Terms and Conditions

IMPORTANT: Please read all paragraphs below carefully.

The Terms and Conditions below are to be acknowledged by returning the TERMS & CONDITIONS ACKNOWLEGEMENT to the office. CruiseAway reserves the right to amend and update these terms and conditions at any time without notification.

Please note that Cruiseaway makes travel arrangements through specified service providers in accordance with their respective terms and conditions. These terms and conditions can be found here.

Terms of Trade and Booking Conditions

Passport Name Alert (International Cruises Only)

It is ESSENTIAL that your first name and surname given to us at the time of booking match your passport. Any correction or alteration to a passenger name after a booking is made will incur amendment fees or a whole new reservation may need to be made which could result in your booking not being confirmed. Please CHECK this invoice carefully and advise us if the names do not match your passport. Please refer to the Passport and Visa paragraph below regarding visa requirements and your eligibility to travel before paying your deposit.

Passports & Visas

Valid passports are required for all international fly/cruise and cruise only product. Passports must have at least six months validity after the date of return to Australia. Certain ports of call may require visas prior to departure from Australia or prior to Ship embarkation. Please refer to www.visasdirect.com.au/wwcc or the consulate directly for your individual requirements. Visa requirements and correct travel documents remain the sole responsibility of the Traveller. CruiseAway cannot be held liable for any costs arising from rejected Visa applications or denial of entry to any country for any reason. Our staff are unable to offer information regarding travel visas for nationalities other than Australian and NZ.

Travel Insurance

It is essential to cover yourself against fees and charges should you need to amend or cancel your booking. It is highly recommended and on many cruise lines it is compulsory that adequate travel insurance be purchased from the date of the deposit being made. CruiseAway recommends Aussietravelcover which provides extensive medical, cancellation, insolvency and luggage cover.

QUOTES:

Cruise, flight and hotel prices and availability change all the time so please be aware that all verbal or written quotes by CruiseAway (Dreamlines) on all travel arrangements are subject to availability and price change until payment has been received and confirmation issued in writing.

DEPOSITS:

CruiseAway requires up to $100 per person deposit in addition to amounts payable to Cruise Lines, Airlines, Hotels etc. All deposits are deducted from final payments and are not an additional charge. All CruiseAway deposits are NON REFUNDABLE from the time of payment and should be protected by travel insurance.

AMENDMENTS:

After deposits have been received, amendments to your booking will incur a fee of $50 per person per amendment over and above any supplier amendment or change fees. Where a cruise line releases a promotional fare after you have booked, any transfer of that booking to a promotional fare on the same or new cruise is regarded as a cancellation of the first booking and subject to cancellation penalties. Some cruise lines have strict policies regarding rebooking a cruise on promotional rates which Cruiseaway are obliged to observe.

Credit Card Authorisation

It is the strict policy of CruiseAway to obtain the verified signature of the Credit Card holder for each charge to a Credit Card. This can be either a faxed Credit Card authorisation form found below or a separate form obtained from CruiseAway. Verbal authorisations for urgent payments over the phone may be accepted, please refer to the Urgent Payment Condition.

Payment Methods

CruiseAway can accept debit and credit card payment for Cruise and Travel arrangements. These payments are subjected to a non-refundable merchant fee surcharge which is a percentage of the value of the transaction (Please see below).

Mastercard 1.3%
Visa 1.5%
Amex 1.8%
Diners 2.75%
International 3.25%

Our preferred method of payment is Credit Card. We use TravelPay to process all credit and debit card transactions. TravelPay is a recommended merchant by AFTA (Australian Federation of Travel Agents) and provides protection in the event of supplier/airline insolvency. You can also pay using TravelPay’s Customer Secure Payment Link by simply entering this link into your browser: pay.travelpay.com.au/CRUISEAWY. Please ensure you complete all the fields and ensure you enter your correct reference number. For all Credit/Debit card payments, ‘TravelPay Balmain’ will appear on your credit card statement.

Payments can also be done by cash or via bank transfer and direct deposit however in these cases and in the unlikely event of supplier or airline insolvency, unfortunately you would then become a creditor of that supplier or airline and your payment will NOT be protected.

Bank Account details

Account details for EFT deposits are:
Account Name: Dreamlines Australia Pty Ltd
Bank: NAB
BSB No: 082-001
Account No: 785416865

You must include your booking number and surname in the payment reference (eg B#54321 Smith) and notify your consultant that payment has been made. Failure to do so may result in your booking being cancelled if payment cannot be identified.

CANCELLATION

You or any member of your party may cancel your booking at any time; however please note that all cancellation requests must be received in writing before we can cancel your booking. Upon cancelling your booking, CruiseAway will charge a $200 per person cancellation fee, plus any costs or cancellation penalties charged by suppliers i.e. cruise lines, hotels and airlines. Please ask our consultants for the specific cancellation fee schedules of the supplied components of your booking. We also strongly recommend purchasing travel insurance at the time of booking which may reimburse certain cancellation fees. Refunds cannot be processed until supplier have remitted funds back to CruiseAway, and any expenses incurred by us are confirmed. Refunds may take up to 12 weeks to process.

Travel Insurance Claim Documentation

Where travel insurance has been purchased through CruiseAway, we will be happy to assist with supporting documentation for your claim without charge. Where you have purchased your Travel Insurance from another source including credit card insurance, we will charge a fee of up to $250 for providing supporting documentation for your claim.

Availability

Advertised lead-in cruise and fly/cruise packages are subject to airline, hotel and cruise availability at time of booking. Where these lead in packages are not available, the cruise company may offer an alternative grade of cabin for your consideration. We strongly recommend early bookings to avoid disappointment. Pre and post cruise land packages may need to be adjusted to suit flight schedules and availability. No allocations are held with airlines or hotels.

Shore Excursions

We recommend that you pre-book your shore excursions prior to departure from Australia. Many cruise lines make their shore excursions available online prior to departure. Please check with your travel consultant if your cruise line offers this service, and obtain your cruise reference number so you can access and book online. CruiseAway is not responsible should any shore excursions be sold out or on waitlist prior to your departure. Cruise lines can release their shore excursions online at any time, so we strongly recommend checking their website regularly, or contact the cruise line concerned for an approx. release date.

Gratuities

On certain cruise and fly/cruise packages; tipping is included in the fare. Where this is not listed under the "package inclusions" we recommend USD11.00 - USD14.00 per passenger per day which will be divided between your cabin steward, dining room waiter and busboy. Please note on certain cruise lines this charge is automatically added to your onboard account - but is still optional.

Vaccinations

Certain countries require vaccinations before arrival and for others it is recommended that health precautions are taken.  As our staff are not qualified to offer medical advice, CruiseAway recommends that you contact your local Travel Doctor or a GP for specific advice for the countries you are visiting.

Smoking Policy P&O Cruises

In the interest of guest’s health, safety and enjoyment during their cruising holiday, smoking is no longer permitted indoors onboard P&O Cruises Australia Vessels, including cabins, suites and private balconies. This change in policy is also in line with Australian standards. Outdoor smoking venues will be published in the daily newsletter onboard your cruise. For further information please go to www.pocruises.com.au/smoking_policy

Travel Agents, Family & Friends Offers

From time to time we can offer our special "Agents, Family & Friends" deals from P&O and Princess to our clients. These bookings have extra conditions. Future Cruise Letters from Princess Cruises cannot be applied to these offers

Cabin Upgrades

You may want your cabin to be open to a free upgrade. Please indicate this in writing to your cruise consultant. We will make your cabin "available for upgrade" however there is no guarantee that the upgrade will occur. Upgrades are actioned by the cruise line at their discretion and option – they will not give advance notice that an upgrade will be allocated nor will they accept requests for any particular cabin grade or number. The upgrade system is an automated system – so there is no choice.  Once an upgrade has been applied it cannot be reversed and you may find the upgrade cabin location is not to your liking so please give due consideration to requesting this option.

Disclaimer regarding suppliers

CruiseAway acts as an agent for the service suppliers. As such we are not responsible for the provision of the service or arrangements provided by that supplier. CruiseAway will not be held liable in any way for any acts, errors, omissions, representations, warranties or negligence by any suppliers. In the event of an issue arising between the traveller/s and the service supplier, we will assist by initiating contact between the parties but will not be party to ongoing communications or negotiations.

Service Provider Conditions

All service providers (Cruise Lines, Airlines, Hotels and Tour Operators etc.) have their own Terms and Conditions. It is the passenger’s responsibility to be aware of them for each service booked. In most cases these can be found on the service provider’s website or in their brochure. If you have any questions regarding the location of these terms and conditions or their wording, please contact your consultant. CruiseAway as an agent, has no control over the terms and conditions set down by the service provider.

Resort Fees and City/Tourist Taxes

These are mandatory charges that are not included in the initial cost of your booking. These charges apply only to certain countries/regions i.e. Hawaii and vary in amount according to hotel classification and location. These additional charges are collected directly by the hotel, in local currency, and charged per traveller. These charges cannot be pre-paid and are charged upon check-in. Please note that we do not have any control over these charges.

Airline seating and special meals

We recommend contacting the airlines directly for your seating and special meal requests to ensure that the airline has accurately noted your requirements. Airlines will often advise seat numbers but will not guarantee your seating until final boarding. Passenger are responsible for reconfirming all flights 72 hours prior to flight departure times.

Airfare/Airline Conditions

All airfares are subject to change / increase / withdrawal without notice by the airline(s) until paid in full and tickets issued. All airline schedules are also subject amendments and flight cancellation without notice by the airline. Claims for costs as a result of these actions must be made directly to the airline concerned. CruiseAway cannot be held responsible for the actions of an airline. LUGGAGE CHARGES conditions: Some low cost carriers have additional charges not included in the air ticket cost for luggage. These costs are beyond our control and cannot be pre-paid to us as ticketing agents for the airline.

Airline Luggage, Meal, Entertainment Direct Charges

Many airline carriers now charge for all baggage, meals and inflight entertainment on international flights. These fees and charges CANNOT be collected by the agent in advance. Each carrier and route has variations on prices and requirements. Please ask your consultant for a breakdown of applicable `pay direct` fees applicable to your booking and how to request and pay these services online.

Frequent Flyers

It is essential to keep all tickets and boarding passes from your trip so that the airline can assist with crediting points that were not collected. Please contact the airline for assistance in redemption of missed points.

CABIN GAURANTEE/SHIPS OPTION

A Guarantee stateroom (GTY) is one where there is no cabin number assigned at the time of booking. This means you may book a stateroom of a guaranteed category type (Inside, Oceanview, Balcony, Concierge/Aqua Class or Suite) on your chosen ship and cruise, However the exact grade, number, location of the stateroom on the ship will be allocated by the cruise line at any time up until checking in at the Port. Guests booked in GTY cabins may not be berthed with other travelling parties due to availability. Staterooms allocated may be subject to obstructed views. The benefits to you of a GTY stateroom are that after your booking has been confirmed, the cruise line may (at their discretion) upgrade your stateroom to one of a superior category to that originally booked at no extra charge. Once your GTY Stateroom has been allocated to you, the cruise line is unable to accept any changes requested by you or your travel agent.

Travel Advice Notices

Please check any Travel Advice Notices issued by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade prior to your journey.

www.dfat.gov.au/consular/advice or by calling 1300 555 135.
www.smarttraveller.gov.au or call 1300 139 281 for updated travel information.

USA/CANADA Online Travel Authorisation

For USA: Please use the ESTA site https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov to issue your online Travel Authorisation. A fee will apply. Once this is completed you will be able to enter the USA. Failure to complete this process can result in you being denied boarding on your flight or cruise. CruiseAway is not responsible for ESTA Visa's issued on SCAM or illegal websites.

For CANADA: Please use the ETA site http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/visit/eta.asp from 15 March 2016 to issue your Canada Electronic Travel Authorisation [Canada ETA]

Visa for Turkey

The Turkish Consulate has advised that the stamp / sticker visa on arrival will be abolished from April 10, 2014 and will be completely replaced by the eVisa application process. Visitors to Turkey will be required to apply for a visa online (from April 11, 2014) via the Turkish Government website www.evisa.gov.tr prior to travel or they may be refused entry. If you enter a Turkish port by cruise ship and are staying less than 72hrs please check with your consultant if a visa is required.

Electronic Cruise Documentation (eDoc)

Many cruise lines have now moved to eDoc cruise tickets or documentation. This means you may get your documentation as an attachment to an email for you to print or store electronically. As this may be sent to you directly by the cruise line you will not receive a wallet with paper tickets or a 'cruise booklet' as in the past. Your online Cruise Registration must be completed before the Cruise Line will release your documents. Failure to complete this will cause delay.  Once complete, the cruise line will release your documentation 10-20 days prior to your departure date from Australia. It is unnecessary to chase documents with your cruise consultant prior to this, as all cruise lines issue documentation in 'departure date' order. Your cruise consultant or the cruise line will inform you once your documents are issued and ready.

Urgent Payment Conditions

It has become common for cruise lines and airlines to require immediate payment to secure cabins or seats. Under these circumstances we may be required to take your credit card details and CCV number over the phone, charge the credit card and pay the supplier in a very short period of time. This usually means that this payment is non-refundable. Your consultant may require you to email written authorisation to charge your credit card. If this is not possible, by giving the card number over the phone you are accepting our terms and conditions and are authorising payment on behalf of all travellers on your booking. Signed authorisation will still be required after the charge due to our duty of care ensuring you are aware of the terms and conditions.

If your booking is costed from a currency other than Australian and the account is not fully paid, you will need to CONTACT YOUR CONSULTANT ON THE DAY PAYMENT IS BEING MADE as all charges are subject to any exchange rate changes.

IMPORTANT:

Final payment conditions (Exchange Rates)

We will re-cost all applicable services at the prevailing exchange rate and issue a new statement of account showing any necessary adjustments.

Final Payment Deadline

If you miss your deadline for final payment of your cruise, Dreamlines Australia cannot guarantee your cruise reservation. Cruise lines have the right to cancel and re sell your cabin with no notification resulting in the forfeit of deposits already paid. Please make sure you pay your final balance on or before the deadline on your invoice. Your travel consultant is unable to extend final due dates set by the cruise lines.

CruiseAway - CREDIT CARD AUTHORISATION FORM

Please complete this form and return by fax, scan/email or by post.

Credit Card Authorisation Form

I authorise CruiseAway to charge the travel arrangements shown on this form to the following CREDIT CARD and have read the section above regarding merchant charges.

CARD TYPE (please circle) Visa MasterCard Amex Diners

NAME ON CARD ________________________________________________

CREDIT CARD NO __ __ __ __ - __ __ __ __ - __ __ __ __ - __ __ __ __

EXPIRY DATE ____ / ____ MM/YY

SECURITY NO __________ (last 3 digits on signature strip)

AMOUNT $______________ plus 1.5% or 3% (please circle)

SIGNATURE ______________________________

DATE _____/______/______

Please provide the following passport details for each passenger:

Surname First name Initial P/P number Nationality Expiry date, Date of Birth
1)_______________________________________________________________________________________________ 2)_______________________________________________________________________________________________ 3)_______________________________________________________________________________________________ 4)_______________________________________________________________________________________________

The TERMS AND CONDITIONS are to be read in conjunction with the booking conditions of the cruise line, airline or travel supplier with whom CruiseAway has made your reservation. Payment of your deposit is agreement that you have accepted our Terms and Conditions

I/we understand and accept the above conditions as set out apply to all travel arrangements made on our behalf by CruiseAway and have read and understood the recommendations regarding Travel Insurance

Signed _____________________         Print Name___________________________