Booking & Passage Terms & Conditions 

Introduction

These are the terms and conditions under which you book your cruise holiday and travel on any P&O Cruises product we sell you. You are bound by these terms and conditions, so it is important that you read them carefully.

P&O Cruises/We/Our/Us means Carnival plc. You are entering into this contract with Carnival plc trading as P&O Cruises, ARBN 107 998 443. 

Certain laws such as the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth) and any applicable state based consumer legislation (from here known as ‘consumer laws’), are in place for your protection. They are designed to ensure our services are provided with due care and skill and are reasonably fit for a cruise holiday. These ‘Terms & Conditions’ do not alter any protection given to you by consumer laws.

Bookings

Each cabin booked represents an individual booking and can accommodate between one (1) and four (4) passengers, depending on the cabin configuration. Each booking will be allocated a unique booking number.

Your agreement with us

When you first make a payment towards your cruise holiday, you represent that you have the authority from all passengers on your booking(s), to accept our ‘Terms & Conditions’ on their behalf. Parents/Legal guardians accept the ‘Terms & Conditions’ on behalf of their children, including those who travel in a separate cabin. Once we have received a payment on a booking, an agreement on these ‘Terms & Conditions’ becomes effective between all passengers on the booking(s) and Carnival plc.

Payments

Once you have decided on your holiday, we will need a deposit to secure your booking. It is essential that deposits are received by us within three (3) days from when the booking is made. If payment is not received within this time, your booking will be automatically cancelled.

It is essential that you make final payment by the due date and in accordance with the type of fare you have purchased.  If payment is not received by the due date, bookings will be automatically cancelled and our ‘Cancellation & Refunds’ policy will apply. From time to time, we may release promotional fares that have different payment conditions. Please ensure you check the payment conditions at time of booking.

If you are making a booking within the ‘Final Payment Due’ period of your selected cruise, full payment is required at the time of booking.

Travel insurance

We strongly recommend you purchase appropriate international travel insurance at the time you pay your deposit. If you do not purchase travel insurance, you may not be able to recover cancellation charges, medical costs, repatriation and other expenses that may arise if things do not go according to plan.

Cancellation & refunds

Although we would love to see you onboard, we understand that plans can change.  Should you need to cancel your booking, we ask that you notify your Travel Agent or our Cruise Contact Centre at your earliest convenience. The refunds or cancellation charges that will be payable depend on the amount of notice you give us, as follows:

Please note, promotional fares may have different cancellation and refund conditions. Please ensure you check these at time of booking.

Changing your cruise holiday

We understand that on occasion you may need to change to a different cruise. When this happens, the following policy will apply:

Once you have used your ‘one free change’, Cancellation Charges, as per our ‘Cancellation & Refunds’ policy, will apply for any other amendments.

Your fare

Your fare is determined by the fare type, the number of passengers in your cabin, its location on the ship, the amenities offered, port charges, government taxes and any applicable airfares including taxes and fees. Child fares, where available, only apply when children are the third (3rd) or fourth (4th) passenger in a cabin and are aged under 13 years.

Fare changes

Once booked, your fare is only subject to any increased taxes. You will be notified of this before it is added to your fare or to your onboard account.

Sometimes we will release promotional fares. These can be offered and withdrawn at any time. If after booking you decide to change to one of these promotional fares, you may need to cancel your existing booking and our ‘Cancellation & Refunds’ policy will then apply.

Cabin Changes

When making a booking with a specific cabin number, please advise us or your Travel Agent if you do not want your cabin changed. This means that you would not be offered a complimentary upgrade to a higher priced category, if one was to become available. Please note that your cabin can still be changed for operational reasons, including when the number of people booked in the cabin is less that the number of beds in the cabin.

In addition, when a booking is made and a specific cabin number is not selected (known as a ‘Guarantee’), the cabin will be allocated at our discretion in the category booked, or a higher priced category, at a later date.

Fuel supplement

We may elect to impose a fuel supplement at any time, in which case any additional fees will apply to new bookings only. The total price quoted to you at the time of booking will be inclusive of any applicable fuel supplement.

Booking changes

Once you have made your booking, please check your invoice, ‘Cruise Personaliser’, or with your Travel Agent to ensure the details are correct. Should you need to make changes to your booking (spelling corrections or to replace a passenger*), no administration fees will apply. Please note however, that additional fees charged by airlines for any changes will be passed on to the passengers.

*One original passenger from the booking must always remain in the cabin. If all original passengers cancel / are replaced, the booking will be subject to applicable cancellation charges. If a cancelling passenger was the only person that qualified the booking for a promotional fare (eg. past passenger fare), additional and remaining passengers will no longer be entitled to this promotional fare. The booking will revert to a different fare and the remaining passengers will need to pay the difference in cost, if any. Changes can only be made up to 72 hours before departure.

Pregnancy

Passengers who are pregnant during their cruise are required to supply a physicians ‘fit to travel’ note, including your estimated due date, prior to embarkation. We are unable to accept any passengers who will have entered their 24^th week or later of pregnancy, by the end of the cruise.

Minimum age to travel

To ensure there is suitable supervision, there needs to be at least one passenger 18 years or older in each cabin. However, to accommodate families cruising together, children may occupy a separate cabin to their parent/legal guardian, providing one child is 16 years or over.

For cruises departing from an Australian port between 1 November and 7 January, any passenger under 19 years of age on the day they board the cruise, must travel in the same cabin as a responsible adult 19 years or older. In addition, from 8 January to 31 January, there is a limit on the number of passengers under 19 years of age who can travel unaccompanied. Once the limit is reached, a responsible adult 19 years or older must travel in the same cabin. We can advise you at the time of booking whether the limit applies to your booking. The responsible adult is accountable for passengers under 19 years of age in their cabin for the duration of the cruise, and the ‘Rights of the Captain’ will be applied to anyone who displays disruptive behaviour.

We welcome children 12 months and over to cruise with us. We are unable to accommodate infants under 12 months due to limited neo-natal facilities onboard and at ports of call. In addition, children under three (3) years must remain with their parent/legal guardian at all times.

Children & Teenagers

For the safety and enjoyment of all onboard, there are limits on the number of children and teenagers that can be carried within different age groups. The age of the passenger on the day they board the cruise, is the age we use for the entire holiday. We can advise you at the time of booking whether we are able to accept bookings for children on the cruise you have chosen. 

Parents/Legal guardians are responsible for children and teenagers at all times. If a child or teenager displays dangerous or disruptive behaviour, the ‘Rights of the Captain’ will be applied to both parent/legal guardian and child/teenager.

Children’s access to pools and spas may be restricted and adult supervision is required.

Children's Centres

Children less than three (3) years of age are welcome to use the Children’s Centre facilities under the direct supervision of their parent/legal guardian. To attend the Children’s Centres without a parent/legal guardian, children need to be three (3) years of age or over and toilet trained.

Use of the Children’s Centres requires daily registration and entry is on a first-come-first-served basis as places are limited. Group child minding for children 3-12 years is available between 10.30pm and 1am only for a fee.

Requirements to Travel

Passports, visas, vaccinations and other travel documentation are your responsibility.  

Without the necessary passport, visas and/or vaccinations, local authorities may deny you boarding, prevent you from going ashore, issue a fine or deny the ship entry into the port. It is also your responsibility to ensure you have all the necessary documentation which permits you to travel. If you do not have all the necessary documentation, you may be denied boarding and no refunds will be given.

For international cruises (cruises that visit a foreign port), passports are required for all passengers and must be valid for a minimum of six (6) months beyond the date of the cruise return. In addition, travel on our cruises will not revalidate an Australian or New Zealand re-entry visa.

For domestic cruises (cruises that do not visit a foreign port), a valid passport or government issued photo identification is required (Queensland Proof of Age cards will not be accepted). For Australian passengers, a current Medicare card can be used for passengers under 18 years of age. For New Zealand passengers, an original or certified copy of the child’s birth certificate or a school pass with photo will be accepted.

Illicit items

To ensure a safe and enjoyable holiday for all our passengers, it will be necessary for our staff and other parties, such as port and government agencies, to search you and your luggage. You agree to allow such searches. We can deny boarding or disembark any person in possession of any weapons or illicit substances. You must contact us within 3 days of disembarking to claim confiscated items which may be returned to you if appropriate. If you do not contact us within this time your item may be destroyed.

Alcohol & Gambling

We are committed to the responsible service of alcohol. There may be times when we consider it appropriate to refuse the service of alcohol to a passenger for any reason. Passengers must be 18 years or over to purchase or consume alcohol, or gamble onboard. Government issued photo identification may be requested (Queensland Proof of Age cards will not be accepted). Any alcohol purchased ashore will be collected at the gangway for safe keeping and will be returned to you on the last day of your cruise.

Your Health

We care about the health and safety of our passengers. To assist, please advise us at the time of booking if you have any condition that requires medical attention, medication or special treatment. If you have a medical condition, we may ask you to complete a health questionnaire.

If a passenger has a condition that we decide may seriously affect the enjoyment, health or safety of themselves or any other person onboard, we can refuse or cancel a booking, where necessary. We will give reasonable consideration when reaching this decision and will advise you as soon as possible. As long as you have provided us with a completed health questionnaire with all relevant information about the condition, you will be entitled to a full refund if we cancel your booking on the basis of this condition.

Onboard Medical Centre

Each ship has a Medical Centre that is staffed by registered doctors and nurses, who are available during scheduled clinic times to provide medical care for everyone onboard.  They are also available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for medical emergencies. Our Medical Centre is only for medical needs arising onboard and cannot cater for treatments that you know you will require while on holiday.

We are not a healthcare provider and may not be held liable for the sickness, injury or death of any passenger arising from any advice, treatment, care, services or any omission by medical staff. These medical providers exercise their own medical judgement and expertise.

Onboard Medical Charges

All cruises on our ships are outside the scope of Australian Medicare, New Zealand Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) and private health insurance. Consultations, treatments and medication are charged at private rates and must be paid by you and claimed through your travel insurance.

Other Service Providers

While we specialise in cruising holidays, you may choose to book other services with us such as flights and Shore Tours. We can assist you in making these arrangements; however, we act only as a booking agent. The service providers are solely responsible for the information and service offered and their conditions will apply. Although our responsibility is onboard the ship, where we arrange these services for you, we will assist in addressing any concerns you may have.
 
Any arrangements made with other service providers by or for you are your responsibility and entirely at your own risk.

Ship & Itinerary Changes

We will do everything we reasonably can to make sure everything goes according to plan; however, sometimes changes can happen that may affect your holiday experience. This could include weather, mechanical difficulties, civil unrest or any other unforeseen circumstances.

In addition, we may charter all or part of the ship, or remove the ship from service where this becomes necessary. We may change the itinerary, ship or cancel the cruise due to operational or commercial requirements.

We will notify you of these changes as soon as we can. Where we cancel a cruise or make a significant change to the ports in your itinerary prior to departure, you will have the choice of:

1. the new itinerary;
2. transferring all monies paid to an alternative cruise of comparable standard, if available; or
3. cancelling the cruise for a full refund of your fare paid.

Once your cruise has commenced, if we are required to change the itinerary or cancel the cruise due to safety, maritime law, severe weather or to protect human life or health, we are not required to provide any compensation unless consumer laws provide otherwise. With this in mind, please do not make any important arrangements or meetings based on the proposed itinerary.

Rights of the Captain

If a passenger seriously affects the safety, well-being or enjoyment of themselves or any other person onboard, the Captain has the right to confine, sedate or disembark the passenger. In such cases, we are not responsible for any expenses including your return home. In addition, you will not be entitled to any refunds. While the Captain will always act reasonably in these circumstances, you accept that the safety, well-being and enjoyment of everyone onboard, comes first.

Leaving the cruise early

If you are required, or choose, to leave the cruise for any reason (unless caused by our proven negligence or failure to provide services with due care and skill and that are reasonably fit for purpose), we are not responsible for any expenses, including your return home. This also applies if you do not return to the ship in time for sailing after a port visit. If we assist with any costs, you will need to repay us on your return. In addition, you will not be entitled to any refunds.

Legal Matters

In the unlikely event you have reason to take legal action, you agree to use all reasonable efforts to bring the issue to our attention as soon as possible.

This contract is governed by the laws in force in New South Wales. You agree that any action you bring against us will be brought in New South Wales.

If you have a claim against us, you agree only to bring action against us and not any of our related bodies corporate as defined in the Corporations Act 2001(Cth).

Where consumer laws and other laws permit us to exclude our liability, we will not be liable for:    

• loss of, or damage to, any luggage or other belongings
• sickness, injury or death, unless caused by our proven negligence or failure to provide services with due care and skill and that are reasonably fit for purpose.

In addition, our liability will be reduced in proportion to any negligence or fault on your part.

Privacy

Privacy laws safeguard your personal details.

Personal Information

During the booking process and your cruise holiday, we ask for information about you. We collect this information so you receive the highest level of personalised service. After your holiday, your information is stored so we can inform you of any special offers, or obtain feedback. If you do not wish to receive such offers or be contacted to provide feedback, please let us know. We may also be required to pass your information on to various third parties such as immigration officials, service providers and insurers.

If you consult the medical staff onboard, any information shared with them may be made available to relevant people within our own organisation and also externally to medical specialists, insurance providers and our professional advisors.

Security Cameras

For the safety and security of our passengers and crew, we use Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) to monitor and record public areas onboard all our ships. If necessary, this footage may be viewed by our own personnel, advisors and external parties with a relevant interest. We are not responsible for any consequences arising from the viewing or other use of this footage.

If you would like to access your personal information or obtain a copy of our Privacy Policy, please contact us on:

Email: privacy@pocruises.com.au
Post: PO Box 2006
North Sydney NSW 2059

Alternatively, our Privacy statement can be found online at pocruises.com.au/privacy.

Shore Tours

Conditions

In selling tickets (including coupons or vouchers) or otherwise promoting or making arrangements for Shore Tours – whether for air, land or local water transportation; tours; sports or any other recreational activities; shore accommodations or meals or for any service, facility or activity other than on board P&O Cruise ships, P&O Cruises acts only as agent for the independent Tour Operator supplying those tours or services. Participation by a passenger in Shore Tours is conditional upon the passenger’s acceptance of the Terms and Conditions set forth in your Cruise Ticket, the Shore Tours Ticket and, depending on the activity, other documents which, among other things, expressly release P&O Cruises from any liability for such participation. Participation may also be subject to the independent Tour Operators’ own Terms and Conditions. Certain tours (such as snorkelling, biking, diving etc) are active tours and you should be aware that by participating in these activities you will be involved in a higher level of physical exertion or activity. You should only book and participate in those tours if you are confident that you are in good physical and mental condition. You should refrain from taking those tours if you have a history of seizures, dizziness, fainting, a heart condition, respiratory problems, or if you are taking a medication that carries a warning about possible impairment of physical or mental abilities. It is your responsibility to ensure that you are fit and well enough to participate in the tour you have booked.

Tour timings

Departure times for each tour will be listed on the Tour Order Form, which you will receive on board. These have been published according to information from our agents, but are subject to change should the vessel’s arrival time at any port be delayed, or the itinerary for any particular tour be amended. Prior to arrival at each port of call, the departure times of each tour will be confirmed in the on board newsletter. Please note that the time shown will be the time the last tour vehicle leaves the pier. Passengers are requested to report to the specified departure location (either on board the ship or dock-side) at or prior to the designated time, to avoid inconveniencing fellow passengers and/or missing the tour.

Tours with limited participation

Shore Tours may be purchased on board the ship on a first-come, first-served basis. Many of our tours have limited capacity and Tour Order Forms will be processed in the order received. When tours are fully subscribed, additional requests will be placed on a waiting list in the order received.

Personal possessions

Be careful that you do not leave your possessions unattended at any time in the car or coach in which you are travelling.

Prices

The prices for the Shore Tours are in Australian dollars and are subject to change without notice. Prices include any meals, refreshments, guides and entrance fees described in the tour information unless otherwise stated. Children’s prices only apply to those aged up to and including 12 years of age, infants under 2 years of age will be carried free of charge, subject to them not occupying a seat during the trip.

Refunds

No refunds can be made on any ticket, coupon or voucher unless notice of cancellation is given up to 24 hours prior to arriving in the port in which your tour operates. In the event of any tour being cancelled for reasons beyond our control, a full refund will be made. However, should any tour have to be abandoned through force majeure or difficulties en route, the best possible refund will be arranged according to the circumstances. All Shore Tours require a minimum participation number. If this is not reached, then the tour may be cancelled. In this event, another tour option may be offered; otherwise a full refund will be given.

Transportation

Passengers should appreciate that standards of transport vary considerably throughout the world. Air-conditioned coaches are not available in many areas and in some; local buses are the best available transportation. Cars or taxis are also used at some ports where coach or bus transportation is not available or limited.  Passengers wishing to travel with friends should all leave the ship together, as this will help the tour staff to allocate them space in the same vehicle. For the comfort of all passengers, smoking is prohibited on board all sightseeing vehicles.

Vehicle hire and driving overseas

Before hiring cars, motorbikes or mopeds at any of the ports of call, we ask you to carefully consider your own driving experience and skills in the context of the traffic conditions and driving standards that you are likely to encounter. In addition to making sure that you are correctly licensed and insured to drive a vehicle, you should also satisfy yourself regarding the condition of the vehicle to be hired and standards to which it has been maintained.

Withdrawal of tours

The Tour Operator reserves the right to withdraw any tour through lack of demand and to make any alterations that they may deem advisable for the comfort of the passengers, bearing in mind the convenience and best interest of each group.

Special request

We ask you not to take plastic bags ashore and to please bring your rubbish back on board to be disposed of thoughtfully. Eco friendly reusable P&O Cruises bags are available for purchase in the shops on board and from the Aqua Hut for a nominal charge.