African Queen Thames River Cruises

    Terms and Conditions

    African Queen Terms & Conditions

    Based on the British Marine Inland Boating Hotel Passenger Boat Booking Conditions, sponsored by the British Marine Federation.

    Please read these conditions carefully. They are all part of the booking agreement and describe the rights and duties of both you and the Company.

    1. DEFINITIONS

    In these conditions and the Agreement the following words have the following meanings:

    “Booking” means the legally binding agreement between You and the Company, which is evidenced by your Booking request and the Booking Confirmation and is made on the basis of these Conditions
    “Booking Confirmation” means the written confirmation issued to You by the Company confirming the key particulars of the booking
    “Booking Period” means the period that You have booked for, as stated in the Booking Confirmation
    “Company” means African Queen Floating Hotel Boat, Mapledurham Village, Reading, RG4 7TP
    “Conditions” means these Booking Conditions
    “End Date” means the end date in the Booking Confirmation
    “Price” means the price in the Booking Confirmation
    “Start Date” means the start date in the Booking Confirmation
    “You” means the person or persons named in the Booking Confirmation. If there is more than one of You each of You shall be individually responsible for complying with the terms of the Booking.
    “Written” means that the item has been printed, typed, written out by hand or sent or displayed by email or other electronic means

    2. BOOKINGS

    2.1 Your Booking only comes into existence when the Company sends out the Booking Confirmation. A provisional or conditional booking is not binding and You may cancel it at any time before the Booking Confirmation is sent out to You by the Company. Similarly the Company may allocate the spaces that are the subject of your Booking to another party at any time before a Booking Confirmation has been sent to You. The entire agreement between You and the Company is contained in these Conditions, the Booking request and the Booking Confirmation.
    2.2 Nothing in these Conditions affects Your statutory rights.

    3. PRICES AND PAYMENT

    3.1 The Company reserves the right to correct errors in advertised or quoted prices at the time of Booking Confirmation.
    3.2 The deposit is payable at the time of the Booking request. The deposit will be specified according to your booking.
    3.3 The balance of the Price is due 6 weeks before time of arrival. Time of payment shall be of the essence.
    3.4 For Bookings made less than 4 weeks before the start date You must pay the full Price at the time of the Booking request.

    4. YOUR PARTY

    Personal agreement and obligations
    4.1 The Booking is made between You and the Company and is personal to You. Your identity is a material factor in the Company’s decision to make the Booking. You must be at least 18 years of age at the time of booking. You must be authorised by all other members of Your party to enter into the Booking on their behalf. The full names, ages and permanent addresses of all members of Your party must be provided to the Company at the time of booking. All changes in Your party (the addition, substitution or removal of any member of the party) which take place at any time after the Booking Confirmation has been issued must be communicated in writing to the Company. You are responsible for making all members of Your party aware of the terms of the Booking.

    5. CANCELLATIONS AND CHANGES REQUESTED BY YOU

    5.1 The Booking is a legally binding contract and may only be cancelled or changed in accordance with these Conditions.
    5.2 If You want to cancel or change Your Booking you must give the Company written notice.
    5.3 If You cancel your Booking, You will forfeit all sums paid to the Company at the effective cancellation date, and You shall pay to the Company the balance of any sums due should the Company make a request in writing for payment of the full amount due in respect of the Booking.
    5.4 If the Company re-lets the boat to a new customer for the Booking Period or part of it the Company will return the sums which You have paid for the Booking, in respect of any days for which it has re-let the boat after deducting an administration fee of £40 in total together with any credit card charges which the Company has incurred.

    6. CANCELLATION BY THE COMPANY

    6.1 The Company may cancel the Booking by written notice in the following circumstances:
    6.1.1 If in its reasonable opinion embarkation or the continuation of the Booking will adversely affect the safety of any person or property. In the event that embarkation is prevented and provided that You have fully complied with your obligations under this Agreement the Company will refund the deposit and any other monies which You have paid to the Company and the Booking shall be discharged without further liability on either party. Where the Booking has to be cancelled during the Booking Period, the refund shall be pro-rated to reflect the portion of the Booking already spent.
    6.1.2 For non-payment of any sum due under the Booking
    6.1.3 For any material breach of Condition 8.

    7. EMBARKATION AND DISEMBARKATION

    7.1 The boat will normally be available at the date, time and place shown in the Booking Confirmation, subject to the provisions of Conditions 7.4 .
    7.2 You must notify the Company as soon as possible if Your estimated arrival time is delayed or disrupted. Where other parties have booked the boat at the same time as You, the Company cannot guarantee that it will be able to wait for you and may at its option elect to treat this as a full or partial cancellation under these Conditions. There will be no rebate of the Price for late arrival nor will the Company accept responsibility for any overnight costs which You may incur if you fail to reach the boat on time.
    7.4 The Company reserves the right to change the places of embarkation and disembarkation for operational reasons or for reasons beyond the reasonable control of the Company. If the Company exercises the right in this clause 7.4, the Company shall organise the transport that is reasonably necessary for You and Your party as a result of that change.

    8. SAFETY AND OTHER RULES

    8.1 When on the boat You are required to comply with our Safety Rules, a copy of which is available on display.
    8.2 Pets are not allowed on the boat unless prior written agreement has been obtained from the Company
    8.3 No smoking is allowed in the boat. Smoking is allowed on the deck only.
    8.4 Children and teenagers under 18 years of age should be supervised by a parent or guardian at all times
    8.5 Alcohol is not to be brought on the boat without prior written agreement from the Company

    9. EXCLUSION AND LIMITATION OF LIABILITY

    9.1 The Company shall not be required to refund any part of the Price, nor be liable to pay any compensation, damages, costs or expenses for any claim arising from any cause beyond the Company’s reasonable control which could not have been mitigated or avoided by the Company including but not limited to:

    • Loss of or damage to any person’s property (including the boat);
    • non-fulfilment, interruption or delay to the Booking;
    • breakdowns, mechanical problems, latent defects, damage to the boat;
    • restrictions on cruising, obstructions, repairs, damage or closure of waterways, non availability of routes, navigational works, storms, floods, droughts, ice, shortage of water or other weather or climactic conditions;
    • rationing, shortage or non availability of fuel;
    • consequential loss, damage or expense which You incur including the cost of alternative transport, accommodation or other holiday provision.

    10. LAW AND JURISDICTION

    10.1 This Agreement shall be governed by the law of England and Wales.
    10.2 Any dispute arising under this Agreement shall be submitted to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Courts of England and Wales.

    Testimonials

    Here's what people say about us

    • Great weekend – nothing quite like it!

      Seeing our great national river up close while others do all the hard work was well worth the price. You would be hard pushed to find such a combination of excellent food and under-stated seamanship anywhere else. All we had to do was relax and enjoy. Given our weather can be unpredictable the boat was well fitted for all possible circumstances and so was the bar – nice to see a classic paper spreadsheet in use 😉

      Roger C – Mattishall

    • Christmas on the African Queen!

      Last year my fiancee and myself went on the African Queen for Christmas. We enjoyed it so much that we had to take my family and friends there this year. The location it self is probably one of the most beautiful locations in England. Again the crew’s service was excellent, no request is to big for Andy and Bonnie. Their hospitality is also unmatched.
      All I can say about the food is that words can’t do it justice and it needs to be experienced!

      Renier P – UK

    • Have just returned from five days on board the boat hotel, African Queen.

      It was a most enjoyable, relaxing experience. Our expectations were exceeded when we received a phone call from Bonny, the co-owner of the vessel, to welcome us in advance and to check that if we had special dietary needs could be met. She also checked that we had any concerns prior to our departure. Shortly after boarding we were treated to home made scones with jam and cream and that was the start of interesting, quality meals which were cooked to perfection. Delicious!

       

      Ezanns – Lincoln

    • Spent several days aboard a 100ft Dutch Barge! Excellent food – Bonnie is a superb chef, ably assisted by Bobby. Wonderful atmosphere. Compact accommodation but exceedingly clean and very functional! and “user friendly”. Andy is an excellent mine host – tells very funny stories and has a really good sense of humour. Beautiful countryside. An experience to treasure and to repeat!

      Patrick M – South Africa

    • A weekend with a difference!

      If you are looking for peace, great food, then this is the place to be. Andy, Bonnie and Bobby do everything humanly possible to make their guests comfortable. Andy is the skipper, keeping many people amused with his anecdotes and experiences of life. Bonnie and Bobby keep their guests exceptionally well fed and comfortable.

      Everybody on our trip gelled (young and old) and on Saturday we had a wonderful evening celebrating a guest’s birthday. We sang, danced, laughed and had a thoroughly good time.

       

      W Spatriciab – Wellington