Booking Terms & Conditions – Special Interest Private Charters

What is a Special Interest Private Charter

When the gulet has been chartered by someone (for example, a Singing Leader or a Yoga Teacher) for a specific date for a specific purpose it is a Private Charter. To remove all the admin responsibility from the Trip Leader Meridian Travels & Yachting undertakes all the admin for the trip.

What to pay and when to pay it

Please note that your booking is provisional until we confirm we have received your deposit payment.

  • DEPOSIT The deposit for each person is due at the time of making your online booking. You will be directed to Paypal where you can pay with your credit / debit card or your Paypal account. It is not necessary for you to have a Paypal account.
  • INTERIM PAYMENT and BALANCE You will be sent a reminder to make your interim payment and the balance for each person. There will be a link enabling you to pay via Paypal.

Provisional & Guaranteed Bookings

As this is a Private Charter, your gulet cruise will only become a guaranteed departure once enough people have booked to enable the trip to go ahead. 

If you make a booking before the trip has been guaranteed, you will still need to pay your deposit to reserve your place . After some time, if the trip is not guaranteed your deposit will be returned to you.

Once the trip has been guaranteed your deposit is non-refundable . (See Covid-19)

You should not book flights before the trip has been guaranteed.

 

CancellationOther Significant EventsResponsibilitiesTravel Insurance

Cancellation

What happens if you cancel your place

If you cancel 57 days or more before the start of the trip you will forfeit your deposit and interim payment.

If you cancel 56 days or less before the start of the trip you will be liable to pay your final balance and any monies paid wil not be refunded.

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, pandemics, 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 should 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. Although if you can fill your place you will be offered a refund based upon the terms above for Transferring Your Place.

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). Please note what happens if a trip is cancelled due to Force Majeure.

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. Both we and the group leader 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

Personal travel insurance is not included in the cost of your trip. It is a condition of booking that you have  adequate travel insurance. You are strongly recommended to book your travel insurance as soon as you have booked your holiday.

Covid-19 has made us all aware of the value of a comprehensive travel insurance policy. You should check that your insurer covers you if you do not come on holiday because the UK or Turkish governments advise against non-essential travel, or impose quarantine restrictions in either country. You should also check that they will cover you if you don’t come on holiday because you have had a positive test. If your insurer does not provide cover for Covid-19 when overseas check whether they have top-up cover; alternatively, you can obtain additional cover from the Turkish government. Please contact me for details.

You are unlikely to be covered for “Disinclination To Travel”.

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.

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

Passports and VisasHealth & FitnessWaiver

Passports and Visas

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

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.

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

Health & Fitness

You declare and warrant that:
• you are in good health and mental and physical fitness at the time of booking this tour;
• you have disclosed to Meridian Travels & Yachting any changes to your health and mental and physical fitness of which you are aware, or ought reasonably be expected to know, that is relevant to Meridian Travels & Yachting’s decision to permit you to go on the gulet cruise;

You acknowledge that the obligation to disclose under this condition continues from the time of booking the tour through to departure
and extends for the duration of the tour. 

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.

Waiver

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;

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;


Errors & Omissions

We have endeavoured to ensure that the contents of this website are correct. However, we reserve the right to make changes to holiday details or our terms and conditions.

It is the responsibility of each individual traveller to check up to date information relating to travel.

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