Please carefully read this General Information, which contains useful details that you need to know before you book your cruising holiday. Should there be some additional information that you require or you have questions about any aspect of your cruise, please do not hesitate to contact us. Fuller, more detailed information will be forwarded with your cruise documentation.

Baggage
There is no restriction on the amount of luggage that you may bring on board. As there are no separate Baggage Room facilities aboard our ships, it should be noted that all baggage must be stored within the cabin. It should be noted that baggage restrictions will apply for cruising holidays involving flight arrangements, normally up to 15-20 kilos per person.

Brochure Information
The information contained in this brochure has been checked for accuracy and is correct at the time of publication in January 2008. Worldwide events subsequent to this date may necessitate unavoidable alterations to our planned schedules. Any such changes deemed to be significant or fundamental to your booking will be advised to you accordingly. It should also be noted that the destination photography and maps are generic to the locations depicted and may not be a specific representation of sights or images to be viewed in a particular port of call on the cruise booked.

Children, Teenagers and Infants
Whilst facilities for teenagers, children and infants aboard are limited with no organised entertainment programme, families will certainly be made to feel most welcome. We have put together attractive fares for teenagers and children under 17 years of age at the time of sailing provided they are accompanied in the same cabin with two adult full fare paying passengers and utilizing either the upper pullman berths or sofa beds.

Dress Code
During the day, attitudes are very relaxed and informality is the key. Casual clothing is quite sufficient during the days at sea and for time spent ashore. On certain shore excursions and at some religious sites, discretion should be used so as not to cause inadvertent offence with inappropriate clothing. Advice will be given on board in such cases. Every day, the Daily Programme suggests, as a guide a mode of dress for that particular evening’s events. There are generally two ‘formal’ or gala nights planned on each cruise when many gentlemen wear a dinner jacket, although a lounge suit is quite acceptable. The ladies on these occasions have a chance to dress up and often opt for evening or cocktail dresses. On evenings proposed as ‘informal’, a suit or smart jacket and trousers, with or without a tie, for the men is suggested and the ladies have further opportunities to look elegant in a cocktail dress, trouser suits and stylish co-ordinates. A ‘casual’ recommendation often covers evenings spent in port or when a special event such as a deck party is scheduled. In these cases, the choice of dress is left entirely to you.

Electrical Appliances
All cabins are fitted with a razor point and a continental style two-pin round holed socket, suitable for small electrical appliances only. The voltage on board is 220v AC and a two pin adaptor will be required.

Embarkation/Disembarkation Arrangements
Embarkation normally commences three hours prior to the published sailing time. At final disembarkation, various formalities have to be completed and the baggage completely landed before passengers can proceed ashore. Therefore you should allow approximately 90 minutes from the scheduled arrival time before disembarkation. Full embarkation procedures and final timings will be confirmed when tickets and cruise documentation is despatched usually 14 days prior to sail date.

Gratuities
According to international custom in the hospitality industry, tipping is accepted as a recognition of good service. For all Athena cruises the fares do not include gratuities and we operate an automatic tipping system so instead of worrying how much and when to tip an amount equivalent to £4.00 per person per day (7, 11 and 12 night summer 2008 ex-Leith cruises) will be debited to your onboard account during the cruise unless you of course choose otherwise. You have the chance to adjust the amount to be charged to your account in order to reflect your level of satisfaction and this can be done by simply contacting the Reception Desk accordingly.

Health Requirements
As at the time of printing, there are no mandatory vaccinations for visiting any of the ports of call in this programme. However, as circumstances are very prone to change, your own doctor or local clinic may make certain recommendations we therefore advise you to make your own enquiries nearer to sailing time. The publication Health Advice for Travellers produced by the Dept. of Health (also available on their website www.dh.gov.uk/PolicyAndGuidance/HealthAdviceForTravellers) is a useful guideline.

Holiday & Accommodation Information
We have endeavoured to provide as much information about the cruise holidays as space permits however, please bear in mind that from time to time, certain facilities, activities entertainments and shore excursions may be altered or withdrawn due to such reasons as adverse weather conditions, lack of demand, essential maintenance work or other reasons beyond our control.

Itineraries
It should be noted that the cruise itineraries published in this brochure are subject to amendment. Should major changes to the ports of call, other than timing adjustments or the order in which they are visited, become necessary we shall endeavour to notify you in advance.

Medical Information
In the interest of your own safety and wellbeing, you must be fit and healthy to take your cruise and all other travel arrangements that you book with us. Therefore, the company must be advised at the time of booking of any pre-existing medical condition and of any change to a passenger’s condition that occurs between booking and the sailing date.
Medical Declarations, on the Company’s official form, will be required by all passengers including those who a) are pregnant or b) have a mental or physical disability, including mobility limitations. Classic International Cruises reserves the right in its absolute discretion to refuse boarding to persons who in the opinion of the Company’s Medical Consultant are unfit to undertake the cruise or who have failed to make full disclosure of the nature of their condition. The Company regrets that it cannot accept bookings from passengers who will be twenty-eight weeks pregnant or more by the end of their cruise. Please note that a failure to disclose a specified medical condition may additionally invalidate your travel insurance.

Medical Services
The services of our qualified medical staff are available to you on board in the event of ‘mal de mer’ or an emergency. It should be noted that the NHS does not cover treatment on the ship and there is a scale of charges for surgery visits and medical treatment. Such charges are usually claimable under your travel insurance policy, less any excess amounts.

Mobility /Special Needs
A cruise is quite unlike a land based holiday and both Athena and Funchal are not ideally suited to prospective passengers in wheelchairs or those who have limited mobility. It is therefore essential that you contact our office to discuss your requirements before you make a booking. It should be noted that the layout of the ship could considerably restrict such passengers’ movement around the vessel and indeed preclude access to some of the ports of call, where gangway conditions are not conducive or passengers are conveyed ashore by tender. Passengers with mobility limitations, or who have special needs, that are accepted for travel must be accompanied by at least one able bodied companion who will be responsible for general care and assistance throughout the cruise.

On Board Payments
All prices on board are quoted in pounds Sterling and a cashless system is in operation for all your on board purchases. An account is opened for you at the start of your cruise and you sign a debit when purchasing goods and services on board. This is charged to your shipboard account and a final invoice is presented at the end of the cruise itemising all charges. This can be settled by Sterling Travellers’ Cheques, debit cards, Visa or MasterCard credit cards, and of course, cash. It is not possible to use personal cheques to settle on board accounts. The Reception staff also offer a facility to purchase small amounts of foreign currency for use in most of the ports of call.

Passports
A passport is essential for all cruises and British passport holders must have a full ten year passport issued in the UK. Holders of other passports should check with the relevant consular authorities of the countries to be visited to ascertain if there any specific restrictions or requirements for their planned itinerary.

Restaurant & Table Reservations
The well appointed Lisboa and Coimbra restaurants provide an elegant setting for open sitting breakfast and luncheon and for evening dinner which is served in one sitting normally at 1930hrs. You will have the opportunity to state a preference for a particular table size although no guarantees can be given.

Safety & Security
For your complete security and peace of mind, there are stringent security measures in force at the ports. All cabin baggage will be electronically screened, hand baggage may be examined and you will be required to pass through an X-Ray arch prior to boarding the vessel. At embarkation you will be issued with a personalised ID card which is used for gangway control purposes and validates you as a bona-fide passenger. Therefore, for security reasons, unfortunately it is not possible for visitors to board the vessel or pass into the designated secure area around the terminal.

Shore Excursions
An attractive programme of tours is offered at each of our ports of call. At the time of going to print, the exact content and pricing of the programme has not been finalised, but you will be sent full details and a booking form with your travel documents. We shall operate a pre-reservation service and, availability permitting; you will also be able to book on board with our Shore Excursion staff who will be pleased to assist you in selecting the tours most suitable for your requirements.

Single Travellers
If you are travelling alone but do not wish to book one of our single grades of cabin, we can allocate to you a berth in a two bed inside or outside cabin and you will travel with another unaccompanied client of the same sex who will share with you. This opportunity is limited so early booking is recommended.

Smoking
As a consideration to all passengers, there are designated smoking and non-smoking areas around the ships. However, the restaurants operate on a non-smoking policy at all times.

Special Diets
Passengers with certain dietary requirements may be catered for and further enquiries should be made at the time of booking.

Travel Insurance
It is a condition of booking that adequate travel insurance is held by all passengers. Details of the policy we offer are shown on page 14 If you opt not to purchase this insurance, you must give details of the alternative cover that you have in place, including the name of your insurer, policy number and most importantly the telephone number of the insurer’s Emergency Assistance service.

Visas
At the time of printing, no individual visas are required to be obtained in advance for the other cruises listed in this brochure by British nationals who hold a passport that show that they are a ‘British Citizen’. Passengers on the Baltic Treasures & St Petersburg cruise at the time of writing will not be required to obtain individual Russian visas if they only go ashore as participants in the official shore excursion programme.