Prices & Bookings

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Booking Procedure & Conditions

Booking and payment
If you wish to book a charter holiday or a day trip, and you know the yacht is available, please, email us to confirm your booking. You will then receive an invoice stating the amounts to be paid: the Deposit (30%) and the Final Payment (70%). The Deposit is due no later than 7 days after the invoice has been sent. After paying the Deposit, please, inform us of your payment. We will immediately send you a confirmation by email upon receiving the Deposit. The Final Payment of the invoice is to be paid no later than 60 days before the departure date of your charter.
Schedule depicting booking and paymemt procedures
Booking is as easy as 1 - 2 - 3

Please note:
- Bookings made less than 60 days before departure date are to be paid in full in one single payment.
- Late payment of the Deposit or Final Payment results in your booked space not being secure.

Altering a booking
Provided it does not interfere with our schedules, there are normally no charges for minor alterations. If the change is major it will be dealt with on a per booking basis relating to the circumstances.

Cancellations and Insurance
Cancellations need to be advised of in writing by fax or email. The date we receive the message is the one used in calculating any charge. The following charges apply for cancellations:

- more than 12 weeks before the charter date
- between 12 and 8 weeks before the charter date
- between 8 and 4 weeks before charter date
- within 4 weeks of the charter date -> you pay 30% of the total charter fee
-> you pay 50% of the total charter fee
-> you pay 80% of the total charter fee
-> you pay 100% of charter fee.

We strongly recommend obtaining cancellation insurance! We also recommend that guests obtain holiday insurance covering the activities and sports they intend to undertake.

Itineraries
Where itineraries are given they may be subject to change due to weather conditions or other circumstances. The final decision regarding the itinerary lies with the skipper of the charter. In all cases safety aboard has priority.

Information Provided
The information we provide regarding yachts, itineraries, crew, dive sites, transfers, arrival/departures and all other aspects of the charters is correct to the best of our knowledge.

Equipment Breakdowns
A modern yacht contains many pieces of machinery and equipment, which have to work in a marine environment. Although the yachts are very well maintained, equipment breakdown can still occur. As long as the quality of the trip is not unduly affected in the event of equipment breakdown, such a breakdown by itself is no ground for complaint.

Complaints
Should a guest have a complaint they should inform the skipper of the yacht, or in case of bareboat charter the guest should inform the shore base. The skipper (or the shore base) will do the utmost to rectify the problem. Complaints, which have not first been expressed to the skipper (or to the shore base in case of bareboat charter) can not be taken into consideration.

We reserve the right to change any of the above as circumstances dictate without prior notice.

Travel Insurance

Hints, tips, and why it's generally a good idea!

It is our own, firsthand experience of the unexpected which gives rise to our strongly stated recommendation to take out trip insurance. For many different reasons; medical, loss of baggage, delays, other unforeseen circumstances which may cause you to cancel entirely - we've seen many varieties.

Yes, it does add to total trip cost - but then so does household insurance add to the cost of your home! We are not going to think you foolhardy if you decide not to take out insurance; it's a personal choice to accept the risk of the unexpected or not.

Here are some links to insurance companies whom we have researched, and appear to offer adaptable and thorough policies; plus some which come specifically recommended from past clients. All of these offer policies you can take out online; or most travel agents can also issue them.

Please note, we have no affiliation with nor derive any commission from any of these companies, and take no responsibility in the event of disputes arising with any of them; these are purely suggested links which we hope will help you in your travel-planning.

Why do I need travel insurance at all?

It has long been a source of great surprise to us at Faraway Yachting (several of us being primarily from Europe or Australia) - that many folks from the States don't appear to consider trip insurance when they travel. For us, it's simply part of the expected routine; only if the budget is tight, one sometimes decides to take a calculated risk and no travel insurance.

We learned that this was not the case in the States - trip insurance was not an automatically considered option. In fact, we discovered that many people thought they were covered for medical and baggage by their household policies - only to find out the hard way that this cover is often quite inadequate!

Of course, this does not apply to ALL household/medical policies; but we'd like to suggest that you do read the small print. Nor are we trying to scare you into thinking "I must have travel insurance!!" - we just want you to be aware of your choices in the matter.

Medical insurance is not quite as vital in Thailand and/or Malaysia as it would be, eg, for a non-US citizen visiting the States. Both these countries have State-run medical facilities which are usually very good. In fact, one often does not even pay at all for minor treatment. However, for any major medical emergency, most people would still want the facility to be flown home, ASAP - a bill that could be shockingly high. Ask a couple of our clients who had motorbike spills last year; one in particular requiring a helicopter airlift - we know how glad this guy was of his travel insurance policy!

To Explode a Few Insurance Myths

No-one is going to cover you if you just change your mind at the last minute. But most policies will cover you if there is a serious change of circumstances not under your control, such as a death/medical emergency in your family/your travel companion, loss of employment, problems with airlines. Many companies even offer compensation if you are delayed because of the weather ! Fortunately, extreme weather conditions in Thailand/Malaysia are very rare, but there was once a time when the winds were so strong that some clients were stuck in Bangkok for 2 days. The insurance company paid up for their loss of sailing time uncomplainingly.

The "Change Your Mind" clause

One very useful item to note is the "Change Your Mind" clause now offered by several companies, which gives up to $250 compensation towards non-refundable deposits if you simply change your mind.
NB: Policy must be issued within 7 days of making the initial trip deposit.

If You're Going To Do It - Do It Soon!!

If you're going to get travel insurance at all - it pays to get it as soon as you book your trip. Any trip, not just ours! This does vary between companies, and not all companies offer these "extras" - but be aware that by taking out the policy within 7 days of paying your initial trip deposit MAY give you this Change Your Mind option; it may also mean coverage for pre-existing medical conditions. Check out your chosen policy carefully!

And finally, we're always happy to hear reports of travel insurance companies, good or bad! - if you have any experiences or recommendations, we'd love to hear them.

 

Options available

Available Options
SY Chameleon

Optional One-way itinerary
Start your cruise in Phuket, Thailand and work your way down to Langkawi in Malaysia, stopping at beautiful anchorages in the Butang islands group, Koh Tarutao and Koh Rok Nok. Perfectly clear water, white empty beaches, beautiful corals and marine live make these anchorages perfect for snorkeling. From Langkawi you can fly onwards to Bangkok or Kuala Lumpur. Of course you can go the other way as well: start in Langkawi, Malaysia and sail to Phuket. Ask us about travelling from or to Langkawi, Malaysia

Scuba Diving
Go scuba diving at beautiful anchorages and reefs that you stop by on the way. Tanks, weights, weightbelt and compressor can be made available on the yacht. You can bring your own equipment or rent the gear that you need. Prices see price section.


 

 
Sailing Phang Nga Bay Phuket – the gateway to the Indian Ocean