Please ensure you have read and understood the terms and conditions set out below before making a booking. If you are unclear about anything, please contact us for clarification. Payment of your sailing holiday confirms your understanding and acceptance of our terms and conditions.
Terms and Conditions
Definitions and Interpretation
In these Booking Terms and Conditions, unless the context otherwise requires, the following expressions have the following meanings:
"We", "Us", "Our" – M.S. Holidays Cyprus Ltd. (Organisation number: HE 420776, Incorporated in Cyprus)
"You", "Your", “Organiser” - All persons named on the booking or added to the booking at a later time
“Online” – www.medsailingholidays.com
"Tour", "Sailing Holiday" - The yacht charter you book with M.S. Holidays Cyprus Ltd.
The headings used in these Booking Terms and Conditions are for convenience only and shall not affect the interpretation of these Terms and Conditions.
Words imparting the singular shall include the plural and vice versa and references to any gender shall include the other gender.
A contract exists between M.S. Holidays Cyprus Ltd. and you, upon receipt of the booking deposit.
Currency
All monetary figures are in Euro (EUR €) and all payments are inclusive of VAT and any other taxes unless otherwise stated.
If you would prefer to use an alternative currency, please let us know.
Bookings
After making a booking with M.S. Holidays Cyprus Ltd., the organizer will be required to complete a group booking form and include each member of the traveling party. It will be the responsibility of the party organizer to ensure that each traveler has read, understood, and agrees to these terms and conditions.
A copy of each traveler's passport will need to be supplied to M.S. Holidays Cyprus Ltd., along with the completed group booking form.
The group organizer will be the point of contact for M.S. Holidays Cyprus Ltd. and will be responsible for keeping your traveling party informed of all sailing arrangements.
If there are to be any changes to the traveling party, these can only be accepted by the organizer.
What are the terms?
Solo travelers
Our prices are based on full occupancy of the boats, therefore it's financially impossible for solo travelers to occupy a double cabin at the per-person rate. Depending on availability, we may be able to sleep you in the single bunks, alternatively, you will pay the cabin price with a €75 discount.
Cabin Charter Policy:
We have a policy to provisionally allocate couples and friends in the (smaller) forward cabin with private WC, while allocating the (larger) aft cabins with shared WC for solo travellers that could be sharing with another solo traveller.
If you request a cabin change, please let us know as soon as possible, we will try to accommodate your request as best we can based on bookings. If you feel strongly about a cabin change, please let us know as soon as possible. Please understand this may not always be possible.
Please refer to the boat specifications, photos and dimensions of cabins on OUR FLEET page.
Note: If cabin sizes are not satisfactory, we do not refund. We recommend booking a private charter and upgrading the boat to a satisfactory size. Booking a private charter allows you to choose the boat, cabin size and number of guests on board.
We reserve the right to change cabins as needed.
Bathrooms:
Where a boat is full and all cabins are allocated to guests, crew will need to use the bathrooms. Please let us know if you object to your bathroom being used, the crew can avoid it. Please note, there must be at least one designated bathroom for crew usage.
Payment
Unless otherwise agreed by M.S. Holidays Cyprus Ltd., each traveler will be required to pay a deposit of €500 per berth for the Croatian itinerary and €500 per berth for the Greece itinerary, and 30% of the British Virgin Islands itinerary to secure the requested sailing dates.
There is a 50% deposit required for a private charter. Deposits must be made within five (5) business days (Monday to Friday) from the reservation.
The balance will be due on the 12th-week mark before the departure date. The specific date will be specified on the official invoice M.S. Holidays Cyprus Ltd issues upon booking confirmation.
If a special charter has been arranged, a 50% non-refundable deposit will be required within 5 business days of booking.
If booking a date less than twelve (12) weeks before the departure date, payment will be required in full. Confirmation of the booking cannot be given until payment has been received.
We prefer a bank-to-bank transfer. If paying by credit card, we will add a 4% fee to the total bill.
When making payments, please ensure you have paid any international transfer bank charges.
Payment will be made to Neptune Ltd. Neptune will process payments and manage customer bookings.
Private Charter
For a private charter outside our fleet:
Security deposit - With all private charters, guests will be required to leave a security deposit at the charter company base. The amount will be blocked and released without charge when the boat completes 'check out' without any damages. If there are damages caused by the skipper, the skipper's insurance will cover the damage costs. Amounts blocked will range from €2,000 to €5,000 depending on the boat. This amount may be larger depending on the value of the boat chartered.
For a private charter that is outside of our scheduled publicly advertised voyages, we will be required to charter an additional boat(s) and crew. As the boats and crew are not under the management of Med Sailing Holidays, we cannot guarantee the condition of the boat, nor be held responsible for a poorly maintained vessel. Furthermore, we cannot be held responsible for the demeanor of a local contract skipper.
If you cancel a private charter and we have chartered a boat outside of our fleet, we will try to recover your deposit however if the charter company imposes a penalty, these will be at your expense not ours.
Fuel on cabin charters
There is a set fuel allowance for cabin charters. If there is excessive usage of the generator, the fuel bill will exceed the allowance and the cost (over the allowance) will be split by the guests.
If you wish to change the itinerary on a private charter, this is at the discretion of the skipper. Any additional costs that come from a change in itinerary, such as berthing costs will be paid by the guests. If there is a change to the itinerary, it's expected that guests take the crew for dinner.
Fuel on a private charter
Diesel is not charged on the original invoice to the customer. The customer will need to pay the diesel bill at the end of the week.
Linen
One set of linen will be supplied for everyone on board, including a towel and hand towel. We will also provide bed sheets (top and bottom), pillows, pillowcases, and blankets. Beach towels are not provided.
If extra linen is required, please give us at least two weeks’ notice, otherwise we may not have time to make the arrangements. There is an additional charge for extra linen and for resetting your bed linen.
Water toys
A basic set of snorkeling gear is provided on each boat. Due to guest damages, there may be more complete sets on one boat than another. There will be a minimum of 2 sets on each boat. We aim to provide a minimum of 1 set per cabin. If you want to guarantee a set, we suggest you pack your own.
Floaties are not provided as standard equipment. Some boats may have more than others. If you'd like floaties, we suggest you bring your own.
Gratuities
Gratuities are not included in the price of the charter. The MYBA (Mediterranean Yacht Brokers Association) issued tipping policy guidelines that range from 5% to 15% of your total charter price as the customary range.
Itinerary
Our skippers will follow the itinerary, however, there may be circumstances out of their control where this may not be possible. The skipper has the authority to change the itinerary when and where he/she deems fit. These will be for safety reasons or adverse weather conditions. Dangerous winds may dictate we take another marina/port/berth to the listed itinerary.
If the group collectively requests a change to the itinerary, the decision to do so will be at the skipper’s discretion.
There are some ports where we berth on a restaurant's dock. It's customary that we eat in their restaurant, as they're providing a secure berth for the evening. It's also customary for the restaurant to provide a basic 'crew meal' for the crew. If you don't want to eat in the restaurant, we will be forced to leave the dock. If there are additional berthing fees, these will be passed onto you, and you will pay for the crew dinner.
Embarkation and Disembarkation
All M.S. Holidays Cyprus Ltd. sailing holidays end at 8 AM on the following Saturday. This is your time to disembark the yacht.
You will arrive at your final port on Friday by 18:00 latest.
Embarkation / Check-in time is different for each itinerary. If you can’t be on time, please be early. We will check you in and conduct a safety briefing. If guests do not arrive by check-in time, we will assume you will fail to arrive and will sail without you. There will be no refunds provided.
Check-in / Boarding time
Your check-in and boarding times are likely to be different.
GREECE ITINERARY: Unless otherwise stated, your check-in time will be 17:00 and your boarding time can be up to 19:00. If you are instructed to arrive early, please do.
CROATIA ITINERARY: Unless otherwise stated, your check-in time will be 13:00, and your boarding time will be 14:00. If you are instructed to arrive early, please do.
If you can’t be on time, please be early. We will check you in and conduct a safety briefing. If guests do not arrive by check-in time, we will assume you will fail to arrive and will sail without you.
Notifying us of a late arrival does not guarantee that we will wait, we have a schedule to keep and a holiday to begin for the customers that arrive on time. We are not obliged to wait and will not wait unless you have a confirmation from us advising of this.
If you are late, we might be able to arrange a water taxi (at your expense) or you'll need to take a ferry or Uber water taxi to the next port to catch up with the boat.
There is a 'no refund policy' should you fail to arrive at the boat by check-in, this will include but is not limited to missed flights, missed transfers, and getting lost. It is strongly advised to call your skipper if you believe you will be late. Alternative arrangements may be made, or you may catch up with the tour later in the day / the next day.
If a marina starts its next billing cycle and we're charged an extra day's berthing, this cost will be passed onto you. It's your responsibility to be on time.
Excursions and onshore activities
We are not affiliated with any excursion company or onshore promoter. We have no financial relationship or otherwise with tour operators. You can participate in onshore tours and excursions, moped, car, and bike hire at your own risk. All excursions are at your expense.
Wine tours and tastings for "Wine Week" are sold separately and optional. It is not included in the price and will be at your own expense. If you wish to experience the tour and tasting, inform the crew so they can assist you with the booking.
Non-payment of booking/cancellation
If you fail to pay your deposit, we will cancel your booking without notice and make the dates available to the public.
If you fail to pay the balance of the booking price by the required date, you will forfeit your booking dates and deposit. We will attempt to contact you/your party organizer; however, it is ultimately your responsibility to pay the balance by the agreed date.
Covid-19 cancellation policy
Please note the COVID cancellation policy is subject to change alongside government guidance in our destination countries and changes to the global situation.
Adequate travel insurance is required for all guests to cover in case of flight cancellations, border closures, or guests falling ill with COVID-19.
Med Sailing and our associated brands are not liable if:
• There are flight restrictions from the departure to the arrival airport preventing failure to arrive at embarkation.
• There is official major travel advice not to travel to a specific country during that period.
• There are border restrictions between the country of the tour and the country of the departure of the customer in that period.
• There is mandatory quarantine for travelers after reaching their home country making the trip nonviable.
• Passenger(s) is/are diagnosed with covid-19 preventing them from travel.
• Passenger(s) not fulfilling country entry requirements.
• Passenger(s) catching COVID in the host country and unable to join the trip.
• Passenger(s) catching COVID while on the trip and having to disembark the yacht.
• Change of mind or not having access to a vaccine preventing travel.
If there are no travel restrictions, Med Sailing will:
• Offer a re-booking, credit, or refund if we cancel the trip.
• If any of the crew falls sick, we will replace the crew. It may require staying in port for an additional day.
Credit notes are valid for 12 months. There are no refunds on unused credits.
Cancellation of bookings has the following refund percentages:
Within 7 days of booking: 100% refund
After 7 days and more than 12 weeks from the departure date: loss of deposit
Less than 12 weeks from the departure date: 0% refund
There is a strict no-refund policy if you cancel your booking within twelve (12) weeks before your departure date.
N.B. You may be able to claim your travel insurance provider. Please note that travel insurance is required for all guests. You may be able to arrange a CFAR (Cancel for any reason) as an addition to your policy, allowing you to cancel for any reason under normal travel circumstances. A CFAR policy will provide a refund for your non-refundable travel costs. If you know that you would prefer a refund in the case of a cancellation, we strongly suggest you take our CFAR policy, as the policy covers any liability and refunds, not Med Sailing Holidays.
Change of bookings
A change of booking has the same result as a cancellation for us and our financial commitments and limited time to replace a booking.
A change of booking to a future date has the following change fees:
Within 7 days: No fee.
After 7 days and more than 12 weeks from the departure date: €100 change per person (approval required from us)
Less than 12 weeks from departure: No change possible, we treat it as a cancellation and 0% refund.
Change or Cancellation of charter outside our fleet
If we have made a charter booking outside our fleet and you are requesting to re-book or cancel your trip, we are powerless to act outside of the contract with the charter base. With any private charter booking outside of our fleet, Med Sailing Holidays acts as a broker and supplies the crew. We are unable to change any terms of the contract, therefor the same cancellation policy applies.
Cancellation by us
We aim to have a zero-cancellation policy, however, sometimes they may be unavoidable and therefore we reserve the right to do so. We will notify the group organizer of any cancellations as soon as possible before the departure date.
We will offer you a choice of the following:
reschedule the booking,
a credit note for the amount paid.
N.B. We will not refund other associated costs such as flights and transfers.
Refunds
In the event of a complaint or dispute, we will not issue a refund. We will discuss and apply a fair credit if deemed necessary and fall outside our refund policy.
Force Majeure
In this Clause, "Event of Force Majeure" means an event beyond the control of the Authority and the Operator, which prevents a Party from complying with any of its obligations under this Contract, including but not limited to:
Act of God (such as, but not limited to, extreme weather, fires, explosions, earthquakes, drought, tidal waves and floods), war, hostilities (whether war be declared or not), invasion, act of foreign enemies, mobilisation, requisition, or embargo, rebellion, revolution, insurrection, or military or usurped power, or civil war, contamination by radio-activity from any nuclear fuel, or from any nuclear waste from the combustion of nuclear fuel, radio-active toxic explosive, or other hazardous properties of any explosive nuclear assembly or nuclear component of such assembly, riot, commotion, strikes, go slows, travel restrictions or bans, lockdowns, public health bans or restrictions, pandemic, lock outs or disorder, unless solely restricted to employees of the supplier or of his subcontractors, acts or threats of terrorism, recession, depression, any unspecified global man made or natural disasters, cyber terrorism, cyber pandemics, global financial crisis, global banking freezes including but not limited to freeze on electronic transactions, cash withdrawals or economic collapse.
Force majeure in neighboring countries that do not affect the host country does not qualify as a valid reason for postponement and our standard cancellation policy applies.
In the event M.S. Holidays Cyprus Ltd is not able to carry out the services contracted due to reasons out of our control, we will not be liable. The trip will not ‘roll over’ into another week. We use this time to remind you that travel insurance is required by all guests to cover you in the event of an emergency outside of our control, preventing us from delivering service.
The boats in Med Sailing Holidays' fleet are fully serviced and maintained on an annual basis and conduct running servicing throughout the season to keep everything in working order. In the event of emergency repairs during your itinerary, it may be the case that we spend an extra day in a particular location. Although this is unforeseen and unpreventable, there will be no monetary compensation for a change in the itinerary, it means you get an extra day to enjoy that stop. The skipper will discuss options with the group and decide how to make up the time.
If the winds are in excess / forecast to be more than 25 knots, the boat(s) must find shelter and are not permitted to leave the safety of the marina/harbor/bay. This will result in a change in the itinerary. We will always put your safety first, even if this means a change to your itinerary.
The itinerary is a proposed itinerary and if the weather doesn't allow for safe passage, it may result in a changed itinerary, including staying in port. Any additional water taxis/ferries to continue to a proposed port are the financial responsibility of the guest.
To satisfy demand, M.S. Holidays Cyprus Ltd will charter additional boats from independent charter companies. Although all care is taken and a 'check-in' procedure is completed with every charter boat, there will be from time-to-time faulty equipment, breakages, and worn items. Med Sailing Holidays CY Ltd is NOT liable for the condition of these charter boats and no monetary compensation will be given to sub-par boats.
Hostess
We provide a hostess on your voyage at no extra charge to you. After their daily duties have been completed, the hostess has downtime too. If you would prefer a professional hostess to be available 24/7 on your voyage, please let us know in advance and we can arrange one for your trip at €1,200 per week.
Meals
We provide breakfast and lunch on full days, excluding embarkation and disembarkation days. On disembarkation day, we will provide a basic breakfast, as we are restricted for time with an 8:00 am guest check out.
We provide three options for your meals: Mediterranean style, vegetarian (Mediterranean style without meat), and vegan. We will ask you in advance of your voyage for your preference. It's important to notify us of your preference, as we order provisions according to your preference a week in advance. If you fail to notify us of your preference, we may not be able to accommodate you accordingly.
It's customary for guests to cover crew meals during the evenings.
Liability
M.S. Holidays Cyprus Ltd. operate under local law and regulations.
All due care will be provided to ensure the safety of your personal belongings; however, M.S. Holidays Cyprus Ltd. will not be held liable for the replacement of your personal belongings if there is a break-in or theft on the yacht. It is your responsibility to have adequate travel insurance before setting foot on board, covering you for personal possessions and against injury.
Travel insurance is a mandatory requirement for all guests joining our trips. The purpose of insurance is to cover, but not limited to accidents at sea, lost luggage, missed connections, cancelled flights, travel restrictions, late arrival to check in and missing your embarkation, and travel bans due to outbreak.
If there is a travel ban due to an outbreak and you cannot join your trip, you will need to speak to your insurance provider for compensation. It needs to be stressed that M.S. Holidays Cyprus Ltd and our associated brands are not liable for travel bans, restrictions, or any other unmentioned activity which prevents you from joining your scheduled trip.
Your skipper will provide a safety briefing before all departures and will not leave the marina until everyone is satisfied with their obligations and the skipper is satisfied that everyone is capable and understands. M.S. Holidays Cyprus Ltd will not be held liable for any injuries due to guest negligence or mishaps.
Sailing is an active sport with variables such as wind, water, moving objects and other vessels. All care will be provided, and guest safety is the priority of the skipper, however, M.S. Holidays Cyprus Ltd. will not be held liable for any unforeseen incidents involving guest injury.
Guests may not wish to participate in active sailing, however, by setting foot on board and embarking with us on a sailing holiday, you assume any associated risks including but not limited to cuts, bruises, sprains, broken bones, or rope burns.
Skipper authority and dispute resolution
The skipper has the final say and ultimate authority on board the yacht. Unless you have chartered the entire yacht, there is a high chance you will be sailing with other guests. All guests must be always respected, including but not limited to guest personal space, personal possessions, quiet time in the AM and PM, allowing for fellow guests to sleep if they have retired to their quarters for the evening and respect of opinion.
If the skipper’s involvement is required in dispute resolution, his/her say is final. If an individual or group refuse or is unable to comply with the skipper’s requests, it may be requested that the offending person(s) be removed from the tour with immediate effect. If a person or group is removed from a tour, it will be their responsibility to find subsequent transport and accommodation. There will be no refunds provided.
Behaviour and early termination of the tour
A responsible level of behaviour and consideration is expected whilst you are on board our yachts and you must comply with the yacht’s rules and regulations.
You will be liable for any damage or loss caused by you or by the person(s) in your party whilst on board. If you or any person(s) in your party are deemed to be in our reasonable opinion behaving in a manner, which is likely to cause danger or distress to any third party or property, we are entitled to terminate our agreement with the person(s) involved without notice or refund. We also have the right to remove the person(s) involved from the vessel and have no further responsibilities towards the person(s).
If the matters are serious, the local Police may be involved.
The skipper's decisions are final. In case of disputes or misunderstandings, the skipper's decision is to be respected. The Fleet Manager's decision (if required to get involved) overrides the skipper.
Rights and use of digital media
If a photographer or another employee is taking photographs/video and you have an objection to these being used by us, please make your objection known at the time. We may publish digital media to a web platform and/or use it for marketing purposes.
Personal responsibilities
All person(s) intending to travel must be at least 18 years of age from the date of departure.
Your responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
Personal travel insurance,
Travel Visa (if necessary),
Current and valid passport,
Travel arrangements to and from the embarkation and disembarking ports/marinas,
You are responsible for notifying your skipper or M.S. Holidays Cyprus Ltd. if you or members of your group are running late for check-, in,
Dinner meal arrangements,
Your safety on board and in port,
Bringing all medication for any illnesses or ailments,
Notifying your skipper of any physical or medical conditions, current or otherwise,
Notifying your skipper if you cannot swim or suffer from any medical conditions including but not limited to panic attacks, diabetes, heart condition, blackouts or epilepsy,
Follow all instructions given by your skipper,
Treat the yacht and equipment with care, which includes cleaning after yourself, keeping your cabin and head (toilet) clean and keeping the common areas clean and tidy,
It is the parent's responsibility to clean up after their children,
If we must excessively request you clean after yourself, we will impose a €200 cleaning supplement or if this isn't paid, we may request that you leave the boat,
Report to the skipper any instances of other guests abusing the yacht, yacht equipment or guest’s possessions,
You are responsible for personal items and the Company is not liable for any losses.
It is your responsibility to check you have all your possessions before you disembark the yacht. If you leave any personal items behind on the boat(s), you will need to contact the boat crew ASAP. If you notify us later than 24 hours after your trip ends, there is a high probability your items have been considered trash you have abandoned and thrown out by the cleaners.
We are not responsible for any items lost or left behind.
If you locate any forgotten items, you will be required to pay for registered post to have the items sent back to you. We are not responsible for any items that fail to arrive in the post.
Pets are not permitted on board the yacht.
Children under the age of 18 are not permitted on board the yacht unless you charter the boat for the week, or if you get the express consent from M.S. Holidays Cyprus Ltd before the time of booking.
Our obligations:
Our obligations are to provide a boat as per its boat specification. Please note that models may differ from boat to boat.
Any boat failure or grievances with the crew need to be reported to your captain or back office. We have 24 hours to rectify the issues. In some cases, if the boat is outside our fleet, boat issues will be addressed by the charter base. If issues are not reported, we are not liable for any financial compensation after the fact, we require the opportunity to rectify during your charter.
We shall not be liable for any delay incurred due to Force majeure or rough weather conditions.
We are not liable for any additional costs incurred by the client outside of their charter, I.e. hotels, transfers, flights, suffered pain etc.
Additional costs
If you plan on taking a water taxi to another island, these costs will be borne by you. Once the yacht has taken a berth/mooring/anchor it will not be used as transport to nearby islands.
Guests are required to pay for any cave entry fees or other off-boat excursions.
You may request a list of additional extras, which include but are not limited to additional linen, stand-up paddle board, drone video and photos (where available), request dinner on board, and additional cleaning notably after children.
The crew are there to maintain a general standard of cleanliness and are not cleaners. If it's deemed that guests are excessively soiling the boat, the skipper will raise it and if it continues to happen, we will impose a €200 cleaning fee.
Damages and unforeseen costs
There are a few rules that must be adhered to and we must bring it to your attention before your trip to minimise the possibility of things going wrong and attracting unforeseen charges.
While in a marina, you are not permitted to use your head (toilet), you should use the marina’s facilities. If you pump the head into the marina water, the skipper may be fined for this. This charge will be passed onto you.
Absolutely no personal hygiene products are to be pumped through the toilet. Any blockages of marina toilets are charged to the guest at €250 per toilet block.
It’s important to arrive at the marina at the specified time for your check-in. If the boat leaves the marina late, the skipper is likely to be charged for another full day. The marina doesn’t make any allowances for late arrivals and late departures. This charge will be passed onto you.
If you make any damage to the boat or its inventory, you will cover the replacement value.
Boats
As we have a growing fleet, boats/yachts may vary from time to time and may be different to those in our photos. We reserve the right to replace/swap boats at the last minute due to unforeseen circumstances. For private charters and special requests, we may outsource and use third parties for the fulfilment of a charter.
Changes
We reserve the right to amend these terms and conditions at any time, without notice to you.
We reserve the right to change the pricing structure of our tours without notice.
We reserve the right to change any part of the itinerary, whether we publish the amends online or not.
If there are not enough bookings on an experienced-based trip (Yoga, Pride, Wine, Fitness) we reserve the right to combine boats and/or experiences, which may or may not alter the proposed itinerary.