The Great Courses Travel #1 — Making Your Reservation

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All cruise prices are subject to change until your booking is confirmed. We will notify you of any price change, and await your acceptance, before your reservation is considered “booked” and confirmed. Either party may cancel the booking within 14 days of the initial $600 deposit, with no penalty, for any reason — so long as this cancellation is prior to the Final Payment Date. We’ll send you an email confirmation (if you provide us with your email address) and an itemized invoice (“DEPOSIT AND FINAL PAYMENT CONFIRMATION”) via mail/post within three (3) business days of your deposit. You must return a signed copy of your DEPOSIT AND FINAL PAYMENT CONFIRMATION form within 30 days of booking or your cruise reservation is subject to cancellation. If you do not return this form by the Final Payment Date, your cruise reservation will automatically be cancelled and cancellation penalties will be assessed. We will send you reminders by email and by phone before your reservation is cancelled. Passengers typically receive cabin assignments upon booking but these cabin assignments are subject to change.

PAYMENT INFORMATION: Payments may be made by check, money order, or major credit card (Visa, Master Card, Discover, Diners Club, or American Express). Checks are to be made payable to Insight Cruises, in U.S. dollars only, and drawn on a U.S. bank. There is a $25 charge for returned checks.

PRE-CRUISE HOTEL STAYS: Sightsee Santiago from our home base, the Plaza El Bosque Park & Suites (or comparable). All taxes, breakfast, city tour, and a private transfer from the Santiago airport to the hotel (we must be notified of your air schedule at least 21 days prior to sailing) are included in the prices below. NOTE: The Santiago city tour is included with your hotel package if you arrive on November 2 as the city tour starts early on the 3rd.

The prices above are PER ROOM (maximimum of two people per room). The transfer from our hotel to the pier is $99 per person. This transfer is not included in the hotel pricing above. (This $99 hotel-to-pier transfer, as well as your 2 hotel nights for the 2nd and the 3rd, are included in the package price for Machu Picchu.) For Machu Picchu trip details, click here.

PRE-CRUISE COCKTAIL PARTY: $79. Shift mental gears and start your road trip by joining us at The Great Courses Travel Pre-cruise Cocktail Party! Take this opportunity to meet your fellow The Great Courses Travel participants. The reception will be held in Plaza El Bosque Park & Suites the night before departure. Premium beer, local wines, and light hors d’oeuvres will be served.

IDENTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS: A Passport (valid through May 18, 2014) is required. Non-U.S. citizens residing in the United States will need valid Alien Registration (green) cards as well. All others must have valid passports and any required visas when boarding the vessel. All travel documents such as passports, visas, proof of citizenship, etc., that are required for embarkation, disembarkation at the ports of call, and re-entry into the United States are the responsibility of the passenger. Non-U.S. citizens are asked to check with government agencies, embassies or consulates to determine documentary requirements. Please see the Exit/Entry links (after you have selected the destination country) for the U.S. State Department’s information on Exit/Entry Requirements for U.S. Citizens for countries on our itinerary. You can also find a wealth of information and contact data here. You WILL be denied boarding without proper proof of citizenship and without all necessary visas.
     Along with many thousands of American travelers, we rely on VisaCentral for our visas (we are not affiliated with VisaCentral, we are simply happy customers).

The Great Courses Travel PROGRAM FEE CANCELLATIONS and REFUNDS: The Great Courses Travel Program fee is subject to the following cancellation fees: $95 if cancelling before June 1, 2013; $195 if cancelling from June 1, 2013 through June 30, 2013; $395 if cancelling between July 1 and July 19 (Final Payment Date), 2013; no Program Fee refunds offered if cancelling on or after July 19, 2013. All conference cancellation fees, however, can be applied to any future Insight Cruise Conference Fee.

INSIGHT CRUISES’ PRE- and/or POST-CRUISE TRIPS/EXCURSIONS CANCELLATIONS and REFUNDS: The cancellation penalties for pre- and/or post-cruise trips vary and are specified on the webpage that includes the travel details about the excursion. If the penalties are not specified these excursions are subject to the same cancellation penalties as the cruise, specified below.

CRUISE and/or HOTEL CANCELLATIONS, REFUNDS, INSURANCE and CHANGES: Any cancellation or any change of status (or request for a change in status) which relates to your booking must be transmitted, AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, to Insight Cruises in writing. If you have purchased insurance, and there is an unnecessary delay in notifying us of your change in status, your “cancellation date” will be affected and will likely adversely affect your insurance reimbursement.
     From the 14th day after booking, a Cancellation Processing Fee of $150 per person will be assessed (but will be applied towards any future Insight Cruise). Name changes are generally not permitted by the cruiselines. Additional per-person cruise cancellation fees are based on date of receipt of notice to cancel (via in writing or email):

     To protect against cancellation penalties, Trip Cancellation & Interruption Insurance is available and strongly recommended. When you book an Insight Cruise, we include one or more trip insurance brochures in with your invoice. We offer three options:
     1) Insight Cruises believes Travel Guard Gold is best for those with limited health insurance and want a comprehensive insurance plan. Travel Guard is available with emergency assistance and travel insurance. Your coverage includes protection such as Trip Cancellation, Trip Interruption, Emergency Medical and Dental, Travel Assistance Services, Supplier Financial Default, and even Job Loss Protection. If you purchase within 10 days of your initial deposit, your medical coverage is upgraded to primary coverage. This product is ideal for those who rely on Medicare, for instance, or others who do not have health care coverage outside the United States. In addition, for those looking for “cancel for any reason” coverage, Travel Guard’s Gold insurance offers it. For a 40% premium surcharge, they’ll provide cancel-for-any-reason insurance reimbursing 50%. (Travel Guard Gold Cancel For Any Reason must be purchased within 10 days of your initial deposit.) Please study the details before you’re certain you need this additional coverage. Travel Guard’s Gold product, M.H. Ross’s Advantage Bridge plan (see just below), and CSA’s Sail Safe (again, see below) will reimburse you 100% for covered reasons — assuming you have insured the full cost of your trip. You can get a Travel Guard quote and purchase the insurance here.
     2) Another company we have very high regard for is M.H. Ross. Read about their Bridge product here: http://InsightCruises.com/pdf/AdvantageBridge.pdf. While they do not offer the advantage of “First Payer” (i.e., you will need to submit any during-the-trip medical expenses to them after you have submitted these expenses to your primary medical insurance carrier), they will reimburse you for your out-of-pocket health expenses plus about two dozen other potential loss items. In our opinion, if you’re under the age of 55, M.H. Ross’s Bridge product is the most cost-effective “trip cancellation and interruption” coverage available and we heartily recommend it. You can get a quote and purchase the insurance here.
     3) For those 60 years of age and older, we highly recommend CSA’s Sail Safe Cruise Program plan: http://InsightCruises.com/pdf/CSA_Plan_Summary.pdf. Unlike the two policies above, CSA Sail Safe is not priced based on your age. The cost of the insurance is based solely on your trip cost. In addition, you can purchase CSA Sail Safe up to 24 hours prior to the Final Payment Date and still be covered for pre-existing conditions (granted that you are fit to travel at the time of purchase). Also, like Travel Guard and M.H. Ross, for about a 50% premium surcharge, CSA will provide cancel-for-any-reason coverage. (M.H. Ross’ cancel-for-any-reason does not impose any “fit to travel at time of purchase” requirement.) In the case of CSA, you must purchase cancel-for-any-reason coverage within 24 hours of booking your event. For M.H. Ross and Travel Guard, you have 10 days after booking to purchase cancel-for-any-reason coverage. You can get a quote and purchase CSA’s insurance here.
     NOTE: The products mentioned above are only available to U.S. and Canadian citizens. For those living outside North America we do recommend buying insurance from any local travel agency. Travel Guard and M.H. Ross waive pre-existing conditions if you purchase the insurance within 10 days of booking. Therefore, you will get maximum coverage and benefits if you book their insurance the day you book. Trip Cancellation Insurance payments are not refundable (but sometimes are transferrable). Cancel-for-any-reason coverage varies slightly, carrier to carrier, based on the level of penalty when you cancel. Typically, if you cancel at the last possible moment, you are only likely to get between 70% and 80% back.
     A signed Insurance Waiver is due in the Insight Cruises office upon issuance and no later than the Final Payment Date. Your booking is subject to cancellation unless we receive this paperwork.
 

Neil Bauman and Theresa Mazich, co-founders.

AS A CONDITION OF ACCEPTANCE OF ANY APPLICATION, EACH APPLICANT MUST AGREE TO THE STATEMENT SET FORTH BELOW:

The undersigned has read carefully the Responsibility Statement and Liability Disclaimer set forth (left), the schedule of activities for this event, as well as the terms and conditions of application and participation as set forth in the event brochure and/or these webpages, and recognizes and accepts any risk associated with the event and the conditions, including the refund policy, set forth above. The undersigned further acknowledges that there are many risks and uncertainties inherent in any travel, including but not limited to the hazards of various modes of transportation, forces of nature, acts or omissions of foreign governments, terrorism, war or insurrection, theft, illness, and damage to person or property due to the negligent acts or omissions of event staff or others. In consideration of, and as part payment for, the right to participate in the event, the undersigned, on behalf of himself, his dependents, heirs, executors, administrators and assigns, agrees to release The Teaching Company and Insight Cruises and its officers, employees and agents, from liability for personal injury, death, property damage or loss suffered by any person in connection with this event, even if caused by the negligence (but not the reckless, willful, or fraudulent conduct) of event staff or other related persons or entities. In addition, by registering for this event, the applicant certifies that he or she is mentally and physically capable of full participation in this tour.

BY REGISTERING FOR THE TIMES TRAVELER CRUISE, THE PARTICIPANT AGREES TO THE RESPONSIBILITY STATEMENT AND LIABILITY DISCLAIMER AND THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS HEREIN.