CANCELLATIONS (BECAUSE SOMETIMES LIFE DOESN'T GO TO PLAN)
We get it. Flights get cancelled/delayed. People get sick. The night of drinking and dancing got the better of you and you can't handle anything except lying beside the pool.
Whatever the reason, sometimes you just need to cancel.
Up until now we haven't had a cancellation policy. We don't usually ask you to pre-pay to keep the booking. And we've dealt with cancellations with an understanding smile.
Unfortunately cancellations and no-shows do cost us. We put a lot of time into setting up your reservations, answering questions, coordinating itineraries, making recommendations. We block our calendars. We turn away other appointments And when the booking is with our other suppliers, they actually charge us 50% of the cost of your tour/activity.
So.. we want to keep being flexible, because it's holidays afterall, and things should never be difficult on holidays .. but we need to put in place some kind of loose, negotiable cancellation policy so we're not continually out of pocket.
This is our kinda-cancellation policy.
Walking tours with us
If your tour is one of our group walking tours: food, history, graffiti, ghost etc, cancel with 24 hours notice or more and you will be refunded any money paid. Less than 24 hours and you will forfeit 20% deposit.
If your tour is a pre-arranged private tour made with us, as long as you cancel with 48 hours notice, it is usually ok. Not fantastic because we turned down other tours for that time, we turned down trips to the beach, and sometimes we arranged transport or visits to local galleries (if it was that kind of tour).. but usually we aren't actually out of pocket, so we will be internally a little peeved, but won't charge you a cancellation fee. So.. No charge. (If you pre-paid, we will refund, less any fees that the payment company charge, if they charge them)
If you pre-booked a group walking tour or private tour with us and didn't come and didn't let us know in advance, we reserve the right to keep any monies paid.
PRIVATE BOAT HIRE
If you have booked a boat, we will pay (at least) a 50% deposit directly to the owner (some owners require full payment), at the time of your booking to reserve the boat for that day. If you cancel we will do our best to find someone else to take the same booking for the same day. If we (or you) find someone else, no charge (we will either refund the 50% or have the new hirer pay it to you). If we don't find anyone else, and the company says it's not enough notice before the cancellation (2 days will usually be the absolute minimum- most are 15 days), then we forfeit the 50% deposit. We use to pay this deposit, without asking you to reimburse us. But having been stung too many times, we now ask that you pay the 50% deposit to guarantee your booking. We will not make a profit on your cancellation. We will just pass on the costs incurred. Honestly we really try and be fair and nice.
Note: some boat owner have stricter cancellation policies.. we simply pass on the policies of each boat owner, please confirm with us at the time of booking.
Weather cancellations/force majeure: If the boat company/port authority decides it's unsafe for wind or weather conditions to go out, you will receive a full refund or can request another day, but unfortunately if it's simply raining that is not accepted as a reason for a refund. Also if the boat you have booked is damaged or needs repairs, a replacement boat will be found with similar characteristics and the price will be substituted (ie if the boat is a lower price, the price will be adjusted). If an appropriate and agreed upon boat can not be found you can request a full refund. You may also opt to reschedule for another day.
OTHER TOURS/SERVICES
If you have booked a mountain bike tour, la boquilla tour, island visit, chiva tour, island tour, rum tasting, dance class, coffee tasting or any other third party tour or service, you will usually be asked to pay a non-refundable deposit to secure your reservation (normally about 20%). These vary between operators and sometimes the refund of the 20% minus costs can be negotiated.
Does that all make sense? Feel free to email us to discuss in more detail.. but as a general rule we will do our utmost to be fair, and ask that you do us the same courtesy.
Other than that.. we suggest bulk-buying Bonfest and coconut water and stocking up your fridge in anticipation. It's more than a little easy to get carried away in Cartagena.
Whatever the reason, sometimes you just need to cancel.
Up until now we haven't had a cancellation policy. We don't usually ask you to pre-pay to keep the booking. And we've dealt with cancellations with an understanding smile.
Unfortunately cancellations and no-shows do cost us. We put a lot of time into setting up your reservations, answering questions, coordinating itineraries, making recommendations. We block our calendars. We turn away other appointments And when the booking is with our other suppliers, they actually charge us 50% of the cost of your tour/activity.
So.. we want to keep being flexible, because it's holidays afterall, and things should never be difficult on holidays .. but we need to put in place some kind of loose, negotiable cancellation policy so we're not continually out of pocket.
This is our kinda-cancellation policy.
Walking tours with us
If your tour is one of our group walking tours: food, history, graffiti, ghost etc, cancel with 24 hours notice or more and you will be refunded any money paid. Less than 24 hours and you will forfeit 20% deposit.
If your tour is a pre-arranged private tour made with us, as long as you cancel with 48 hours notice, it is usually ok. Not fantastic because we turned down other tours for that time, we turned down trips to the beach, and sometimes we arranged transport or visits to local galleries (if it was that kind of tour).. but usually we aren't actually out of pocket, so we will be internally a little peeved, but won't charge you a cancellation fee. So.. No charge. (If you pre-paid, we will refund, less any fees that the payment company charge, if they charge them)
If you pre-booked a group walking tour or private tour with us and didn't come and didn't let us know in advance, we reserve the right to keep any monies paid.
PRIVATE BOAT HIRE
If you have booked a boat, we will pay (at least) a 50% deposit directly to the owner (some owners require full payment), at the time of your booking to reserve the boat for that day. If you cancel we will do our best to find someone else to take the same booking for the same day. If we (or you) find someone else, no charge (we will either refund the 50% or have the new hirer pay it to you). If we don't find anyone else, and the company says it's not enough notice before the cancellation (2 days will usually be the absolute minimum- most are 15 days), then we forfeit the 50% deposit. We use to pay this deposit, without asking you to reimburse us. But having been stung too many times, we now ask that you pay the 50% deposit to guarantee your booking. We will not make a profit on your cancellation. We will just pass on the costs incurred. Honestly we really try and be fair and nice.
Note: some boat owner have stricter cancellation policies.. we simply pass on the policies of each boat owner, please confirm with us at the time of booking.
Weather cancellations/force majeure: If the boat company/port authority decides it's unsafe for wind or weather conditions to go out, you will receive a full refund or can request another day, but unfortunately if it's simply raining that is not accepted as a reason for a refund. Also if the boat you have booked is damaged or needs repairs, a replacement boat will be found with similar characteristics and the price will be substituted (ie if the boat is a lower price, the price will be adjusted). If an appropriate and agreed upon boat can not be found you can request a full refund. You may also opt to reschedule for another day.
OTHER TOURS/SERVICES
If you have booked a mountain bike tour, la boquilla tour, island visit, chiva tour, island tour, rum tasting, dance class, coffee tasting or any other third party tour or service, you will usually be asked to pay a non-refundable deposit to secure your reservation (normally about 20%). These vary between operators and sometimes the refund of the 20% minus costs can be negotiated.
Does that all make sense? Feel free to email us to discuss in more detail.. but as a general rule we will do our utmost to be fair, and ask that you do us the same courtesy.
Other than that.. we suggest bulk-buying Bonfest and coconut water and stocking up your fridge in anticipation. It's more than a little easy to get carried away in Cartagena.