March 30, 2020
On March 25, 2020, following repeated calls from trade unions and tourism industry stakeholders, the Council of Ministers adopted a ruling to enable travel agencies and tour operators to issue credit notes to their clients, rather than a refund as stipulated in Article 211-14 of the French Tourism Code. (GlobeSailor is a company registered in France). This ruling only applies to cancellations directly related to the public health restrictions put in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic, for all cruises departing after March 1, 2020.
This ruling takes effect only if the service cannot be delivered by the boat owner or if the client, a party to the contract, is unable to go to the site of embarkation due to coronavirus-related restrictions. If the client wishes to cancel, even though it is possible for the cruise to be re-routed or to take place ordinarily, then the standard cancellation fees will still apply.
The exact duration of such credit notes is to be confirmed by each boat owner through your GlobeSailor advisor. These credit notes can only be used for the same service, with the same boat owner and the amount cannot exceed the initial amount paid by the client (unless s/he agrees to pay the difference in price). The dates of postponement, among other details, will be stipulated in the credit note issued to clients by our advisors. Any balance will be settled in accordance with the new booking terms.
All clients with cancelled departures are invited to contact their GlobeSailor advisor to reschedule cruise dates, according to booking availability. Priority will be given to clients with the nearest departure dates.
Thank you for your patience and understanding. Please take care of yourself and your family during this period of confinement.
We hope to get back to normal as soon as possible and will put all our skills and expertise to good use when facilitating your next sailing holiday with us!
March 17, 2020
Dear client,
As the COVID-19 situation evolves, stay updated by regularly consulting this blog thread.
In recent days and weeks, a number of travel restrictions and border closures have been imposed across several countries and territories. As per our previous communication, this will have a direct implication on your upcoming reservation with us.
In light of emergency legislation introduced in a number of countries (cf. Italy), our rental partners have also changed their terms of service. In the case that official government travel bans are in place in either your home country or your charter destination country, postponement of your trip (via credit note) will be facilitated instead of free cancellation. This is a contingency measure enacted to support the global tourism industry in these unprecedented times and is supported by various tourism bodies such as APST. You can view APST’s latest COVID-19 memo here.
We advise that you consult your national government’s official travel advice, much of which is changing day-to-day with the pandemic. The majority of our charter operators will be offering postponement/credit note options in the event that your trip cannot be fulfilled. In any case, rest assured that your GlobeSailor advisor will work with you to secure a credit note so that your sailing trip can take place at a future date.
March 5, 2020
We are all acutely concerned about the spread of the coronavirus. Its impact on tourism, particularly in terms of the prevailing climate of anxiety and uncertainty, is very worrying. In this article, we would like to inform our clients about the known coronavirus risks and the measures that GlobeSailor has taken to ensure you set sail in the safest of conditions.
Even in countries or regions where the virus is actively spreading, the risk of contagion remains statistically low. Even lower in the case of holidays at sea, which are naturally far away from major cities and potential sources of contamination.
This coronavirus, or COVID-19, is known to cause influenza, which is no less severe than seasonal influenza. Just like the common flu, it is mild in the vast majority of cases, but this may not apply to elderly persons and to those with pre-existing pulmonary or cardiac illnesses or suppressed immune systems. Nevertheless, during transit and your sailing holiday itself, we advise that you limit close contact with people who cough or have a fever and to respect good hygiene practices. Fortunately, the air is not contaminated on board a boat, and contact is limited! 😊
GlobeSailor is in contact daily with its partners, ship-owners and rental companies to keep up to date on the public health status in all sailing zones. GlobeSailor has negotiated much more flexible cancellation and postponement conditions in all these destinations. For all bookings confirmed after March 1st, 2020 in a destination where coronavirus cases have been detected, here are the possibilities for modifying your reservation, to be approved on a case-by-case basis by your advisor and in accordance with our rental partners:
- Postponement of your cruise free of charge according to booking availability.
- Reduction of the deposit fee to 10% instead of 30% or 50%.
- Free cancellation† up to 15 days before departure in the event of official government restrictions announced in the host or originating country (to be approved by the boat owner).
These exceptional terms are fully in line with the Tourism Code and the recommendations of professional tourism bodies (such as ABTA, SETO, APST, etc.) which advise us on best practice in the event of cancellation.
The cost of travel (flights, accommodation, etc.) has significantly dropped in recent times, especially across transatlantic air routes. Therefore, it is perhaps the best time to book in order to capitalise on these reduced rates.
A number of air carriers have implemented contingency measures. Air France and Aegean Airlines, for example, are offering free rebooking on all flights until May 31, 2020 and October 20, 2020 respectively. Many other air carriers are expected to adopt similar measures. On this note, we advise that you purchase direct flight tickets to avoid stopovers in destinations that could be contaminated. As mentioned before, we have cancellation and postponement mechanisms in place to ensure you’re not left out of pocket.
GlobeSailor is committed to keeping you informed daily to ensure that your cruise runs smoothly and to dealing with your requests for postponement or cancellation in the most satisfactory manner.
Thank you for your understanding.
Management
† In the event of cancellation, a 10% handling fee will still apply. The handling fee covers credit card and bank transaction charges, booking advisor services, etc.
