Payment: A deposit of $500 per person is due with your reservation. Payment may be made by check, American Express, MasterCard, Visa or Discover credit cards. On receipt of payment you will be sent a statement showing your payment and confirmation of your booking. Payment in full is due by January 14th, 2008. Package vouchers and flight documents will be sent to you two weeks prior to departure. Payment in full guarantees your tour price.
Please read the following terms and conditions for this tour, they limit Ciao! Travel's liability as the Operator of this tour and that of our agents, carriers and suppliers who are providing your tour arrangements. In addition, they outline the conditions under which your tour will operate. Your deposit, signature on the registration form and acceptance of final tour documents represent your acceptance of the terms and conditions as follows.
Tour Prices: Package prices are quoted in U.S. Dollars. Air fares and tour prices are in effect as of October 01, 2007 and are subject to change without notice due to fluctuations in air fares, ground rates, and currency rates. Payment in full guarantees your tour price.
Cancellations: Up to 60 days prior to U.S. departure: $250 administrative fee. 59-30 days prior to U.S. departure: 60% of total package. 29 days and under and no-shows: 100% cancellation penalty. In addition, rail tickets, optional tours and transfers are wholly non-refundable. No refund will be made on unused land arrangements once the trip has started. Cancellations must be received in writing by letter, fax or email. All original documents must be returned to Ciao! Travel in order to process any refund.
Changes to Land Arrangements: A handling fee of $35 per adult will be charged by Ciao! Travel for all passenger initiated changes made after receipt of deposit. Additional changes made after full payment has been received or documents have been issued will incur $50 fee per adult, per change (IF changes are possible at time of request) to cover costs necessary extra costs, eg phone/fax/bank. Reservations accepted within 4 weeks of departure, or changes requested within 4 weeks of departure will incur a $50 fee per adult to cover necessary extra costs (e.g. telephone/fax/bank).
Changes to Air Arrangements: Upon receipt of payment in full airline tickets are issued and are non-refundable in all circumstances. A $279 per person fee for change of return date is charged once airline tickets have been issued.
Tour Prices Do Not Include: Transfers and meals except where stated in brochure under “Your GBBT XX tour includes:”. Passport and Visa fees, airport departure taxes, PFC's, excess baggage charges, travel insurance, liquor, items of a personal nature, laundry, taxi, train or trolley fares, optional sightseeing, and any item not specifically listed as “included” in tour offer.
Air Travel: "Complete tour packages" include round trip transatlantic air travel in economy class. On complete tour packages the first night is spent in transatlantic flight. Complete tour prices are based on non-refundable, non-changeable Apex or bulk fares. Carriers are subject to change.
Hotel Accommodations: All hotels are as described in tour itinerary. If Ciao! Travel must change any hotel, its substitute will be of equal or greater quality. European hotel rooms are often smaller than their equivalent USA rooms. Rooms' are "run of the house", unless stated otherwise on invoice and voucher, and are assigned at the sole discretion of the hotel. Ciao! Travel will do our utmost to accommodate any special requests, however neither the hotel nor Ciao! Travel can guarantee your request.
Baggage: Passengers are allowed two pieces of baggage on the airline not to exceed a weight of 50 lbs. each or maximum total dimensions of 106 inches, with neither piece exceeding 62 inches. Many airlines restrict carry-on luggage to one piece that will fit under the seat. Please check with your airline before packing.
Insurance: Ciao! Travel strongly recommends that you purchase Trip Cancellation and Interruption, Baggage, and Health insurance to safeguard your vacation. Ask for a brochure when booking.
Travel Documents. It is the responsibility of all passengers to be in the possession of a valid passport (valid for at least 6 months form scheduled departure from Europe). The Netherlands (Holland) and Belgium do not presently require a visa for U.S. citizens.
Great Belgian Beer Tour Liability Waiver: As a participant on the Great Belgium Beer tour, I fully and clearly understand that I will be consuming alcohol during the tour and I accept full responsibility for my behavior, well being, and health throughout the tour, which may involve a variety of activities, unfamiliar locations, and modes of travel, including but not limited to: pedestrian travel on busy streets, rail travel, train platforms and stations, hotel stairways, cobblestone streets, public taxis, public busses, trains and trams, brewery tours, bars and pubs, and bus stairs. I further realize that brewery tours may involve beer tasting before or after the tour; and that the tour may involve walking through unfamiliar, narrow and/or steep corridors, gangways, stairways and driveways. I also realize that breweries may be operational during certain visits and that this presents additional hazards including heat and steam, reduced visibility, hot pipes and boiling kettles. I knowingly and willfully accept these risks and take complete and total responsibility for my behavior, well being and health during the tour. I agree to hold neither Ciao! Travel nor the hosting brewery or facility liable in any way should any harm come to me.
Responsibility and Liability The Great Belgian Beer Tour packages are operated by Ciao! Travel, 2707 Congress Street, Suite 1F, San Diego, California 92110 USA. Responsibility of Ciao! Travel and/or their representatives and/or agents is limited. Ciao! Travel acts as agent for tour transportation, whether by air, rail, bus or other means, hotel accommodations, sightseeing tours and/or other services offered in this brochure and holds itself free of responsibility for any damage, death, loss of delay occasioned from any cause outside its activities as agent. Ciao! Travel and/or its agents will not be responsible for any damage, inconveniences caused by late departures, changes of schedules, strikes, civil disturbances, hostilities, acts of war, or force majeure, or to their conditions, nor will we be responsible for loss of or damage to baggage of any of the tour participants belongings. Tour participants waive any claim against Ciao! Travel based upon any damage to, or loss due to any act of any hotel, airline, carrier or other service providers offered on in this tour package. Ciao! Travel reserves the right to decline to accept, or retain any tour participant at any time for any reason, including insufficient number of participants. In the unlikely event of Ciao! Travel's default, you may be eligible for a refund of up to fifteen thousand dollars from the California Consumer Restitution Fund. If you were located in California at the time of your purchase, you have a right to make a claim against the Fund for a refund of any money paid to Ciao! Travel that is due because of cessation of operations and or material failure to provide travel services sold. The claim must be filed within 60 days (or in some limited circumstances, within one year) after you become aware of your loss. For a claim form and additional information, write to: Travel Consumer Restitution Corporation P.O. Box 8474, Northridge CA 91327. If you are located outside of California this transaction is not covered by the California Travel Consumer Restitution Fund and you are not eligible to file a claim against the Fund. Ciao! Travel maintains a client trust account. Ciao! Travel reserves the right to change tour itineraries and any tour components whenever deemed necessary. The sole responsibility of any airline used in any tour is limited to that set out in the passenger contract on the ticket. No tour participant-requested alterations may be made after date of departure. Ciao! Travel reserves the right to take photographs during the operation of the tour and may use said photos for promotional purposes. By purchasing a tour with Ciao! Travel the tour participant agrees to allow their images to be used for promotional purposes. If you do not wish to allow your image to be used, advise the tour leader at the commencement of the tour. Client must verify tour information, sign and return a copy of the final invoice before travel documents will be sent. Terms and conditions are subject to change without notice.
Arbitration. Any controversy or claim arising out of, or relating to any program advertised in this brochure and/or web site shall be submitted to binding arbitration in accordance with the Commercial Arbitration Rules of The American Arbitration offices located in San Diego, California. Judgment upon the award rendered by the Arbitrator(s) may be entered in any court having jurisdiction thereof. Customer and Ciao! Travel understand and agree that, by agreeing to binding arbitration, they are giving up the right to trial on the merits, by either judge or jury or trial de novo and the right to appeal. Tour terms and conditions are governed by California law and a San Diego County venue
Ciao! Travel: 2707 Congress Street, Suite 1F,
San Diego, CA 92110 USA
Tel. (619) 297-8112 (800) 942-CIAO Fax: (619) 297-8114
Email: gbbt@ciaotravel.com