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General Terms and Conditions
TOUR COST INCLUDES: A trip with Shockey Tours includes all transportation,
lodging, tours, local guides, entry and admission fees, tour director,
all sightseeing, bellmen and dining room tips for meals included
in the itinerary, and porterage for one large suitcase per person.
Prices are per person, based on double occupancy. All tour prices
are based on rates known at the time our catalog is printed and
expected to be in effect at the time of departure. They are subject
to increase without notice, if such rates change prior to departure.
Motorcoach prices are subject to change and might be higher at
the time you purchase your tour due to fuel increases, please call
office for current prices.
NOT INCLUDED IN TOUR PRICE:Meals and tips other than those specified
in the itinerary, maids, waitresses, valet and laundry service,
phone calls, room service, alcoholic beverages and items of a personal
nature. Gratuities for cruises, local guides and Tour Director
and Driver are not included. Any gratuities are strictly voluntary
and should be done on an individual basis, not as a group.
RESERVATIONS: How far in advance do I need to make a reservation?
We suggest that reservations be made as soon as your vacation schedule
is known. Many people wait too long and are disappointed that the
date they want has been sold out. Most festival tours have only
limited departures and are sold out long in advance. We feel that
you do yourself and Shockey Tours an immense favor by making your
reservations as soon as possible. How do I make a reservation?
1) Select the Shockey Tour of your choice and the date that is
most convenient for you. 2) Call our local number 267-4007 or our
Toll Free 1-800-633-4147 and confirm your reservation. 3) Complete
the reservation form in the back of our catalog, or go
online to initiate your reservation and mail your deposit check,
made payable to Shockey Tours, within 10 days of making your reservation.
You’re seat will be guaranteed.
DEPOSITS: Deposits are due within 10 days after making your reservation.
Separate checks should be sent for each tour booked. Please DO
NOT send cash in the mail. Balance is due within five days of receipt
of itinerary and balance statement. Roommates: Each person making
a reservation is responsible for finding their own roommate. When
confirming your reservation for a tour, you should inform us if
you have a roommate. Shockey Tours’ policy does not permit
adults of the opposite sex, who are not married or related, to
room together on tour. Persons making a reservation without a designated
roommate will be billed at the single rate. If either you or Shockey
Tours finds an acceptable person to share room costs, the cost
of the tour will be reduced to the double rate and monies, if due,
will be refunded to you. If a single room must be assigned because
your roommate cancels (even at the last moment or while on tour),
we must, of necessity, charge you the additional cost since the
hotels make no allowances. If you prefer to have the privacy of
your own room, you may do so for an additional charge as noted
in our single price. The single rate applies to rooms only and
does not include two seats on the motorcoach.
PICK-UP LOCATIONS: In order to make your tour departure as convenient
as possible, we pick up for our tours at the Executive West and
Comfort Suites in Louisville, the Holiday Inn in Clarksville, Indiana,
the Wal-Mart in Frankfort and Marriott Resort in Lexington. Please
be at your departure location 15 minutes prior to departure time.
For groups of 20 or more, we will pick up at the location of your
choice in any of our departure cities. For group pickups in locations
other than our regular cities, there will be an additional cost
per person. When making your reservations, it is important to give
the correct departure location. No changes in pick-up locations
will be accepted after the itineraries are mailed 30 days prior
to tour departure as timetables are established at that time.
LUGGAGE:How much luggage may I bring? For your convenience and
to expedite movement, each tour participant is allowed one (1)
large suitcase, not to exceed 22x10x30 in size and not to exceed
45 lbs. in weight. Due to limited luggage storage space, the driver
may refuse to accept any luggage that exceeds the specified size
or weight limitations. Your large piece of luggage will be taken
care of for you. It will be taken to your room each evening and
picked up each morning. In addition, an overnight case or similar
small bag, that you handle or carry-on yourself, is allowed. This
carry-on piece of luggage must be able to be stored in the overhead
compartment or fit under your seat, and remain in your possession
while traveling. Due to limited space, absolutely no hanging bags
can be accepted. Although every precaution will be taken to protect
your belongings, Shockey Tours cannot accept responsibility for
loss or damage to baggage or belongings. We strongly encourage
you to insure your baggage before leaving home. Please do not carry
any firearms or mace onto a Shockey Tours motorcoach.
CLOTHING: How should I dress? We suggest that you travel as light
as possible. Casual attire in wash and wear fabrics travel best.
Slacks are very acceptable for ladies and sport shirts for gentlemen.
Dress-up clothes are necessary only for shows or specific occasions
listed in the itinerary. Easy walking shoes are a must and don’t
forget your umbrella or raincoat in case of showers. You should
always take a sweater or jacket to use on the coach. MEDICINES:
If you are taking prescription drugs, be sure to take enough to
last the duration of the tour. Sometimes it is very difficult to
get a prescription refilled while enroute. We highly recommend
that you carry all medications in your purse, pocket or in your
personal carry-on, not in your suitcase. It would be wise to have
in your possession a list of all medications you are currently
taking in case of an emergency. The coaches are not equipped to
store medications that need refrigeration.
PHYSICAL DISABILITIES: Any disability requiring special attention
or treatment or hotel accommodations should be reported to Shockey
Tours when the reservation is made. We will request but cannot
guarantee a handicapped room. Some of our tours include attractions
at high elevations, please consult your physician about possible
health effects.
DELUXE MOTORCOACHES: Shockey Tours uses only the most modern deluxe
motorcoaches available. They are climate-controlled, have comfortable
reclining seats, foot rests, overhead storage racks, restrooms,
public address systems and large viewing windows. All coaches have
drinking water available as needed and all of our motorcoaches
have video systems for your added touring pleasure. We try at all
times to take the most popular and scenic routes so that travel
itself becomes an enjoyable part of your vacation. There is never
any straight through or overnight traveling. All passengers are
insured while traveling aboard Shockey Tours’ motorcoaches.
SEAT ROTATION: In order that everyone can enjoy a variety of views
and have exposure to meeting other people on the tours, we rotate
seats daily in a clockwise direction on all multiple day trips.
One of the front seats is reserved for the Tour Director and will
not rotate. In order not to show partiality among passengers, there
can be no exceptions to our seating plan.
COMPREHENSIVE ITINERARIES: Shockey Tours researches and plans
each itinerary to include the “must see” sights of
a given area as well as the little known, off the beaten path places
that become the most memorable part of your experience. We try
to insure that you have an exciting, fun, educational, and the
most comprehensive and enjoyable travel experience you’ve
ever had! Shockey Tours reserves the right to change or modify
the itinerary in order to provide a smooth operation and insure
a successful tour. Should an event become unavailable during the
year, we will substitute one of equal or better value. Occasionally
an attraction will be changed for the sole purpose of improving
the tour. Fully Escorted: Shockey Tours employs a trained professional
TourDirector to stay with you throughout your tour. He/she will
handle all the details that make for worry-free traveling every
day. Your Tour Director will point our points of interest, keep
you informed on the history of each area, share in a joke, a song,
or a game and make your ride on board the coach a pleasant experience.
DEVOTIONS: We begin each morning of our tour with a prayer. Whenever
we are unable to attend church on a Sunday, the Tour Director will
conduct a short, non-denominational devotion on board the coach
while in transit.
PROOF OF CITIZENSHIP: As of January 1, 2008, it will be necessary
for all motorcoach passengers to have a passport to enter Canada.
A driver’s license is no longer acceptable.
WAITING LISTS:We take waiting lists on all tours, since we do
have frequent cancellations. If the tour you request is filled,
then we recommend that you sign up as a stand-by. You will then
be placed on our waiting list and as soon as a vacancy occurs,
you will be automatically placed and notified that you are confirmed
on the tour. All vacancies will be filled from the waiting list
in the date order in which they were received.
QUALITY ACCOMMODATIONS: Hotels are selected and continually monitored
for their location, comfort, hospitality and style. Careful planning,
research and experience are woven into the choice of each hotel.
We maintain tight quality control on all our lodging accommodations
so that your overnight stays will be an enjoyable part of your
tour. As a rule we request non-smoking rooms but due to hotel availability,
we cannot guarantee the hotel will honor these requests, since
many otels have gone to an entirely smoke-free environment.
RESPONSIBILITIES: All tours are arranged and operated by Shockey
Tours, Inc., by authority granted them by the Interstate Commerce
Commission License Number 178716. Shockey Tours, Inc. acts only
as your agent in arranging and sponsoring the various accommodations
that are made available, and assumes no responsibility nor liability
in connection with the services rendered by any vessel, carriage
or other conveyance, excursions, sightseeing events, restaurants,
hotels or motels or any other accommodation, event or equipment
used in the performance of the tour. Shockey Tours, Inc. assumes
no responsibility for any delay, accident, failure or sickness
incurred while using any leased services. Shockey Tours, Inc. reserves
the right to make changes in the itinerary or tour arrangements
at any time, due to emergency or otherwise unknown situations.
If Shockey Tours, Inc. cancels a tour, it shall have no responsibility
to participants beyond the refund of the monies paid to Shockey
Tours, Inc. by the participants. In case of events beyond our control,
including but not limited to strikes, lockouts, revolts, wars,
natural disasters, fires, closures of airports or hotels, or technical
problems of transport, which force us to cancel the tour you have
booked, you will be entitled to a full refund minus reasonable
expenses for services performed. In any of the above cases, Shockey
Tours shall not be under any other obligation of liability to participants.
We reserve the right to accept or decline any person as a member
of any tour at anytime.
CANCELLATION POLICY: We at Shockey Tours understand that at times,
due to uncontrollable circumstances, it may become necessary for
you to cancel a tour. In the event that cancellation does become
necessary, the following policy will apply: Shockey Tours will
have to charge any non-recoverable expenditures made on behalf
of the participant at the time of cancellation. These costs would
be for tickets, meals, hotels, etc. Hotels require a rooming list
and payment 45 to 30 days prior to arrival and show tickets are
often purchased 60 days in advance. Many times these monies are
totally non-recoverable. In addition to any non-recoverable expenditure,
there will be a $10.00 handling fee withheld on all cancellations
to cover the cost of postage, processing, faxes, and telephone
expenses. Cancellations made less than 10 business days prior to
tour departure will be subject to the entire cot of the tour, if
a replacement cannot be found, tour departure will be subject to
the entire cost of the tour, if a replacement cannot be found.
Once the tour departs, no refunds will be made. Refunds are not
given for any meals or attractions, etc, in which the traveler
does not participate while on tour. Refund checks will be processed
at the end of each month. Please allow sufficient time after the
tour returns to audit all hotel and attraction charges. At that
time, we will make every effort to return any monies possible.
If you have not received your refund 30 days from the return date
of the tour, please call the office. Refund of monies paid on airline,
cruise or train tours will be made in accordance with the policy
of the specific conveyance. No refunds will be made for cancellations
or other service interruptions due to the weather or other factors
beyond Shockey Tours’ control. Refunds for tour cancellations
that were put on a credit card will have a three percent handling
fee deducted from the amount refunded.
TRIP CANCELLATION INSURANCE: We at Shockey Tours recognize the
need to protect your health, property and trip investment, therefore,
we have partnered with Access America Travel Insurance, which offers
a Protection Plan specifically designed for our tours. This new
insurance package is offered at a MUCH REDUCED COST. We strongly
encourage you to purchase this cancellation and trip interruption
insurance, which will protect you should it become necessary to
cancel or leave your scheduled tour. If you are interested in purchasing
the insurance or have any questions relating to the insurance,
please call our office at (800) 633-4147. Please note that all
travel insurance companies will ask if you have a “pre-existing” condition.
This is an illness that may flare up and cause you to cancel or
interrupt your trip. If you have a pre-existing condition and purchase
the insurance within 14 days of making your trip reservation, these
pre-existing conditions are covered in your insurance plan (call
our office for more details). If you have no pre-existing condition,
you may purchase the insurance anytime. |
