Cruises - Azores Cruise Club

208
A-Z Guide
Check-in
For Your Flight We recommend you check-in two hours before your scheduled departure
time. For flights over seven hours, it’s three hours before. Regardless of the length of your
flight, you need to have completed check-in an hour before departure. If we think you may be
under the influence of alcohol or pose a threat to passengers or crew, you won’t be able to fly.
The same applies if you smoke, use insulting or abusive words before or after you board.
If that happens, we won’t be responsible for your holiday arrangements and we won’t give
you a refund, pay compensation, or cover any other costs. We may even seek compensation
from you for any loss caused by your behaviour. This includes having to divert the plane.
It’s also a criminal offence to cause disruption on board, so you may be prosecuted.
Airlines may also share details about your behaviour with other airlines, which could
affect your future trips.
For Your Accommodation
Check-in time is usually 3pm to 4pm. Depending on when your flight arrives, you may miss a
meal if you’ve booked All Inclusive, Half or Full Board. If your flight arrives at night, or in the
early hours of the morning, your room will be ready when you arrive and this is classed as the
first night of your holiday.
For Your Ship
You’ll be able to check in and board the ship as soon as your coach from the airport or hotel
arrives in the port. Your cabin will be ready for you. If you’ve opted for a ‘cruise-only’ holiday,
it means you’ve just booked the cruise part with us and you’ll need to organise your own
flights and transfers from the airport to the ship. The last check-in is an hour before the
sailing time shown in your ticket wallet or on your booking confirmation.
For cruises departing from the UK you can check in at the Cruise terminal between 1pm and
3pm and board thereafter.
See Onboard Accounts for more details on checking in.
Check-out
For Your Accommodation
On the last day of your holiday, you’ll usually have to leave your room by mid-morning or
noon. You may be able to keep your accommodation for longer, but there could be a charge.
Depending on the time of your flight, you may miss a meal at your hotel. Also, you might not
be able to use some of the facilities or take advantage of the full All Inclusive package.
If your flight leaves on or after midnight, you’ll have to check out of your hotel room by
midday the previous day. There’ll usually be a courtesy room or apartment available for you
where you can change and leave your bags until it’s time to leave. You can pay for a late
check–out room, which are normally available until 6pm that evening. The hotel will allocate
them on a first–come, first-served basis. You may be able to stay in the room you’ve had
during your holiday, but you may have to move to another. The rooms will only be for you
and your group to use, and will have beds and a private bathroom. Late check–out only
covers the use of your room.
For Your Cruise
You need to leave your luggage outside your cabin the night before you leave – by 2am.
On disembarkation day, you need to be ready to leave your cabin by 8am. We’ll have given
you your bill the night before so there’s no need to check out. We’ll take you to the airport
in good time for your flight home. Until then, you can stay on the ship. Courtesy cabins will
usually be available so you can freshen up before you leave, but if you want to guarantee
a cabin you can pay extra to check out later. You’ll need to book this with Reception during
your cruise.
On cruises returning to the UK disembarkation usually starts from 8am.
Child Protection
We believe we have an important role to play in protecting children’s rights everywhere.
Our child protection policy applies both in the UK and abroad. We train our resort staff to
identify situations where children may need protection and report them to the relevant
organisations. We’re signed up to the Child Protection Code www.thecode.org.
This independent organisation monitors and supports our child protection activities.
If you suspect any child is at risk on your holiday, please tell your Holiday Advisor or
call Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111. For more information, visit
http://www.thomson.co.uk/editorial/child-protection.html
Conditions Of Carriage
Certain rules and regulations apply to air and sea travel. These are set out in the
Montreal Convention for air, and the Athens and London Conventions for sea. By law we
need to give you these in ‘legal speak’ to avoid any misinterpretation. We can supply a
full copy of both if you ask us to.
Montreal Convention
This is a notice required by European Community Regulation (EC) No. 889/2002.
This notice can’t be used as a basis for a claim for compensation, nor to interpret the
provisions of the Montreal Convention or the Regulation. It doesn’t form part of the
contract between the carrier(s) and you and no representation is made as to the accuracy
of the contents of this notice.
Compensation In The Case Of Death Or Injury
There are no financial limits to the liability for passenger injury or death. For damages up
to approximately £80,000, the air carrier can’t contest claims for compensation. Above that
amount, the air carrier can defend itself against a claim by proving that it wasn’t negligent or
otherwise at fault.
Advance Payments
If a passenger is killed or injured, the air carrier must make an advance payment, to cover
immediate economic needs, within 15 days from the identification of the person entitled
to compensation. In the event of death, this advance payment shall not be less than
approximately £13,000.
Passenger Delays
In case of passenger delay, the air carrier is liable for damage unless it took all reasonable
measures to avoid the damage or it was impossible to take such measures.
The liability for passenger delay is limited to approximately £3,300.
Baggage Delays
In case of baggage delay, the air carrier is liable for damage unless it took all reasonable
measures to avoid the damage or it was impossible to take such measures.
The liability for baggage delay is limited to approximately £800.
Destruction, Loss Or Damage To Baggage
The air carrier is liable for destruction, loss or damage to baggage up to approximately £800.
In the case of checked baggage, it’s liable even if not at fault, unless the baggage was
defective. In the case of unchecked baggage, the carrier is liable only if at fault.
Higher Limits For Baggage
A passenger can benefit from a higher liability limit by making a special declaration at the
latest at check-in and by paying a supplementary fee.
Complaints On Baggage
If the baggage is damaged, delayed, lost or destroyed, the passenger must write and
complain to the air carrier as soon as possible. In the case of damage to checked baggage, the
passenger must write and complain within seven days, and, in the case of delay within 21 days,
in both cases from the date on which the baggage was placed at the passenger’s disposal.
Liability Of Contracting And Actual Carriers
If the air carrier performing the flight is not the same as the contracting air carrier,
the passenger has the right to address a complaint or to make a claim for damages against
either. If the name or code of an air carrier is indicated on the ticket, that air carrier is the
contracting air carrier.
Time Limit For Action
Any action in court to claim damages must be brought within two years from the date of
arrival of the aircraft, or from the date on which the aircraft ought to have arrived.
Basis For The Information
The basis for the rules described above is the Montreal Convention of 28 May 1999, which is
implemented in the Community by Regulation (EC) No. 2027/97 (as amended by Regulation
(EC) No. 889/2002) and national legislation of the Member States.
Athens Convention
Your cruise is subject to the terms and provisions of the Athens Convention relating to
the Carriage of Passengers and their Luggage by Sea 1974 (“the Athens Convention”)
and the London Convention of Limitation on Liability for Maritime Claims 1976 (“the London
Convention”). The Athens Convention is expressly incorporated into these Conditions and
any liability we may have for death or personal injury or for loss of or damage to luggage
arising out of carriage by sea shall be determined accordingly.
In most cases, the Athens Convention limits the carrier’s liability for death or personal injury,
or loss of – or damage to – luggage and makes special provision for valuables. It presumes
that luggage has been delivered undamaged to the passenger unless written notice is given
to us (as carrier) either
(i) in the case of obvious damage, before or at the time of leaving the ship or when the
luggage is returned to the passenger, and
(ii) in the case of damage which is not obvious or if the luggage, or part of it, is lost, within
15 days from the date of leaving the ship or from when the luggage was – or should
have been – returned to the passenger.
Any damages payable by us and/or the ship owner up to the limits provided by the Athens
Convention shall be reduced by the maximum deductible specified in Article 8.4 of that
Convention. In no circumstances shall we – or the ship owner – be liable in respect of
consequential loss and damage, detention, delay or over-carriage, howsoever caused.
Insofar as the cruise may be performed on a ship not owned by us, it is agreed that we shall
at all times nevertheless be deemed a ship owner for the purposes of the London Convention,
whether as amended or otherwise and as in force in any relevant jurisdiction from time to
time, and so entitled to limit liability there under.
Cots
There’s usually room for one cot in all our hotel rooms, but you’ll need to check with us
before you travel to make sure there’ll definitely be one available when you arrive. In some
countries you’ll need to pay a daily charge to hire a cot. If you decide to bring your own
travel cot, bear in mind there’s no extra luggage allowance for these and the airline will
charge extra if you go over your limit.
See Cruising With Children on page 206 for information on cots onboard.
Crèches
These are available at some properties but unfortunately not on our cruise ships.
At Thomson Family Resorts, NNEB, CACHE or equivalent staff look after under-threes for
two-hour sessions throughout the day. Sessions in Thomson crèches cost £9 each and you
can book them in the UK or in resort if they’re available. Plus there’s a discount when you
book three, six, nine or 12 two-hour sessions in the UK. Nine sessions or more can only be
booked on two-week holidays. At our Sensatori hotels in Sharm El Sheikh and Tenerife,
there’s a nursery for children up to four-years-old that’s available all week. You can book
full or half-day sessions for the duration of your holiday. You can expect to pay around £105
for a week’s worth of half days, and £210 for a full week. It’s best to book before you go to
make sure you get a place.
Bear in mind, wherever the crèche, if your child’s ill they won’t be accepted. Also, you’ll
need to supply your own nappies, prepared feeds and packed lunches. We can’t guarantee
standards at crèches that aren’t run by us.
Cruise Customer Service Questionnaire
The customer service questionnaire results on the itinerary pages are based on the ship’s
overall performance, not a specific itinerary.
See Your Opinion.
Customer Welfare
See Special Assistance.
D
Dance Fever
Dates and artists, as well as time slots and performances, may change.
Dance Hotels
Time slots and performances may vary.
Data Protection
When we talk about data protection, we’re actually referring to TUI UK Limited’s privacy
policy. It sets out what information we collect about you, how we collect it, and what we do
with it. The following is a UK group-wide policy so we need to include it in full here…
Information About You
Your Information
This refers to information such as your name, contact details, travel preferences and
special needs/disabilities/dietary requirements that you supply us or is supplied to us,
including any information about other persons on your booking (“your information”).
Your information is collected when you request information from us, contact us
(and vice versa) or make a booking. You are responsible for ensuring that other members
of your party are aware of the content of our Privacy Policy and consent to your acting
on their behalf in all your dealings with us.
We will update your information whenever we can to keep it current, accurate
and complete.