This web site is owned by Our Vacation Centre Pty Ltd ABN 54 105 176. A proud member of The Australian Federation of Travel Agents (AFTA).
Please read these Reservation Process Terms and Conditions carefully. We strongly advise you do not make a booking unless you understand and agree with all the conditions contained within. By purchasing products and services from OVC, you acknowledge and agree to be bound by these Terms and Conditions, and any Provider’s Terms and Conditions. Additionally, you agree that it is your sole responsibility to inform any traveling companion(s), guests, or the users of any product or service you purchased (“Member’s Guests”) of the contents of these Terms and Conditions and all applicable Provider Terms and Conditions and refer them to those Terms and Conditions as contained on the applicable website.
These Terms and Conditions apply to all bookings you make with our consultants (either over phone, chat or by email) or online through our websites.
Our Vacation Centre takes every care to inform you of the most up-to-date and correct information in relation to your travel requirements, though by continuing with any booking through us you accept that it is your responsibility to be familiar with travel conditions relating to individual travel products, passports/visa requirements, immigration issues, health and customs requirements.
1. Booking Conditions, Pricing, Cancellations or Amendments
- 1.1 Reservations (even when accompanied by a deposit or payment) are subject to confirmation. Where reservations cannot be confirmed, you will be offered the choice of alternative arrangements or the refund of the deposit related to that particular reservation.
- 1.2 If the cost of any service increases prior to booking due to exchange rate fluctuations, price increases, tax changes, or any other reason, you must pay the increase. We are not liable in any way if any increase occurs. Any special requests made are subject to availability and cannot be guaranteed.
- 1.3 Booking amendments are subject to availability and individual booking terms & conditions and cannot be guaranteed.
- 1.4 Any approved amendments to a confirmed booking will incur a fee, plus any cancellation or other permissible fees imposed by the supplier. You will be advised at the time of the amendment or cancellation of the fees that are applicable.
- 1.5 Amendments within certain time frames may not be accepted as per the supplier’s terms & conditions.
- 1.6 Cancellations will incur a cancellation fee which could equal up to 100% of the total travel, accommodation or service cost depending on the date of cancellation and the supplier terms and conditions.
- 1.7 If for any reason full payment is not received by the due date, we reserve the right to deem the booking cancelled, and appropriate cancellation fees as in term 1.6 above will apply.
- 1.8 Cancelled or no-show bookings will incur charges regardless of whether travel has commenced. Fees and extra charges imposed by travel, accommodation or service providers will apply where a booking is changed and/or when tickets or documents are reissued.
- 1.9 Where we incur any liability for a cancellation fee or charge for any booking which you cancel, you agree to indemnify us for the amount of that fee or charge.
- 1.9.1 When a booking is cancelled at your request we will send you confirmation of the cancellation to the e-mail address provided by you.
- 1.9.2 If you fail to cancel a booking and do not check-in in accordance with the booking made you will forfeit the amount paid for that booking.
- 1.10 Your right to a refund of any monies paid directly to the travel, accommodation, or service provider will be determined by the cancellation policy outlined in their respective Terms & Conditions.
- 1.11 Where you seek a refund for a cancelled booking for which payment has been made to the supplier, we will not provide a refund to you until we receive the funds from that supplier. All government fees, port charges, surcharges, and taxes are subject to change without notice until the final payment is made and documents have been issued.
- 1.12 We reserve the right to vary published rates in the event of changes in exchange rates or price rises made by wholesalers or other suppliers.
- 1.13 Rates quoted are per person, per couple, per cabin, per tour, per stay, per night, or per package, as appropriate to the particular offer, product, or service, and advised at time of quotation or prior to booking.
- 1.14 Items included in the prices or rates are specified within each product offer section. Prices do not include meals, airfares, government departure taxes, passport and visa charges, vaccination fees, airport taxes, any items of a personal nature such as telephone calls, beverages, laundry, excess baggage charges and gratuities, travel insurance, or other items not specified, unless stated.
- 1.15 All prices quoted for Cruise online are in United States Dollars unless otherwise stated.
- 1.15.1 Pricing may be provided in an alternative currency by self-selection which shall be converted from Australian Dollars based on the latest available exchange rate as chosen by us, and you shall be charged in Australian Dollars.
- 1.16 Our Vacation Centre sources our inventory on a global basis to find you the best prices; therefore depending on the country/source of the inventory being booked, your bank or credit card provider may treat transactions made on this website as an international transaction and therefore apply fees/charges to your account. We take no responsibility for such fees/charges.
- 1.17 Prices quoted for all products via our call centres may be provided in Australian Dollars, American Dollars or Indian Rupee depending on your place of residence.
2. How to Make Your Booking
3. Fees, Charges, Cancellation, and Changes
- 3.1 Booking Fees
- 3.1.1 The following booking fees apply to your booking when booked through our call centre and are non-refundable if your itinerary is changed or cancelled by you (subject to your rights under applicable law).
- 3.2 Amendments Fees
- 3.2.1 Where your requested changes can be met, we may charge amendment fees in United States Dollars or equivalent amount in an alternate currency.
- 3.2.2 If we are acting as agents for other Travel Suppliers, we are also entitled to charge any costs or charges imposed by the Travel Supplier.
- 3.2.3 If you or any member of your party needs to cancel your chosen arrangements once they have been confirmed, you must immediately advise us in writing. Your notice of cancellation will only be effective when it is received in writing by us. Our cancellation charges (which reflect the genuine cost to us), or the cancellation charges that are imposed by the Travel Supplier where we are acting as agent in arranging the travel services you have booked, shall apply and you will be informed of these at the time of booking. Please note that insurance premiums and amendment charges may not be refundable in the event of cancellation. This will be subject to the date of cancelation and the insurance policy terms and conditions.
- 3.2.4 Since we incur costs in cancelling your travel arrangements, you will have to pay the applicable cancellation charges up to the maximum shown in the table below:
- 3.3 Cancellation Fees
- 3.3.1 Cancellations to cruise bookings may incur a fee of up to USD $182.00 per person in addition to supplier fees. Please note that if the reason for your cancellation is covered under the terms of your insurance policy, you may be able to reclaim these charges.
- 3.4 Miscellaneous Fees
- 3.4.1 Travel booked inside of 5 days may incur a fee of up to USD $22.00 per booking due to extended processing time.
4. Payments
- 4.1 You will be required to pay a deposit or the full amount when making a booking. The amount due shall be advised either online or by your Consultant at the time of booking.
- 4.2 All deposits are fully or partially non-refundable for changes of mind or cancellations by you (subject to your rights under applicable law).
- 4.3 Final payment date shall be advised at the time of booking as this date is dependent on each supplier.
- 4.3.1 You agree that the outstanding payment is required before confirmation of the booking can be made and that it is your responsibility to pay the amount by the required date.
- 4.3.2 Reminders are not sent by us to you for any outstanding amounts.
- 4.3.3 If we do not receive all payments due (including any surcharge where applicable) in full and on time, we, or the Travel Supplier reserve the right to treat your booking as cancelled by you and cancellation charges may apply.
- 4.4 Certain bookings and services must be paid in full at the time of booking.
- 4.5 Credit card surcharges may apply when paying by credit card and will be advised at time of booking. We conduct regular reviews of our credit card fees in association with our preferred financial institution to ensure that we only pass on a “like” cost to our customers and therefore remain legally compliant. We reserve the right to change these surcharges should our card processors increase or decrease their charges to us or if additional taxes or fees become payable on these charges. A verbal credit card authority will be required upon booking if not entered online.
- 4.5.1 For countries where credit card fees are not applicable, please note that your credit card provider may apply a transaction fee subject to the Terms & Conditions of your agreement between you and them.
- 4.6 Payments by BPAY and Cheque are available to Australia and New Zealand Residents for Cruise bookings;
- 4.6.1 Please contact your consultant for BPAY reference details. Please note that BPAY takes up to 3 business days to process. If you are paying by this method you will need to make the payment at least 3 business days prior to the actual due date. You must notify your consultant of your payment once it has been made.
- 4.6.2 Please note that cheque payments (excluding bank cheques) require up to 7 business days to process. If you are paying by this method you will need to make the payment at least 7 business days prior to the actual due date. The cheque must be made payable to ‘Our Vacation Centre’. You agree not to stop payment of the cheque even if you cancel a booking. You agree that we may apply the proceeds of the cheque to satisfy any liability you have with us, including any liability in respect of cancellation fees, before refunding the balance to you.
- 4.7 Payment by bank transfer is available to Indian residents for Cruise bookings.
- 4.8 Your bookings may be cancelled if the deposit and/or final payment is not received by the required date stipulated by the supplier or Our Vacation Centre.
5. Bonds and Security Deposits
- 5.1 Bonds or credit card imprints are required by most Accommodation Suppliers at check-in to cover incidentals and fees not included in your holiday cost, or to act as a security bond.
6. Taxes
- 6.1 Port fees, and other government fees are subject to change and confirmed at the time your ticket is issued.
7. Special Requirements
- 7.1 Please liaise with your consultant or advise online (where possible) at the time of booking regarding any special requirements you may have for your travel arrangements such as special meal and seating requests, room type or disabled access.
- 7.2 Although we will endeavour to pass any reasonable requests on to the relevant supplier, we regret we cannot guarantee any specific request will be met and you agree that a failure to meet any special request will not be a breach of contract on our part.
- 7.3 Confirmation that a special request has been noted or passed on to the supplier or the inclusion of the special request on your confirmation invoice or any other documentation is not confirmation that the request will be met. Unless and until specifically confirmed, all special requests are subject to availability.
- 7.4 We regret we cannot accept any conditional bookings, i.e. any booking which is specified to be conditional on the fulfilment of a particular request. All such bookings will be treated as “standard” bookings subject to the above provisions on special requests.
- 7.5 If you or any member of your party has any medical conditions or disability which may affect your arrangements, please tell us before you confirm your booking so that we can advise as to the suitability of the chosen arrangements.
- 7.6 In any event, you must give us full details in writing at the time of booking. If we reasonably feel unable to properly accommodate the particular needs of the person concerned, we reserve the right to decline their reservation or, if full details are not given at the time of booking, cancel when we become aware of these details.
8. Frequent Flyer
- 8.1 When booking with one of our consultants, please let them know your frequent flyer membership details (or other applicable loyalty program details) for inclusion in your booking. If you are booking online, please insert these details in the space provided if applicable for inclusion in your booking. Please check your frequent flyer program (or other applicable loyalty program) for the specific terms of your membership. We cannot guarantee that the supplier will credit you with points for your booking.
9. Schedule Changes
- 9.1 Timings for cruises provided at time of booking are for general guidance only and are subject to change. The latest timings will be shown on your confirmation invoice, however the actual times will be those shown on your tickets or final booking documentation. You must accordingly check your tickets and booking documentation very carefully immediately on receipt to ensure you have the correct flight times. It is the traveller’s responsibility to contact the airline/cruise line/tour company to confirm your scheduled departure time 24 hours prior to each journey. Airlines, cruise lines and tour operators have the right to change schedules without notice. We are not always in a position to confirm the airline, aircraft type and airport of destination which will be used in connection with any flight included in your holiday prior to booking. When this information is provided at the time of booking, it is subject to change.
- 9.2 All reservations are made in accordance with current schedules. Any changes to scheduling or delays and the resulting impact on arrangements are not the responsibility of Our Vacation Centre.
10. Cruises – Specific Conditions
- 10.1 We do not provide your credit card details to any supplier and as such you will be required to provide a credit card imprint or equivalent at check-in to cover incidental charges or act as a security bond.
- 10.2 The person registering at check-in must be at least 18 years of age.
- 10.3 In addition, to eliminate identity fraud, the travel provider may ask you to provide photo ID or your Passport at check-in to ensure that your identity matches the booking identity.
- 10.4 A record and/or copy of this photo ID or Passport may be retained by the travel provider to minimise the risk of fraudulent credit card usage and for verification purposes with your credit card provider in the event of disputation.
- 10.4.1 This identification information may be supplied to us by the accommodation provider in the event of a credit card dispute.
- 10.5 Optional incidental fees and personal consumptions are never included in your booking/room rate, for example, parking charges, minibar charges, phone calls, room service, food & beverage, gala dinners, movie rentals, internet, etc.. During certain high season periods, some accommodation providers may have a compulsory gala dinner (e.g. for New Year, Christmas, Chinese New Year, etc) that is also not included in your booking/room rate.
- 10.6 Some Resorts may charge a Resort Fee for certain periods or on certain room types.
- 10.6.1 None of the extra charges or fees are included in the room rate, but will be displayed during the booking process. These charges or fees are payable at the respective accommodation provider either prior to stay, during the duration of the stay or upon checkout.
- 10.7 Accommodation ratings which will give some indication of the standard of accommodation are supplied by the individual properties.
11. Travel Insurance
- 11.1 We strongly recommend that all clients take out comprehensive travel insurance when making a booking.
- 11.2 We recommend that insurance covers loss of deposit and other monies through cancellation, loss or damage to personal baggage and loss of money, medical expenses, additional expenses to cover hotel accommodation and repatriation costs should any services need to be extended or curtailed due to illness or other insurable risk.
- 11.3 We shall not be responsible for any injuries, damages, or losses caused to any traveller. By embarking on his/her travel, the passenger voluntarily assumes all risk involved with such travel, whether expected or unexpected.
- 11.4 Please note that restrictions on the time to effect insurance apply to some services such as airfares.
- 11.4.1 As a convenience, we can assist Australian and New Zealand residents with travel insurance through our preferred provider. Please call us for more details.
- 11.4.2 We will provide you with a Financial Services Guide/Product Disclosure Statement relating to the travel insurance product you are considering purchasing and recommend that you read this document before making any decision about whether to acquire the product.
- 11.4.3 In order for us to arrange your insurance, you will need to confirm that you have read and understand the applicable Financial Services Guide/Product Disclosure Statement, and understand the limits on your cover and your duty of disclosure to the insurer.
- 11.5 Please be advised that the travel insurance you are purchasing is subject to the insurers terms and conditions.
- 11.6 Any insurance claims must be addressed directly to the insurer.
- 11.7 It is your responsibility to review the terms and conditions and PDS applicable to Travel Insurance. Please view the Travel Insurance Product Disclosure Statement PDF
- 11.8 A copy of the travel insurance policy you purchased will be provided once payment has been confirmed.
12. Modifications of the Terms and Conditions
These Terms and Conditions are subject to change without prior notice at the sole discretion of OVC.
13. No Commercial Use
OVC purchases, transactions and benefits provided may not be used for any commercial purpose, sold, bartered, or exchanged for any other consideration.
14. Provision of Information
All of the cruise and travel information including but not limited to pricing, ship ratings, itinerary information and descriptions, special offers and amenity information provided to you is based on information received from third party providers for your convenience. While OVC makes reasonable efforts to ensure that this information is accurate and complete, OVC expressly disclaims liability for inaccurate, incomplete, or misleading information.
15. Availability
All offers provided hereunder are based on availability and are not guaranteed until confirmation is received from OVC directly.
16. Limitation of Liability
OVC shall not be liable for and does not assume any liability or responsibility for any loss, damage, delay, death or injury to any person or property arising from or as a result of the acts or omissions and/or representations (whether oral or written) of the travel providers, regardless of the form of action, whether in contract, tort including negligence, strict liability, breach of warranty including implied warranties of merchantability or for a particular purpose, or otherwise. OVC’s liability for any claim arising from or as a result of the acts or omissions and/or representations (whether oral or written) will be limited to the fees paid by you to OVC for the travel purchase. In no event will OVC be liable for special, consequential, or punitive damages even if notified of the possibility of same. This limitation shall also apply to OVC’s affiliated companies, successors, assigns and agents.