| FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS | ||||||||||
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| What payment options are available? | Chesapeake Flotillas accepts payment by check, money order, credit cards or debit cards.
Each trip will have a link specific for that trip to pay online with credit or debit cards.
You can also call to have your credit card processed over the phone.
Checks and money orders can be sent by mail to Chesapeake Flotillas 49 Leander Dr. Dover, DE 19904-1946 Please make checks payable to Chesapeake Flotillas, LLC. Cash payments can be accepted but ONLY in person. Please do NOT mail cash or credit card information. Also, do NOT email credit card information. Chesapeake Flotillas will never keep your credit card information after the transaction has been processed. |
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| Why is a deposit needed so early? | We are benefiting from an early charter discount that is more significant than if we had booked at this time next year. Charter companies do not hold boats without a deposit. We all benefit by booking this early in terms of savings. In addition, the payments have been spread out to make each payment more convenient. | |||||||||
| Will I be guaranteed a berth? | Deposit payments will be recorded in the order in which they are received. In other words, it is first come first served with respect to a billet on this trip. | |||||||||
| What if there are too many crew for berths? | A wait list will be created if this were to occur. Should the wait list approximate a full boat then I may attempt to locate a qualified skipper to captain another vessel but that is not guaranteed. | |||||||||
| If I have to drop out of the trip will I get my money back? | I use a payment plan that has an initial deposit and then a number of recurring payments spread across a number of months. The deposit will be conditionally refundable up to a certain date minus a $100 administrative fee. After that date you will lose a specified portion of what you have already paid plus a $100 administrative fee if there is no wait-list . You are encouraged to purchase your own trip cancellation insurance. There is generally a 14-day window after paying your deposit to purchase travel insurance in order to qualify for coverage on pre-existing medical conditions. The cost of travel insurance varies primarily depending on the age of the traveler and the destination. I can suggest three providers whose products and premiums all appear comparable.
Indentifying these three potential insurers does not constitute an endorsement. They are listed merely as a convenience for my clients. I receive no benefit whatsoever if you choose to purchase coverage from any one of them. You should purchase coverage from an insurer with whom you feel comfortable but do, please for your own protection, purchase some form of travel insurance. |
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| How do I get to the charter base from where I live? | I will generally post relevant flight information such as destination airport and approximate fares. As appropriate, I will also suggest ways to get from the nearest destination airport to the vicinity of the charter base. It may require one or more of buses, trains, or taxis. Commonly the charter company will assist with the final connection to the charter base. Specific details will vary with each trip. | |||||||||
| Will my cellphone work where we will be? | AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile work overseas. However, you will need to call them to turn on that capability or obtain an international SIM card. I have no experience with or knowledge of other service providers. Call your provider for specific details for your plan. Always be mindful of your calling and data plan as roaming rates are generally quite exorbitant. | |||||||||
| What are the sleeping arrangements and how are they decided? | There are usually a number (typically 5) of double cabins on the boat. Sometimes there are one or more pilot cabins with bunk beds. For specific details about the boat to be used for the trip you have joined, see the section on the boat on the trip information page. In any event, everyone should expect to share a cabin with one other person. Every effort will be made to bunk singles with their own gender but it cannot be absolutely guaranteed that it will be possible. It will necessarily depend on who signs up. If it is a significant concern for you, your best option is to bring a bed friend! We never use the salon for sleeping purposes. Additionally, whether you have your own bunk mate or you are matched up with someone, we ask for common courtesies regarding use of space in the cabin. Also if you know you are a noisy or active sleeper (i.e., snoring, thrashing, etc.), it is only fair to make that known at the earliest opportunity. The cabins are small and personal space is limited. Please be considerate. | |||||||||
| What will we eat? | The cost of provisioning the boat for the week is included in the price of the trip. For this trip, we generally plan to make use of the local restaurants and cafes for our dinners since the plan is to be in a town or village most nights. This will give you the most complete exposure to life and cuisine in our host country! It is possible that there may be one night that we dine aboard but that will not significantly affect our provisioning budget. My mates will be responsible for procuring groceries and supplies. The galley steward will also manage the galley during the trip. That does NOT mean one or two people should do all the galley work for the whole week. These volunteers will be more like galley supervisors than galley slaves! The week's menu will be roughly determined before we leave the states. If you have unique requirements or special dietary needs, you may need to take full ownership for those needs. We are going to explore, relax, laugh, and cruise, not to make overly elaborate meals. There will be restaurants for that! | |||||||||
| Who pays for the food on the boat? | The cost of provisioning the boat is included in the price of the trip. A Galley Manager will typically volunteer or be otherwise assigned to have responsibility for procuring groceries and supplies. That person may have a team of helpers. Ultimately, the Skipper is responsible for reimbursing the cost of provisions to whoever has paid for approved items for the boat including but not limited to provisions, fuel, and slip fees. The Skipper will be reimbursed for all valid expenses for which s/he submits an expense report which must include receipts for all claimed expenses. Chesapeake Flotillas provides a generous budget for shipboard expenses; however, the cost of alcoholic beverages will NOT be reimbursed. Skippers are required to submit their expense reports within 2 weeks of the end the trip. Reimbursement shall occur within 4 weeks of the receiving a complete expense report. Skippers are required to agree to this arrangement in writing. | |||||||||
| What if my boss (mother, spouse, etc...) decides I can't go after I have paid? | To put it simply, that is why you should buy trip insurance. Boats are expensive to charter and it is costly to cancel a trip. Therefore, we have established an individual cancellation policy with a progressive cost structure. You may wish to coordinate your trip deposit with your purchase of travel insurance to maximize insurance benefits. Check with Rob before sending in your initial deposit and/or purchasing a travel insurance policy. | |||||||||
| May we entertain guests who are not in our crew? | Having people aboard the boat who are not paying guests potentially introduces liability issues for Chesapeake Flotillas, LLC and possibly for the paying guests as well. Therefore, guests may NOT be invited on board without the permission of the captain or an authorized representative of Chesapeake Flotillas. Guests who are permitted aboard may have their invitation revoked for any number of reasons including but not limited to abusing alcoholic beverages, using illegal drugs or substances, verbal or physical abuse of crew or guests, or any other reason that in the Captain's opinion puts anyone or the boat at risk. In NO case may anyone who is NOT a paid guest of Chesapeake Flotillas, LLC be invited aboard the vessel to spend the night or while we are underway (i.e., not secured to a dock or at anchor). | |||||||||
A complete version of Terms and Conditions may be found at this link.
If you have other questions not answered here, please just ask!
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