Slides, pools and fun in the sun! - The Travel House

travel to the tour operator/airline as appropriate. You must
be able to meet the entry requirements for both your final
destinations and any stop-off points en-route.
Passengers without the correct documentation, or who
have included incorrect information with any visa
application or advanced passenger information submitted
may be refused carriage. Airlines and/or Border Control
Authorities have absolute discretion over refusals of
carriage, departure from or entry into any country. We will
hold the passenger entirely responsible in the event they
are not approved for travel or where entry to a country is
refused due to any failure to satisfy the requirements of
the Airline or Border Control Authority. Where entry is
refused, fines or other financial penalty may be imposed
on or by the airline and the passenger(s) concerned will be
required to immediately return to their country of
departure. Any passenger who travels without the
required passport/visa/other documentation is solely
responsible for and must immediately pay all fines,
surcharges, other financial penalty, costs (including the
cost of their immediate return flight) and any other sums
of any description which are incurred or imposed by the
airline or incurred by ourselves.
This will be the case regardless of whether the lack of
correct documentation is spotted at the departure airport.
We can accept no liability in this situation and no
compensation, expenses, refund or other sum will be paid
Validity - A valid passport is essential when you travel
abroad. Although your passport has been issued for 10
years (5 years for children) you should note that some
overseas countries have an immigration requirement for a
passport to remain valid for a minimum period after the
date of entry to that country (typically 6 months). If your
passport is in its final year of validity, you are advised to
check the requirements of the destination before you
make your final travel plans.
Names - At the time of booking please ensure you
supply your first name and surname, (as they appear on
your passport) as both of these must be stated on your
flight ticket. This will reduce confusion and delays at
check-in, especially when travelling to the USA. It is
anticipated that customers could face more queries and
delays as more countries introduce Advance Passenger
Information systems. You may not be able to travel and
insurance may be invalid if the name on your passport
and travel documents don’t match.
If, after booking a holiday but before travelling, any
member of your party changes their name, e.g. as a result
of getting married, we must be notified immediately so
that we can make the necessary changes to your holiday
documentation.
Children - are required to have their own passport.
Travelling with children - Single parents or other adults
travelling alone with children should be aware that some
countries (such as Portugal) 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. For further
information on exactly what will be required at immigration
please check the FCO website or contact the relevant
Embassy of the country you are travelling with.
How to contact the Passport Service - General
passport enquiries should be directed to the Identity and
Passport Service. Please visit their website -
www.ips.gov.uk or telephone - 0300 222 0000.
Apply early - If you need to apply for a passport or
renew an expired passport, you should do so well in
advance of travel and at least four weeks before. (If you
are 16 or over and have never had a passport in your own
name, you should apply for one at least six weeks before
your holiday.
The UK passport service has to confirm your identity
before issuing your first passport and will ask you to
attend an interview in order to protect your identity). Visit
www.ips.gov.uk
Advanced Passenger Information
Under the UK Government ‘e-Borders’ scheme, Tour
Operators and Airlines are required to collect biographical
information contained in the section of your passport that
can be read by machine (such as name, passport
number). We refer to this as your advance passenger
information and will pass this onto the e-Borders
programme both prior to your departure from a UK Aiport
to an overseas destinations, and on any journey to the
UK.
We are legally required to collect your advance passenger
information – for details visit the UK Border Agency
website: www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk . For some
destinations this will be obtained at the airport but for
others we will ask you to provide the information at least
7 days before you travel. Please visit our website –
www.thomascookapi.com - for information on the latest
countries where this applies. Please also carefully note
any instructions about Advanced Passenger Information
on your confirmation invoice or tickets. The UK Border
Agency, e-Borders programme is a legal direction to
which all transport carriers must comply, failure to provide
the required data may result in carriage being denied.
Important information for all passengers
travelling to the USA
USA – Entry Requirements Checklist for all
passengers:
Please read in conjunction with the information below:
•You must have a valid machine readable or biometric
passport
•You must be eligible for the Visa Waiver Programme or
apply for a visa (visit: www.usembassy.org.uk)
•Log onto website: www.thomascookapi.com and enter
your US Advanced Passenger Information. This requires
your passport details and 1st nights address in the US.
•Log onto the US official website ‘ESTA’ at
https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov. Apply for authorisation to
travel.
Please read all sections carefully to ensure you comply
with US entry requirements:
USA - Passports
British passport holders travelling to the USA (or via the
USA) are required to have either individual machinereadable
passports or biometric passports. (If you need to
check your passport we recommend you contact the UK
Passport Office). Families will be required to obtain
individual passports for each traveller including all children.
USA – Visa Waiver Programme (VWP)
If you have a machine readable or Biometric passport you
should be able to qualify for travel (of up to 90 days)
without a visa, under the Visa Waiver Programme (VWP).
That is, provided no one in your party has ever been
arrested (even if not convicted), or if suffering from a
serious communicable disease (visit:
www.usembassy.org.uk for details of all restrictions). For
passengers holding a non-British Passport, or, if you are
unsure whether you qualify for travel under the VWP
please consult the Identity & Passport Service or US
Embassy. For travellers who qualify for travel under the
VWP, see important details on obtaining travel
authorisation below.
USA – US Advanced Passenger Information
Tour Operators and Airlines are required to transmit details
of the full address of your destination accommodation
and country of residence and your passport details to the
U.S authorities prior to the departure of flights to comply
with US security requirements. You must provide the
required security information on the website:
www.thomascookapi.com, between 3 months and 7
days before departure. (This includes customers flying
with other charter airlines as well as Thomas Cook
Airlines). We recommend the lead passenger on your
booking takes responsibility for completing the information
on behalf of all other passengers on your booking). It is
important the information collected by Tour Operators and
Airlines as part of US Advanced Passenger Information is
the same as the information you have submitted under
ESTA as any differences may delay or prevent your entry
to the USA.
USA – Travel Authorisation (ESTA)
US Customs & Border Control have introduced an
Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA). The
system is web based only and requires all passengers
(including infants) travelling via or to the USA to apply for
authority to travel a minimum of 72 hours prior to travel.
You may be denied boarding or refused entry to the US if
you have not registered and obtained authorisation. To
apply visit the official website: https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov. A
charge of $14 per person (subject to change) will apply
and must be paid by either debit or credit card. It is very
important that you complete your ESTA application using
the exact address as displayed on the documentation you
receive from your Airline/Operator. (If you have booked a
flight only or the address of your accommodation is
confirmed on arrival, please use our resort office address
as stated on your holiday invoice/tickets). We will be
providing accommodation details for all passengers to the
U.S immigration authorities after you have departed to the
U.S. If there are any differences between our information
compared to what you have written on your waiver form
you may be denied entry into the USA. We recommend
that you carry your ESTA approval with you when you
travel. For additional information on travel to the US visit
http://www.usembassy.org.uk/
Currency & Money
We recommend that you carry the bulk of your spending
money in a secure form such as Travellers Cheques or the
Cashpassport. Don't forget its handy to have local
currency for when you first arrive. Major credit and debit
cards are accepted in most locations but charges vary
and are often not transparent so please check with your
card issuer before you travel.
Your accommodation
Accommodation can, at times, have a lively atmosphere,
and facilities and entertainment may vary according to the
mix and ages of guests in residence.
Official Ratings & Our Ratings - Ratings systems are
an attempt to give a guide to the overall quality of
properties. The official ratings are given by the authorities
in the country, and do tend to give a fair impression of
relative standards within that country. However, different
countries have different standards; so don’t assume that a
3-star hotel in one country is equivalent to a 3-star hotel in
another. Our universal ratings system is based on the
views taken from Customer Satisfaction Questionnaires
and of senior managers in both the UK and overseas (at
the time of publication).
Your Reviews
At Thomas Cook, the feedback we receive from
customers about our holidays is crucial in helping us
deliver the high standards you expect. Not only that, we
are so confident about the holidays featured in this
Thomas Cook brochure, that we want to share with you
the ratings which previous holidaymakers have provided
to us when completing Customer Service Questionnaires
at the end of their holiday.
We ask customers to rate various aspects of their holiday
experience as Excellent, Good, Fair or Poor. The answers
are analysed by an independent Market Research
company. Whilst individual customer feedback is treated
confidentially, we have published next to each holiday a
percentage of customers who rate their 'holiday overall',
accommodation, location and meals as good or excellent.
You may find that selected hotels/apartments do not
show this information. If so, this is due to one of the
following reasons:-
•The resort or accommodation may be new for that
season
•We may have received an unrepresentative sample of
less than 10 responses
•The nature of the hotel has changed (for example, it may
have been refurbished, it may be under new
management or it may cater for a different type of client).
We hope you find this information helpful when choosing
your holiday. Don’t forget to let us have your view! Please
complete your Customer Service Questionnaire at the end
of your holiday. Ask your representative for details.
Calidad Turistica
The ‘Q’ award for quality is an initiative
developed by the Spanish government in
conjunction with the Spanish Hotel Federation, with the
aim of achieving and maintaining consistently high
standards in tourist accommodation. Special attention is
paid to ongoing staff training programmes, so that where
holidaymakers see the ‘Q’ award mentioned they can
expect to be welcomed by staff who want to achieve the
best in customer service. Hotels taking part in the scheme
are regularly inspected and monitored by the ‘Institute for
the quality of Spanish hotels’.
Award for Excellence
As part of our ongoing commitment to listening
to our customers, we asked everybody who
travelled with us in Summer 2010 to complete a
Customer Satisfaction Questionnaire. In over 90% of
these, our customers described their holiday as either
‘good’ or ‘excellent’, and said that they would consider
travelling with us again. Your honest feedback has allowed
us to make many improvements to our programme for
Summer 2012, and we have also used your comments to
reward those hotels and apartments which have
consistently exceeded your expectations.
We asked you to rate each and every aspect of your
accommodation – from service to standards, facilities to
food – and the results have been used to highlight any
property that has excelled in these areas. Look out for the
‘Award for Excellence’ property pages throughout the
brochure for the extra reassurance that this award brings.
Please note that these awards will be reviewed at the end
of each summer season.
Travelife Awards
To further our efforts in environmental
improvement,Thomas Cook and Travelife have been
checking hotels to see how they perform in sustainability
audits. Hotels who perform well in this area receive these
coveted awards as recognition. Find out more at
www.its4travel.com. Hotels featuring the Bronze Travelife
award have reduced their impact on the environment and
treat their people fairly.The Silver Travelife award shows
that these hotels play an active part in helping the local
community and environment. The Gold Travelife award
signifies where hotels have demonstrated advanced
sustainability, encouraging others to participate, seeking
continual improvements and actively communicating their
progress.
Accommodation & Room Types
When we mention room types in our brochure, in most
cases you can expect to receive a room similar to that
described below. Please note however that whilst room
categories in different hotels may have the same or similar
names, the criteria for their classification is likely to differ,
as these are the names the hotels use and they do not
have standard definitions. Please note that we do not
always sell all room types at all hotels. The following
sections provide some additional information on
accommodation and room types.
In all types of accommodation described below, If there
are less than the maximum number of persons in your
own party, the room type may contain less than the
maximum number of beds indicated.
Hotels and Hotel Rooms - The term ‘hotel’ is used to
describe various types of accommodation and does not
necessarily distinguish between local classifications such
as ‘aparthotel’, ‘holiday village’, ‘holiday complex’.
Hotel/Motel chains - sometimes hotels change the name
of the chain through which they are marketed (e.g.
Howard Johnson). If such a change occurs at your hotel
you will only be advised if we believe it involves a
significant change in facilities or standards.
All you need to know
Room Information
• Double Rooms - a ‘Double’ is a room with a double
bed. A double bed may be two single beds with double
bedding.
• Twin Rooms - a ‘Twin’ is a room with two single beds.
• Single Rooms - a ‘Single’ or ‘Twin for sole use’ is a
room with one or two single beds.
• Rooms sleeping up to 4 people - some hotels have
rooms that sleep up to 4 people. Room layout may
consist of up to 4 separate beds or a combination of
double, twin, camp beds, sofa beds or rollaway beds. In
some hotels 3rd and 4th beds may be only suitable for a
child, but in other hotels there may be a reduction
available if 4 adults share the room (see price panel for
details). Rooms for up to 4 persons may not be any
larger than standard twin or double rooms so space is
likely to limited and the room may be cramped. Where
rooms do accept extra beds, some hotels may require
an additional local charge to be paid which can vary by
destination, please ask for details when you book. In
most cases extra beds for children are only suitable for
children aged 12 and under. Though we will do our best
to help, please note that we cannot guarantee the room
configuration or type of beds that you will be provided
with.
• Suites/Junior Suites/Villas - A Suite and Junior Suite
usually contain a lounge/living area. A Suite is likely to
contain a separate sleeping area whereas a Junior Suite
the sleeping area may not be completely separate.
Room layouts can vary by destination. Our descriptions
of Suites/Junior Suites and Villas usually state the
number of persons who can occupy the room type (e.g.
2-4 persons). Children paying less than the full cost do
not count towards occupancy of the suites/junior suites
or villas.
Studios and Apartments - It’s not unusual in some
countries (particularly those in the Mediterranean) to have
beds with concrete bases. Please also be aware that
although initially supplied, it is usual in some Greek studios
& apartments for toilet rolls not to be re-supplied.
Studios - A ‘studio’ is one room living-come-sleeping
accommodation, usually with divan/sofa beds, basic
kitchen facilities (usually two cooking rings & a fridge) & a
shower room.
Apartments - An apartment is self-contained with one or
more bedrooms with twin/double beds, basic kitchen
facilities (usually two cooking rings and fridge) and shower
room. One-bedroom apartments usually have a separate
living area, though in Greece multi-bedroom apartments
may not have a separate living area. Apartment
descriptions indicate the number of adults who can
occupy an apartment (e.g. 2-4 persons). This will not
always mean that at the time of your stay the apartment
will contain the maximum number of beds, if there is less
than the maximum number of people in your own party.
Beds in the living area may be of the folding type or sofa
beds.
Views from a balcony / terrace - If you would like a
specific view, please be aware that rooms described as
having a pool or sea view may not have a full pool or full
sea view because of plants or buildings blocking the view.
Single Supplements - If a single person occupies a
double room they will usually be asked to pay extra (a
single supplement). Hotels price their rooms as doubles
and they do not reduce the rates if they are occupied by a
single person. The costs to the hotel of providing the
room – heating, lighting, cleaning etc. are the same
regardless of how many people occupy that room.
Hotel design may mean that single rooms are smaller and
may have different facilities to standard rooms. While there
is normally a supplement for these rooms the overall cost
will usually be less than when a single person occupies a
double room.
The prices we charge reflect the costs of under
occupancy of the rooms contracted to us by the hotel, we
do not mark up these supplements.
Exclusively Adults Hotels - All of the hotels featured as
Exclusively Adults have been carefully selected specifically
with adults in mind. Most hotels therefore have a
minimum age limit of 18 years, although some hotels do
allow younger children (from 14yrs) to stay. Generally
hotels enforce age restrictions strictly, although there may
be times when younger children are accepted and may
be seen in certain areas of the hotel (for example, during
private functions, wedding receptions etc). Where age
restrictions apply or if hotels accept children but have a
designated ‘adult exclusive area’ within the hotel complex,
current details known by us will be shown in the
accommodation description but hotels policies are
subject to change.
Adult Appeal Hotels - Although not guaranteed to be
exclusive to adults, the facilities and atmosphere of these
carefully selected hotels are geared very much towards
adults. Whilst we cannot guarantee a ‘child-free’
environment, the hotels will have limited facilities and have
been specially chosen for their popularity with adult
guests. Whilst all care has been taken in the selection of
these hotels using specified information and data, there
may be guests of other tour operators and nationalities in
these hotels and we therefore cannot guarantee that there
will be no children in residence, particularly during peak
season dates and school holidays.
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