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Samo Toplak
President & CEO
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The following Terms and Conditions govern the relationship between you, the passenger,
and us, Value World Tours Inc. They outline our cancellation policy, certain limitations
of liability and other items specific to our programs. These terms affect your rights
for litigation, governing law, forum and jurisdiction; please carefully read these
terms and make sure you understand your rights and obligations as well as our rights
and obligations. By booking and paying for any of our tours or cruises you agree
to be unequivocally bound by these Terms and Conditions. For your peace of mind
we strongly recommend you purchase Travel Insurance (ours or others).
RESERVATIONS AND PAYMENTS
RESERVATIONS: Reservations are accepted by phone, fax, email or online at:
www.valuecruises.net Confirmation is issued
only upon our receipt of your initial deposit. The following
deposits are required per person:
ALL PROGRAMS: A deposit of $250
per person is required to secure your reservation. For trips departing within 90 days, full payment is required at the time
of booking and rush fees may be required to expedite reservations and processing.
PRICES: All published prices are based on currency exchange rates and fuel
costs as of SEPTEMBER 1, 2012 and are subject to change.
However, for all passengers that purchase our Price Protection
or pay in full – prices will be guaranteed. All published rates reflect
a 4% discount for purchases made by cash, check or wire transfer. There are no discounts
for credit card purchases. As a convenience to our customers we may accept credit
card payments (Visa & MasterCard only) but cc/bank fees will apply. All credit card
payments must be accompanied by a signed authorization slip from the original cardholder.
Third-party credit cards are not accepted. (Void where prohibited).
FINAL PAYMENTS: Full and final payments are due 90 days
prior to the date of departure. Program prices stated in all our brochures
are always quoted per person and based on double occupancy. Domestic and foreign
departure taxes, security fees, port charges, visa fees, cruise/fuel charges & other
surcharges and government fees are not part of the program prices and will be listed
as separate items on your invoice.
REVISION FEES: For changes you make to your reservation
up to 90 days prior, that effect departure city, program extensions,
cabin categories and/or passport name changes, a $25 per person
administrative charge will apply per incident. Changes requested within 90 days
prior to departure may incur additional costs and cancellation fees. We regret that
we cannot accept changes to reservations within 60 days of departure. All changes
are subject to availability and cannot be guaranteed.
SINGLE TRAVELERS: Most programs offer a limited number of single rooms or
cabins, subject to availability. Please note that in most overseas hotels and on
ships, single rooms and cabins are smaller than regular
twin accommodations. You are paying for privacy not for better
accommodations. Please see individual program rate charts to determine
single supplement costs.
Cancellations and Refunds
IF YOU CANCEL: If you must cancel your trip, you must do so
in writing. Cancellation refunds will be calculated
as of the date we receive your written
cancellation. All payments for travel services not provided to the passenger shall
be refunded in accordance with these Terms and Conditions:
ADMINISTRATIVE FEE: Once we receive your initial deposit, there is a non-refundable
fee of $125 per person for each program you cancel,
regardless of the reason. This fee reflects only our costs of administering the
reservation and subsequent cancellation, restocking the inventory
and reselling the space at last minute notice, and is not intended to be punitive
in any way. We realize the majority of those who cancel their reservations do so
out of necessity. To receive a refund, your air tickets, cruise tickets and land
vouchers must be returned to Value World Tours, Inc. Any applicable refunds will
be processed within 60 days after our receipt of your written cancellation and travel documents.
CANCELLATION RECEIVEDCHARGE
PER PERSON
120 -91Days$250 - Loss of deposit
90 - 61 Days25% of the total program cost
60 - 46 Days50% of the total program cost
45 - 31 Days75% of the total program cost
30 Days or less100% of the total program cost
IMPORTANT NOTE: Once any tour or cruise programs commence there will be no refunds
for missed or unused portions. Once purchased, no refunds can be made on visa costs,
Price Protection or Travel Insurance. Subject to the date of cancellation, if issued,
airline tickets may carry additional cancellation fees, which vary from airline
to airline.
IF WE CANCEL: We reserve the right to withdraw and/or cancel a specific departure
date or whole cruise or tour series due to lack of participation or for reasons
beyond our control such as government restrictions, natural disasters, acts of war,
terrorism, acts of God or similar. If such an unlikely event should occur, we will
offer an alternate departure date or tour/cruise program. Should you decline an
alternate date or program or should we cancel the cruise/tour outright, the limit
of our liability to you will be the refund of all monies received, including any
cancellation penalties. We will not be liable, however,
for costs incurred by you but not paid through us including
but not limited to; visa and passport costs, travel insurance costs, items of a
personal nature, domestic transportation either by ground or air you arranged yourself,
nor will we be liable for any psychological damages, traumas, stress, disappointment,
personal and financial loss and/or similar resulting from our change of departure
date or cancellation of a tour or cruise series. For full details please see the
Force Majeure clause outlined separately.
INCLUDED IN YOUR TOUR/CRUISE COSTS:
All services such as airfare (if obtained through us), local transfers (included
only if air is purchased through us) accommodations in hotels or ships
as listed, meals as indicated, sightseeing, entertainment and other services included
in each itinerary and specified under Cruise/Tour Highlights. NOTE:
Due to unforeseen changes in local schedules and events, we reserve the right to
change ships, the sequence of ports, sightseeing events, activities and similar.
Please see the Force Majeure clause outlined separately. Itineraries may also vary
slightly from date to date. An updated schedule will be forwarded with your final
documentation.
HOTELS: Deluxe, first class, superior tourist class or best available hotels
are used on all land programs featured in our brochures. However, we do reserve
the right to substitute hotels indicated for hotels of same or similar quality,
without prior notice.
NOT INCLUDED: US airport, customs, security, maintenance fees and taxes,
foreign airport taxes and port charges, visa, passport and any other document costs
or fees, items of a personal nature such as use of telephones, laundry, meals, liqueur,
souvenirs, cost of optional tours and all services other than those included in
the itineraries.
TIPPING: Tips to Ship Crews, Tour and Cruise Directors, drivers, guides,
porters, waiters, chambermaids and other ground personnel handling your travel arrangements
are NOT included in your total package costs (unless
otherwise stated on your invoice). A guideline of customary tip amounts
will be provided with your final documents.
PASSPORTS: A U.S. passport valid for at least 6 months beyond
your scheduled travel date is required for U.S. citizens traveling to any international
destinations. Non-U.S. citizens should contact the appropriate consular office for
entry requirements pertaining to their trip, as we are not responsible for providing
you with this information or documentation. Proper travel documents
are the sole responsibility of each passenger.
VISAS: Based on our programs, at the time of printing, visas were required
for travel to Burma, Cambodia, China, Egypt, India,
Jordan, Laos, Russia and Vietnam (for U.S. passport
holders). All visa costs outlined in our programs are given as
estimates and are subject to change without notice. For a nominal service
fee plus consular charges, we will either handle your visa requirements for you
or we will provide you with contacts to reliable outside visa processing services.
Visas are the sole responsibility of each passenger.
NOTE: Once visas are in process all costs incurred are non
refundable in case of a cancellation for any reason! Value World Tours
cannot and will not be responsible for any delay, damage and/or loss, including
missed portions of our travel programs, which are a result of passenger’s losing/not
having proper documents including passports and/or appropriate visas.
BAGGAGE: Due to space limitation on busses and ships, only one
(1) suitcase per person is allowed and 1 piece of hand luggage. Surcharges
by local operators and/or airlines may be imposed for overweight, oversized or excessive
baggage on the spot. Value World Tours will not accept
any responsibility for costs incurred to passengers for excessive baggage. For specific
size and weight dimensions allowed on board international and/or domestic air carriers
please check with the appropriate airline prior to your travel date and pack accordingly!
AIR TRANSPORTATION: The cruise/tour programs featured in our brochures are
based on economy class transportation on recognized IATAN carriers including but
not limited to: Aerosvit, Asiana, Austrian Airlines, CSA, Delta, Finnair, Northwest,
KLM, Korean Air, Air China, China Eastern, Air Nippon,
Air Ukraine, Lufthansa, United, Singapore, Swiss or any other scheduled IATA carrier.
In flight meals and amenities are offered as per each individual airline’s policy.
NOTE ON AIR ARRANGEMENTS:
Please note that we provide air arrangements as a convenience to our customers in
conjunction with our land and cruise programs. Air prices quoted in our brochures
are fair estimates at the time of printing but are regulated
by air carriers and can change at any time without notice. You
do NOT have to purchase your air arrangements from us. However, if you
choose to do so, please note the following:
To provide you with the lowest possible airfare, we reserve the right to
choose the airline of our choice in order to take advantage of special
promotional fares. These fares can be quite restrictive and carry cancellation charges
imposed by the airlines ranging from 50% to 100%. Therefore, any penalties resulting
from flight changes at your request after airline tickets are issued will be your
responsibility.
If you cancel your trip after receiving your tickets, you must return your tickets
to us before your refund (if applicable) can be processed. If you have your own
airline preference, we reserve the right to adjust the cost of the airfare or you
have the option of purchasing your own air transportation. Finally, please note
that we act only as an agent for the airlines in question and once the tickets are
issued you are governed by the rules of passage as outlined on your airline ticket,
including delays, loss of luggage etc. In addition, we cannot provide individual
services including specific seat assignments, meal requests, frequent flyer miles
and similar. These services must be handled between you and the airline directly.
Air routings are subject to availability. Routings cannot be guaranteed and are
subject to change at any time. We are not responsible if an airline cancels or delays
a flight. If that occurs, you should work with the airline to ensure you arrive
at your destination. Value World Tours will not provide any refund for portions
of trips missed due to cancelled or delayed flights. If an air schedule requires
an overnight stay in a gateway city, Value World Tours can assist with hotel reservations;
however, if a flight requires a layover, overnights are at your expense. Additional
transportation to catch up to a tour or cruise that is in progress will also be
at your expense.
If you choose to make your own domestic and/or international flight arrangements,
Value World Tours will not be responsible for any loss resulting from any changes
or alterations in our land or cruise programs. We recommend that you do not purchase
tickets with high penalty charges for changes. If you make your own domestic flight
arrangements and you miss your international flight for any reason, we can only
assist with alternate flight arrangements; however, you are responsible for the
cost of an alternate flight to your destination, as well as any other expenses (hotel & transportation costs) incurred prior to joining
up with your tour/cruise group.
FOR CRUISE PASSENGERS:
PASSENGER TICKET CONTRACT - CRUISE PORTIONS:
Please note that we act only as Agents for all of the listed vessels in our brochures
and in case of any disputes between passengers and vessels they will be governed
by the Ticket Contract of the shipping company or owner of the vessel in question.
PARTIES TO THIS CONTRACT: This Contract is an agreement between you, as passenger,
and the following entities and their affiliates, subsidiaries, and parent companies,
as known to us at the time of printing: Adria Travel, Croatia, as owner of the MV
Adriatic Pearl; Monalisa SA, Garus, Switzerland, owner of MS Der Kleine Prinz; Chorvena
Ruta, Kiev, Ukraine as owner of the MS Dnieper Princess; Mosturflot, Moscow as owner
of the MS Vasilyi Surikov; New Century Cruises Co. LTD, Chonqing, China as owners
of the MS Century Diamond; Fluviale du Mekong, Phnom Penh, Cambodia as owners of
the Toum Tiou II; Pandaw Cruises, Burma as owner of the Katha Pandaw; Asam Bengal
Navigation, India as owner of the RV Sukapha; Farah Nile Cruises, Egypt as owner
or the MS Farah.
VESSEL & ACCOMMODATION: We reserve the right to substitute, without previous
notice, a comparable or superior vessel. If this should occur, we are not responsible
for any losses you may incur as a result. If a reserved berth is not available,
we may substitute accommodations of an equal or superior class or provide a full
refund of the Cruise fare, but we shall not incur any other liability for failure
to provide the reserved berth.
CARRIER'S LIABILITY: The provisions and limitations of the Athens Convention
Relating to the Carriage of Passengers and their luggage by Sea, 1947 (the “Athens
Convention”) and the International Convention on Limitation of Liability For Maritime
Claims, 1976 (the “1976 Convention”) are incorporated on this Passenger Ticket Contract.
Where the terms of this Passenger Ticket Contract conflict with any applicable mandatory
provision of law or international convention, including, where applicable, the Strasbourg
Convention on the Limitation of Liability in Inland Navigation, 1988 (the “CLNI
Convention”), the provisions of that law or convention prevail. Copies of all applicable
Conventions are available online. For full disclosure
and details on your rights under any of the aforementioned
conventions, please consult the internet.
FORCE MAJEURE (CRUISES): As with all travel arrangements
but especially with sailings on various world wide waterways, cruising carries with
it an inherent risk which you as a passenger must accept when considering this form
of travel. Therefore, in case of any and all unforeseen circumstances including
but not limited to: weather conditions, low or high waters, lock schedules, acts
of God, government actions, political turmoil, disease, strikes, terrorism, general
break down of equipment, closures or black outs of certain attractions listed in
the program or similar, we as the agent of the Owners/Operators of various vessels
offered in our programs reserve the absolute right to change and/or alter any specific
sailing date or a series of departure dates including implementing any of the following;
a) substituting vessels of same or similar quality, b) operating portions of the
sailing program via motor coach/ hotel accommodations to replace ship schedules,
c) substituting listed attractions with those of same or similar quality without
prior notice. The vessel operators also reserve the right to cancel any particular
sailing date or series of departures, for reasons outlined above, lack of participation
or for any other reasons beyond their control. In the unlikely event of a cancelled
sailing date, in conjunction with the vessel owners/operators, we reserve the right
to offer an alternate date or dates within the same sailing season without further
liability. If not acceptable to passengers for appropriate reasons, we reserve the
right to extend full credit for monies received for a cancelled sailing and apply
it to any other sailing dates and destinations. If none of the alternatives are
workable, the limit of our and the vessel owner/operator responsibility will be
the refund of all monies received for the cancelled sailing within 60 days of the
final written cancellation received from the partner/passenger. Under no circumstances
will we or the owners/operators of vessels be liable for any expenses not paid through
us, including any airfares, delays, cancellations or changes and any ticketing fees
that may be applied due to such changes, any additional ground transportation or
extra accommodation surcharges, travel insurance, visa fees, taxes, psychological
trauma and/or lost business income or revenue, or other incidental expenses incurred
to the Passenger as a result of our or vessel owner/operator cancellation of a specific
sailing or series of sailings. Travel insurance is therefore, strongly recommended!
PRICE CORRECTIONS/PASSENGER RESPONSIBILITY
Value World Tours reserves the right to correct promotional or pricing errors at
any time, or to increase the program price in the event of cost increases due to
changes in airfares, cruise fares, currency fluctuations,
entrance fee increases, increase in fuel costs, taxes
or similar. We also reserve the right to withdraw and/or cancel a tour or cruise,
or to make changes in the itinerary, routing or schedule of events whenever, in
our sole judgment, conditions warrant it, or if such conditions and/or changes result
from circumstances beyond our control or we deem it necessary for the comfort, convenience
or the safety of the passengers. Purchase of our Price Protection
is strongly recommended. We also reserve the right to decline to accept
or retain any person as a member of a cruise/tour at any time should such a person’s
health, behavior or attitude, in our sole judgment, impede the operation of the
cruise/tour program or affect the enjoyment of the program by other passengers.
If such a person is asked to leave the cruise/tour while in progress, any related
costs will be the responsibility of that individual.
DEVIATIONS AND INDIVIDUAL SERVICES: Please note that we are a cruise/tour
wholesaler/operator. We handle large volumes of passengers primarily through Travel
Agents, Group Tour Organizations and other Wholesalers. As such, we cannot handle
individual passenger requests outside of the programs offered as outlined in our
brochures. This includes individual deviations from set itineraries, hotel extensions
outside of the featured City Packages, domestic ground transportation, FIT arrangements
or similar. If you have special requirements that do not specifically pertain to
our cruise or tour program, please communicate your needs to your local Travel Agent
or Group Organizer and have them handle your requests separately.
NOTE: Any deviations and arrangements that we are asked to handle that
are not part of our programs will require an up front handling fee of
$50 per person/ per transaction (plus actual costs).
FINAL TRAVEL DOCUMENTS: Full payment is required in order to obtain your
final travel documents (airline tickets, cruise and hotel vouchers, day by day itineraries,
travel packs if applicable and similar). To insure you receive these important documents,
please note that we will utilize traceable delivery services (FEDEX, UPS, EXPRESS
MAIL and others). The cost of $20 per US address will be automatically billed to
your invoice unless you instruct us otherwise*. The cost for delivery outside of
the US will be charged appropriately. Your final travel documents will be forwarded
to you approximately 14 to 10 days before your departure.
In case early delivery or special document handling is requested, written instructions
and a $50 handling fee will be required to separately
handle such individual requests. *You may avoid any and all delivery
charges by accepting delivery of paper documents via email. To sign up go to; www.valuecruises.net.
Some restrictions and limitations may apply.
RESPONSIBILITY: Value World Tours, Inc., is a tour/cruise operator. Our principal
place of business is: Plaza Del Lago Bldg., 17220 Newhope St. #203, Fountain Valley,
CA, 92708 USA. Our Phone number is (714) 556-8258 our FAX number is: (714) 556-6125
and our email is: travel@valuecruises.net.
The responsibility of Value World Tours, Inc. and its affiliated companies is strictly
limited. As a tour operator, Value World Tours organizes, promotes and sells tour
programs consisting of certain travel services, including surface, air and water
transportation, sightseeing excursions and cruise/hotel accommodations that Value
World Tours purchases or reserves from various suppliers (collectively, “Suppliers”).
Value World Tours does not own or operate any of these
Suppliers. The Suppliers providing travel services for Value World Tours are independent
contractors and are not agents or employees of Value World Tours. As such, Value
World Tours is not responsible for any negligent or willful act or failure to act
by any Supplier or of any third party. Some tours include visits to shops and merchants.
Value World Tours is not responsible for any purchases you make during your trip,
whether that merchant is part of the scheduled itinerary or not. By utilizing the
travel services of the Suppliers, you agree that you will look to such Suppliers
for any accident, injury, property damage or personal loss to you or to those traveling
with you and that neither Value World Tours nor any representative of Value World
Tours shall be liable. To the extent that Value World Tours is involved in booking
air and/or cruise transportation for you, Value World Tours acts as your agent and
not as an agent of the air carrier and/or cruise line. For all other purposes, Value
World Tours does not act as an agent for any party whatsoever. Without limitation,
Value World Tours is not responsible for any injury, loss, or damage to person or
property, death, delay, or inconvenience in connection with the provisions of, or
failure to provide, any goods or services occasioned by or resulting from but not
limited to—acts of God or force majeure, acts of war or civil unrest, insurrection
or revolt, strikes or other labor activities, criminal or terrorist activities of
any kind, overbooking or downgrading of accommodations, mechanical or other failure
of airplanes of other means of transportation or for the failure of any transportation
mechanism to arrive or depart on time, sanitation problems, lack of medical care,
or for any other cause beyond the direct control of Value World Tours.
MEDICAL ISSUES:
You must advise us in writing, at time of initial booking, of any physical, emotional
or mental condition, which may require professional attention during the trip or
may require the use of special equipment. If you fail to disclose
any such conditions, Value World Tours or our suppliers/partners may refuse to allow
you to take the trip and/or you may be denied boarding on arrival in which case
you will forfeit the trip cost; in any such event we shall have no liability to
you, financial or otherwise.
If you are so challenged, you must bring and be responsible for all necessary items
related to your condition. If you require a wheelchair, you must provide your own
small collapsible wheelchair. Certain features and certain trips are not wheelchair-accessible.
We cannot guarantee any wheelchair assistance or accessibility in international
destinations. Most river vessels do not have elevators. If any such condition arises
after the trip is booked, you must advise us in writing immediately. Failure to
advise us shall release Value World Tours and all professional personnel from any
liability related to such condition or its treatment. We cannot accommodate women
past their sixth month of pregnancy. We do not recommend our tour and cruise programs
for children under the age of 12. Value World Tours reserves the right to decline
any trip participant whose condition, in our opinion, may affect the health, safety
or enjoyment of other participants. Value World Tours is not responsible for the
costs of any medical treatment you may require during the trip. Under no circumstances
is Value World Tours responsible for the quality of medical care, or lack thereof,
you may receive while on the trip.
COMPLAINTS: In the unlikely event of a complaint and/or refund request, please
note that all complaints must be submitted in writing, along with all supporting
documents to Value World Tours no later than 30 days
after the completion of the tour or cruise. Complaints and refund requests received
after 30 days upon the tour/cruise completion date will not be accepted and Value
World Tours shall be released from any and all further liability. In case the complaints
pertain to any airline transportation services including loss or damage to luggage,
such complaints and any and all claims must be forwarded and resolved between the
passengers and participating air carriers directly.
APPLICABLE LAW: This relationship shall be governed by the laws of the state
of California, U.S.A., to the exclusion of the courts of any other state and country.
Any claims against Value World Tours must be brought in the courts of the State
of California, in the county of our principle place of business, which is Orange
County, city of Fountain Valley. The sole exceptions to this choice of forum shall
be for any claim relating to the ownership and/or operation of any airline or cruise
ship, for which venue shall be in accordance with the Passenger Ticket Contract
governing passage on the applicable air carriers or cruise ships, as outlined on
their Passenger Ticket Contracts.
California law requires certain sellers of travel to have a trust account or bond.
We are proud to be a member of the California Seller of Travel. Our registration
number is #1000020/10. We are also proud members in good standing of IATAN, ASTA,
CLIA and TOP and strive to conduct our business to the highest standards of professionalism
in the industry.
IMPORTANT NOTICE:
All prices are based on fare levels as of SEPTEMBER 1, 2012. Land & cruise prices are based on currency rates and fuel
costs in effect on this date. All prices are subject to change without notice (unless
covered by our Price Protection Guarantee -see box). Valid SEPTEMBER 1, 2012 THROUGH MAY 1, 2014.
PEACE OF MIND - PRICE PROTECTION - ONLY $69 per person!
During recent times, we have seen the value of the dollar weaken substantially.
The cost of fuel has been known to increase more than %100 in a matter of months.
No one can foresee if this trend will continue or know what will happen in the very
near future. Therefore, in order to protect you and your substantial travel investment
from unforeseen price increases, we urge you to consider purchasing
our unique in-house “Price Protection Plan”! For only $69 per
person, paid along with your initial deposit, we will guarantee all Land and Cruise
fares from any future currency or fuel increases!* Because we feel
so strongly that this is a small price to pay for your peace of mind, we will automatically
include this unique feature in your initial invoice! If you decline it – we will
remove it from your final payment.
*Price protection applies to all published Cruise only and Land/Cruise
rates printed in our brochures. Price protection does not apply to airfares or any
government imposed security fees, taxes or surcharges. Price protection must be
paid with the initial deposit and once received is non-refundable in case of a subsequent
trip cancellation for any reason. st/VWT/1May2011
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