Terms and Conditions
Our Trading Charter with you.
1. WHY SHOULD I READ THIS?
Because it is very important. This Trading Charter forms a key part of our agreement with you and forms the basis of a legally binding contract between you as the lead name making the booking, (and anyone else in your party) and us Edwards Coaches Ltd. When you make this booking as the lead name, you undertake that you have the authority to accept, and do accept, on behalf of your party the terms of these booking conditions, which are governed by English Law, and the non exclusive jurisdiction of the English Courts. Please take time to read through them and you will see that they set out in simple terms what responsibilities we both have when entering into a contract.
2. HOW AND WHEN DO I MAKE THIS CONTRACT WITH YOU?
You can make the contract in a number of ways. You can book online, write to us, telephone us or use a nominated travel agent. Whichever way you choose, the contract is made when your booking is entered on to our reservation system and we issue a confirmation of booking. We will send you, or your agent, the confirmation of your booking usually within 48 hours. Please check this confirmation very carefully to ensure all the information is correct and tell us, or your agent, immediately of any errors.
3. HOW IS MY HOLIDAY MONEY PROTECTED?
Overland holidays (not including day trips) - We subscribe to the Code of Conduct of the Bonded Coach Holidays Group ("BCHG") of the Confederation of Passenger Transport UK. The BCHG requires a bond to be taken out to provide protection for your holiday money in the unlikely event that a member cannot, for financial reasons, carry out their obligations to their passengers.
Air holidays - The air holidays in this brochure are ATOL Protected by the Civil Aviation Authority. Our ATOL No is 6176. For further information visit the ATOL website at www.atol.org.uk. They (BCHG or ATOL) guarantee to bona fide customers that in the event of failure of a bona fide member, it will: -
(a) Wherever possible arrange for a holiday or tour to be completed;
(b) Where failure occurs after a holiday has begun, arrange for customers to be returned by an appropriate means of transport to their UK area of departure;
(c) If the holiday or tour cannot be completed as planned, reimburse the customer for payments made to the member for that holiday or tour, other than payments made by credit card.
4. WHEN DO I NEED TO PAY FOR MY HOLIDAY AND HOW MUCH?
At the time of booking you will need to pay a deposit for each person named on the booking form.
The deposit for all overland tours in this brochure is £35.00 per person, for flight tours and cruises you will need to pay a £150.00 deposit per person, train or Formula 1 Grand Prix tours will require a deposit of £100.00 per person. Your deposit is not inclusive of any additional packages that you may book as part of your holidays such as theatre tickets etc. The balance is due 56 days prior to departure for overland and 70 days for flights, cruises or trains. Where you use an agent, they may require you to pay them earlier than this date and will advise you separately of their balance due date. If you book within our balance due period, you will need to pay the total holiday cost at the time of your booking. If you do not pay the outstanding balance for your holiday on or before the date when it is due we may cancel your booking and you will be required to pay the cancellation charges detailed in Section 10 below. The date of cancellation will normally be the date you confirm in writing that you intend to cancel or 15 days after the balance due date, whichever comes first.
Where optional items are purchased as part of the tour package these are payable on the balance due date except where items have been specifically purchased for you. In this case the cost will be payable at a separate date notified to you and will not normally be refundable unless we obtain a refund from the supplier we use.
5. IF I USE AN AGENT WHO DOES MY MONEY BELONG TO?
Your agent will hold your deposit on your behalf until we issue a confirmation of your booking. The agent then holds this money on our behalf. The agent holds any balance you pay on your behalf until the date the balance is due. The agent will then forward to us.
6. GUARANTEE ON PRICE
The price of the holidays are guaranteed as per brochure with the exception of any government increases in taxation (e.g. VAT). In the event of any taxation increases, the company reserve the right to pass on the same increases without option of cancellation. Brochure prices have been calculated with VAT at 17.5%.
7. CAN I CHANGE MY HOLIDAY ARRANGEMENTS?
After we have issued our booking confirmation we will do our best to accommodate any changes you may want to make, but we cannot guarantee to do so. Any changes must be notified to us in writing and signed by the person who signed the booking form. If we are able to make the changes, an amendment fee of £10 per booking per occasion will be payable plus any additional charge for the facilities requested. Any significant alteration after the balance due date will be treated as a cancellation of the original booking and will be subject to the cancellation charges detailed below. A significant alteration would include a change of departure date, holiday or hotel, or number of people travelling. Any significant change by you on a flight or cruise holiday will usually be treated as a cancellation by you and you will be held responsible for any costs incurred by us.
8. CAN I TRANSFER MY BOOKING TO SOMEONE ELSE?
You can transfer your booking to someone else provided you give us reasonable notice. This person must be able to satisfy all the conditions of the holiday and a change cannot normally be made less than seven days prior to departure. We will make an administration charge of £10 per person for every transfer we make plus any reasonable additional costs caused by the transfer. You will remain responsible for ensuring that the holiday is paid for by the balance due date. In some cases however airlines may refuse to allow passengers to transfer their bookings, regrettably in these circumstances, any significant change by you on a flight or cruise holiday will usually be treated as a cancellation by you and you will be held responsible for any costs incurred by us.
9. HOW CAN I CANCEL MY HOLIDAY?
You or any member of your party may cancel at any time, provided that the cancellation is made by the person who signed the booking form and is communicated to our head office in writing. You will have to pay cancellation charges set out in the scale below to cover our estimated loss resulting from the cancellation. If you are insured against cancellation you may be able to recover the charges from your insurers. Your cancellation will take effect from the date when either the travel agent or we receive written confirmation of your cancellation.
You must also return any tickets or vouchers that you have received. A reduction in room occupancy may increase the charges for the remaining passengers by the application of supplements for low occupancy of rooms.
10. SCALE OF CANCELLATION CHARGES.
Period before departure within which Amount of cancellation written cancellation of holiday is received. charge as a %:
More than 42 days Deposit
42 - 29 days 30% - or deposit, if greater
28 - 15 days 50%
14 - 8 days 70%
7 - 1 days 100%
Departure day or later including voluntary termination whilst on holiday 100%
11. WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU CHANGE MY HOLIDAY?
The arrangements for your holiday will usually have been made many months in advance. Sometimes changes are unavoidable and we reserve the right to make them. Most of these changes are likely to be minor and we will do our best to keep you informed. If, after booking and before departure, we make a significant change to your holiday you will have the option of withdrawing from the holiday without penalty or alternatively you may transfer to another holiday without paying an administration fee. In either case we will pay you compensation according to the scale set out below. A significant change would involve a change in departure date or departure point, location of resort or quality of hotel, (excluding single overnight hotels on touring holidays). On all our holidays to the continent we reserve the right to use either a ferry or the Channel Tunnel for the short crossing between England and France. For operational reasons we reserve the right to change the size or specification of the coach allocated to your holiday, on these rare occasions you will be notified at least seven days before departure. If you withdraw from the holiday because we have made a significant change or if we have to cancel your holiday for any reason other than non-payment by you we will offer you the choice of: -
A comparable replacement holiday if available;
or:
A replacement holiday of lower quality together with a refund of the price difference;
or
A full refund of the money you have paid.
When we have notified you of the changes and options available, you must tell us your decision as soon as possible and within any timescale we may need to set bearing in mind the need to safeguard the holiday arrangements of other customers.
12. SCALE OF COMPENSATION.
We will pay you compensation for significant changes on the following scale: Period before departure in which significant change is notified to you or your agent
Amount per person
Tours of 6 days or over Tours of 5 days and under
More than 56 days Nil Nil
29 - 56 days £10 Nil
15 - 28 days £15 Nil
8 - 14 days £20 £15
0 - 7 days £25 £20
Compensation will not be paid where the change is made as a result of events beyond our control including war or threat of war, riot, civil strife, terrorist activity, industrial disputes, fire, quarantine, epidemic or health risks, natural or nuclear disasters, technical problems to transport, port or airport terminal closures and/or adverse weather conditions.
If after departure we have to make a change to a significant proportion of your holiday we will do our best to make suitable alternative arrangements at no extra cost to you. If it proves impossible to make suitable alternative arrangements or if you have reasonable grounds for refusing the alternative offered, we will arrange transport back to your point of departure or to an alternative location that we agree to.
13. WHAT IS THE EXTENT OF YOUR LIABILITY TO ME?
We accept responsibility if you or any member of your party is killed or injured as a result of an activity forming part of your holiday arrangements which you booked with us before your departure; or if any part of your holiday arrangements booked with us in the UK, is not as described in the brochure or not of a reasonable standard; if the failure in your holiday arrangements or any death or personal injury is due to any fault on our part or that of our agents or suppliers whilst acting in the course of their employment. We do not accept responsibility if the failure, death or personal injury is not caused by any fault of ours or that of our agents or suppliers or is caused by you or someone not connected with your holiday arrangements, or if the failure, death or personal injury is due to unusual or unforeseen circumstances which, even with all due care, we, our agents or suppliers, could not have anticipated or avoided.
For claims that do not involve personal injury, illness or death, the most we will have to pay if we are liable to you is the price the person affected paid for their holiday (not including insurance premiums and amendment charges). We will only have to pay this maximum amount if everything has gone wrong and you have received no benefit from your holiday if you or any member of your party is killed, injured or becomes ill as a result of transport by ship, train, coach or air any liability for which we may have to pay compensation is limited in line
with the Athens Convention (applies to transport by ship), the Berne Convention (applies to transport by rail), the Warsaw Convention (applies to transport by air) and the Geneva Convention (applies to transport by road). You can get copies of the relevant conventions from us if you ask. You should also note that these conventions may limit or remove the carrier's liability to you and the amount which the carrier has to pay you.
If we make any payment to you or any member of your party for death, personal injury or illness, you will be asked to assign to us or our insurers the rights you may have to take action against the person or organisation responsible for causing the death, personal injury or illness. Our suppliers (such as accommodation or transport providers) have their own booking conditions or conditions of carnage, and these conditions are binding between you and the supplier. Some of these conditions may limit or remove the relevant transport provider's or other supplier's liability to you. You can get copies of such conditions from our offices, or the offices of the relevant supplier.
14. WHAT DO I NEED TO DO IF I HAVE TO COMPLAIN?
If you have a complaint during your holiday you should inform the driver/representative at the earliest opportunity so that they can do their utmost to resolve the problem immediately. Your driver has been supplied with a complaints receipt book, if you need to complain, please ensure this is completed and you receive a signed copy from the driver. If, on your return from holiday, you remain dissatisfied you should write within 28 days to the Customer Services Manager, Newtown Industrial Estate, Llantwit Fardre, Pontypridd, CF38 2EE. In your letter you will need to quote your booking reference number and departure date. If you encounter any problem with the hotel, you must inform the hotel staff to allow them to rectify the matter. In most cases these difficulties can be rectified on the spot. It is never possible to rectify any hotel problems (i.e. room or food) after you have returned from your holiday. If you do not tell us at the earliest opportunity about a problem arising to your complaint we cannot take steps to investigate and rectify it. Consequently any such complaints cannot be investigated if the complaint procedure has not been followed and no claims will be entertained in these circumstances. In deciding how to respond to your complaint we will take into account the date you first drew the problem to the attention of our driver/representative.
15. IF I DO NOT AGREE WITH YOUR DECISION CAN I REQUEST ARBITRATION?
Yes you can, if we cannot resolve your complaint amicably you may request that the dispute is referred to an independent arbitration scheme established by the Confederation of Passenger Transport UK. Full details of this scheme will be provided on request or you can obtain a copy from Bonded Coach Holidays,
Drury House, 34-43 Russell Street, London, WC2B 5HA, Tel:0207 2403131, Fax: 0207 2406565.
This arbitration scheme provides a simple and inexpensive method of arbitration on documents alone with restricted liability on the customer in respect of costs. This scheme does not apply to claims for an amount greater than £1500 per person. There is also a limit of £7500 per booking. Normally there is a time limit of 9 months from the date of return from your holiday within which to request arbitration but in exceptional circumstances the scheme can be used beyond this date. This scheme does not apply to claims that arise mainly in respect of physical injury or illness or the consequences of any illness or injury, nor does it apply to air tours.
16. COACH ALLOCATION
Due to operational reasons (breakdown, availability etc.), Edwards Coaches reserve the right to use Midi or Standard (no toilet facilities) coaches on any tour/day trip rather than having to cancel the trip. We will endeavour to inform clients beforehand unless unforseen circumstances prevent us from doing so.
17. COACH SEATING.
There is a seating plan of the coach for each holiday, but it is possible that on occasion's operational reasons will require a coach with a different configuration to be used. We therefore reserve the right to alter a coach seating plan and allocate seats other than those you have booked. Requests for particular seats can be made on most holidays when booking but because allocations are made on a first come, first served basis you are recommended to book early. When your booking is confirmed you will be offered the best seats that are available at that time. Specific seats will not be allocated on coaches which operate feeder services between joining points and main holiday departure points, or on coaches which carry out transfers to and from seaports or airports or on any excursions carried out by a third party. We also reserve the right to use standard coaches on all such transfers. We reserve the right to change the seats of single passengers due to commercial reasons.
18. HEALTH AND SAFETY ON HOLIDAY.
Some tours in our brochure require average physical ability as there may be an element of walking involved. This does not imply other itineraries are suitable and Edwards Coaches will not accept liability for omissions. It is the responsibility of the client to check directly with our reservations department, Tourist Boards and suppliers to satisfy themselves of the suitability of the holiday itinerary prior to booking the holiday.
In some countries, standards of infrastructure, safety and hygiene may be lower than those to which we are accustomed in the UK. You should therefore exercise greater care for your own protection. Further information can be obtained from your GP or from your travel agent who can provide you with the leaflet "Health Advice for Travellers" published by the Department of Health. When travelling to member states of the EC, we strongly advise you to carry with you a E111 card. This European health card allows you to free or reduced health care costs whilst in member states. It is very important that you declare any serious illness or ailments at the time of booking. Some people may be at risk from discomfort or deep vein thrombosis (DVT) if they remain immobile on a journey for a long period of time. If you are planning to undertake a bus or coach journey of more than 3 hours you should consult your doctor if you have ever had DVT or pulmonary embolism, a family history of clotting conditions, cancer or treatment for cancer, a stroke, heart or lung disease or if you have had major surgery in the past 3 months. We reserve the right to refuse any booking in the absence of a doctor's certificate confirming that you are fit to travel. During the journey we will provide comfort stops as frequently as possible. During these stops you are encouraged to get off the coach and walk around. Exercise reduces any discomfort, which may be caused by periods of immobility. During any journey you should drink alcohol only in moderation as it leads to dehydration.
19. PASSENGER BEHAVIOUR.
We want all our customers to have a happy and carefree holiday. However you must remember that you are responsible for your behaviour and the effect it may have on others. In this respect you should note that the use of a radio, cassette player or CD player could adversely affect other passengers' enjoyment of their holiday If you or any member of your party is abusive or disruptive or behaves in a way which, in our reasonable opinion, could cause damage or injury to others or effect their enjoyment of their holiday, or which could damage property, we have the right, after reasonable consideration, to terminate your contract with us. If this happens we will have no further obligations, or liability to you. The coach driver/representative, or authorised official of other means of transport is entitled to refuse you boarding if in their reasonable opinion you are unacceptably under the influence of drink or drugs or you are being violent or disruptive. If you are refused boarding on the outward journey we will regard it as a cancellation by you and we will apply cancellation charges according to the scale in Section 10. If the refusal is on the return journey we have the right to terminate the contract and will have no further obligations or liability to you.
20. NO SMOKING POLICY.
We operate a strict no smoking policy on all our coaches. Comfort stops are made enroute. The smoking policy of other carriers and suppliers will vary, but in the majority of hotels we use, there is no smoking in any of the guest bedrooms or public areas.
21. PETS.
We do not allow pets to be taken on our holidays. However, Registered Assistance Dogs will normally be accommodated on UK holidays.
22. PICK UP POINTS, ITINERARIES, TRAVEL DOCUMENTS AND PASSPORT.
You are responsible for ensuring that you are at the correct departure point at the correct time, with the correct documents and we cannot be held liable for any loss or expense suffered by you or your party because of an incorrect passport or late arrival at the departure point.
Approximately one week prior to departure we will send you or your booking agent a travel ticket with confirmation of your pick-up point and new time if changed and all the necessary colour coded labels so that you receive them in good time for your holiday. Certain travel documents may have to be retained by us, your driver/courier will then issue them to you at the relevant time, if you lose a travel document after it has been issued to you we will require you to meet the direct cost charged by the carrier/supplier for the issue of a duplicate or replacement.
If you are a British citizen travelling outside the United Kingdom you must have a full UK passport valid for a minimum of three months after your scheduled date of return. Non-UK citizens must seek passport and visa advice from the consulates of the countries you plan to visit prior to making a booking for one of our holidays. The name on the passport must match the name on the ticket. If someone in your party changes name after the booking is made, you must tell us immediately so that we can issue the ticket in the new name.
Edwards Coaches Ltd reserve the right to modify itineraries at their discretion or to conform with requests from the competent authorities in the United Kingdom and any other sovereign state through which the tour will operate.
Included excursions are detailed on the relevant brochure page and refunds will not be made for any excursion not taken. Admission fees to buildings, grounds etc. are not included in the price of the holiday unless otherwise stated on the relevant brochure page. Edwards Coaches reserve the right to return home earlier than stated on itinerary due to unforeseen circumstances, or operational reasons, without prior notice.
23.WHAT HAPPENS IF I AM DELAYED?
Your travel insurance may cover you for some delays. In addition where you are delayed for more than six hours in any one day, we will seek to minimise any discomfort, and where possible, arrange for refreshment and meals. If you are delayed at the airport, it is the responsibility of the airline to provide you with appropriate refreshments and meals. Edwards Coaches reserve the right, in the unlikely event of a coach breaking down, to replace the tour coach with a standard coach.
24. DO I NEED TO TAKE OUT TRAVEL INSURANCE?
We strongly advise you to take out travel insurance to cover medical and repatriation costs, personal injury, loss of baggage and cancellation charges. You do not need to take out our travel insurance but you must have insurance that is at least as good or better than the insurance we offer. If you do not take out our travel insurance you must advise us of the name and contact telephone number of your
insurance company and policy number if applicable. If you do not have adequate insurance and require our assistance whilst on holiday, we reserve the right to reclaim from you any medical, repatriation or other expenses that we may incur on your behalf, which would otherwise have been met by insurers.
25. WHAT ASSISTANCE WILL YOU GIVE ME IF THINGS GO WRONG WHEN IT IS NOT YOUR FAULT?
If you, or any member of your party, suffer death, illness or injury whilst overseas, arising out of an activity that does not form part of your package travel arrangements or an excursion arranged through us in the UK, we shall at our discretion, offer advice, guidance and assistance. Where legal action is contemplated and you want our assistance, you must obtain our written consent prior to commencement of proceedings. Our consent will be given subject to you undertaking to assign any costs, benefits received under any relevant insurance policy to us. We limit the cost of our assistance to you and any member of your party to £5000 per party.
26. SPECIAL NEEDS.
Unfortunately, many hotels overseas do not provide adequate facilities for guests with mobility problems or who suffer from other disabilities. Whether you are planning a holiday overseas or in the UK, please notify us before you book if you or any member of your party has special needs or suffers from any disability.
We are keen to plan arrangements for your holiday so that special needs and requests can be accommodated as far as possible. If you will need assistance or special facilities in the hotel, or may have difficulties in taking part in excursions or boarding and travelling on the coach or other means of transport you must let us know in advance in writing. Not all the holidays in this brochure may be suitable for you. We want you to enjoy your holiday and will try to help you select an appropriate trip.
We will accept lightweight wheelchairs for travel, subject to them being able to be folded and stowed away in the luggage hold of the coach. We regret we are unable to accept wheelchairs, which, are over 15kg (33lb) in weight. We MUST be advised at the time of booking that a folding wheelchair is being taken on the trip. Some attractions may not be suitable for the disabled or passengers with walking difficulties (please contact our office for further details).
Electric scooters can be hired at most of our chosen destinations. However, if you wish to take your own, due to health and safety and weight issues please contact our reservations staff for further information and guidance.
27. SPECIAL REQUESTS.
If you will require a special diet please tell us before booking, or as soon as you are medically advised, and send us a copy of the diet. We will notify the hotel or hotels on your holiday but please note that some hotels may not have facilities to cope with special diets and we cannot be held liable for their failure to do so. Where we think this is likely to happen we will tell you prior to your booking confirmation being issued so that you can exercise your right to cancel your holiday booking without charge. You must pay any extra costs incurred to the hotel prior to departure from the hotel.
You should also detail any other requests, for example, low floor rooms, particular rooms or location, on the special requests section of the booking form. We will pass your request to the relevant supplier but this does not necessarily mean that your request will be fulfilled. If a request can be fulfilled you may incur an extra charge payable either to us or direct to the hotel. Please note that requests cannot be guaranteed unless we confirm on your booking confirmation that this is a guaranteed requirement.
28. SINGLE OCCUPANCY.
Single occupancy of rooms when available may be subject to a supplementary charge and this will be shown on the brochure page or advised at the time of booking.
29. ENTERTAINMENT.
Some of our hotels arrange additional entertainment, Where this is part of the holiday, details are given on the respective brochure page. Where it is not specified it may still be available but is at the discretion of the hotel and is not guaranteed. It may be withdrawn if there is lack of demand or for operational reasons. The hotel reserve the right to change entertainment, once authorisation has been approved by Edwards Coaches, at their discretion.
30. DATA PROTECTION ACT.
In order to process your booking and to ensure that your travel arrangements run smoothly and meet your requirements we, and your travel agent, need to use the information you provide such as name, address, any special needs/dietary requirements etc. We take full responsibility for ensuring that proper measures are in place to protect your information. We must pass the information on to the relevant suppliers of your travel arrangements such as hotels, transport companies etc. The information may also be supplied to security or credit card checking companies, public authorities such as customs/ immigration if required by them, or as required by law.
Additionally where your holiday is outside the European Economic Area (EEA), controls on data protection in your destination may not be as strong as the legal requirements in this country. We will not, however, pass information on to any person not responsible for part of your holiday arrangements. This applies to any sensitive information that you give to us such as details of any disabilities or dietary/ religious requirements. If we cannot pass this information on to the relevant suppliers, whether in the EEA or not, we cannot provide your booking.
In making this booking you consent to this information being passed on to the relevant persons. Please note that where information is held by your travel agent, this is subject to your agent's own data protection policy. Your data controller is Edwards Coaches Ltd. You are entitled to a copy of your information held by us. If you would like to see this, please contact us.
We retain your full contact details and other information in secure files and electronic storage facilities, We may use this information to contact you by mail, telephone or electronic means. We will provide you with details of other goods and services including those of selected third parties. If you do not wish to receive further information about products and services, please write to the Marketing Manager.
31. BOOKING ON LINE
Please remember before you proceed to book a holiday on line, please read our on line booking Terms & Conditions very carefully.
32. DOOR TO DOOR PICK UPS
Please make sure you refer to the Door to Door pick up page 7 for any supplementary charges for passengers living outside the designated areas.
33. TRAVELLING WITH CHILDREN
Following recent guidelines from the British Foreign Office, single parents or other adults travelling alone with children should be aware that some countries require documentary evidence of parental responsibility before allowing lone parents to enter the country or, in some cases, before permitting the children to leave the country. The advice strongly suggests that any child or children who travels with a grandparent, aunt etc, must have a signed letter of authority from either the parents or legal guardians of the child and this must be carried with the child's passport, giving permission for the child or children to be taken out of the U.K. (For further information on exactly what will be required at immigration, please contact the appropriate embassy or visit www.fco.gov.uk).
34. PUBLICATION DATE AND DETAILS.
These Terms & Conditions were published in the United Kingdom by Edwards Coaches Ltd, Newtown Industrial Estate, Llantwit Fardre, Pontypridd, CF38 2EE in November 2009.
General Information (Not part of your contract)
Your Holiday Price
Your holiday price includes, a) transport from any of our joining points specified in this brochure. b) Hotel accommodation and meals as specified in the individual holiday descriptions contained in this brochure, (the half board price on British and Continental holidays includes breakfast or continental breakfast and dinner, commencing with dinner on the first day and terminating with breakfast on the last day. Except where otherwise stated), c) VAT at 17.5% where applicable, unless otherwise indicated in the holiday description, entrance fees, guide fees, sightseeing tours and optional excursions are not included in the holiday price. Some hotels may make a small charge for tea and coffee served after dinner. Gratuities to hotel staff and driver/couriers are not included and are discretionary. We reserve the right to increase or decrease holiday prices shown in this brochure but will not do so after your booking has been confirmed except in the circumstances detailed in Section 6 of our Trading Charter above.
Luggage
We insist that all passengers must keep luggage to a medium sized suitcase and weighing no heavier than 15 Kg (331lbs). In addition a small hold-all may also be taken on the coach. We reserve the right to refuse to carry any passengers exceeding the above limits and you will be asked to remove excess weight. Overnight bags can be used but any luggage left on coach is at your own risk and we cannot be held responsible for any damage or loss to your property. Please note that at some hotels, particularly on the Continent, porterage is not always available between the coach and the hotel. It is unlikely that luggage or personal belongings will be covered by your insurance if left unattended or in an empty vehicle overnight and you must therefore take all belongings with you at overnight stops. All luggage and belongings should be insured to full value and all personal items such as jewellery, cameras, watches etc, should be carried on the person.
It is your responsibility to ensure that your luggage and belongings are loaded on to the coach on which you are travelling, especially at ports, interchange points and on leaving the hotels. You should ensure that you attach the Edwards colour coded luggage label provided by us to your suitcase. We accept no responsibility if you leave or lose your luggage or your luggage gets damaged in transit.
Routes
Routes shown in this brochure may have to be changed on occasion due to traffic conditions or for other reasons and in consequence it may not be possible to pass through all the places mentioned in an itinerary. Furthermore stops can only be made at a limited number of places according to the time available. Some excursion itineraries include the use of ferries and other forms of transport, which can be affected by inclement weather and may have to be cancelled, in such cases we will seek to provide a suitable alternative. Published running times of services are estimates which may be affected by circumstances outside our control. We reserve the right to change excursions or itineraries without notice when appropriate for operational reasons without compensation.
Child Reductions
We will give you a 25% discount for children between 3 to 15 years of age providing they are sharing a room with two full fare-paying adults. Discounts on certain destinations such as Euro Disney and Blackpool fluctuate, you should therefore check with our office if not indicated on the individual brochure page.
Hotel and Meal information
Hotels have been carefully selected to provide clients with good value for money and range from smaller family owned hotels to large luxury hotels. On centred holidays a description of the main hotel is given in the holiday itinerary on the relevant brochure page. Almost all of our holidays include breakfast and dinner daily (half board) except where stated Set menus are usually provided on Continental holidays and on some British holidays. Please remember when travelling abroad that food served will vary from country to country and on occasions may be prepared and served differently from the way we are used to Breakfast on the Continent usually comprises rolls, butter, preserves and coffee although some hotels now provide a Continental buffet breakfast in Britain, English breakfast is usually provided. Please remember when booking that hotel standards do vary and that the standards of hotels are often reflected by the difference in holiday costs. Some hotel amenities such as lifts, swimming pools etc, at times require servicing and/or cleaning and we cannot guarantee that they will always be available Similarly, weather, lack of demand and seasonal opening times can also effect the provision of entertainment or outdoor amenities described in this brochure.
British Hotels
All hotels which we feature are at least a two or three star rating and all have private facilities and most now also provide colour TV and tea/coffee making facilities in rooms.
Continental Hotels
On centred holidays we have given a description of the main hotel or hotels. En route hotels vary, but as an indication we use 2 or 3 star or equivalent rated hotels in Belgium and France and 3 star or equivalent rated hotels in Austria, Germany, Italy and Switzerland, and these may be in a centre or for access reasons on the outskirts of town. All hotels used on the Continent provide rooms with bath/shower and WC as a minimum In some countries twin rooms may comprise what appears to be one bed but having a double base and headboard with separate mattresses and duvet or bedding. A three bedded room is often a twin room with an extra bed added.
Single Rooms
The number of single rooms is limited and on Continental tours, there is a supplementary charge as shown on individual tour details Single rooms are often smaller and not as well situated as other rooms and it therefore advantageous to share with another person.
Holiday Cancellation
In certain circumstances we may have to cancel your holiday. The operation of the holidays in this brochure is subject to a minimum number of persons booking on each holiday. If we have to cancel your holiday we will return to you all the money you have paid to us and compensation in accordance with the scale set out in Section 11/12 of our Trading Charter may be applicable.
Important Notice
Unfortunately, it is inevitable that some of the prices or details contained within our brochure may have changed since it was printed We also reserve the right to correct errors at any time prior to the price being confirmed at the time of booking When you book your holiday you will be informed of any changes to any of the relevant details within our brochure which have occurred prior to you making your booking.
Updated 04/12/09
