BEFORE YOU BOOK!
Reviewing the following very important points is necessary to ensure the enjoyment of your cruise experience. You will be unable to continue until you have done so.
1. DOCUMENTATION FOR BOTH U.S. AND NON - U.S. CITIZENS
It is the responsibility of all Non – U.S. Citizens to check with their consulate to determine what documentation is required for them to cruise on the itinerary in question. Because these requirements vary by Country and can change at any time, neither we nor the cruise line will assume any responsibility for advising passengers what is required for foreign nationals. Requirements for U.S. Citizens will also change. We will do our best to assist, but cannot be held responsible for passengers who are denied boarding because they are unable to provide the required documentation at the port of embarkation. We often work with www.passports.com 1-800-860-8610, but are not endorsing them. We recommend that any and all participants are made aware that they alone are responsible for having the proper identification. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has mandated that cruise lines must transmit their departure manifests no later than 60 minutes prior to departure from the U.S. To comply, passenger information must be processes at least 90 minutes prior to the scheduled sailing time. Therefore, passengers must provide complete and accurate immigration details in advance of the embarkation date. This can be done online up to six days prior to sailing. The e-ticket boarding pass will serve as a receipt at check-in. Passenger who have not provided the required details in advance MUST be checked-in no later than 90 minutes prior to the scheduled departure time or they will be denied boarding.
2. PROOF OF CITIZENSHIP
Participant(s) are required to abide by the US State Department and Department of Homeland Security regulations regarding proof of citizenship. Effective June 1, 2009, all individuals traveling by sea to the Bahamas and/or the Caribbean and/or Mexico may be required to have a valid passport. Everyone (from new babies and up) will be required to have a passport when leaving and returning to the U.S. The proposed passport regulations might later set a minimum age. The U.S. Government will set a date at least 60 days prior to the date; however, because of processing time, we encourage all passengers to apply at least three months prior to departure. A lack of the proper identification will lead to denied entry to the cruise ship, and no refunds will be made.
The United States government has mandated that all passengers should pre-register for their cruise by logging on to the cruise line’s website AT LEAST 3 days prior to departure. For those guests that do not pre-register online, they MUST check in at the pier on embarkation day AT LEAST two hours prior to departure. Guests that do not check in with the proper proof of identification using the above guidelines will not be permitted to cruise; no exceptions will be made.
3. MEDICAL POLICIES & AGE RESTRICTIONS REGARDING CRUISING
Guests with medical impairments that require the use of dialysis or oxygen should contact us to discuss policies and procedures for bringing the appropriate equipment onboard. For expecting mothers, Royal Caribbean requires a “Fit to Travel” certificate from the woman’s doctor in order to board the ship. Royal Caribbean International’s specific policies regarding pregnancy and age restrictions are as follows:
A. Minors - Any Guest under the age of 18 shall be considered a minor and must travel with a parent or Legal Guardian or such other person as may be permitted by Carrier’s policies. No Guest under the age of 21 will consume any alcoholic beverages while on board the Vessel or Transport except as may be permitted by Carrier’s policy. No Guest under the age of twenty-one (21) will be booked in a stateroom unless accompanied by an adult twenty one (21) years of age or older, except for minors sailing with their parents or guardians in adjacent staterooms, or for under-aged married couples (proof of marriage is required). Carrier reserves the right to request proof of age at any time and Passenger’s age on the date of sailing determines his or her status for the entire cruise vacation.
B. Pregnancy and Infants - Any Passenger who will enter the 24th week of pregnancy by the beginning of, or at any time during their cruise, agrees not to book the cruise or board the Vessel or Transport under any circumstances. No infants under a specific age (at least six (6) months for most cruises but twelve (12) months for other cruises) shall be booked on a cruise, nor brought onboard the Vessel or Transport by any Passenger under any circumstances. The most current minimum age requirements are available online at www.royalcaribbean.com
Heatwave Celeberity Cruise and Helms Briscoe Inc. cannot be held responsible for passengers who may be denied boarding by the cruise line because they failed to comply with the specified cruise line’s requirements related to pregnancy and minimum age. If you have another type of medical condition that has not been mentioned, please inquire about policies and procedures that may affect your cruise.
4. PAYMENT SCHEDULE
Deposit: An initial Deposit amount per person will be required at the time of booking.
Final Payment: Final payment will be due in full on or before October 1, 2009 and thereafter.
All payments by check or money order are to be made payable to Helms Briscoe Cruises and mailed to:
Heatwave Celebrity Cruise
c/o Helms Briscoe, Inc
1053 Shady Lakes Circle
Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33418
The final payment amount will be based upon the final number and category of cabins reserved and shall include all prepaid port charges, departure taxes, customs fees, gratuities, cancellation charges, (if applicable) and single occupancy fees (if applicable).
Final payment will be due on or before October 1, 2009
5. CANCELLATION POLICY
The passengers acknowledge that the detriment to Royal Caribbean International upon cancellation of any spaces under this agreement is not subject to exact measure; therefore, Royal Caribbean International is entitled to retain the cancellation charges set forth herein as liquidated damages. Should any payment not be received by Heatwave Celebrity Cruise within five (5) business days after it is due, Royal Caribbean International may, upon 5 business days’ prior notification to Heatwave Celebrity Cruise of the delinquent payment, and provided Heatwave Celebrity Cruise has not thereafter remitted such payment, cancel the reservations and any and all monies previously paid by Heatwave Celebrity Cruise hereunder may be retained by Royal Caribbean International and applied against the cancellation charges; provided that the balance shall be immediately refunded to Heatwave Celebrity Cruise. Payment of less than the full amount due may be treated as cancellation of proportionate number of spaces, at Royal Caribbean International’s discretion. All monies received by Heatwave Celebrity Cruise to cover prepaid expenses (i.e. fees and gratuities) are fully refundable except as noted in the following Cancellation Policies.
Schedule of Cancellation Policy
· From February 9, 2009 until April 29, 2009
15% of the total per person cost is non-refundable for each person that is cancelled
· From April 30, 2009 until September 2, 2009
25% of the total per person cost is non-refundable for each person that is cancelled
$375 cancellation fee applies here
· From September 3, 2009 until October 31, 2009
80% of the total per person cost is non-refundable for each person cancelled
· November 1, 2009 until January 7, 2010
There will be no refund.
*Notice of all cancellations must be made in writing, via email or postal mail; these are the only acceptable methods of cancellation. All notices must be sent to Heat Wave Celebrity Cruise, c/o Helms Briscoe, Inc 1053 Shady Lakes Circle, Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33418. Unless mailing cancellation by certified or registered mail with return receipt, we suggest you follow-up with a phone call at: (561) 625-1951 to verify cancellation. In the event of cancellation by Royal Caribbean, Heatwave Celebrity Cruise shall immediately refund all amounts paid and (ii) in the event of any delay or postponement by Royal Caribbean International, Heatwave Celebrity Cruise shall have the option of canceling with a full refund.
6. NAME CHANGE POLICY
Passenger names must be submitted to Helms Briscoe Cruises no later than October 1, 2009. Royal Caribbean International will generally not assess name change charges. Royal Caribbean International does, however, reserve the right to assess a $50.00 per name change charge in the case of changes made less than 30 days prior to departure. There will be no name changes or alterations to the rooming list seven days prior to the sailing date.
7. DOCUMENT MAILING
Cruise documents should be received by our office from Royal Caribbean International no later than December 15, 2009. After reviewing these documents for accuracy they will immediately be forwarded to you via “Priority Mail” with a tracking number to ensure that you receive these documents. Should Heatwave Celebrity Cruise choose to have documents sent via another postal service, or to individual passengers, please provide an account number to Helms Briscoe in advance.
8. REGISTRATION
Once your request has been confirmed, you will receive a cabin assignment within the category requested as well as a Booking ID Number. This number will provide access to the Royal Caribbean registration site enabling you to register.
