Booking & Weather Policy

1. Purpose

This policy sets out the terms governing booking confirmation, cancellations, rescheduling, and tour operations in adverse weather. Its purpose is to ensure transparency, passenger safety, and consistent service standards across all AquaTour operations.

2. Definitions

  • Departure time — the scheduled start time stated on the booking confirmation.
  • Days / hours before departure — counted back from the scheduled departure time.
  • Amounts paid — total sums received by AquaTour for the booking.
  • Deposit — the sum required to confirm a booking (Section 3).
  • Third-party costs — non-recoverable costs already incurred on the guest's behalf (e.g. national park fees, pre-arranged transfers, special provisioning).
  • Peak dates — departures from 20 December through 20 January, inclusive.

3. Deposit & Confirmation

  • A booking is confirmed only once a deposit of 30% of the tour price is received (50% for Peak dates).
  • The deposit secures the vessel and the date. It is fully refundable if the booking is cancelled 14 or more days before departure, and where AquaTour cancels the tour (Sections 5 and 6). Within 14 days of departure it is non-refundable.
  • The remaining balance is due on or before the day of departure, as stated on the booking confirmation.

4. Cancellation or Changes by the Guest

Cancellations and change requests are effective only when received by AquaTour in writing. The applicable tier is determined by the time written notice is received, relative to departure. Unless otherwise agreed in writing (including the terms of any partner or agent agreement), the following applies:

  • 14 or more days before departure — full refund of amounts paid (deposit included); or reschedule at no charge (preferred).
  • 7 or more, but fewer than 14 days — 50% refund of the tour price; or one reschedule, subject to availability.
  • 48 hours or more, but fewer than 7 days — 25% refund of the tour price; or reschedule for a 25% rebooking fee.
  • Less than 48 hours before departure — no refund.
  • No-show, or arrival more than 30 minutes after the agreed meeting time without prior notice — no refund; the tour is treated as delivered.

Peak dates: for departures from 20 December through 20 January, inclusive, the full tour price is non-refundable within 14 days of departure, regardless of the tiers above.

Rescheduling: one date change may be requested at no penalty if made 14 or more days before departure, subject to availability, with payments held as credit valid for 3 months. Later change requests follow the refund tiers above and are limited to one.

Group-size changes: reductions in passenger numbers or route downgrades requested within 7 days of departure do not reduce the confirmed price.

For the 7–14 day and 48-hour–7 day tiers, the refund equals the tier percentage of the full tour price, capped so that it never exceeds the amounts paid minus the deposit. The deposit itself is non-refundable within 14 days of departure (Section 3), and the refund is never negative.

Worked example: tour price ฿45,000, deposit 30% = ฿13,500. Cancelled in the 7–14 day tier (50%): if the tour was paid in full, the refund is 50% × ฿45,000 = ฿22,500 (the cap of ฿45,000 − ฿13,500 = ฿31,500 is not reached). If only the deposit was paid, the cap is ฿0 — nothing is refunded and no further balance is due.

In all cases, third-party costs already incurred and non-refundable bank or transaction fees are deducted from the refund. Refunds are processed to the original payment method unless otherwise agreed by both parties.

5. Cancellation by AquaTour

AquaTour reserves the right to cancel or postpone a tour whenever safe operation cannot be reasonably ensured, including but not limited to:

  • Adverse weather or sea conditions;
  • Restrictions or directives issued by the Thai Marine Department or other competent authorities;
  • Mechanical or technical issues affecting the safe operation of the vessel;
  • Force majeure events;
  • Any other circumstances that may compromise the safety of passengers, crew, or the vessel.

If AquaTour cancels, the guest will be offered, in order of preference:

  • Reschedule to another available date; or
  • A full refund of all amounts paid, including the deposit.

6. Weather Policy

The safety of passengers and crew is AquaTour's highest operational priority. Tours may be cancelled or postponed when weather or sea conditions are considered unsafe, including strong winds, high waves or rough seas, thunderstorms or lightning, heavy rainfall reducing visibility, or official weather warnings or navigation restrictions issued by the Thai authorities.

The final decision to operate, postpone, or cancel rests with AquaTour's Operations Manager and the Captain, based on official forecasts, guidance or restrictions from competent authorities, and the actual conditions at the time of departure.

  • Before departure: if a tour is cancelled solely due to adverse weather, the guest may choose to reschedule (preferred) or receive a full refund of amounts paid.
  • After departure: if a tour has already departed and must be shortened or returned early for safety, the tour is considered delivered and no refund is due; AquaTour may, at its discretion, offer a goodwill discount on a future booking.
  • If AquaTour cancels before departure, weather included, the refund is the full amount paid. National park fees and the hotel van transfer are part of the tour price, so nothing is deducted for them. A cancellation the guest initiates follows Section 4, where only third-party costs genuinely incurred and non-recoverable are deducted.

7. Safety First Principle

AquaTour will never operate a tour if doing so could compromise the safety of passengers, crew, or the vessel. All operational decisions are made solely on safety grounds and are independent of commercial, financial, or scheduling factors.

8. Guest & Partner Communication

In the event of a cancellation or postponement, AquaTour will notify guests and business partners as soon as reasonably possible through the available communication channels, together with the reason, the available rescheduling options, and the refund procedure where applicable.

9. Acceptance of the Policy

By confirming a booking, the guest — or the booking partner acting on the guest's behalf — acknowledges that they have read, understood, and accepted these terms. For bookings made through a travel partner or agent, the terms of the applicable partner agreement prevail where they differ from this policy.