TERMS AND CONDITIONS:
By signing our reservation form, paying a deposit, or paying in full, you agree to all of the following terms and conditions:
INCLUDED IN EACH RAIL JOURNEY. Hotels as indicated in the itinerary • first day welcome orientation • introductions and briefing • nights onboard the GrandLuxe Express as indicated in the itinerary • farewell reception on the train • all meals as described in the brochure • non-alcoholic beverages and house wine with dinner • all excursions and other group activities as described in the brochure unless noted as having additional cost • program of lectures and presentations • qualified tour managers throughout the trip • baggage handling • gratuities to local guides, escorts and drivers • Aveda toiletries • live entertainment on train.
NOT INCLUDED IN RAIL JOURNEY PRICE. Airfare unless specifically stated in the itinerary • trip cancellation/ baggage/ accident insurance • airport or hotel transfers unless specifically stated in the itinerary • discretionary expenses such as hotel telephone, fax charges and room service • alcoholic beverages other than house wine with dinner • traditional gratuities to train staff (approximately $15- $20 per day, which equals $100-$150 per passenger for a 7-day trip, for example).
RESERVATIONS/ INITIAL DEPOSIT. To reserve your place on a GrandLuxe Rail Journeys program, please contact your travel agent or call GrandLuxe Rail Journeys toll-free at (800) 320-4206. A deposit of $500 per person, together with a signed reservation form, is required within 7 days of making your reservation; otherwise, we may cancel your reservation. GrandLuxe Rail Journeys accepts most major credit cards. Please make checks payable to GrandLuxe Rail Journeys and indicate your trip name, departure date, and reservation number. Bookings made 60 days or less prior to departure require payment within 24 hours.
FINAL PAYMENT. Final payment is due 60 days prior to departure. GrandLuxe Rail accepts most major credit cards.
CANCELLATION, REFUNDS & TRANSFER FEES. Deposits are refundable, less a $250 per person cancellation fee, until 60 days prior to departure. Less than 60 days prior to departure, no refunds can be made (including, but not limited to, additional components such as hotel nights, airfare and optional tours). “Name changes” are considered a cancellation and applicable fees and/or penalties apply. GrandLuxe Rail Journeys highly recommends travel protection for its passengers. (Purchased Travel Protection premiums are non-refundable.) GrandLuxe Rail Journeys has many contractual and financial commitments with hotel properties, transport operators, guiding services and restaurants. Due to these commitments and the costly charges that result from cancellations and/or transfers from passengers, less than 60 days prior to departure no refund can be made regardless of the reason (such as State Department Travel Warnings), or whether the booking is transferred to another tour departure. Cancellation will be based on the date that the notice is received in the GrandLuxe Rail Journeys office.
CANCELLATION BY GRANDLUXE RAIL. If a journey is cancelled by GrandLuxe Rail Journeys, all monies paid to GrandLuxe Rail Journeys will be refunded in full. GrandLuxe Rail Journeys cannot accept responsibility for any other expenses incurred in preparing for the Journey, including but not limited to non-refundable airline tickets.
TRAVEL PROTECTION. GrandLuxe Rail Journeys understands the value of your vacation investment and strongly recommends the purchase of travel protection to safeguard and enhance your experience. The GrandLuxe Rail Journeys Travel Protection Plan provided by Travel Insured provides benefits for Trip Cancellation and Interruption, Travel Delay, Medical Expenses, Baggage Loss, Baggage Delay, Emergency Medical Evacuation and 24-hour travel assistance services. You will receive a full description of benefits, terms and conditions with your Preliminary Documents Package. Please review this document carefully. If you purchase the plan within 7 days of your initial trip deposit and are medically able to travel on the date of your purchase, the Pre-Existing Condition Exclusion will be waived. We add the cost of this plan in your initial reservation. Simply pay the total to participate. If the Travel Protection Plan is not paid with payment, it will be removed from your reservation. However, you may purchase the Travel Protection at any time prior to making your final payment, but the pre-existing waiver is not valid unless insurance is paid for within 7 days of your initial deposit. The actual terms and conditions of the Travel Protection Plan supersede any descriptions in this paragraph. (Purchased Travel Protection premiums are non-refundable.)
ELIGIBILITY & MOBILITY. We consider these trips mildly physical programs, involving some walking, stair climbing and elevations over 8,000 feet. Life on the train is relaxed and casual. All members of the trip are expected to be in good health and able to either walk on own or with the assistance of a traveling companion, and enjoy traveling as part of a group. Please advise us of any special medical or dietary conditions.
ADA POLICY. The GrandLuxe Express was refurbished before the American’s with Disabilities Act; and therefore, it does not comply with ADA standards. Certain safety regulations affecting the design of the train may cause difficulty for persons with limited mobility. The carriages cannot accommodate wheelchairs or walkers. The hallways in the sleeping carriages are 24 inches wide, and doorways leading into the cabins are 18 inches wide. Wheelchairs for off train tours must be collapsible and stored in passenger’s cabin. Motorized scooters are not permitted due to limited storage availability.
LUGGAGE POLICY. GrandLuxe Rail assumes the responsibility for baggage and personal belongings only while being handled by company employees and up to a limit of $1,000 per passenger. GrandLuxe Rail is not responsible for baggage and personal belongings of passengers in all other instances including when the baggage and personal belongings are accompanying passengers while they are on tour or in hotels / lodges offered in conjunction with the train passage.
EXTREME CIRCUMSTANCES. In the event of an act of God, war (declared or undeclared), terrorism, accident, natural disaster, outbreak of disease, or other event circumstances beyond our control that contributes to or results in cancellation rates above our historical cancellation rates in the absence of such event or occurrence, GrandLuxe Rail reserves the right to issue a credit to you in lieu of a money-back refund, applicable to a future GrandLuxe Rail journey.
RESPONSIBILITY. GrandLuxe Rail Journeys acts as the principal in the operation of the GrandLuxe train but acts only as agent for the other suppliers of travel services in your itinerary (the “Suppliers”), including airlines, hotels, local transport operators, guide services, entertainers, restaurants, and operators of optional tours. GrandLuxe Rail Journeys assumes no responsibility for any personal injury, property damage, or other loss, accident, delay, inconvenience, or irregularity which may be occasioned either by reason of (1) any act or omission of any of the Suppliers; (2) any matter beyond our control including but not limited to a delay or cancellation of a flight that causes the participant to miss any portion of the trip; or (3) any defect in the train’s equipment, furnishings, or supplies, regardless of cause; or (4) the quality, nature or consequences of medical or surgical treatment. We have no special knowledge regarding the financial condition of the Suppliers, unsafe conditions, health hazards, weather hazards, or climate extremes at locations to which you may travel. For information concerning possible dangers at destinations, we recommend contacting the Travel Warnings Section of the U.S. State Department at (202) 647-5225 or www.travel.state.gov, and click on “travel warnings/consular info-sheets.” For information on passports and visas, please call the same telephone number and use the same website, clicking on “passport information” and “visas for US citizens to go to the other countries.” For medical information, we recommend contacting the Centers for Disease Control at (877) FYI-TRIP or www.cdc.gov/travel. You assume full and complete responsibility for checking and verifying any and all passport, visa, vaccination, or other entry requirements of your destination(s), and all conditions regarding health, safety, security, political stability, and labor or civil unrest at such destination(s). All such losses or expenses will have to be borne by the passenger, as tour rates provide for arrangements only for the time stated. We reserve the right to make alterations to this published itinerary, to cancel the tour prior to departure (in which case the entire payment will be refunded without further obligation on our part), and to decline to accept or to decline to retain any person as a member of the tour. No refund will be made for the unused portion of any tour. The price of the program is based on tariffs and rates in effect in April 2007 and is subject to change before you make your reservation, except that any exchange rate or fuel surcharge will be passed on to the participants. We offer refunds under this agreement with the express understanding that the receipt of that refund by a participant waives the additional remedies. You agree to indemnify, hold harmless, and defend Grandluxe Rail Journeys from and against all penalties, losses, and damages, including attorneys’ fees, arising out of your intentional or negligent act or omission. The illegality or invalidity of any provision of this Agreement shall not affect or invalidate any other provision. Any dispute arising out of or in connection with this agreement shall be determined solely by the courts in Denver, Colorado, and the participant hereby consents to the jurisdiction of said courts. All claims must be received in writing by us within 30 days after the occurrence. Any related lawsuit must be commenced within one year after the claim arises.
HEALTH CONSIDERATIONS. If you are physically challenged or require a wheelchair or other equipment, or if you have any other physical, emotional or mental condition that may require professional attention during the tour, you agree to advise us of the condition in writing, at or prior to the time your reservation is made. If you need assistance from other persons to manage the wheelchair, you must travel with someone who is able to assist you, both on land and on the train. Our decision regarding your participation and safety will be final and binding in all instances. If you are pregnant, you are required to obtain a certificate of fitness from your physician.
MISCELLANEOUS. If any participant is detained at any time because of quarantine, illness or other cause, all expense and losses incurred in connection with such detention will be for the participant’s account. Should it become necessary, in the sole judgment of the carrier, to transfer the passenger for medical reasons, the cost of such transfer will be borne by the passenger. In the interest of domestic and international security and in the interest of the convenience of other passengers, the participant consents to a reasonable search being made of the participant’s person, baggage or other property, and to the removal or confiscation of any object which may impair the safety of the tour or inconvenience other passengers, or violate the laws of any applicable authority relative to the possession and/or transportation of non-prescription narcotics, controlled substances or any other illegal commodity of any nature.
