These Conditions of Carriage set out the terms that govern the relationship, responsbilities and liabilities as between the Passenger and the Carrier and are BINDING ON THE PARTIES. The Passenger has entered into a Passage Contract with an Organiser and these conditions have been incorporated into the Passenger’s contract with the Organiser.
These Terms and Conditions of Carriage will also apply where the vessel is being used as a floating hotel whether or not there is a Passage Contract and whether or not there is any carriage.
You must carefully read the Conditions of Carriage which set out your rights, responsbilities and limitations to make claims against the carrier, its servants and/or agents. The Carrier’s liability is limited as set out in Clause 24.
“PASSAGE CONTRACT” means the Contract of Carriage, that the Passenger has entered into with the Organiser, the terms of which are evidenced by the booking Conditions which incorporate these terms.
“LUGGAGE” means any baggage, packages, suitcases, trunks or other personal items belonging to or carried by any passenger, including cabin luggage, hand luggage and articles worn by or carried on the persons of the passenger or deposited with the purser for safe custody.
“VESSEL” means the Vessel named in the relevant passage contract or any substituted vessel owned or charterered or operated or controlled by the carrier.
“SHORE EXCURSION” means any excursion offered for sale by the Carrier for which a separate charge is payable whether booked prior to commencement of the cruise or onboard the vessel.
(“The Carrier”) agrees to transport the person named in the Ticket ("the Passenger") on the specific Voyage ("the Voyage") on named or substitute vessels. The Passenger agrees to be bound by all its terms, conditions and limitations. All prior oral and/or written agreement is superseded by these conditions. These Conditions of Carriage cannot be amended without written and signed consent from The Carrier or its authorised representative. The Passage Contract issued by the Organiser is valid only for the Passenger or Passengers for whom it is issued for the date and Vessel indicated or any substitute vessel and is not transferable.
All references to "PASSENGER" singular shall include the plural. Passenger includes the purchaser of the Passage Contract and any person or persons named on the relevant passage ticket including Minors.
“CARRIER” means the Owner and/or Charterer whether Bare Boat/Demise Charter, Time Charterer, Sub-Charterer or operator of the vessel to the extent that each of them acts as Carrier or performing Carrier.
The term "The Carrier" includes the Carriers, the carrying vessel ("the Cruise Ship"), its owner, charterer, operator, any tenders or other means of transport provided by The Carrier to the Passenger.
The "MASTER" is the Captain or person in charge of the carrying Vessel at any given point and commanding of the Cruise Ship.
“ORGANISER” is the party with which the Passenger has entered into a contract for the cruise and/or package as defined under the Council Directive 90/314/EEC of 13th June 1990 on Package Travel, Package Holidays and Package Tours which includes the cruise onboard the Vessel or other equivalent.
“MINOR” means any child under the age of 18.
A Passenger shall not have the right to exclusive occupancy of a cabin with two (2) or more berths unless he has paid supplement for exclusive occupation. The Carrier reserves the right to transfer the Passenger from one cabin to another and may adjust the Fare accordingly. The Master or the Carrier may if it becomes advisable or necessary at any time transfer a Passenger from one berth to another.
1. Passengers who remain onboard after the arrival of the Vessel at its final Port of destination and after Passengers have been asked to disembark, will be required by the Carrier to pay for their maintenance at current rates for every night they remain onboard.
1. At any time before or after commencement of the voyage and whether or not the Vessel may have deviated or have proceeded beyond the port of destination, the Carrier may by notice in writing to the Passenger or by advertising in the press or by any other suitable means terminate the cruise if the performance or further performance is hindered or prevented by causes beyond the control of the Carrier or if the Master or the Carrier consider that such termination is necessary for the management and/or safety of the vessel.
2. If the voyage is so terminated then the Carrier will not have any liability to the Passenger whose sole remedy will be against the Organiser pursuant to Council Directive 90-314-EEC 13th June 1990 or equivalent legislation and/or the Passage Contract.
1. The Passenger warrants that he is fit to travel by sea and that his conduct or condition will not impair the safety of the Cruise Ship or inconvenience the other Passengers.
2. Any passenger with a condition that may affect his fitness to travel must submit a physician's certificate prior to departure.
3. If it appears to The Carrier, the Master or the Cruise Ship's Doctor that a Passenger is for any reason unfit to travel, likely to endanger health or safety, or likely to be refused permission to land at any port, or likely to render The Carrier liable for Passenger maintenance, support or repatriation, then The Carrier or the Master shall have the right to take any of the following courses: (i) Refuse to embark the Passenger at any port; (ii) Disembark the Passenger at any port; (iii) Transfer the Passenger to another berth or cabin; (iv) If the Cruise Ship doctor considers it advisable, to place him/or confine him in the Cruise Ship's Hospital or to transfer the Passenger to a health facility at any port, at the Passenger's expense (v) to administer first aid and administer any drug, medicine or other substance or to admit and/or confine the Passenger to a hospital or other similar institution at any port provided that the ship’s doctor and/or Master considers that any such steps are necessary.
4. Where a Passenger is refused embarkation as a result of health and or fitness to travel, the Carrier shall not be liable for any loss or expense occasioned to the Passenger thereby, nor shall the Passenger be entitled to any compensation from the Carrier.
5. The Vessel has a limited number of cabins equipped for disabled persons. Not all areas or equipment on the Vessel are accessible to disabled persons or suitable for access to disabled persons.
6. The Carrier reserves the right to refuse passage to anyone who has failed to notify it of such disabilities or who in the Carrier’s and or Master’s opinion is unfit or unable to travel or anyone whose condition may constitute a danger to themselves or others onboard.
7. Passengers who need assistance and/or have special requests or need special facilities or equipment must notify the Organiser at the time of booking. The Carrier is not obliged to provide any assistance or meet special requests unless the Carrier has agreed to do so in writing.
8. Those Passengers confined to wheelchairs must furnish their own standard size wheelchairs and must be accompanied by a travelling companion fit and able to assist them. The ship’s wheelchairs are available for emergency use only.
9. Any Passenger who embarks, or allows any other Passenger for whom he or she is responsible to embark, when he or she or such other Passenger is suffering from any sickness, disease, injury or infirmity bodily or mental or to his or her knowledge has been exposed to any infection or contagious disease, or for any other reason is likely to impair the health, safety or reasonable comfort of other persons onboard or for any reason is refused permission to land at his or her port of destination shall be responsible for any loss or expense incurred by the Carrier or the Master directly or indirectly in consequence of such sickness, disease, injury, infirmity, exposure or refusal or permission to land unless in the case of sickness, disease, injury, infirmity or exposure the same has been declared in writing to the Carrier or the Master before embarkation and consent in writing of the Carrier or the Master to such embarkation has been obtained.
10. Pregnant women are highly recommended to seek medical advice prior to travel at any stage of their pregnancy. Women who are up to 23 weeks pregnant at the end of the cruise are required to produce a medical certificate of fitness to travel. The Carrier cannot for health and safety reasons carry pregnant Passengers of 24 weeks or more by the end of the cruise. The Carrier reserves the right to request a medical certificate at any stage of pregnancy and to refuse passage if the Carrier and/or the Master are not satisfied that the Passenger will be safe during the passage.
11. Failure to inform the Carrier and the Vessel’s doctor of pregnancy will release the Carrier from any liability to the pregnant Passenger.
12. The ship’s doctor is not qualified to delivery babies onboard or to offer pre or post natal treatment and no responsibility is accepted by the Carrier in respect of the ability to provide such services or equipment. Pregnant Passengers are referred to the section herein headed medical treatment for information regarding the medical facilities onboard.
1. Medical services are available on board the Cruise Ship as a convenience to the Passenger. The Cruise Ship's doctor and medical personnel are independent contractors and are entitled to charge Passengers for hospitalisation, any medical services and medicines provided. The Cruise Ship's doctor and medical personnel are not under the Master's control for treating Passengers, and The Carrier shall not be liable in any way for medical services or medicines provided or not provided.
2. Medical facilities onboard and in the various ports of call may be limited. The Carrier shall not be liable in any way for referring guests ashore for medical services or for the actual medical services rendered ashore. In the event that medical attendance of any kind or ambulance assistance, whether on shore, at sea or by air is required and is provided or ordered by the Carrier or the Master or the doctor, the Passenger concerned shall be liable for the full charge or cost thereof and shall indemnify the Carrier upon first deman of any costs incurred by the Carrier, its Servants or Agents. Passengers who by reason of illness or through any other cause require special or extra accommodation or special or extra attention during the course of the voyage will be charged accordingly.
The liability (if any) of The Carrier for damages suffered as a result of death or personal injury to the Passenger, or loss or damage to luggage shall be subject to the following limitations and shall be determined in accordance with the following:
1. The International Convention relating to the Carriage of Passengers and their luggage by Sea, adopted in Athens on 13 December 1974 and its 1976 Protocol, (the "Athens Convention") shall apply. The provisions of the Athens Convention are hereby expressly incorporated into the Terms and Conditions of Carriage. A copy of the Athens Convention is available on request. You may download a copy from the internet at www.imo.org (i)The Carrier shall be entitled to the benefit of all the limitations, rights and immunities provided by the Athens Convention including the full deductible under Aricle 8(4) of the Athens Convention. (ii)The liability of The Carrier for death, personal injury or illness to the Passenger shall not exceed 46.666 Special Drawing Rights ("SDR") as provided and defined in the Athens Convention 1976 Protocol. (iii) Liability of The Carrier for loss of or damage to Passenger's luggage or other property shall not exceed 833 SDR per Passenger. It is agreed that such liability of The Carrier shall be subject to a deductible of 13 SDR per Passenger, such sum to be deducted from the loss or damage to luggage or other property. The Passenger understands that the conversion rate of SDR's fluctuates daily and may be obtained from a bank (IV). If any provision of these Conditions of Carriage are rendered null and void by the Athens Convention, such invalidity shall be limited to the particular clause and not to the Conditions of Carriage.
2. The Carrier’s liability in relation to death and/or personal injury is limited and shall in no circumstances whatsoever exceed the limits of liability set out under the Athens Convention.
3. The Carrier will only be liable in relation to death and/or personal injury and/or loss of or damage to luggage in the event that the Carrier and/or its Servants or Agents are guilty of “fault or neglect” as required by Article 3 of the Convention. The limits of liability under the Terms of the Convention shall be applicable to the Carrier’s Servants and/or Agents and/or Independent Contractors in accordance with Article 11 of the Convention. Any damages payable by the Carrier shall be reduced in proportion to any contributory negligence by the Passenger as provided in Article 6 of the Athens Convention.
4. It is presumed under the Athens Convention that the Carrier has delivered luggage to a Passenger unless written notice is given by the Passenger within the following periods:
(i) in the case of apparent damage before or at the time of disembarkation or redelivery
(ii) in the case of damage which is not apparent or loss of luggage within fifteen days from the disembarkation or delivery or of the date that such delivery should have taken place.
5. If the carriage provided hereunder is not “international carriage” as defined in Article 2 of the Athens Convention or the Vessel is being used as a floating hotel, the remaining provisions of the Athens Convention shall apply to this contract and be deemed to be incorporated herein mutatis mutandis.
6. The Carrier shall not be liable for loss or damage to any valuables such as monies, negotiable securities, precious metal items, jewelry, art, cameras, computers, electronic equipment, or any other valuables unless they are deposited with The Carrier for safe-keeping, and a higher limit is agreed expressly and in writing at the time of deposit, and an extra charge is paid by the Passenger for declared value protection. (ii) Extra charges are: 1 % of declared value for a Voyage 1 to 7 days; 2% of declared value for a Voyage 8 to 21 days; 3% of declared value for a Voyage 22 days and over. If the value of any luggage or property is misrepresented, The Carrier's liability for loss or damage to the property shall not exceed U.S. $100. (iii) The Carrier and Passenger agree not to demand any security from the other in connection with a claim of any kind. The Passenger waives the right to arrest the Cruise Ship or to attach any other asset owned, chartered or operated by The Carrier. If the Cruise Ship is arrested or attached, then the ship and The Carrier shall have the right to any limitation and all defences available herein.
7. In addition to the restrictions and exemptions from the liability provided in the Conditions of Carriage, the Carrier shall have full benefit of any applicable laws providing for limitation and/or exhoneration of liability (including without limitation, law and/or the laws of the Vessel’s flag in respect of/or the global limitation on damages recoverable from the Carrier). Nothing in these Conditions of Carriage is intended to operate to limit or deprive the Carrier of any such statutory or otherwise limitation or exhoneration or liability. The Servant and/or Agents of the Carrier shall have the full benefit of all such provisions relating to the limitation of liability.
8. Without prejudice to the provisions of 24.1 to 24.7 above, if any claim is brought against the Carrier in any jurisdiction where the applicable exemptions and limitations incorporated in these Conditions of Carriage are held to be legally enforceable then the Carrier shall not be liable for death, injury, illness, damage, delay or other loss or detriment to any person or property arising out of any cause of whatsoever nature which has not been shown to have been caused by the Carrier’s own negligence or fault.