Terms and Conditions
Please read all of the terms and conditions in this document. Any payment or deposit made to Connoisseurs Tours towards a journey shall constitute a confirmation by the guest on behalf of themselves and all other persons named on their booking that you, the guest, acknowledge that you have read, understand and agree to be bound by these terms and conditions. If a guest makes a booking and payment on behalf of other guests, you guarantee that you have the authority to accept these terms and conditions on behalf of the other guests in your party.
Travel Insurance: Connoisseurs Tours requires that all guests have travel insurance that includes coverage for trip interruption and travel delay, baggage loss and delay, accident and sickness medical expense, and emergency medical and non-medical evacuation.
Optional Benefit Recommended Trip Cancellation for Any Reason:
This optional benefit includes a 75% refund of non-refundable Journey Payments when canceling your journey for any reason.
Travel Protection Plan Premium Payments are not considered Journey Payments. They are non-refundable and non-transferable to another person or journey.
The Connoisseurs Tours Custom Travel Protection Plan, offered in conjunction with our insurance partner Trawick International, includes the following features listed here.
DEPOSIT AND PAYMENT SCHEDULE
For your convenience, the journey payments and corresponding insurance premiums are divided into three payments.
Land Only Journeys
Deposit: 25% of Journey Cost and 25% of the Custom Travel Protection Plan Premium
Midterm Payment: Due 6 months prior to departure. 35% of Journey Cost and 35% of the Custom Travel Protection Plan Premium
Final Payment: Due 3 months prior to departure. 40% of Journey Cost and 40% of the Custom Travel Protection Plan Premium
Cruise and Land Journeys
Deposit: 25% of Journey Cost and 25% of the Custom Travel Protection Plan Premium
Midterm Payment: Due 8 months prior to departure. 35% of Journey Cost and 35% of the Custom Travel Protection Plan Premium
Final Payment: Due 4 months prior to departure. 40% of Journey Cost and 40% of the Custom Travel Protection Plan Premium
Your Custom Travel Protection Plan Premiums are due at time of journey payments.
CANCELLATION TERMS AND CONDITIONS
Mandated Restrictions and Entry Requirements:
If a guest is unable to enter a country or state in which their journey is taking place due to government restrictions, natural disasters, required vaccines, mandates or quarantine requirements, regulations, visas, or any changes in these requirements from the time of deposit to the date of departure, these restrictions will not constitute a refund. Fear of Travel does not constitute a refund.
Cancellation Schedule
All journey payments are non-refundable and non-transferable.
All Custom Travel Protection Plan premiums are non-refundable and non-transferable.
All cancellations must be made in writing via email, fax, or mail.
INCLUDED IN YOUR JOURNEY
Hotel and ship accommodations, transportation, special dinners, sightseeing, admissions, porterage, and the services of the local guides are included, as per individual details of the itinerary unless otherwise noted in the itinerary. Visits with estate owners may change due to their personal schedules.
Journey Prices: All fares are per person in U.S. Dollars based on double occupancy unless otherwise noted. The availability of all price categories cannot be guaranteed. There is a supplemental expense for single occupancy, which is clearly stated in the itinerary/brochure.
Meals: Included meals are specified in the itinerary with the abbreviations Breakfast “B”, Lunch “L”, Dinner “D”, and Reception “R”.
Gratuities: All customary gratuities for hotel, restaurant staff and local guides are included unless otherwise noted in each journey itinerary.
Changes to your reservation within 90 days of departure: Any changes requested 90 days or less from the departure date will incur a $250 per person administrative change fee in addition to any additional costs or cancellation fees incurred with changes received.
NOT INCLUDED IN YOUR JOURNEY
Air Transportation: Air transportation is not included unless otherwise noted. Connoisseurs Tours offers an Airline Concierge Service to assist with airline reservations. There is an additional fee associated with this service.
Making Your Own Flight or Extension Arrangements: Details of flight arrangements and pre journey extensions made independently by guests must conform to the travel parameters specified for the journey and given to Connoisseurs Tours no later than 90 days prior to departure to qualify for transfers.
Personal Expenses: Personal expenses such as phone calls, WiFi fees, room service, alcoholic and bar beverages (except where indicated in the itinerary), mineral water, soft drinks, laundry, airline service fees, excess baggage fees, and other optional incidental extras are not included in the journey cost.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Health and Fitness: Connoisseurs Tours are moderate exertion journeys. Guests must certify that they are in good health and can walk up to one mile per day. These journeys are not recommended for those who have mobility limitations such as walkers, wheelchairs, and scooters.
Connoisseurs Tours reserves the right to decline or not to retain any guest as a member of any journey or to change or withdraw a journey as circumstances demand.
Responsibility: Connoisseurs Tours acts only as an agent for the guest with respect to transportation, accommodations and other services offered on the journey. Connoisseurs Tours, subsidiaries, and assigns, and their respective employees, affiliates, officers, directors, successors, representatives, and agents will not be held liable for (A) any damage to, or loss of, property or injury to, or death of, persons occasioned directly or indirectly by an act or omission of any third party or Other Provider, including but not limited to any defect in any aircraft, watercraft, or vehicle operated or provided by such Other Provider; and (B) any loss or damage due to delay, cancellation, or disruption in any manner caused by the laws, regulations, acts or failures to act, demands, orders, or interpositions of any government or any subdivision or agent thereof, or by natural disasters, acts of God, strikes, fire, flood, war, rebellion, terrorism, insurrection, sickness, quarantine, epidemics, theft, or any other cause(s) beyond their control. The participant waives any claim against Connoisseurs Tours for any such loss, damage, injury, or death.
Force Majeure Event: Connoisseurs Tours shall not be held responsible for failure to perform or delay in performing any of its contractual obligations if such failure or delay is due to unforeseeable events beyond Lessor's reasonable control ("Force Majeure"), including but not limited to acts of God, war, insurrection, pandemics, epidemics, infectious disease outbreak, sabotage, labor disputes, strikes, lock-outs, interruption or delays in transportation, fire, explosion, acts, orders or priorities of any government, embargo and any other cause whether arising from natural causes, human agency or anything beyond the reasonable control of Connoisseurs Tours.
Itinerary Changes and Flexibility: Connoisseurs Tours commits to operating each itinerary as published. Guests should be flexible as situations that necessitate changes or exceptions to the itinerary may arise. Connoisseurs Tours reserves the right to alter or curtail the itinerary and substitute hotels, sightseeing, and/or conveyances as deemed necessary. Connoisseurs Tours reserves the right, without penalty to Connoisseurs Tours, to make changes to the published itinerary whenever, in their judgment, conditions warrant or if they deem it necessary for the comfort, convenience, well-being, or safety of the guests.
Complaint Procedure: If a guest has any complaint regarding any journey or otherwise alleges a breach by Connoisseurs Tours of the terms and conditions of this Agreement or otherwise believes that the guest has a claim of any nature against Connoisseurs Tours including monetary payment claims (collectively, a “Claim”), as a condition precedent to taking any action of any nature, including, without limitation, processing a credit card payment challenge, the guest must first complete a complaint form provided by Connoisseurs Tours (a “Complaint”). Within a reasonable time of receipt of a Complaint but no greater than thirty (30) days, Connoisseurs Tours will review and provide a response to the guest (a “Complaint Response”). Without limiting the foregoing, only upon completion of a written Complaint and issuance of a Complaint Response may the guest dispute any credit card charge or otherwise take any actions that may disrupt Connoisseurs Tours operations.
Cancellation by the Guest: Connoisseurs Tours must receive a cancellation notice in writing by email, fax or overnight courier, and the cancellation date will be the date on which Connoisseurs Tours receives the notice. If a flight or other delay for any reason prevents a guest from joining the journey on the scheduled departure date and time, Connoisseurs Tours cannot provide a full or partial refund or credit toward a future journey, but the guest may join the journey late.
Cancellation by Failure to Complete Payment: If a payment is not made by the specified deadline, Connoisseurs Tours reserves the right to cancel a guest’s participation and apply stated cancellation penalties.
Passports/Visas and Immunization Requirements: Guests are responsible for obtaining any documents required for their participation on a journey such as a valid passport, all applicable visas, vaccination and potential immunity certificates, and any other documents, unless otherwise appointed in the itinerary. Failure to obtain documents does not negate the Terms and Conditions, and any extra costs incurred for rerouting due to travel without the necessary documents will be the guest’s responsibility.
MODIFICATIONS TO TRAVEL TERMS AND CONDITIONS
Connoisseurs Tours reserves the right to correct any errors or omissions in its published materials and to amend these Travel Terms and Conditions at any time as the result of any material changes to legislation or regulation. All amended Travel Terms and Conditions shall automatically be effective upon being posted by Connoisseurs Tours on ctjourneys.com. Accordingly, guests should check the website ctjourneys.com prior to travel in order to ensure they are aware of any changes.
VALIDITY: January 1, 2024 to December 31, 2027