|
||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
Terms & Conditions |
||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||
|
What is included in Mariden program fees:
Round trip transportation from the U.S./Canadian designated gateway. Breakfasts and dinners (or lunches), unless otherwise stated in the program and lunches on cruise ships. Accommodation in double, triple or quad rooms based on the type of program, entrances to the sites as stated in the program, local transportation (where stated), full time Mariden Multilingual Tour Director (assistance at the airport in "City stay" programs), all transfers and transportation as per program, 4-6 bed cabins during the night train rides, inside quad cabins during the sea cruises (or outside for an extra charge), double cabins on river cruises. Sightseeing as indicated in itinerary, subject to restrictions beyond Maridenıs control such as seasonality, closing times, holidays, strikes, traffic conditions or inclement weather. What is not included in Mariden programs fees: Passport fees, visa processing costs for countries which have visa requirements, beverages with meals (except beverages offered for breakfast, lunches (except during the cruises and when they replace dinner), optional tours, air taxes, airport improvement fees, fuel surcharges, security fees, adult and single room charges, gratuities and Travel Protection Plan (TPP) which is charged separately. Responsibilities of all parties: Mariden is only responsible for acts or omissions of its employees. Each tour begins with departure from your designated gateway and ends on arrival at the same gateway. If you purchased Land Only Program (LOP) Mariden's responsibility starts after your arrival in the designed hotel and after the program is completed in the last designated hotel of the tour. Mariden can not be responsible for events beyond its control including and without limitation, acts of God, war, strikes, government restrictions, flight delays, loss of your airline tickets, loss or damage to luggage or any other personal belongings, acts of employees of hotels, airlines, transportation companies, cruises, restaurants, or local guides or any other agency, company or individual. Mariden can not be responsible for any accident which occurs during your absence from scheduled daily activities, or if you disobey the recommendation from your Tour Director with respect to the local way of life. While abroad, you are obligated to respect foreign customs, in a courteous and considerate manner. Mariden reserves the right to cancel the program for any participant at any time for reasons deemed to be valid to the Mariden Tour Director. A participant can also be sent home if his or her conduct jeopardizes the group's schedule or Mariden's ability to send future groups to a location or venue. Room keys: You are responsible to pay for lost hotel room keys. Therefore travelers are advised to leave hotel room keys at the front desk of the hotel. Disciplinary policy (during the trip): You are obligated to follow instructions given by your chaperone (s) or Mariden Tour Director. If you disobey these rules, Mariden reserves the right to expel you from the trip at your own cost and no refund for "unused services" or additional costs will be issued. If any group leader(s) makes decisions on the trip concerning the members of the group without the knowledge or agreement of the Tour Director, the group leader(s) is responsible for any consequences, financial or other, of their decisions. If any member of the group damages property (ies) hotels, restaurants, buses, sites, and museums, they will be charged for the damages on the spot. The Group Leader (s) is responsible for checking the rooms upon arrival and before the groupıs departure. Any use, or trafficking of non-prescribed or illicit drugs during the trip will result in immediate expulsion from the trip at travelerıs own expense. Payment Schedule: After your tour organizer confirms travel plans with Mariden, you will be informed about the payment policy. Except if otherwise stated, payment policy is as follows: Down payment: 20% of the trip cost + TPP charges within 14 days of tour confirmation. The down payment is non refundable but is transferable to a new traveler. Replacement name is allowed before the final payment. A group or individual participant may choose to waive their Travel Protection Plan charges by sending a written and signed letter to Mariden stating so, with their first payment. Second payment: 50% of the trip cost. Balance: 100 days prior to departure including the airport taxes and security fees. Down payment: 45% of the trip cost + TPP charges Balance: 55% of the total trip cost plus airport taxes, 100 days prior to departure. Method of payment: Mariden offers three payment possibilities: a) individual checks b) single group check c) credit card payment Additional fees: All inclusive insurance -TPP-(Travel Protection Plan): Since government institutions (U.S. State Department) and school boards can cancel the trip due to safety reasons, for your own protection Mariden is automatically including an "all inclusive insurance" with your first payment. If you do not want to purchase this insurance you have to inform Mariden in writing. The price of the TPP is: -$ 100.00 per person for overseas, Central and South America trips. -$ 66.00 per person for North-Central America. Coverage becomes effective only upon full payment of all program fees. Once accepted the TPP is not refundable and once declined in writing it can not be purchased later. This insurance will cover you if the US State Department issue a travel warning pertaining to countries or cities to be visited on the tour. This coverage applies only upon receipt of your written cancellation following any event deemed a "terrorist incident" in a foreign country or city in which you were scheduled to arrive within 45 days following the incident or if the government specifically warns against travel to this country or city. Rerouting the itinerary: If before the departure or during your trip any of the cities, sites or countries become unstable and if particular world events create a safety concern, Mariden reserves the right to reroute your program. If there is any additional cost involved, (additional train, bus, ferry, air fees) Mariden staff will discuss this issue with your chaperone and you will be informed about these costs. In this case you can: a) return home (as the whole group) and ask for reimbursement (TPP) b) accept changes in the program (as the whole group) and accept to pay the additional cost if they apply. Cancellation of the trip after the down payment: The down payment is non refundable but transferable to another person (substitute). If you want to cancel the trip and if you find another person to replace you there will be no extra charges. If you want to cancel the trip after the second or final payment cancellation policy will apply. Individuals or institutions cannot cancel the trip due to safety concerns based on personal opinion. Only information issued by US State Department will be considered a valid indicator concerning safety and security. Cancellation after the second payment: If you would like to cancel the trip and if you find another person to replace you there will be $ 150 charge for the change. For any cancellation less then 130 days prior to departure, Cancellation policy will apply. Sleep well program (Maridenıs future travel voucher): Maridenıs Sleep Well Program allows groups who have submitted a down payment by June 14, 2004, to change their 2005 tour (for a tour of equal or greater value) and/or departure dates until 40 days prior to departure. All moneys paid to Mariden less any nonrefundable fees, at the time a written request is received, will be transferred to the new program or tour dates. Groups missing any payment deadlines must pay a late payment penalty in order to qualify for the Sleep Well Program. This option is only available to the entire group and not to individual participants and group size must remain the same. If Mariden cannot accommodate the revised tour request and participants decide not to travel on the original tour, Maridenıs standard cancellation policy will apply. If there are additional fees resulting from the tour/date change participants will be responsible for the increase. The revised tour must be booked by June 13, 2005 and depart before September 30, 2005 in order for the tour voucher to be redeemed. Participants canceling a tour paid for using the travel voucher will be charged a cancellation fee in the amount of the nonrefundable portion of their future voucher or the cancellation fees associated with the tour, whichever is higher. Vouchers may not be split between participants. Mariden will make every effort to accommodate the revised tour request. Optional tours: Either a minimum of 15 paid participants or the whole group ( where the group is smaller) is required for Mariden to operate most of the optional tours. Any optional tour must be confirmed and paid in full with the final payment (except for cruises). Once purchased and paid, optional tours are not refundable. If there are not enough participants to cover the cost of an optional tour Mariden reserves the right to either cancel the tour and issue a full refund or offer an alternate optional tour. On shore excursions during cruises: All shore excursions offered by the cruise company must be booked and paid through the cruise ship company. Gratuities: As is custom in many countries gratuities are much appreciated and designed for : tour directors, local guides, bus drivers and cruise ship crew. The amount of the gratuity ( if any) is at the discretion of the group; however, usually travelers will budget $ 4 / person / day for all ³land² programs and $ 10 / person/day for each day on your cruise. Cruise gratuities have to be paid in advance (with your last payment), as required by most cruise companies. Late payments: If you miss the deadline for any of your payments Mariden will charge an additional $ 100 per person for being late 1 to 15 days . If the payment is more than 15 days late, Mariden assumes that you will not participate on the tour your refund will be subject to Maridenıs cancellation policy and you will also be charged an additional penalty of $ 100 . To ensure the proper post mark date for your payment make sure to send the payment by courier, registered mail or registered mail several days in advance. Cancellation policy: Each participant can withdraw from the tour at any time prior to departure. The withdrawal, or cancellation of the trip by the individual or the group leader must be received by Mariden in writing. Allow a minimum of 45 days for processing of refunds. 130 or more days prior to departure: refund less the down payment and $ 200 + the deposit to the airlines. 100-129 days prior to departure: refund less the down payment and $ 500 + the deposit to the airlines. 70-129 days prior to departure: refund less the down payment and $ 750 + cost of the air ticket if already issued. 30-69 days prior to departure: refund less the down payment and $ 1,000 + cost of the air ticket if already issued. 0-29 days prior to departure: No refund will be issued. Airline penalties, insurance benefits premiums, trip cancellation fees, special arrangement fees optional excursions are nonrefundable. Substantial payments and deposits are made on the travelersı behalf to airlines, hotels, bus companies and overseas suppliers well in advance of departure and are mostly nonrefundable. Therefore, a full refund from Mariden is not possible. There will be no refunds for any missed or unused services, such as excursions, meals, entrances, based on your absence. Each participant is responsible to be on time for all services. Special warning is always made for an early return from off shore cruise activities or your free time in the ports. The ship will not wait for you. Group size: Calculations for the tour cost are based on 35 paid participants for "Yellow Programs" and 25 paid participants for "Twin Cities", "Blue Programs" and Cruises. If your group has less then 35 or 25 paid participants Mariden reserves the right to combine your group with another group. If you would like to have an independent group please request your tour to be upgraded or entirely customized. Give us the predicted number of participants and we will gladly provide you with the new quotation. Prices: Prices for our programs are based on airfares and tariffs in effect of November 15th 2003 and exchange rates from December 10th 2003, between US$ on one side and Euro, BP and other local currencies on the other side. If there will be negative changes on the currency market on the day of your final payment Mariden will inform your group leader about the changes and you will be charged the difference. Once you submit your final payment there will be no additional charges except possible fuel surcharges or the new government fees which are out of Mariden's control. If the group organizer disagrees with the possible increase in the price, the group may cut the number of days of the tour or cut some of the services, or opt to use of local transportation instead of chartered buses (where it is possible), or take the full refund less the $ 300 processing fee and the amount already paid to the suppliers. Changes in itinerary: Mariden reserves the right to discontinue a tour due to the low number of participants and/or due to safety concerns, possible strikes, or other reasons. For the same reasons Mariden reserves the right to make changes in departure dates, cities, itinerary, daily activities, hotels, group leader assignments, airlines, service fees. Such changes are not grounds for withdrawal with a full refund, or for a refunds after the tour. Extension of the tour (group): If the group would like to extend their stay, Mariden can make the additional reservations. We can not guarantee that you will be accommodated in the hotel already booked on the tour. The cost of the extension for an extra day is $ 160 per person ( $ 180 in the UK, $ 130 in South America and $150 in Central America). It includes accommodation, breakfast, dinner and a Mariden Tour Director. This request must be done prior to the second payment and it is based on the air availability. Extension or pre-arrival on the tour (individual): If any individual would like to arrive to the starting point before the group, or to stay longer, Mariden will issue air tickets as per request. Cost of this service is $150 plus any possible additional costs from the airlines. Mariden is not responsible for individual accommodations or meals (before the arrival of the group or after the group will leave), transfers or any other cost. Mariden will treat this individual as absent from the group tour and we do not accept any responsibility for this individual during his/her solo journey. Land only traveler (LOT): If you would like to use your previous air miles you can do so but you can not use the previous air miles as the partial payment against the package price. You can arrange your own flights and you will be listed as an LOT. In this case we will deduct: 30% of your package price for overseas and South America trips 20% of your package price for North-Central America trips. When you decide to purchase the whole package any changes toward your own flight arrangements will be charged $ 150. Name changes: The group leader and the participant have an obligation to provide Maridenwith typed list of all participants names as they appear on their passports. Any misspelling or change in any participants name later then 100 days prior to departure will result in CAD$ 200 fee, plus the cost of the flight ticket (if issued). No handwriting will be accepted. Visas: If the group travels to countries where US or Canadian citizens require visa, Mariden will inform your group leader about the procedure. If you hold a passport which is not US or a Canadian passport, you are personally responsible for obtaining information about visa requirements and procedures. Airlines: Mariden cooperates with reputable and known airlines such as: Lufthansa, British Airways, KLM, Olympic, Al Italia, Austrian Airlines, Air France, North West, American Airlines, Continental, Delta, Air Canada, West Jet, Taca, Lan Chile, Qantas, Singapore Airlines etc. Two weeks after the down payment Mariden will provide you with your carrier and flight detail information, based on present schedules. Mariden does not provide charter flights except upon customersı request. Hotels: Mariden guarantees the highest standard for hotels offered on the North American travel market. We will name all your hotels, which are centrally located, less than 60 days prior to departure. For all "Yellow Programs" and "Twin Cities", accommodation is based on triple triple quad occupancy. For all "Blue Programs" accommodation is based on double to triple occupancy. If you customize your program you may have accommodation and occupancy of your choice. Adult supplement: Adult supplement is required due to the higher cost for entrance fees and hotel accommodations for adults. accommodation/1 night/person*: triple double single Europe $ 20 $ 40 $ 80 Latin America $ 10 $ 20 $ 40 *except North America There are no single cabins on night trains. If a person requires a single cabin on a cruise or on an overnight ferry they will will be charged additionally. Overnight trains: Overnight trains offer the best, safest and the fastest way to explore Europe. For "Yellow Programs" and "Twin Cities" occupancy is based on 4- 6 people per cabin. For "Blue Programs" occupancy is based on 2- 4 people per cabin. Departure dates: Mariden strives to book the precise departure dates you request. In the high season period (Spring break, Eastern break, Summer, Christmas) we reserve the right to offer departure date 2 to 3 days earlier or later of the requested date as departure dates are based on air space availability from the Airlines. Weekend departure surcharge: $ 35 for traveling on Friday, Saturday or Sunday in any direction. Photographs, films, videotapes: Any photographs, films or videotapes taken of the participants on a Mariden trip may be freely used in Maridenıs published materials. Group leader replacement: In case that your designated group leader can not attend the tour Mariden requests that organization, school, sport team, church group, university, company select qualified replacement. If this is not possible Mariden will send a qualified leader from our side. Such a change does not constitute grounds for cancellation without penalty and standard cancellation penalty will apply. You as a Tour Organizer: Tour leaders accommodations: City Stay, Twin Cities, Yellow packages: in doubles Blue package, Customized tours: in single. Single cabin on cruise or on overnight trains will be charged extra. Tour leaders companion: Members of your family or members of your faculty will be eligible for 25% discount on net fare based on accommodation in double room. Participants receiving this discounts do not count towards your free place. |
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||