1. Your Contract
When you book your journey/holiday the terms set out below form the basis of the contract between Venice Simplon-Orient-Express Limited (“the Company”) and you and your party. Unless otherwise specified the terms set out below apply to individual bookings and additional terms are applicable to groups of 10 or more. The contract is concluded only when the Company confirms your booking. The person who makes the booking is responsible on behalf of everyone included in the booking.

2. Your Ticket's Conditions
Passengers and their luggage are carried on services subject to the Company’s current Conditions of Carriage of Passengers and their Luggage. Carriage by rail, air, river, canal, road or sea services operated by other carrier(s) is subject to the terms and conditions of the carrier with which you travel, including the Conditions of Carriage of
Passengers and their Luggage of the carrier(s). Conditions of Carriage are subject to international conventions and agreements as well as to any applicable law. Any ticket issued for or used on such other transport shall be issued by the Company as agent only for the carrier(s) concerned.

Tickets issued on behalf of the following carriers are subject to the Carrier’s Conditions of Carriage:
- for travel on the Eastern & Oriental Express as agent for Eastern & Oriental Express Limited.
- for travel on the Road To Mandalay as agent for Myanmar Hotels and Cruises Ltd.
- for travel on Afloat in France boats on behalf of Croisieres Orex S.A.S.
- for travel on The Royal Scotsman on behalf of Great Scottish & Western Railway Company

Copies of all Conditions of Carriage applicable to your journey/holiday are available for inspection at:-
i) the Company’s Reservation Office ii) through the travel agent where you book iii) on http://www.orient-express.com/. You will be required to indicate your acceptance of such conditions before booking your journey/holiday.

3. How to Book

Our tour consultants will be pleased to discuss your requirements and make a provisional reservation for you. To confirm, please complete the booking form and send it to our office with a 15% deposit (for Istanbul and Afloat in France bookings a 25% deposit is required). Full payment is required for bookings made with 56 days (90 days in the case of Afloat in France private charters) of departure. Completion of the booking form requires that you accept the Booking Terms & Conditions as set out in this brochure. Alternatively you may take the completed form to your travel agent.

On receipt of the booking form and deposit/full payment, we will confirm your reservation in writing to the address you supply. If you make your reservation through a travel agent, all correspondence will be sent to him/her. Any money paid by you to a travel agent in respect of a booking with the Company and held by the agent is held on behalf of the company.

NOTE THAT HOTELS AND FLIGHTS CANNOT BE REQUESTED UNTIL A BOOKING FORM AND DEPOSIT IS RECEIVED AND ARE SUBJECT TO AVAILABILITY AT THAT TIME.

The final balance is due 56 days prior to departure. Failure to remit at this time may subject your booking to cancellation by the Company and fees as set out in Booking Condition 5 will be charged.

YOUR FINANCIAL PROTECTION

When you buy an ATOL protected air holiday package from Venice Simplon-Orient-Express Ltd you will receive a Confirmation Invoice from us (or via our authorised agent through which you booked) confirming your arrangements and your protection under our Air Travel Organiser’s Licence number 3141.

In the unlikely event of our insolvency, the CAA will ensure that you are not stranded abroad and will arrange to refund any money you have paid to us for an advance booking. For further information visit the ATOL website at www.atol.org.uk.

NOTE: Not all holiday or travel services offered and sold by us will be protected by the ATOL Scheme. Please ask us to confirm what protection may apply to your booking. 

4. If You Change or Cancel Your Booking
The company will do its best to make any changes that you may request after your confirmation has been issued.
If an amendment or cancellation by you or any member of your party is necessary, this must be confirmed in writing and a fee is payable by you to the Company, on the following scale

Notification of a cancellation to a confirmed booking will be valid only if made in writing to the Company’s Head Office and signed by the person who made the booking or your travel agent on your behalf. The company reserves the right, in its absolute discretion, to request notification of consent from each member of the party in respect of whom the cancellation is made.

No cancellation fee will be payable where cancellation is due to an increase in the total price of your journey/holiday provided that such cancellation is made within seven days of receiving notification of the increase from the Company.

5. Changes or Cancellations by the Company
Arrangements for journey/holidays are made many months in advance and changes may have to be made to brochured itineraries, for example, a change of flight schedule. Any change will be notified to you at time of booking or as soon as is reasonably possible.

Occasionally circumstances occur that involve either a major change or cancellation of an itinerary. For the purposes of these Booking Conditions these are as follows: -
i) a change of departure date, point, time or return time by more than five hours
ii) a portion of the journey/holiday is not available for reasons beyond the control of the Company and/or of any carrier or supplier
iii) an insufficient number of bookings has been taken
iv) security risks
v) industrial action

If after your reservation has been confirmed but before departure, a major change to your itinerary becomes necessary there are various options available to you.
i) accept the changes as given to you
ii) accept the same journey/holiday on an alternative date or accept an alternative journey/holiday with the appropriate adjustment to your invoice (subject to availability)
iii) cancel your reservation and receive a full refund. (In the case of industrial action, which affects only part of the
journey/holiday, you may not choose this option.)

The Company does not guarantee and will not be liable in respect of changes or delays to departures or arrivals where such changes or delays are reasonably required or beyond the control of the Company and/or of any carrier or supplier.

If after departure, a major change occurs the company will use its best endeavours to make suitable alternative arrangements at no cost to you. If this is not possible or if you choose not to accept the alternative arrangements made, the Company will, where appropriate, provide transport back to the place of departure or to
such place as can be agreed. The company will not accept any liability for any changes or delays which become reasonably or sensibly necessary or which occur as a result of industrial action or any other circumstances unforeseeable or beyond the control of the Company and/or of any supplier or carrier.

In the UK a minimum of 40 passengers is required to operate any Pullman or Northern Belle excursion. In addition for sporting events, in the case of cancellation of the event, the Company will charge you with all committed expenses and may, at its discretion, refund a proportion of the fare.

6. Surcharges

The prices shown in the Company’s brochures and on its website www.orient-express.com are based on known costs and exchange rates at time of being published and the Company does not expect to have to make changes.

The company guarantees that once your reservation is confirmed that no surcharges will be imposed, except where there is an unforeseen increase in national or local taxation, or adverse fluctuation in currency exchange rates affecting the cost structure of your journey/holiday. Such surcharge will not be applicable to any bookings where the full balance has been paid.

In the unlikely circumstance that a surcharge is necessary the Company will inform you or your agent in writing as soon as possible of any proposed increase. Providing the Company is notified within seven days of receiving notice of such increase, you may choose to cancel the journey/holiday with full and immediate refund of any monies already paid.

7. Company Commitment
The Company accepts responsibility for ensuring that all elements of the journey/holiday it is contractually obliged to provide are as described in its brochures or on its website www.orient-express.com and are of a reasonable standard. However circumstances may subsequently change and in the event of any significant or long-term changes you will be informed of these at time of booking or as soon as reasonably possible.

The Company also accepts responsibility for any personal injury, illness or death affecting you, or any person included in the booking, caused by the negligence of its employees, agents or suppliers subcontracted by it to provide any part of the confirmed arrangements provided that:-
i) such agents or suppliers or employees were acting within the scope of or in the course of their employment when the incident occurred
ii) you notify the Company of any claim within 28 days of completion of the journey/holiday
iii) you agree to assign to the Company any rights against a supplier or any person that you may have relating to the claim and agree to co-operate fully with the Company.
iv) the Company’s liability in respect of any rail, air, river, canal, road or sea carrier is restricted by the appropriate ticket conditions (see Booking Condition 2).

The Company does not accept responsibility for any loss or damage suffered as a result of any event beyond its control or the control of the relevant agent or carrier or supplier.

8. Insurance For UK Residents Only

Venice Simplon-Orient-Express Limited strongly recommends that you and your party take out adequate travel insurance to cover a minimum of injury, illness, loss of effects or luggage and holiday cancellation.
Should you decide not to take out insurance, Venice Simplon-Orient-Express Limited will not be held responsible for any losses incurred as a result.

9. Transferability of Bookings

If you or any member of your party is prevented from travelling for any unavoidable reason, you may transfer your reservation to another party. This is subject only to giving reasonable written notice and settling any outstanding balance of the journey/holiday price that may include additional costs incurred to make the transfer.

10. Travel Documents
Travel Documents, which are valid only for the passenger(s) named, will be issued after receipt by the Company of full payment for your reservation and not normally later than seven days prior to departure. Please take your confirmation of booking with you on departure.

11. Luggage
You should ensure that you, or any member of your party, do not carry any substances or articles, which are dangerous, may cause damage or inconvenience to other passengers or their luggage, or are prohibited in any of the countries through which your luggage is carried.

All luggage is carried at your own risk and the Company accepts no liability for any loss of, damage to or delay to such luggage unless through its own wrongful act or wilful neglect or that of its employees, agents or suppliers sub-contracted by it to provide any part of the arrangements detailed in the brochure or on its website www.orient-express.com. The Company’s liability shall, in any event, be restricted to US$3,750 per passenger.

12. Steam Haulage
Where steam traction is advertised, every effort will be made to operate using steam traction for all or part of the journey. It is possible that diesel or electric traction may have to be substituted at short notice because of mechanical breakdown, engineering works or for reasons of fire risk in excessively dry weather. In this event a refund of the difference between the fare for steam traction and the fare for conventional traction, if any, may be payable.

13. Complaints
If you have a problem or complaint during your journey/holiday please bring it to the attention of the management immediately, so that they have the opportunity to put it right. Any further cause for complaint should be put in writing and brought to the attention of the Company at its Head Office, within 28 days of the completion of your journey/holiday.

14. Promotions
Tickets for travel on any Orient-Express Trains or Cruise product or for any travel documents relating thereto shall not be used for any promotional or advertising purposes without the prior written consent of the Company.

15. Web Site Accuracy

Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of descriptions and information contained on the web site. However, circumstances may subsequently change and in the event of any significant or long-term changes you will be informed of these at the time of booking or as soon as reasonably possible if there is time before your departure.

Orient-Express is a trademark of SNCF protected globally and held under exclusive and other licences by Orient-Express Hotels Ltd and its subsidiaries.
© Venice Simplon-Orient-Express Ltd whose registered and head office is at: 20 Upper Ground, London SE1 9PF
Tel: (020) 7921 4000 Fax: (020) 7921 4708
Registered in England No 1551659


This web site is Copyright Venice Simplon-Orient-Express Ltd 2008