Deposits and payments

Deposits for this Holland America cruise may be made by check or any major credit card. Deposits made for hotel packages, and airfare may be made by Visa, Mastercard, or check. Initial deposit required to hold space for this sailing is $600 per person. Balance of payment is due March 10, 2008.

Deposits for air fare will be handled separately, and will be $350 per person. The balance of payment for the airfare is March 10th, 2008.

Pre-cruise or post-cruise packages

If you opt to arrive early to stay one or two additional nights in Copenhagen, these deposits will be handled separately. Pre-cruise hotel program deposit is $150 per person. Post-cruise 3-night tour to Rotterdam, Bruges, and Brussels requires a deposit of $200 per person. Final payment is due March 10th, 2008.

Cruise Cancellation penalties

• Cancellation outside of 75 days from sailing: no penalty except $200 administration fee.
• Cancellation between 75-57 days of sailing: Initial deposit, plus $200 administration fee.
• Cancellation between 56-29 days of sailing: 50% of gross fare, plus $200 administration fee.
• Cancellation between 28-15 days of sailing: 75% of gross fare, plus $200 administration fee.
• Cancellation inside 15 days of sailing: 100% of cruise fare.

Early Booking Incentive

Holland America’s group pricing provides for a discount below the individual price. There is an additional incentive to book early. If you are one of the first 30 staterooms to book your cruise, there will be $200 per stateroom in credit added to your shipboard account for you to use in the lounge, shore excursions, or the spa.

We will have a special cocktail hour aboard ship to welcome our group aboard as part of my group amenities. You will also receive a pre-paid admission to the premium dining room, the Pinnacle Grill. Near the end of our 12-night cruise, Northwest Travel Service will host a final reception with drinks and appetizers.

Holland America offers their previous clients a Mariner Club membership, which will generally get you a slight discount aboard a cruise booked as an individual. Keep in mind that my group pricing is set at the same or better than your Mariner Club discount. You will receive my group amenities and discounts, and an invitation aboard ship to a Mariner Club cocktail reception. If you have your Mariner Club number handy when booking, please include this with the reservation request.

Insurance

I strongly recommend the purchase of cancellation insurance. Holland America offers a two-tiered program that I find to be pretty expensive, and does not provide coverage within 24 hours of the sailing. Consider these options:

Access America

I will send you an enrollment application in the mail upon confirmation of your reservation. This program offers coverage for medical, baggage, and cancellation, and costs from 7%-13% of the total cost of your travel costs, depending on your age. You will receive an application to send to Access America should you like to enroll.

CSA Travel Protection

This works the same as Access America, but their enrollment process is on-line only. To enroll, follow the link in the upper right hand corner of the nwtravel.com home page. Fill in the blanks, enter payment information, and you are enrolled.

Documents and identification

No visas are required for Americans to travel to most of these countries, with the very notable exception of Russia. If you use the shore excursions offered by Holland America, you do not need to obtain an independent visa for Russia. If you want to do anything on your own, a visa must be purchased. I will coordinate the purchase of the visa, which will cost an additional $180 per person.

You will need to be in possession of a passport with an expiration date of at least six months beyond the date you arrive home. No immunizations are required or recommended for these destinations.

Last Updated: Tuesday, April 29, 2008