Excursions

FERRY PUBLICATIONS EXCURSIONS CLUB - TERMS & CONDITIONS

TERMS & CONDITIONS
 
1. The Booking Agreement
 
Any contract between you and us is subject to these Terms and Conditions. The contract shall be governed by and construed in accordance with English law and is subject to the jurisdiction of the Courts of England and Wales.  
 
2. To Make a Booking
 
Bookings should be made on the appropriate form for the Excursion concerned, available on application or downloaded from our website www.ferrypubs.co.uk . To make a booking please post the Booking Form, together with the appropriate payment to FERRY PUBLICATIONS EXCURSIONS CLUB, Plovers, Ivychurch, Romney Marsh, Kent TN29 0HJ.
Payment may be made by cheque, which should be made payable to “Ferry Publications Excursions Club”.      
 
3. Cancellation
 
Should you wish to cancel your booking, please notify us directly in writing as soon as possible. Any refund will be entirely at the discretion of the Ferry Publications Excursion Club.  
 
4. Changes of Booking:
 
If you need to alter any of the details on your Booking Form please contact us as soon as possible. We will try to accommodate your wishes but cannot guarantee to do so. You will have to pay any additional costs incurred (such as re-ticketing costs telephone calls etc.). Please note that because of the complex arrangements involved in many of our excursions, changes (other than name changes) are generally not possible within 28 days prior of departure.  
 
5. Name Spellings & Name Changes:
 
It is essential that the names of all passengers you give us at the time of booking are exactly the names (including forenames) that are shown on those persons’ passports. In many cases including changes to the spelling of names any amendments may incur costs which will need to be passed on to you. If you wish to transfer your booking to another person similar costs may apply.
 
6. Insurance:
 
You are advised to make your own arrangements for Insurance to cover Cancellation, Missed Connections, Loss of Property and Medical Emergency. This is not a service we can offer. EU citizens are also advised to carry their European Union Health Insurance Card
 
7. Cancellation of an Excursion by Us  
 
Excursions are based on an economic minimum number of passengers and should this not be reached, we reserve the right to cancel or amend the programme.   In the event that the excursion has to be cancelled before departure because of carriers cancelling sailings, or ground transport arrangements or in the event of force majeure (including industrial disputes) we will offer a full refund but not be liable to pay compensation to you. Alternatively the value of your payment may be taken a credit towards a future excursion which we may organise.
 
8. Changes to the Excursion  
 
Our excursions are planned many months in advance and sometimes changes may be necessary although we would normally expect to be able to provide you with the services confirmed by us in respect of your original booking. The arrangements are by their very nature complex with services from many different transportation companies and hotels. Ship names, transportation timings and carriers are stated to you for guidance only but we reserve the right to make changes. We will make every effort to provide as much advance notification of changes as possible.  
 
9. Ferry Operators and Railway Companies
 
All itineraries involve the use of Ferry Operators and in some cases scheduled rail travel. These are subject to the conditions of carriage of the relevant Ferry or Railway companies used, which in some cases may limit or even exclude liability.  
When booking flights, rail tickets, car parking or other arrangements to connect with our excursions you are strongly advised to allow time for possible delays in land or sea transport. Neither Ferry Publications Excursion Club nor the carriers that we or you may use can offer alternative arrangements without extra charge for missed connections en route to or at the end of any excursion.  This may be an option you wish to consider when taking out Travel Insurance.
 
10. Physical fitness requirements.    
 
Some parts of our excursions can be physically demanding and over uneven terrain to obtain access to photographic vantage points. The facilities granted to us by the ferry operators and ports are usually based on the presumption that all members of our parties will be fully fit adults. Some excursions involve travel on freight ferries and on these vessels access to accommodation may be via ladders or steep gangways. Whilst the passenger ferries used on our excursions are often fully equipped for the carriage of wheelchair and mobility impaired passengers, this may not always be the case with older vessels, and in any event access to bridges and engine-rooms may not be possible. FPEC regret they can therefore normally only accept bookings from physically fit adults. If you are in any doubt about a particular trip please discuss this with us before booking.
 
11. Special Requests
 
Any special request or requirement which is essential to your booking (such as specific dietary requirements, wheelchair assistance or special facilities for certain medical conditions) must be made known to us in writing before you book. We will contact our suppliers and be happy to pass on any other reasonable requests that you may have but they cannot be guaranteed and will not form part of our contract. No compensation will be payable if such requests are not fulfilled.
 
12. Security
 
Passengers boarding ferries are usually subjected to security procedures which vary from port to port. Photography may be restricted in some areas and on some vessels. These arrangements are entirely outside our control and any failure to comply may result in participants being denied boarding – in which case any extra cost incurred will be the traveller’s responsibility.  
 
13. Complaints  
 
Should you have a problem during an Excursion please notify the Leader who will do whatever he/she can to help you there and then. In the unlikely event that you are not satisfied with the actions taken to deal with your complaint and you wish to take the matter further, you must put your complaint in writing to our Head Office within 6 weeks of your return giving all the details.  
 
14. Data Protection Policy
 
We take full responsibility for ensuring that proper security measures are in place to protect the information you provide us in order to process your booking. We must pass this information on to the relevant suppliers of your travel arrangements such as ferry operators, hotels, transport companies etc. If an excursion goes outside the European Economic Area (EEA), controls on data protection in your destination may not be as strong as the legal requirements in this country. We will not however, pass any information on to any person not responsible for part of your travel arrangements. This applies to any sensitive information that you give to us such as details of any disabilities, or dietary / religious requirements. (If we cannot pass this information to the relevant suppliers, whether in the EEA or not, we cannot provide your booking. In making this booking, you consent to this information being passed on to the relevant persons.)  
 
March 2007