Please read the following conditions carefully and contact us with any questions as soon as possible.
Firefly Holidays is a trading name of Firefly Holidays (UK) Ltd (company number 09636996). Your contract will be with Firefly Holidays (UK) Limited and any reference to ‘we’, ‘us’ and ‘our’ in these booking conditions is to Firefly Holidays (UK) Limited. The address for Firefly Holidays (UK) Ltd is 8 Parklands, Besselsleigh, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, OX13 5PN.
The following terms and conditions show our commitments to each other and form your contract with us. Your contract will be governed by English law. Where we make travel arrangements on your behalf the relevant operator’s terms and conditions will apply to your booking and a separate contract between you and the operator will be formed. Our contract will apply to the agency services we provide to you in arranging your ferry or other travel arrangements (including agency services) however if there is any conflict between our contract and the operator’s terms, the operator’s terms will take priority.
1. Your holiday contract
When you make a booking you guarantee that you have the authority to accept and do accept on behalf of your party the terms of these booking conditions. You must be 18 or over at the time of booking and be present on the holiday for its entire duration. We reserve the right to refuse any booking. Bookings are not transferable to another party. A contract will exist as soon as you have booked and paid a deposit or the full amount of your holiday and a confirmation invoice has been issued. If you book by telephone, on the website, by email or facsimile you will be deemed to have read and accepted these terms and conditions and the general information pages contained on our website. This contract is made on the terms of these booking conditions, which are governed by English Law, and the jurisdiction of the English Courts. You may however choose the law and jurisdiction of Scotland or Northern Ireland if you live there and wish to do so.
2. Your financial protection
Firefly Holidays (UK) Limited is a company committed to customer satisfaction and consumer financial protection. We are therefore pleased to announce that, at no extra cost to you, and in accordance with “The Package Travel Regulations 2018”, that in the event of our insolvency all passengers booking a package holiday with Firefly Holidays (UK) Limited are protected for the initial deposit, and subsequently the balance of monies paid as detailed in your booking confirmation form. This will also include repatriation if required, arising from the cancellation or curtailment of your travel arrangements booked as part of a package holiday, due to the insolvency of Firefly Holidays (UK) Limited.
This protection applies to holidays classified as a package, within the package travel regulations, which usually applies to holidays where both accommodation and transport to or from the accommodation are provided. Most bookings with Firefly Holidays do not constitute package holidays, for instance where one or more accommodation units at the same or different resorts are provided or where additional services such as ski equipment, tuition or catering options are provided alongside the accommodation. Also, services such as car hire, transfers or travel insurance bought from other operators do not constitute a Firefly Holidays package, even if reached from a link originating from a Firefly Holidays website, email or online post.
3. Your Holiday Price
i. We reserve the right to alter the prices of any of the holidays shown on our website. You will be advised of the current price of the holiday that you wish to book before your contract is confirmed.
ii. When you make your booking you must pay a deposit of 20% of the accommodation cost plus the full cost of any other travel arrangements that we make on your behalf (channel crossings, rail travel, car hire, transfers and attraction tickets). The balance of the price of your travel arrangements must be paid at least 12 weeks before your departure date. If the deposit and/or balance is not paid in time, we shall cancel your travel arrangements. If the balance is not paid in time we shall retain your deposit and the full cost of any ferry or tunnel crossings made by us on your behalf. As of 01/01/2018 no additional transaction charge of 2% will be applied to Visa or Mastercard credit card or debit card transactions.
iii. Changes in transportation costs, including the cost of fuel, dues, taxes or fees chargeable for services such as landing taxes or embarkation or disembarkation fees at ports and airports and exchange rates mean that the price of your travel arrangements may change after you have booked. However there will be no change within 30 days of your departure. We will absorb and you will not be charged for any increase equivalent to 2% of the price of your travel arrangements, which excludes insurance premiums and any amendment charges. You will be charged for the amount over and above that, plus an administration charge of £1 per person together with an amount to cover agents’ commission. If this means that you have to pay an increase of more than 10% of the price of your travel arrangements, you will have the option of accepting a change to another holiday if we are able to offer one (we will refund any price difference if the alternative is of a lower value), or cancelling and receiving a full refund of all monies paid, except for any amendment charges. Should you decide to cancel you must do so within 14 days from the date on your final invoice. Should the price of your holiday go down due to the changes mentioned above, by more than 2% of your holiday cost, then any refund due will be paid to you. However, please note that travel arrangements are not always purchased in local currency and some apparent changes have no impact on the price of your travel due to contractual and other protection in place.
iv. All monies you pay to the travel agent are held by him on our behalf at all times.
4. Low Deposit Offers
From time to time we may make offers giving you the opportunity to book holidays with an initial deposit that is lower than our standard 20%. These offers will only apply to the accommodation element of your holiday and the usual deposits will apply for any travel or extras bookings that you make at the time. When paying a low deposit you will agree to pay the remainder of the standard deposit by the end of the month after the month in which you booked your holiday, or when the final holiday balance is due, whichever is the sooner. In the event of you cancelling your holiday before you have paid the balance of your deposit you will remain liable to pay the balance up to the full standard deposit.
5. If You Change Your Booking
If, after our confirmation invoice has been issued, you wish to change your holiday arrangements in anyway, for example your chosen departure date or accommodation, we will do our utmost to make these changes but it may not always be possible. You may be asked to pay an administration charge of £40, and any further cost we incur in making this alteration. You should be aware that these costs could increase the closer to the departure date that changes are made and you should contact us as soon as possible. Within 84 days of travel we may treat the change as a cancellation and cancellation charges will apply as per the schedule below.
Note: Certain travel arrangements (e.g. Saver Tickets) may not be changeable after a reservation has been made and any alteration request could incur a cancellation charge of up to 100% of that part of the arrangements.
6. If You Cancel Your Holiday – Standard terms
Our standard cancellation terms will apply to all bookings unless you have paid the supplement for upgraded cancellation terms.
You may cancel your holiday booking at any time. Written or email notification from the person who made the booking or your travel agent must be received at our offices. Since we incur costs in cancelling your travel arrangements, you will have to pay cancellation charges as follows:
| Period before departure in which you notify us: | Cancellation charge as % of total holiday cost:* |
| Up to 84 days | Deposit only (including any balance of the deposit due)* |
| 83 – 31 days | 50% of holiday cost |
| 30 – 15 days | 90% of holiday cost |
| 14 days or fewer | 100% of holiday cost |
* We will also retain payments made for non-refundable items, including ferry or tunnel saver fares, overnight hotels, car hire bookings, private transfers or attraction tickets.
We strongly advise that you take out an appropriate travel insurance policy when you book your holiday with us. If the reason for your cancellation is covered under the terms of your insurance policy, you may be able to reclaim these charges.
7. If We Change or Cancel Your Holiday
As we plan your holiday arrangements many months in advance we may occasionally have to make changes or cancel your booking and we reserve the right to do so at any time.
Changes If we make a major change to your holiday, we will inform you or your travel agent as soon as reasonably possible if there is time before your departure. You will have the choice of either accepting the change of arrangements, accepting an offer of alternative travel arrangements of comparable standard from us if available (we will refund any price difference if the alternative is of a lower value), or cancelling your holiday and receiving a full refund of all monies paid. In some cases we will also pay compensation (see below). These options don’t apply for minor changes. Examples of minor changes include alteration of your outward/return travel when booked by us on your behalf by less than 12 hours, change of accommodation to another of the same or higher standard, changes of carriers.
A significant change for the purpose of this clause includes a change of destination where location and/or facilities offered significantly differ from those originally booked, lowering the standard of your accommodation where the stay was for a minimum of 3 nights, a change of departure time by more than 12 hours or a cost increase of more than 10%. On rare occasions we may have to cancel your holiday.
Cancellation We will not cancel your travel arrangements less than 84 days before your departure date, except for reasons of force majeure or failure by you to pay the final balance. We may cancel your holiday before this date if, e.g., the minimum number of clients required for a particular travel arrangement is not reached. If your holiday is cancelled you can either have a refund of all monies paid or accept an offer of alternative travel arrangements of comparable standard from us, if available (we will refund any price difference if the alternative is of a lower value). In some cases we will pay compensation (see below).
Compensation If we cancel or make a major change on or after the balance due date we will pay compensation as detailed below except where the major change or cancellation arises due to reasons of force majeure. The compensation that we offer does not exclude you from claiming more if you are entitled to do so.
| Period before departure in which we notify you or your travel agent: | Amount you will receive from us: |
| More than 84 days | £0 |
| 84 – 43 days | £25 |
| 42 – 29 days | £40 |
| 28 – 15 days | £80 |
| 14 days or fewer | £100 |
Force Majeure We may not make a full refund or pay compensation if we have to cancel or change your travel arrangements in any way because of unusual or unforeseeable circumstances beyond our control. These can include, for example, war, riot, industrial dispute, terrorist activity and its consequences, natural or nuclear disaster, fire, adverse weather conditions, epidemics and pandemics, unavoidable technical problems with transport.
8. If You Have A Complaint
If you have a problem during your holiday, please inform the relevant supplier (e.g. the accommodation management or reception) immediately who will endeavour to put things right. If the owner or supplier cannot resolve the problem to your satisfaction at the time, you must also contact us immediately by phoning our offices to give us a chance to help. If your complaint is not resolved at the time, please follow this up within 28 days of your return home by writing to our Customer Services Department at Firefly Holidays, 8 Parklands, Besselsleigh, Abingdon, OX13 5PN, giving your booking reference and all other relevant information. Please keep your letter concise and to the point. If you fail to follow this simple procedure we will have been deprived of the opportunity to investigate and rectify your complaint whilst you were in resort and this may affect your rights under this contract.
9. Our Liability to You
If the contract we have with you is not performed or is improperly performed by us or our suppliers we will pay you appropriate compensation if this has affected the enjoyment of your travel arrangements. However we will not be liable where any failure in the performance of the contract is due to: you; or a third party unconnected with the provision of the travel arrangements and where the failure is unforeseeable or unavoidable; or unusual and unforeseeable circumstances beyond our control, the consequences of which could not have been avoided even if all due care had been exercised; or an event which we or our suppliers, even with all due care, could not foresee or forestall. Our liability, except in cases involving death, injury or illness, shall be limited to a maximum of twice the cost of your travel arrangements. Our liability will also be limited in accordance with and/or in an identical manner to
i. The contractual terms of the companies that provide the transportation for your travel arrangements. These terms are incorporated into this contract; and
ii.Any relevant international convention, for example the Montreal Convention in respect of travel by air, the Athens Convention in respect of travel by sea, the Berne Convention in respect of travel by rail and the Paris Convention in respect of the provision of accommodation, which limit the amount of compensation that you can claim for death, injury, delay to passengers and loss, damage and delay to luggage. We are to be regarded as having all benefit of any limitation of compensation contained in these or any conventions.
You can ask for copies of the transport contractual terms, or the international conventions, from our offices. Please contact us. Under EU law (Regulation 261/2004) you have rights in some circumstances to refunds and/or compensation from your airline in cation or delay to flights. Full details will be publicised at EU airports and available from airlines. However reimbursement in such cases will not automatically entitle you to a refund of your holiday cost from us. Your right to a refund and/or compensation from us is set out in clause 7. If any payments to you are due from us, any payment made to you by the airline will be deducted.
NB this clause does not apply to any separate contracts that you may enter into for excursions or activities whilst on holiday.
10. Covid-19: Limitation of liability
We both acknowledge the ongoing COVID-19 global crisis and accept our obligations to comply with any official guidance from governments or local authorities, both in the UK and whilst on holiday.
Please note that we will have no liability for any refunds, compensation, costs, expenses or other losses of any kind incurred by you (including, where applicable, the cost of medical treatment), in the following circumstances:
1. If you, or anyone in your booking party, test positive for Covid-19 and have to quarantine for a period of time, or are notified or otherwise become aware that you have, or suspect you may have, come into close contact with someone who has tested positive for Covid-19 (or where they otherwise suspect they may have Covid-19) and have to self-isolate for a period of time. If this happens within 14 days of your departure date, you must contact us as you may no longer be able to travel. We will offer you the following options where possible and subject to availability:
– Postponing your holiday to a later date. We will notify you of any impact on the price the postponement may have (please note that you may have to pay full cancellation charges on some elements of your holiday, such as the ferries, as well any increase in cost imposed by suppliers);
– If not everyone on the booking is affected, you may have the right to transfer your place on the holiday to another person nominated by you.
– Cancelling your holiday, in which case we will impose our standard cancellation charges as at the date of cancellation by you. You may be able to claim these costs back from your travel insurance.
If this happens whilst you are on your holiday, please notify us without delay and we will provide such reasonable assistance as we can in the circumstances. However, we will not be responsible for covering the cost of any curtailment of your holiday, missed transport arrangements, additional accommodation required, or other associated costs incurred by you. You must ensure you have travel insurance which covers these costs for you.
2. You fail any tests, checks or other measures imposed by a supplier, transport operator, port or airport, border control authority or other government body or local authority or fail to submit for testing or assessment when requested to do so, and as such you are denied entry to board your chosen means of transport, entry to the destination, access to the services or you are otherwise unable to proceed with the holiday, or that portion of the holiday.
You also acknowledge that the suppliers providing your holiday, including resorts, transport operators and attraction providers, will need to comply with national and/or local guidance and requirements relating to Covid-19, and have implemented certain measures as a result. This will likely include specific requirements regarding personal protective equipment, such as use of face-masks by staff (and you may be required to wear a face-mask as well), social distancing, maximum number restrictions on the use of certain facilities, designated alternative entrance and exit routes, mandatory hand sanitisation, limited entertainment options and limited food/drink availability. We do not expect these measures to have a significant impact on your enjoyment of the holiday and all measures will be taken with the purpose of securing your safety and those around you.
11. Insurance
You must ensure that you have adequate insurance to cover all aspects of your holiday such as cancellation, personal accident, medical problems, personal belongings, and 3rd party liability. You are fully responsible for any costs that you or any member of your party may incur as a result of inadequate insurance cover.
12. Transport conditions and delays*
We use independent transport operators and you are bound by their conditions of carriage. These are available on request or at terminal of departure. If we are notified of a significant delay by the travel operator, we will contact you where reasonably possible before departure to inform you of this. If you incur additional expenses as a result, you may be able to recover these under the terms of your insurance policy, however it is your responsibility to check the extent and level of cover.
* This clause applies only if transport has been booked by us on your behalf as part of a package holiday.
13. On request accommodation
On occasions the accommodation you wish to book may be ‘on request’ and not immediately available. On these occasions we will ask you complete your booking request as normal and you will receive a quotation number from us. It will be made clear to you at the end of the booking process that the accommodation is ‘on request’ and not confirmed. No deposit payment will be taken. We will then contact the accommodation owner / supplier to check if the accommodation requested is available. When we receive notification that the accommodation is available we shall contact you immediately to confirm your holiday and take your deposit payment before sending you a confirmation invoice. If the accommodation is not available we shall contact you and discuss alternative holidays with you. Please note that we strongly advise that you do not make any independent travel arrangements (flights, ferries etc.) until you receive notification from us that the accommodation is confirmed. In these instances we shall endeavour to come back to you within 24 hours, but over weekends and bank holidays this may extend to 72 hours.
14. Special requests
Special requests must be indicated to us at the time of booking, however these cannot be guaranteed. In some cases an extra charge may be payable to facilitate a special request. Any customer with restricted mobility, particular care requirements or disabilities should discuss their requirements at the time of booking. Whilst we will use reasonable endeavours to accommodate such needs, they cannot be guaranteed unless we confirm this to you in writing.
15. Prompt assistance in resort
If the contract we have with you is not performed or is improperly performed as a result of failures attributable to a third party unconnected with the provision of the services, or as a result of failures due to unusual and unforeseeable circumstances beyond our control, the consequences of which could not have been avoided even if all due care had been exercised, or an event which we or our suppliers, even with all due care, could not foresee or forestall, and you suffer an injury or other material loss, we will offer you such prompt assistance as is reasonable in the circumstances.
16. Passport, Visa and Immigration Requirements
Your specific passport and visa requirements, and other immigration requirements are your responsibility and you should confirm these with the relevant Embassies and/or Consulates. We do not accept any responsibility if you cannot travel because you have not complied with any passport, visa or immigration requirements.
17. Accommodation deposit and damage to accommodation
You are solely responsible for the cost of any damage caused to your accommodation or its contents during your stay. Full payment for any such damage or losses must be paid directly to the supplier prior to departure from the site. If you fail to make payment, you will be responsible for meeting any claims (including legal costs) subsequently made against us as a result of your actions together with all costs we incur in pursuing any claim against you. We strongly recommend that you have personal insurance which covers you for accidental damage and personal liability. A deposit, to cover you for accidental damage to equipment in your accommodation, is payable to Reception on arrival which is refundable on departure following the inspection of your accommodation by a member of the resort’s staff. The amount of the deposit and the method of payment will be detailed in your pre-departure information.
18. Resort facilities
Sometimes facilities described on the website or resort guide may be withdrawn for reasons such as maintenance, bad weather or lack of demand at the discretion of the relevant resort management team. Please note that some facilities are not available during low season. You must comply with all requirements notified and reasonable instructions given in respect of any aspect of your booking. This includes information supplied pre-holiday and whilst on holiday, in particular in respect of use of facilities and amenities provided at any time during your holiday.
19. Excursions
Excursions or other tours that you may choose to book or pay for whilst you are on holiday are not part of your holiday or package holiday provided by us. For any excursion or other tour that you book, your contract will be with the operator of the excursion or tour and not with us. We are not responsible for the provision of the excursion or tour or for anything that happens during the course of its provision by the operator.
20. Coastal cruising holidays
The following terms apply to our coastal cruising holidays:
The departure time from the initial departure port will be as advertised on your holiday documents. It is your responsibility to ensure that you do not miss the departure time from the initial departure port or subsequent ports of call. In the unlikely event that you miss the departure it will be possible to join the boat at the next port of call. Firefly Holidays will assist in any way we can, but any additional travel costs incurred will be the customer’s responsibility.
In the unlikely event that due to mechanical or other problems a boat is unable to put to sea, an alternative boat of the same or higher category will be put in place. If the only alternative replacement ship is in a lower category your holiday price will be reduced to reflect this. If no replacement boat is immediately available there may be a 24 hour delay to allow time to repair the original boat. No refund will be due in these circumstances.
Customers must abide by the onboard rules at all times as the captain is responsible for the safety of all passengers and crew. Full copies of the rules will be available onboard. The advertised itinerary may be amended at any time during the cruise at the discretion of the Captain, as a result of poor weather conditions or other operational reasons. During rough weather decks may be wet and slippery, so customers should take extra care when moving around. Due to the specific mooring conditions and requirements of specific ports, boats may be moored side by side making it necessary to cross from one boat to another, with gaps between the boats, to get to and from the shore. Customers should take extra care when crossing and do so at their own risk. Crew assistance will be given if and when requested.
Customers are asked to respect their fellow passengers at all times and to observe night-time silence after midnight. Food and drink bought onshore may not be brought on board with the exception of personal care products, medicines, baby food or food for specific dietary requirements. Smoking may be permitted on board but only in a designated smoking area on deck. Cigarette butts must not be thrown overboard.
21. Customer queries
We hope to respond to all of your queries immediately. In the unlikely event that this isn’t possible we will respond to all e-mail and telephone queries within 24 hours (or the next working day hours if the query is received between Friday and Sunday).
Copyright © Firefly Holidays (UK) Ltd 2024.
