Cancellation

What happens if you cancel your place
As this is a Special Interest Holiday for a small group, if you cancel your place you will still be liable to pay for your place in full no matter when you cancel. Otherwise, the others in the trip would need to pay extra which we do not consider to be equitable. You should then claim from your travel insurance.

What happens if your place is transferred to someone else

If the trip is full and someone is able to take your place, once they have paid the full amount to Meridian Travels & Yachting, the full amount that you have paid will be refunded to you by Meridian Travels &Yachting.

If the trip is not full and you find someone to take your place, once they have paid the full amount to Meridian Travels & Yachting, the amount that you have paid less the deposit will be refunded to you by Meridian Travels &Yachting.

What happens in the event of Force Majeure or similar

Meridian Travels & Yachting may for any reason whatsoever cancel any cruise at any time for reasons of force majeure.

If your trip is cancelled through no fault of Meridian Travels & Yachting (for example, but not limited to, acts of God, Coronavirus, SARS, MERS, war, acts of terrorism, ash cloud, adverse weather conditions, trade disputes, fire, government or political action bans etc) then Meridian Travels & Yachting will be under no liability whatsoever to you and may, at its option, by written notice to you cancel the tour. You will not be entitled to a refund by Meridian Travels & Yachting or the Group Leader. Meridian Travels & Yachting will not be liable for any other expenses you may have incurred (such as, but not limited to, flights, transfers, accommodation etc).

You will be asked to claim from your Travel Insurance. If your travel insurance claim is unsuccessful you will be offered a travel voucher allowing you to:

• Transfer to another gulet cruise during the same year – the full amount you have paid (including the deposit) will be transferred. If the new trip is at a higher price you will be asked to pay the extra. If the new trip is at a lower price, the difference will be held and offset against your onboard expenses or
• Transfer to another gulet cruise during the following year. The full amount you have paid, less the deposit will be transferred. If the new trip is at a higher price you will be asked to pay the extra. If the new trip is at a lower price, the difference will be held and offset against your onboard expenses.

If you are unable to transfer to another cruise during either of these periods your voucher will expire and you will not be entitled to a refund.

What happens in the event of cancellation by Meridian Travels & Yachting

If the trip is cancelled by Meridian Travels & Yachting any monies paid by you will be refunded in full. Meridian Travels & Yachting will not be liable for any other expenses you may have incurred (such as, but not limited to, flights, transfers, accommodation etc).

Other Significant Events

In the unlikely event that the person leading your Special Interest holiday needs to cancel due to illness or bereavement or other significant event, your gulet cruise will not be cancelled. We will endeavour to find an alternative person to lead your Special Interest Holiday. In the event that a group leader cannot be found, your gulet cruise will still go ahead and Meridian Travels & Yachting will not be liable to reimburse any part of your holiday cost. Neither the Group Leader nor Meridian Travels & Yachting will be liable should you choose to cancel your place.

Non-availability of East Meets West or Breakdown

Meridian Travels & Yachting reserves the right to provide a gulet other than East Meets West if necessary. The alternative gulet will be to a similar standard but the cabin accommodation may require some of you to be flexible regarding cabin type; for example if there aren’t as many twin cabins.In the event that your specified cabin type is not available, Meridian Travels & Yachting will not be liable to reimburse any part of your holiday cost. 

In the event of a breakdown during your trip, if the gulet cannot be repaired within 48 hours you will be transferred to an alternative gulet for the remainder of your trip.

Meridian Travels & Yachting and www.meridiantravels.com are the trade names of Adil Bektaṣ Yat Iṣletmesi, a business registered in Turkey.

Responsibilities
Meridian Travels & Yachting is responsible for making all the arrangements for everything related to the gulet cruise itinerary.
Meridian Travels & Yachting’s liability and responsibility does not extend beyond the boat; any arrangements made by or for passengers either before boarding or when disembarking are at the passenger’s own risk. Meridian Travels & Yachting does not own or control any ground transportation or hotels. As a convenience to our passengers, Meridian Travels & Yachting may sell tickets for land excursions or arrange other services which are operated by independent contractors, but shall not be responsible in any way whatsoever for any damage, loss, injury or death arising.
Nevertheless, all of the service providers are personally selected by Meridian Travels & Yachting.

All travel documents issued by Meridian Travels & Yachting, in written paraphernalia or to the customer, are subject to the terms and conditions specified by the laws of Turkey.

Photos and Marketing:
The passenger consents to Meridian Travels & Yachting using images taken of the passenger during the tour for advertising and promotional purposes in any medium we choose. The passenger grants Meridian Travels & Yachting a perpetual, royalty-free, worldwide irrevocable license to use such images for publicity and promotional purposes.

Travel Insurance

It is a condition of booking that you have Travel Insurance. You are strongly recommended to book your travel insurance as soon as you have booked your holiday.

It is your responsibility to check your travel insurance covers you for illness, injury, death, pre-existing medical conditions, loss of baggage and personal items, cancellation, trip disruption, curtailment, emergency rescue and repatriation. Should you not be able to get cover for any of these (or other) situations then you agree it is your responsibility to cover any costs associated with repatriation or emergency health care.

You must provide evidence of your insurance upon arrival at your destination.

Passports and Visas

Your passport must be valid for at least 6 months after the date of your return.

To check whether you need to apply for a visa to travel to Turkey please go to this official government website https://evisa.gov.tr/en/

As of February 2020 it is no longer necessary for holders of British passports to have a visa for entry into Turkey. It is your responsibility to check the latest requirements which could be changed by the Turkish government at any time.

Health & Fitness

General Health – if you have limited mobility or have specific needs relating to your health (for example a CPAP machine) please advise us no less than 14 days before you arrive.

Hiking is optional on all of our trips. If you intend to hike your health and physical condition must be commensurate with the grades of the hikes.

You will be required to submit a medical questionnaire as proof that you are fit enough to participate in the hikes if you have a pre-existing medical condition or are over 70 years of age.

Regardless of your age, if you have a pre-existing medical condition which is not well controlled and has required medical intervention in the past 24 months, you must also complete a medical questionnaire.

Assumption of Risk

You acknowledge and agree that by the very nature of gulet cruising and hiking holidays, they are more challenging and demanding with a commensurately higher level of risk compared with conventional holidays. The additional dangers and risks may include difficult and dangerous terrain (within the grade of the holiday); a certain level of mobility required to embark, disembark and move around the gulet, remoteness from normal medical services; and evacuation difficulties in the event of illness or injury;