Please take a moment to read through carefully
To make sure everything is crystal clear, we’ve put together these simple Booking Conditions, which set out what you can expect from us, and what we ask of you, all in line with the Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018. If anything is unclear, please feel free to contact us. Our team are always willing to help.
Your Key Rights Under the Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018
The combination of travel services offered to you is a package within the meaning of the Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018.
Therefore, you will benefit from all rights applying to packages. Newmarket Holidays Limited will be fully responsible for the proper performance of the package as a whole.
Additionally, as required by law, Newmarket Holidays Limited has protection in place to refund your payments and, where transport is included in the package, to ensure your repatriation in the event that we become insolvent. For flight-inclusive packages, this protection is provided under our Air Travel Organiser’s Licence (ATOL number 2325), issued by the Civil Aviation Authority. For packages that do not include flights arranged by us, protection is provided by the Association of Bonded Travel Organisers Trust Limited (ABTOT, membership number 5509).
You may contact the CAA (Civil Aviation Authority, Aviation House, Beehive Ringroad, Crawley, West Sussex, RH6 0YR; tel: 0333 103 6350) or ABTOT (tel: 01702 811397) if services are denied because of our insolvency.
1. Your Booking
How your booking becomes a contract
Once we’ve accepted your booking and sent a Confirmation Invoice to the lead customer (the “Lead Name”), a legally binding contract is formed between Newmarket Holidays Limited (“we/us/our”) and everyone named on the booking (“you/your”). Your invoice will be sent to the Lead Name or, if you booked through a travel agent, to your agent.
The Lead Name’s role
By making a booking, the Lead Name confirms they have the authority to agree to these conditions on behalf of all travelling party members included on the same reference number, and that everyone in the party is aware of and agrees to them. The Lead Name is also responsible for ensuring all personal details provided are accurate, and for making sure all party members meet any entry requirements, including visas, vaccinations, and valid passports.
Please note, we are unable to accept bookings from unaccompanied customers under the age of 18. For bookings of ten or more customers travelling on a single booking reference, all correspondence, payments and instructions will be handled exclusively through the Lead Name. All payments – including deposit and final balance – must be made by bank transfer only. Individual passengers on a group booking may not make payments or amendments directly.
The law that applies
English law governs your contract and any disputes that arise. Legal proceedings must be brought in the courts of England and Wales, unless you live in Scotland or Northern Ireland, in which case you may bring proceedings in your home country’s courts and may choose to have your contract governed by the law of Scotland or Northern Ireland.
Getting in touch
You’re welcome to contact us by email for any booking queries, including amendment requests: customerservices@newmarketholidays.co.uk
If you booked through a travel agent, please be aware that we’ll deal directly with your agent. Any messages, requests or complaints passed to your agent will be processed by us as soon as we receive them. Please note we’re not responsible for advice given by your travel agent that didn’t originate from us.
2. Your Payment
How we protect your money
Your money is safe with us, and we want you to feel confident when you book:
Making payments
Your Booking Confirmation will include an invoice showing deposit paid and final balance due (if not paid at the time of booking). Unless otherwise stated on your Confirmation Invoice, the balance of your holiday price is due not later than 12 weeks before the departure date. All payments (deposit and final balance) must be made by the Lead Name, or through your appointed travel agent. Please make sure your final payment reaches us by the date shown. We’ll send you a reminder, but if we don’t receive full payment by the due date, we may have to treat your booking as cancelled, and cancellation charges will apply (see Section A, Clause 4).
If you book within 90 days of departure, full payment is required at the time of booking.
If you later choose to upgrade your flights, we may ask for an additional deposit at that point.
3. Changes to Your Booking (by you)
If you’d like to make any changes to your confirmed booking, please let us know as soon as possible. All amendment requests must be submitted in writing by the Lead Name, by email or telephone (confirmed in writing), or through your travel agent. We will always do our best to help. Where a change can be made, the following charges apply:
|
Change |
Charge |
|
Name change |
£50 per person + any supplier costs |
|
Transfer to another date/holiday (before balance due date) |
£75 per person + any supplier costs |
|
Transfer to another date/holiday (after balance due date) |
Cancellation charges will apply + costs of new booking. |
|
Part cancellation of one or more customers |
Cancellation charges apply (see 4 below) |
Transferring your place to someone else
You may transfer your booking to someone else (introduced by you) without paying cancellation charges, providing:
For flight-inclusive bookings, additional airline charges are likely to apply for any amendments and will be passed on to you for payment before the change is made.
4. Cancellation (by you)
If you need to cancel your booking for any reason, please let us know as soon as possible. All cancellation requests must be submitted in writing by the Lead Name, by email (customerservices@newmarketholidays.co.uk) or telephone (security questions will be asked and you will need to follow up by email), or through your travel agent.
Please note that if a cancellation results in one person travelling alone or no longer sharing a cabin, a single cabin supplement will be payable (this is separate from any cancellation charge).
The cancellation charge depends on how much notice you give:
|
Notice period before departure |
Cancellation charge |
|
Before balance due date |
Loss of deposit |
|
89 – 71 days |
30% |
|
70 – 50 days |
50% |
|
49 – 29 days |
75% |
|
28 days or less (including departure day) |
100% |
On receipt of your cancellation, we will provide you with a Cancellation Invoice, showing the charge. If your reason for cancelling is covered by your travel insurance, you may be able to reclaim these charges (less any excess) from your insurer. You’ll need to pay the charges to us first and then claim them back.
5. Your Travel Conditions
Where your holiday includes travel by air, sea, rail, river or coach, the terms and conditions of the relevant carrier or cruise operator will apply. These typically limit the carrier’s liability in line with applicable international conventions and regulations. Any claim for compensation for flight disruption under the relevant air passengers’ rights regulations should be made directly to the airline. As your tour operator, we are happy to provide you with the information you need to make such a claim. If anyone in your party is refused boarding or entry to a destination by a transport operator, cruise company or government authority, including where a medical condition or disability hasn’t been disclosed to us in time, we will always provide appropriate assistance with finding alternative arrangements and relevant contact information, but we may be limited in what we can do, and for the avoidance of doubt, cancellation penalties will apply.
Where transport operators, taxing authorities or exchange-rate movements result in changes to the costs of providing your holiday that fall within Section B, Clause 2 (Price of Your Holiday), we may revise the price strictly in accordance with that clause and never within 20 days of departure.
1. Our Confirmation of Your Booking
We’ll send your Confirmation Invoice within 24 hours of receiving your booking and deposit. This is our contract with you. Please check it carefully straight away; if anything looks incorrect, including all customer names and spellings, please contact us immediately. It is essential that all names match passport details exactly. We regret we can’t accept liability for inaccuracies not reported to us within 10 days of issue (or 5 days for Departure Documents), and charges may apply to rectify. This timeframe does not affect any statutory rights you may have to challenge errors arising through no fault of your own.
2. The Price of Your Holiday
Once the price of your holiday has been confirmed at the time of booking, we will only increase it in the limited circumstances described below.
(a) When we may change the price. After your booking is confirmed, we may increase or decrease the price of your holiday only to reflect changes in the following costs:
(i) the cost of transporting you, including the cost of fuel or other power sources;
(ii) taxes, fees or charges for services such as tourist taxes, landing taxes or embarkation or disembarkation fees at ports and airports, imposed by a third party not directly involved in performing your holiday; or
(iii) the exchange rates relevant to your holiday.
(b) How we calculate the change. Any price increase or decrease will correspond exactly to the change in the relevant cost. For example, if an airline notifies us that the fuel surcharge on your flights has increased by £30 per person, we will pass on a surcharge of £30 per person (less any amount we absorb under paragraph (c) below). We will provide you with a clear explanation of the increase and a breakdown of how it has been calculated.
(c) What we absorb. We will absorb, and you will not be charged for, any increase in the costs referred to in paragraph (a) above that is equivalent to 2% of the total price of your holiday (excluding any amendment charges and insurance premiums). Only amounts above this 2% threshold will be surcharged to you.
(d) When we will tell you. We will notify you of any price increase clearly and in writing (by email or letter) no later than 20 days before the start of your holiday. We will not increase the price of your holiday within 20 days of departure.
(e) If the increase is more than 8% of the total holiday price. If the total price increase (after the 2% absorption in paragraph (c) above) amounts to more than 8% of the total price of your holiday, we will notify you and offer you the following options:
(i) accept the price increase and continue with your holiday as booked;
(ii) accept a substitute holiday of equivalent or higher quality, where we can offer one (if the substitute is of lower quality, you will receive an appropriate price reduction); or
(iii) cancel your holiday and receive a full refund of all payments you have made to us, which we will pay within 14 days of cancellation.
We will give you a reasonable period in which to make your choice. If you do not respond within the time we specify, we will contact you again. If we do not hear from you after our second notification, we may treat your booking as cancelled and refund you in full.
(f) Compensation. If you choose to cancel under paragraph (e)(iii) above, you may also be entitled to compensation, depending on the circumstances. Compensation is not payable where the price increase results from unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances (see Section B, Clause 6).
3. Pricing Errors
We take care to make sure all advertised and quoted prices are accurate, but errors can occasionally occur. If we discover a pricing error after issuing your Confirmation Invoice, we will tell you as soon as possible and offer you the choice to (a) proceed at the correct price, or (b) cancel and receive a full refund of all payments made to us. Where the error was obvious — for example, where the quoted price was so low that you could reasonably have known it was a mistake — we will not be able to honour the booking at the incorrect price.
4. Data Protection
To process your booking, we’ll collect personal data for everyone named on it. This data may be shared with suppliers and third parties as necessary to fulfil your holiday arrangements and comply with applicable law. For full details on how we use and protect your data, please visit: www.newmarketholidays.co.uk/privacy
5. Changes and Cancellation by Us
We plan our holidays many months in advance, so occasionally changes are unavoidable. We’ll always let you know as soon as we possibly can. Most changes are minor and we must reserve the right to make these alterations due to many variable components of your package holiday which can be subject to changes beyond our control.
Minor changes include, but are not limited to:
No compensation is payable in these circumstances.
Significant changes include, but are not limited to:
If we need to make a significant change, we’ll offer you the choice to:
In cases of significant changes, we will do our best to minimise the impact to your cruise.
Where a significant change is necessary and arises from circumstances within our direct control, you may be entitled to a price reduction and/or compensation, having regard to the nature and timing of the change and any inconvenience caused. Where a significant change is caused by unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances (see Section B, Clause 6), no compensation will be payable. In all other cases involving a significant change, your entitlement to compensation will be assessed having regard to the nature and timing of the change.
Minimum numbers
Some group holidays (including River Cruises) require a minimum number of bookings to operate. If this isn’t achieved, we reserve the right to cancel your booking but will notify you as soon as possible no later than the balance due date and we will always offer you an alternative.
6. Unavoidable & Extraordinary Circumstances
These are situations beyond our control whose consequences could not have been avoided even with all reasonable measures in place. Examples include but are not limited to:
If such circumstances significantly affect your holiday before departure, you may be entitled to cancel and receive a full refund. However, please note that UK Government Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) travel advisories don’t automatically mean we’re unable to perform your holiday. They may affect your ability to travel rather than ours to deliver. We cannot pay compensation or meet costs arising from these circumstances. We will always do our best to ensure that your holiday is minimally impacted by working around affected areas, carriers or routes. A general FCDO advisory covering a broader region or country does not automatically entitle you to cancel without cancellation charges where your specific holiday destination, routing, and accommodation remain unaffected by the circumstances giving rise to that advisory. We will assess each situation individually and notify you promptly of our determination.
7. Our Complaints Procedure
We welcome feedback and take complaints very seriously. We really hope that you won’t need this section, but just in case you do, we are pleased to advise that Newmarket Holidays Ltd is a proud member of ABTA (membership number V7812). ABTA’s Code of Conduct requires us to maintain high service standards, and we offer access to ABTA’s Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) scheme and ABTA Arbitration if needed.
Whilst you’re on your cruise, if something isn’t quite right, please tell your Newmarket Holidays Tour Manager or the ship’s reception team, or the relevant hotel or supplier, straight away. You can also email our team on holidayhelp@newmarketholidays.co.uk. The sooner we know, the sooner we can try to resolve the issue. Any verbal complaints should also be put in writing to your Tour Manager or the ship’s reception team as soon as possible. If you don’t report a problem while you’re away, it may affect your ability to claim compensation, as we won’t have had the chance to put things right at the time.
If a satisfactory resolution is not reached, please follow up in writing to our Customer Experience team at customerexperience@newmarketholidays.co.uk within 28 days of getting home. While we encourage early reporting so we can investigate effectively, your statutory rights are not affected by this timeframe.
In the unlikely event that we can’t reach an amicable settlement, disputes can be referred to ABTA ADR or ABTA Arbitration, or the courts of England and Wales (or your home country if you’re in Scotland or Northern Ireland).
For more information: www.abta.com
8. Your Behaviour
By booking with us, you accept responsibility for any damage or loss you cause. This includes material damage to cabins, hotel rooms, the vessel, transportation (eg coach/minibus) or aircraft. Full payment for any damage must be made directly to the supplier or to us as soon as possible. You may also be liable for any claims subsequently made against Newmarket Holidays.
We reserve the right to end the holiday arrangements of anyone whose extreme behaviour puts the safety or wellbeing of others at risk, causes damage, disrupts travel, or the general enjoyment of others on the cruise or tour. In such cases, we will have no further obligation to provide your holiday arrangements, and no refund will be due. We will, however, provide reasonable assistance to help you arrange your return home, at your own expense.
1. Your Holiday
We promise to arrange and provide your holiday with reasonable skill and care. We’ll accept responsibility if your contracted arrangements aren’t provided as agreed, or if you suffer injury, illness or loss due to the failure of our employees, agents or suppliers to exercise reasonable care. To bring a claim, you will need to show us that the loss or damage you have suffered was caused by a failure to provide the contracted service with reasonable skill and care. We will then consider your claim and let you know our position promptly.
We won’t be responsible for issues resulting from:
Limits on compensation:
2. Special Requests & Medical Conditions, Disabilities and Reduced Mobility
Important: Please be aware that river cruise vessels do not have lifts, and you must be able to walk up and down stairs unaided. Wheelchairs and mobility scooters are not permitted onboard river cruise vessels. All of our river cruise holidays will require a certain level of mobility and ability to embark and disembark aircraft, coaches, and the vessel itself, including using the vessel’s gangway which may be moored next to or adjoined to another vessel and could be steep. There may also be cases where you have to pass through another vessel to board or disembark.
3. Assistance While You Are on Holiday
1. Standards Overseas
Local health, safety and quality standards at your destination may differ from UK standards. We require all hotels and cruise operators to comply with local regulations, and we hold our own audits to ensure that these are met. However, we cannot guarantee that they will match British standards.
2. Travel Insurance
Travel insurance is a condition of booking with us. Please ensure you have appropriate cover in place at the time of making your booking. Failure to take out a suitable policy immediately means that you could lose your deposit if you’re unable to travel for medical or other insurable reasons.
Full cover for medical reasons is also essential when you are overseas.
If you choose not to take out appropriate insurance, you accept responsibility for meeting costs that insurance would otherwise have covered.
We’re pleased to work with Holiday Extras to offer fully comprehensive travel insurance. You can find details on our website or ask our team for more information.
3. Financial Protection and Repatriation
Flight-inclusive holidays: Newmarket Holidays Ltd holds ATOL number 2325. When you purchase an ATOL-protected holiday, you’ll receive an ATOL Certificate listing the protected elements. If we or our suppliers are unable to provide your arrangements due to insolvency, an alternative ATOL holder may step in at no extra cost to you.
Non-flight packages: We’re a member of the Association of Bonded Travel Organisers Trust Limited (ABTOT), membership number 5509, which provides financial protection under the Package Travel Regulations 2018. This covers refunds if you haven’t yet travelled, and repatriation if travel was included.
Bookings made outside the UK are only protected by ABTOT when purchased directly from Newmarket Holidays Limited.
If you need assistance abroad due to our financial failure, please call ABTOT’s 24/7 helpline: 01702 811397
4. Passport, Visa, Immigration and Health Requirements
Meeting passport, visa and entry requirements is your sole responsibility. Please check requirements with the relevant embassies and consulates before booking and before you travel.
For travel to European Union countries: your passport must have at least 3 months’ validity from your return date and must be less than 10 years old on your departure date.
Please also check any vaccination or health requirements for your destination before booking.
5. EU Entry/Exit System (EES) and ETIAS
EES: The EU’s Entry/Exit System (EES) became fully operational on 10 April 2026 and requires British nationals travelling to the Schengen area to register biometric details (fingerprints and photo) on first entry. This replaces passport stamping. Please allow extra time at border controls. The latest information can be found at https://travel-europe.europa.eu/ees. Please note that Irish passport holders and British passport holders with EU residency are currently excluded from EES registration requirements. For customers travelling via Eurostar, a dual British and French/Belgian border is in operation at St Pancras International, meaning EES processing takes place at the station, and no further border check is required on arrival at your destination.
ETIAS: From last quarter of 2026 (exact date to be confirmed), British nationals will also need an ETIAS visa waiver before travelling to the EU. This is expected to cost €20 per person and must be obtained before travel. The latest information can be found at etias.com. We’ve partnered with the Travel Visa Company to help, details here: https://thetravelvisacompany.co.uk/newmarket-holidays/?sup=NMH
Booking details
Please make sure all names match passports exactly — this is essential for flights and insurance. If a name changes between booking and travel (e.g. after a wedding), please let us know as soon as possible. If there’s no time to update the passport, carry your marriage certificate with it.
Delays
If services are delayed both outbound and inbound due to circumstances beyond our control, we’ll keep you fully informed and do our best to help. For extended overnight delays, we’ll endeavour to arrange accommodation where possible.
Special requests
We’ll always do our best to accommodate requests such as specific cabin locations or dietary requirements, but these cannot be guaranteed.
Itinerary
Your final itinerary and departure documents will be sent 7–10 days before departure, once all payments are received. We’ll always aim to operate the itinerary as planned, but occasionally circumstances beyond our control – including river conditions, weather, lock closures or port availability – may require adjustments. The ship’s crew will keep you informed of any changes and provide suitable alternatives wherever possible.
The ship’s captain’s primary mission is the safety of passengers on board. Regardless of the ship or the destination, the captain is the sole master on board and may decide at any time to divert the ship or cancel a port of call. The ship’s captain may cancel the cruise or modify the itinerary of the cruise if they judge it appropriate to the interests of passengers and the safety of the vessel.
River Cruise plus tour/accommodation
While some River Cruise plus tour/accommodation extensions are accompanied by your Tour Manager, others are hosted by a local representative or expert guide, and some are designed for independent exploration, giving you the freedom to enjoy your surroundings at your own pace.
Group sizes
Our group sizes vary depending on the destination, cruise itinerary and time of year. River cruise vessels have a fixed passenger capacity and may operate with a full ship or a smaller group depending on the departure. You can ask our Holiday Planners for more information based on your chosen cruise.
Flights
All prices are based on economy class travel. We reserve the right to substitute an alternative airline or aircraft if needed. Cabin upgrades on long-haul flights must be requested before the balance due date. Ryanair passengers must check in online or face airport check-in fees.
Flight timings
Timings given at booking are based on schedules available at that time and may change. Final timings will be confirmed with your departure documents — please check these carefully.
Airport transfers
To offer competitive prices and a wide choice of UK departure airports, we sometimes need to combine transfers. You may be asked to wait up to an hour at the airport for other flights, and transfers back to the airport may be up to three hours before your flight.
Fitness to travel
Please let us know at the time of booking if you have any special needs, disabilities or mobility requirements, or if you plan to bring equipment such as a CPAP machine. If you’ve recently had a serious medical condition, please consult your doctor before travelling. We reserve the right to request a fitness-to-fly certificate if required while you’re overseas. Please note that wheelchairs and mobility scooters are not permitted onboard river cruise vessels, and you must be able to walk up and down stairs unaided.
Cabin accommodation
Prices are per person based on two people sharing a twin or double cabin. Single cabins are available with a supplement. Triple cabins are not available on river cruise vessels. Some seasonal facilities may not be available at the start or end of season.
Luggage onboard
Our river cruise partners have rules regarding items that guests are not permitted to bring onboard. These rules ensure the safety and comfort of all passengers. The following items are not permitted onboard river cruise vessels:
Guests are generally not permitted to bring their own alcohol onboard. Alcohol purchased ashore may be stored for you but not consumed until the end of the cruise. Prescription medications should be brought in their original packaging, and you may need a doctor’s note if travelling with certain controlled medications. Please pack efficiently to ensure storage space in your cabin.
Independent excursions
If you plan to take part in any independent excursions, activities or tours, you must follow agreed procedures for notifying the ship’s crew prior to departure. You must also ensure that you have appropriate travel insurance to cover you for all such activities. If you undertake independent excursions and fail to meet the vessel’s scheduled departure time, you will be solely responsible for all costs incurred as a result.
Please note that flights and other services including any independent excursions, activities or tours that you purchase separately, and not through us, do not form part of your contract with us. Your contract will be with the provider of the service and not with us, and we shall not be responsible or liable for the provision of any such service or for anything that happens during its provision.
Accommodation
Where hotel accommodation is included in your river cruise package (for example, pre- or post-cruise stays), prices are based on two people sharing. Most rooms are twin-bedded; double beds can be requested but aren’t guaranteed. Singles are available with a supplement.
Extras not booked with us
We’re not responsible for costs relating to third-party services (e.g. insurance, currency, airport parking or independently booked flights) if we cancel your holiday.
The costs of your holiday have been converted into GBP using these rates:
|
Currency |
2026 departures |
2027 departures |
|
EUR |
1.08 |
1.085 |
Call costs
Calls to our 0330 and 0333 numbers are charged at the standard local rate.
FCDO travel advice
Always check the latest advice before you travel at: www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice and keep checking, as it can change. It’s your responsibility to stay up to date.
Newmarket Holidays Ltd, Cantium House, Railway Approach, Wallington SM6 0BP | Company No: 02238316