Responsibility
Transportation of guests and baggage on Cunard is governed by the Cunard Passage Contract, a copy of which will be included with your preliminary documents and is also available upon request. The Passage Contract represents the entire agreement between Cunard and the guest. It is important that you carefully read the entire Passage Contract, as it sets out the rights and responsibilities of Cunard and the guest.
Cunard shall have the right to cancel or alter in any way any scheduled sailing or itinerary which, in its sole judgment and discretion, is justified for any reason and to do so without liability for damage or for any loss to guests. Cunard also reserves the right, in the event of a full-ship charter or for any other reason, to cancel reservations and bookings whether or not a deposit or full payment has been received. In such an event, Cunard’s only liability will be to refund to guests the amount it has received.
The guest is responsible for arriving at the respective ports on time for embarkation and for joining the vessel at its next port of call, if for any reason, a scheduled sailing is missed. Cunard reserves the right to refuse or discontinue passage to anyone when in Cunard’s sole judgment, it would be considered a risk to the guest’s own safety, well-being and health or a risk to the safety, well-being, comfort and enjoyment of any other guest or crewmember.
Deposits
A 25% deposit is required within seven days of reservation or sooner, as specified by Cunard. Staterooms are subject to cancellation if required deposit amount is not received within the specified option period.
Balance of Payment
Full payment for all voyages must be received by Cunard no later than 90 days prior to sailing. All reservations are subject to cancellation if payments are not received by the due date, and are guaranteed only when paid in full at 90 days prior to sailing. Reservations made between 89 and 31 days of sailing require full payment within 24 hours of booking. Reservations made within 30 days of sailing require full payment at time of booking.
Methods of Payment
Only U.S. dollar payments are accepted via agency check, personal check, American Express, MasterCard, Visa, Diner’s Club or Discover Card. Expenses incurred for onboard services/products by the guest or by Cunard on behalf of guests, shall be paid by guest prior to debarkation.
General Cancellation/Refund Policies
Cancellation charges for all voyages of 39 days or less:
Number of Days before travel Cancellation Fee
120 to 91 None
90 to 61 25% of full fare
60 to 31 50% of full fare
30 to 15 75% of full fare
14 days or less or non-appearance 100% of full fare
Note: Policies may vary for World Cruise Segments of 40 days or more. See the applicable World Cruise brochure for details.
The above cancellation charges apply to all travel including cruise, airfare, land arrangements and optional hotel/land extensions. If non-cruise components only are cancelled, the guest will be responsible for any cancellation charges imposed by the airlines, other transportation carriers, tour and ground operators or hotel properties.
Refunds
Before a determination regarding a refund can be made, all cruise and air documents must first be returned to: Cunard Line, 24303 Town Center Drive, Valencia, California 91355. Partial use of cruise, airfare, hotel and land extension does not qualify a guest for a refund. All refund requests pertaining to cruise, land and air are subject to final review by Cunard.
CunardCare®
We strongly recommend that all guests purchase some form of travel protection to cover the full purchase price of the voyage as well as air and/or land programme costs. We also urge you to purchase medical and emergency evacuation coverage if your health insurance does not provide coverage outside of the U.S.. For your convenience, we offer CunardCare, a package of benefits comprised of the CunardCare Cancellation Fee Waiver, the CunardCare Travel Insurance and the CunardCare Worldwide Emergency Assistance Programs. Information on CunardCare can be found by clicking here.
Baggage and Valuables
Though we take reasonable care in the handling of baggage, Cunard’s responsibility for lost, damaged or misplaced baggage and other personal property is limited by the Passage Contract. Cunard Line is not responsible for camera equipment, laptops, cash or other similarly fragile and valuable items contained in checked or unchecked baggage. These items, as well as medications and prescriptions, should be carried on and off the ships by the guests themselves. Safe-deposit boxes or in-room safes are available free of charge onboard. For your safety, all guests and all baggage must pass a security checkpoint.
Children Travelling with an Adult
Children under 18 years of age must be accompanied by an adult and must be at least six months of age to sail. No child under one year of age will be accepted as a guest on a Transatlantic Crossing or World Cruise including Segment Voyages. Private babysitting is not available.
Embarkation/Disembarkation
The ship generally will be available for embarkation four hours before the scheduled sailing time. Due to limited facilities, guests should not arrive earlier than the embarkation time noted on final documents. On disembarkation day, staterooms must be vacated at the time advised by the Hotel Manager. Once customs and immigration clearance has been completed, guests making their own air arrangements should allow three to four hours for transfer time to the airport.
Cunard Line offers optional transfers and hospitality services to the port on embarkation day. Group transfers and services use motor-coaches or minibuses; private transfers use luxury sedans for two guests or luxury club vans for four to eight guests.
Where available, hospitality services provide you with transfers from your incoming flight to a deluxe hotel at which point your luggage is transported from the hotel directly to the ship. You are free to relax and enjoy the comforts of a Cunard hospitality room and use the hotel as a base from which to explore. Call your travel professional or 1-800-7-CUNARD for more information.
Guests with Disabilities/Special Diets
Guests with disabilities are welcome aboard Cunard vessels. Due to the configuration of our ships, however, wheelchair users and individuals with sight impairments may experience some difficulties in accessing certain areas. Where any individual would be unable to be safely and comfortably accommodated, we suggest that the guest be accompanied by a companion. Some ports of call require tenders to go ashore and may preclude passengers using a wheelchair from leaving the vessel; this decision must be made by the ship’s Captain and is binding. Upon notification by a guest with a disability, Cunard Reservations will provide stateroom and bathroom doorway widths and other pertinent access limitations onboard the vessels. Cunard is pleased to permit individuals to bring service animals onboard. In order to make appropriate arrangements, notice that a guest will be travelling with an animal must be provided at the time of booking. Local laws or customs may prevent animals from disembarking at particular ports and countries. It is the guest’s obligation to obtain all documents/health certificates that may be required. Consult local customs authorities for information and requirements.
Guests with conditions requiring ongoing medical assistance may be asked to have their physician provide a confidential certification form to ensure that they may travel safely. If guests have special dietary needs, Cunard must be advised at time of booking or, at the latest, six weeks before sailing. Every effort will be made to comply with such requests.
Fuel Supplement
Cunard is currently assessing a fuel supplement of $9.00 per person, per day (up to a maximum of $300 per person). This supplement applies to new bookings made on or after 28 February 2011 for voyages departing on or after 14 April 2011.
The supplement applies to each paying guest travelling, including 3rd and 4th person fares and paid children's accommodations.
This fuel supplement amount is subject to change even after a booking is paid in full.
Updated: 28 February 2011
Optional Air Programme
The availability of the air travel programme may be limited from each gateway. Cunard reserves the right to withdraw any gateway city without prior notice. Within 21 days of departure, the air travel programme is on a request basis and may be unavailable.
Cunard reserves the right to choose the air carrier, service, routing and airport for each gateway city. Airline tickets issued by Cunard are highly restrictive and subject to cancellation and change fees. All airline tickets are the property of Cunard and must be returned to and are refundable only to Cunard. Flight schedules may require that you make connections or stops en route to your final destination or cruise departure. Charges may apply if you change or cancel your air arrangements prior to departure. An additional per-person fee of $75 for Domestic flights and $125 for International flights may be charged for air related changes beginning 75 days prior to sailing.
Some countries require guests to pay an airport departure tax which is not included on the guest air ticket. In most cases, this tax is collected at the airport upon check-in and may have to be paid in local currency. We recommend your travel professional verify any applicable tax for which the guest is to be responsible.
Air fees, taxes and surcharges include all charges related to air transportation imposed by U.S. and/or foreign governmental or quasi-governmental authorities, including airport facility charges, departure taxes, security taxes and surcharges including the September 11 Security Fee, airport service charges and government inspection fees. Air fees, taxes and surcharges vary by gateway city, routing, destination and carrier. Air fees, taxes and surcharges are estimated for each gateway city and are subject to change before receipt of final payment. Before receipt of final payment, adjustments may be made if actual air fees, taxes and surcharges are higher or lower than originally estimated.
Airline seat assignments cannot be confirmed by Cunard. We recommend that you have your travel professional contact the airlines directly for seat assignments, the addition of frequent flyer numbers to your airline record, or to request special meals. Please be advised that not all airlines provide pre reserved seats. Requests for wheelchair assistance or other special needs, such as oxygen in-flight can only be made directly with the air carrier and are the responsibility of the traveller. Not all airlines allow the use of oxygen in-flight.
It is strongly recommended that you verify both flight departure times and flight numbers at least 72 hours prior to your departure from home. Cunard is not responsible for airline schedule changes after tickets have been issued.
Services Provided by Independent Contractors
All shoreside tours & services described in this brochure, including air, transfers and shore excursions are provided by independent contractors. Cunard acts solely as the ticketing agent for all shoreside activities. Cunard shall have no obligation or liability of any kind to guests for acts or omissions in connection with or arising out of arrangements with independent contractors, including but not limited to airline carriers, ground/tour operators, hotels and onboard physicians since they are neither agents for nor employees of Cunard.
International Travel Documents & Health Information
It is the guest’s obligation to obtain and carry with him/her a valid passport, visas, parental authorisations if required, and public health documents for all applicable ports of call and overland tour destinations. Your passport must be valid for a minimum of six months past the last day of your trip. Consult your travel professional for advice on such requirements. For non-U.S. citizens or non-U.S. legal residents disembarking in a U.S. port, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security requires you to provide your address while in the United States after your cruise.
Approximately three months prior to departure, guests will be sent a visa application package and requirements for their specific itinerary from an independent visa service agency. We strongly recommend that all guests avail themselves of this service. Depending on the area of the world visited, vaccination/immunization requirements vary considerably, and are subject to change at any time. We suggest that guests travelling outside of their country of residence consider being immunized against Hepatitis A, Typhoid, Diphtheria, Polio and Tetanus. An international certificate, approved by the World Health Organization, is the best medium for verification that inoculations and vaccinations have been satisfactorily performed, and is accepted by health officials at all ports of call. We strongly recommend that all guests contact their personal physician, the Department of Public Health or the Centers for Disease Control to obtain expert medical immunization recommendations for their intended itinerary and travel plans and to specifically address Malaria and Yellow Fever requirements in time to receive any necessary vaccinations/immunizations. Any Malaria prophylaxis medication recommended must be obtained prior to joining the vessel.
Every effort has been made to ensure that the information presented is accurate at the time of posting. Ship details and other information presented are subject to change at any time, at the discretion of Cunard.