Terms and Conditions
How to Make Your Reservation:
After
selecting your tour and departure date,
simply call 1-800-552-5545 and a Travel
Specialist will take your reservation over
the phone. You can pay your $350.00 deposit
by credit card, or alternately you can
mail a check made payable to Grand European
Tours to the following address:
GRAND EUROPEAN TOURS 6000
Meadows Road, Suite 520 Lake Oswego,
OR 97035 USA. Please make your reservations
as early as possible since many of
our tours are completely filled 4 to 6
months before departure.
Final Payment:
Upon receiving the
$350.00 deposit per person, you will be
sent a confirmation. VISA, MASTERCARD,
American Express and DISCOVER
CARD may be used for this deposit
amount, however, final payment is preferred
by check or money order and is
due in our Oregon office 60 days prior to
the departure date. If reservations are
made less than 60 days prior to departure,
payment in full is required at the time of
booking. If final payments are not received
on time, Grand European Tours
(2003) Inc. may cancel the reservation
and invoke the cancellation fee. For
Highlights of South Africa tour and all
River Cruises final payment is due 90
days prior to departure.
Pricing:
Land prices printed in this catalog
are per person based on double occupancy.
The Operator reserves the right to
adjust prices due to fluctuations in foreign
exchange rates, imposed fuel surcharges,
taxes, charges and levies imposed by any
third party including government and its
agencies. Should these change the price of
your tour by more than 10% you may cancel
without penalty within 7 days after we
notify you of the increase.
Cancellations, Changes & Refunds:
If a
cancellation in writing is received by Grand
European Tours (2003) Inc. 30 days or less
after your reservation has been made, your
$350.00 deposit will be FULLY REFUNDED.
*See Air Reservations section for specific
change fee information for air reservations.
For cancellations or changes thereafter but
more than 61 days prior to departure there
will be a $350.00 per person fee assessed. If
you must withdraw or make a change 60
days or less prior to departure (90 days or less
for River Cruises and Highlights of South
Africa), the following fees will apply:
|
Number of Days Prior
to Departure |
Cancellation/Change
Land Tours –
Per Person |
| 31 - 60 Days | 25% of tour cost |
| 15 - 30 Days | 50% of tour cost |
| Less than 15 Days | 100% of tour cost |
| Number of Days Prior
to Departure | Cancellation/Change
River Cruises –
Per Person |
| 89 – 60 Days | 35% of the cost |
| 59 – 30 Days | 50% of the cost |
Less than 30 Days | 100% of the cost |
In addition, no refunds are made for unused
portions of a tour or cruise including
but not limited to missed meals or
sightseeing, motorcoach travel and the
non-use of hotel rooms.
Air Reservations:
Air Add-On prices
listed in this catalog were effective on August
19, 2011 and their availability is limited.
At the time you purchase your tour,
air prices may be higher. Air Add-On
prices shown include September 11th Security
fee, government fees, taxes and airline
fuel surcharges based on destination
and routing. The total price at time of
purchase may vary slightly due to fluctuations
in currency exchange. For the most
competitive and up to date pricing from
your departure city call our toll free number
at 1-800-552-5545. Quoted air reservation
prices are inclusive of all taxes and
fees and are subject to change before payment
is made in full. Air transportation is
in economy class by scheduled airlines.
Business class is available upon request.
Some tours are not available from all of
the airports. Requests for specific airlines,
non-stop or direct flights and/or seat assignments
are accepted as preferences
only and cannot be guaranteed. Frequent
flyer programs are under the control of
the respective airlines. Your airline tickets
will be electronically issued in lieu of paper
tickets. Please note that your airline
tickets and other tour documentation
must bear your FULL name as it appears
on your passport. Please note that airline
reservations can only be made for dates
less than 331 days out.
Airline Tickets Issued by Grand EuropeanTours:
The following charges
apply for cancellations or changes to
airline arrangements made by Grand
European Tours:
• Prior to Airline Ticketing: service fee of
$50 per person
• After Airline Ticketing: service fee of
$75 per person plus any airline imposed
penalties which may be up to 100% of
the airline ticket value.
DOT Advisory:
The Department of Transportation requires us to inform you of the following conditions. The package price is subject to change as a result of increases in fuel surcharges and/or government taxes until it has been paid in full. You must consent to the possibility that, until you pay for your package in full, your price could go up. Once you have paid in full we would only pass along increases in government taxes if applicable at that time. You have 7 days from receipt of the first invoice to revoke your consent and request a refund, at which time we
would cancel your booking.
Passports and Visas:
A valid U.S passport
is required for traveling outside of
the U.S.; including to Canada & Mexico.
Passport application forms may be obtained
from your local post office. All
passports must contain at least 3 blank
visa pages and must be valid for 6 months
after the completion of your tour. Entry
visa application forms will be sent prior
to your departure for U.S. passport holders. Russia
($218*), China ($193*), Brazil ($220*)
and Vietnam & Cambodia ($283*). An
entry fee is required upon arrival at the
airport in Egypt ($15*), Turkey ($20*)
and Zimbabwe ($30*), these countries
prefer payment in U.S. dollars rather than
local currency. A per person Departure
Tax is required at Costa Rica ($26*) and
Peru ($31*) paid at the airport. A onetime
Reciprocity Tax is required upon
entry at the airport in Buenos Aires, Argentina
($140*) and Santiago, Chile
($131*); the fee can be paid in local currency,
US Dollars, credit card or traveler
check; the tax is valid for multiple entries
for 10 years or until your passport expires.
Australia requires an electronic visa
($0*) which is obtained at the time of airline
ticket purchase. *All visa costs and
entry/exit requirements can change at
any time. Please visit travel.state.gov for
current information. Individuals who do
not hold a U.S. passport should contact
CIBT/ZVS at 1-866-788-1100 to see if visas
are required.
Travel Documents:
Approximately 15
days prior to the departure date you will
receive a travel information package that
will include your airline itinerary, travel
tips, hotel list, baggage tag, travel wallet,
etc. Visas, when required, will be distributed
as soon as they are issued by the
countries involved. Please note that your
airline tickets and other tour documentation
must bear your FULL name as it appears
on your passport.
Tour Membership:
These tours require a
blend of adventuresome spirit, physical fitness,
walking ability, mental alertness, and
a capacity for accepting situations as they
exist and not, necessarily, as we would find
them in America. If you have health concerns,
we suggest that you contact your
physician to help determine the suitability
of one of these tours for you. We regret that
we are unable to accept requests for special
diets or itinerary variations. Disabled travelers
requiring special attention or treatment
on any tour must be reported when
reservations are made. A companion who
is able to provide the required assistance
must accompany any person who is unable
to travel independently or who needs any
type of assistance.
Baggage:
Due to limited motorcoach storage
capacity, each tour member is permitted
one large suitcase not to exceed 50
pounds in weight nor 30”x22”x10” in dimension
on European tours. Handling of
this bag by hotel porters is included in the
tour price. In addition, each person is allowed
one small piece of carry-on size luggage
that does not exceed the dimensions
of 12”x11”x6” and is the complete responsibility
of the tour member and must be
taken on the motorcoach with you. Carry-ons
with telescopic handles and wheels will
not fit in the overhead compartments and
therefore cannot be accepted as carry-on
luggage for safety reasons. Please note,
North America, Mexico and Egypt tours
have smaller baggage dimensions which
are noted in your pre-tour documentation.
Grand European Tours (2003) Inc. does
not assume any responsibility for loss or
damage to baggage or passengers’ belongings.
Please note: It is your responsibility to
verify the baggage weight restrictions for
the individual airlines that you will be traveling
on as in some instances baggage is
restricted. Airline baggage charges collected
at check-in are not included and are at
passengers own expense.
VIP Door-to-Door Transfer Service:
The VIP Door-to-Door Transfer service is
available for all customers departing from
the 41 airports highlighted on page 12 and
living within a 25 mile radius from point of
departure to your chosen airport. It is an
outbound service only. Maximum passengers
in one car can not exceed four. For
bookings with more than four people, further
vehicles may be necessary and further
supplementary charges will apply. For any
journeys greater than 25 miles a supplementary
cost for additional mileage will
apply and will be advised within 48 hours
of booking if necessary. Mileage is based
on journey information from www.mapquest.
com. Should you not use the VIP
Door-to-Door Transfer we will deduct $50
per person from your tour price (this must
be advised at time of booking). Cancellation
of service or changes must be made 72
hours before scheduled pick-up.
Early Departure or Extended Stay:
If
you wish to depart early or extend your
stay in Europe, flight and hotel arrangements
can be made by contacting our
Oregon office. Airport transfers are not
included but may be purchased through
GET. On most tours you can reserve up
to 3 additional nights at the hotel where
your tour starts and ends, however space
may be limited and is subject to availability.
Please call for our low cost rates and
availability. Luggage handling and breakfast
is not included on North American
tour extensions.
Land Tour Only:
If you wish to make independent
flight arrangements, you may
still reserve the land portion of a tour.
Hotel-airport transfers are subject to
availability and flight details must be provided
in writing at least 45 days prior to
departure. See tour page for specific
transfer times.
Airport Transfers:
Complimentary airport
arrival and departure transfers are
included in the tour price when you purchase
our land/air package and operate at
fixed times on the first and last day of your
tour. See the individual tour pages for details.
For those making their own flight arrangements
or extending at GET hotels,
transfers can be purchased; please call for
details. London Heathrow Airport Arrivals:
For tours commencing in London, we
have included a free group shuttle to/from LHR for clients that have booked our combined
land/air packages. For clients that
have made their own flight arrangements
GET has negotiated special rates for shuttle
transfers from LHR to your London
hotel (which must be booked through
GET) at a price of $40 per person per single
trip to/from LHR. London Gatwick
Airport Arrivals: Clients arriving at LGW
who have booked our combined land/air
packages are provided with a Gatwick Express
train voucher to Victoria Station, and
will need to make their own way from Victoria
Station to the tour hotel. For clients
that have made their own flight arrangements
we suggest you visit www.gatwickexpress.
com for transfer information.
Smoking:
Please note that we do not permit
smoking on our motorcoaches, however, frequent
stops are made while touring.
Surface Travel & Sightseeing:
Ground
arrangements are provided by Grand European
Operations Ltd., a separate company,
and include inter-city travel by private
motorcoach with air-conditioning
and an emergency restroom*, ferry, train,
and ship as per the itinerary. Activities on
days indicated in the itinerary as being “at
leisure or optional” are left to your discretion.
*Some exceptions apply.
Holidays:
During local or national holidays
some museums, restaurants or sightseeing
may be limited or not available. Alternatives
will be offered wherever possible.
At times, some itineraries may be operated
in reverse; you will be advised at the time of
booking. Nile River Cruises: due to the unreliability
of domestic air scheduling, religious
festivals and other unforeseen circumstances,
the order of some itineraries
may need to change at short notice; on occasion
an alternative cruise boat of equal
standing may be used.
Hotels:
The hotels reserved for our tours
are rated as European Standard First
Class. All hotel rooms provide a private
bath (and/or shower) and toilet. These
hotels are clean, comfortable and located
so as to best facilitate guided sightseeing
of the area. Hotels reserved for each tour
are indicated in the Day-By-Day Itinerary.
If, for any reason, it becomes necessary
to use other hotels, they will be of a
similar standard, where possible. We only
contract non-smoking rooms. All accommodations,
meals and services have been
designated as first class in Russia, Eastern
Europe and provincial areas though some
tourism facilities are less developed than
what might normally be expected in this
category. Tours in North and South
America use Standard First Class hotels
Single Rooms:
A limited number of single
rooms are available at the supplement
shown for each tour. While single rooms
provide privacy, they are often smaller than
twin-bedded rooms. We do offer the
option to join our non-smoking Room
Share Program (see page 13 for details). The Room Share Program is not available
on tours/cruises to Greece, Egypt, Mexico,
Hawaii, Costa Rica, Peru, South America,
South Africa, China, Select London &
Paris, Select London, Paris & Rome, all
European River Cruises and all pre or post
tour extensions.
Triple Rooms:
Triple room accommodations
are available on a limited basis at a
reduced price. Triple rooms usually consist
of a twin-bedded room with an additional
folding bed or cot for the third
person. They may not be comfortable for
three adults. Triple rooms are not available
on cruises.
Meals:
WR=Welcome Reception.
Breakfasts are served as: B=Breakfast,
BB=Buffet Breakfast, CB=Continental
Breakfast, SB=Scandinavian Buffet
Breakfast, FB=Full Breakfast. Lunches
(L) and three-course table d’hote (set
menu) dinners (D), (FD) farewell dinners
and (BD) buffet dinners are shown
in the itinerary for each tour and are
generally catered by the hotel in which
you are residing. (HD)Highlight Dinner
and (HL) Highlight Lunch will be catered
at a local restaurant or special
venue. (DA) Dine-Around dinners are
catered at a selection of restaurants preselected
by Grand European Tours.
Please note in cases of early morning departures,
FB may not be available. Please
note that we are unable to accept requests
for special menus to meet dietary
or religious requirements.
Tour Price Does Not Include:
Beverages
and meals not detailed in the itinerary.
Personal expenses including passport
and visa fees, alcoholic beverages, optional
sightseeing tours, laundry, phone
calls, traditional end of the tour gratuity
to your Tour Director and Motorcoach
Driver, tips to local city guides, crew tips
and all other items of a personal nature,
airport tax, service & security charges
and port taxes. (Subject to change.) Travel
Insurance is also not included but is
highly recommended.
Consumer Disclosure Notice:
Please
read the Terms and Conditions carefully,
as your deposit and payment for a trip
constitutes consent to all conditions and
general information contained in this
brochure.
Responsibility:
These trips are arranged
by Grand European Operations Ltd.
(“Operator”) in conjunction with Grand
European Tours (2003) Inc. It has made
the travel arrangements as agent for the
transportation carriers and other suppliers
of services connected with the tour
(“suppliers”) all of which are independent
contractors. The Operator in no way
owns or operates the vehicles or facilities
to be used during the trip, and does not
guarantee or assume responsibility for the
acts and/or omissions of suppliers, their
employees, agents, etc.
Transportation companies, airlines etc.
are not to be held responsible for any act,
omission or event during the time passengers
are not on board planes, transportation
or conveyances. We rely on international
convention which may apply
to the services provided by us, our suppliers
or agents with respect to any claim of
any nature brought by you against us as a
result of the provision of those services.
International conventions which apply
may include: Warsaw Convention 1929,
(as amended by Hague Protocol and
Montreal Protocol) in relation to air travel,
or Montreal Convention; the Berne
Convention for rail travel; Athens Convention
1974 for carriage by sea; the Geneva
Convention for carriage by road and
the Paris Convention 1962 for Hotels. We
are to be regarded as having all benefit of
these conventions on limiting our liability
in relation to any claim for death, injury,
loss, damage and delay to passengers and
luggage. Enrollment in and payment for a
tour shall constitute agreement and acceptance
by the passenger of the terms
and conditions set forth in this brochure
which cannot be varied except in writing
by an officer of the Company.
All bookings are accepted subject to the
conditions imposed by suppliers and Operator,
including airline, cruise line, rail,
coach, hotel, restaurants, insurance and
other companies, firms or persons concerned
with the trip, and the Operator
will make no refund in the event of their
delay, cancellation, overbooking, strike,
force majeure or for elements of the package
not used by customer. If there is a difference
between the Operator’s Conditions
and those published by a supplier,
the conditions of supplier shall apply. The
Operator reserves the right to cancel a
trip or change the itinerary whenever in
its sole judgment conditions warrant, or if
the Operator deems it necessary for your
comfort, convenience or safety. Trips outside
the USA require a valid passport. You
are responsible for, and release the Operator
from, passport, visa, vaccination requirements,
and safety conditions in
travel destinations. The Operator strongly
recommends you purchase appropriate
cancellation/medical/baggage insurance
for the trip, which is available from the
Operator. For medical information, call
the Center for Disease Control at 800-
232-4636 or visit www.cdc.gov/travel, and
for U.S. State Department travel advisories,
call 202-647- 5225. The Operator reserves
the right to decline to accept any
person as a member of the tour, or to require
any participant to withdraw from
the trip at any time who presents a significant
risk to the health or safety of himself
or others which can not be eliminated or
reduced to an acceptable level by the Operator’s
reasonable accommodation. The
Operator reserves the right to correct an
error in the advertised price prior to your
departure. Prices in this brochure are accurate
at the time of printing and are subject
to change without notice due to
changes in market factors including but
not limited to foreign currency and supplier
cost fluctuations. Prices set forth in
future brochures shall supersede the prices
in this brochure. Airfare quotes, and
Air Add-ons in this brochure are subject
to airline capacity limitations and higher
airfares may apply depending on seat
availability at the time of reservation. A
contract is made when your reservation
and payment are accepted by the Operator
at its office, and any dispute shall be
governed by Oregon law and subject to
the jurisdiction of Portland, Oregon. In
calculating the cost of your trip, Operator
has relied on your consent to these terms
and in the absence of this release, the trip
cost would have been higher. Operator
reserves the right to substitute hotels of
similar quality at any time or to make
changes in itinerary of similar quality.
Operator will not be responsible to any
person for expense, loss of time, money or
other circumstance resulting from a
change in itinerary or change of tour arrangements.
Operator also reserves the
right to cancel a tour prior to departure,
and in such cases all payments made to
date will be refunded and shall constitute
full settlement. If you purchase an airline
ticket separately, ensure that your travel
agent explains the conditions under
which the ticket is issued, as the Operator
assumes no responsibility for such airline
ticket cancellation fees. Please understand
that not all museums and attractions are
open every day of the year. Operator reserves
the right to vary the sequence of
sightseeing and/ or to re-route the order
of cities if that will enable you to visit all
listed excursions. In either case, the itinerary
content will be maintained to the extent
possible and there are no refunds for
any unused or unavailable excursions.
Promotional offers subject to change.
This brochure supersedes any other current
brochure on the market.
Privacy Policy:
Occasionally we make
portions of our mailing lists available to
carefully selected companies. If you
would prefer not to have your name and
mailing address made available, please
call us at 1-800-552-5545. To review our
full privacy policy, visit our website at
www.getours.com/privacypolicy.
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