Each journey has different requirements and this will be advised in your documentation prior to departure. Dimensions for checked baggage are calculated by adding together the width, height and depth of the piece of baggage.

Registration
The Company is registered in British Columbia, Canada (A0073478). CPBC# 62245. United States Tour Operators Association $1 Million Travelers Assistance Program: Captain’s Choice, as an Active Member of USTOA, is required to post $1 Million with USTOA to be used to reimburse, in accordance with the terms and conditions of the USTOA $1 Million Travelers Assistance Program, the advance payments of Captain’s Choice customers in the unlikely event of Captain’s Choice bankruptcy, insolvency or cessation of business. Further, you should understand that the $1 Million posted by Captain’s Choice may be sufficient to provide only a partial recovery of the advance payments received by Captain’s Choice. More details of the USTOA Travelers Assistance Program may be obtained by writing to USTOA at 345 Seventh Avenue, Suite 1801, New York, New York 10001, or by email to information@ustoa.com or by visiting their website at www.USTOA.com.
California Seller of Travel
Number 2002540-20.

Maps & Images 
May not be to scale. Some images are copyright, and have been reproduced with permission.