Reservation Terms and Conditions

Effective and Last Updated: March 19, 2026

Effective September 1, 2007, all Lindblad voyages departing from and returning to ports outside the United States will be operated by Lindblad Maritime Enterprises, Ltd., a subsidiary of Lindblad Expeditions, LLC.

National Geographic Partners, LLC (“NGP”) has licensed Lindblad Expeditions, LLC and certain of its subsidiaries to sell, book, organize, and administer National Geographic Expedition Cruises and certain related products or services (“voyages” or “expeditions”).

We are solely responsible for selling, booking, arranging, operating, and providing all the services and accommodations offered to you in connection with our voyages.

Booking and Paying for Your Arrangements

To make a booking please contact Lindblad on 0800 098 1496, email sales@expeditions.co.uk, website www.expeditions.co.uk, or contact your preferred travel agent.

A booking is made with Lindblad when a) you tell us that you would like to accept our written or verbal quotation and b) you pay us a deposit of 15% of the holiday price per person, unless advised differently at the time of booking. A further deposit amount may be required for flights and additional accommodation. When we issue you with a Confirmation Invoice, a binding contract will come into existence. Upon receipt, if you believe that any details on the Confirmation or any other documents are wrong you must advise us immediately, as changes may not be possible later. The balance of the cost of your arrangements (including any applicable surcharge) is due 127 days prior to scheduled departure date. If we do not receive this balance in full and on time, we reserve the right to treat your booking as cancelled and retain your deposit.

Once your reservation is confirmed, we urge you to use your personalised online account for important information to help you prepare for your voyage. Managing your documents online will facilitate fast and accurate communication and allow you to provide us with pertinent details required to complete your reservation. Your online account gives you access to your Expedition Guide, which includes valuable information specific to your voyage. You can also use your online account to view reading material, packing list, and so much more.

Your Financial Protection

We provide full financial protection for our package holidays. If you buy a single travel service, then this might not apply. For flight-based holidays this is through our Air Travel Organiser’s Licence number (0944), issued by the Civil Aviation Authority, Gatwick Airport South, West Sussex, RH6 0YR, UK, telephone 0333 103 6350, email claims@caa.co.uk. When you buy an ATOL protected flight or flight inclusive holiday from us you will receive an ATOL Certificate. This lists what is financially protected, where you can get information on what this means for you and who to contact if things go wrong. We will provide you with the services listed on the ATOL Certificate (or a suitable alternative). In some cases, where we aren’t able to do so for the unlikely reasons of insolvency, an alternative ATOL holder may provide you with the services you have bought or a suitable alternative (at no extra cost to you). You agree to accept that in those circumstances, the alternative ATOL holder will perform those obligations, and you agree to pay any money outstanding to be paid by you under your contract to that alternative ATOL holder. However, you also agree that in some cases it will not be possible to appoint an alternative ATOL holder, in which case you will be entitled to make a claim under the ATOL scheme (or your credit card issuer where applicable). If we are unable to provide the services listed (or a suitable alternative, through an alternative ATOL holder or otherwise) for the unlikely reasons of insolvency, the Trustees of the Air Travel Trust may make a payment to (or confer a benefit on) you under the ATOL scheme. You agree that in return for such a payment or benefit you assign absolutely to those Trustees any claims which you have or may have arising out of or relating to the non-provision of the services, including any claim against us, the travel agent (or your credit card issuer where applicable). You also agree that any such claims may be re-assigned to another body, if that other body has paid sums you have claimed under the ATOL scheme. When you buy a package holiday that does not include a flight, protection is provided by way of a bond held by ABTA - The Travel Association 30 Park Street London SE1 9EQ www.abta.com. You agree to accept that in the unlikely event of our insolvency ABTA may arrange for the services you have bought to continue, or for a suitable alternative to be provided at the same cost as your original booking. You also agree to accept that in circumstances where the travel service supplier provides the services you have bought, you agree to pay any outstanding sum under your contract with us to that alternative travel service provider. However, you also agree that in some cases the services will not be provided, in which case you will be entitled to make a claim under ABTA’s Scheme of Protection (or your payment card issuer where applicable) for a refund of the monies you have paid.

Basis of Rates

All prices are based on two persons sharing a cabin, or a single where noted. Shared accommodations are available on certain ships and categories. For more information, please refer to our Share Guarantee Program section of the Terms and Conditions and call us for details. All prices and fares are quoted in GBP.

Costs Include

All accommodations aboard ship or in hotels per itinerary; all meals as indicated in the itinerary, both aboard and onshore; beer, wine, cocktails, liquors and spirits (premium brands available for purchase) aboard National Geographic Explorer, National Geographic Orion, National Geographic Endurance, National Geographic Resolution, National Geographic Sea Lion, National Geographic Sea Bird, National Geographic Quest, National Geographic Venture, National Geographic Endeavour II, National Geographic Islander II, National Geographic Gemini, National Geographic Delfina, Sea Cloud, Sea Cloud II, The Jahan, Lord of the Glens, Delfin ll, and Delfin lll; excursions and airport transfers to and from flights arriving and departing within recommended window, as indicated in the itinerary; exploration tools such as snorkeling equipment, wetsuits, kayaks, stand-up paddleboard, cross-country skis, and snowshoes (where applicable); guidance and company of our leading expedition staff; presentations by expedition staff and expert guest speakers; complimentary reusable water bottle; crew gratuities aboard National Geographic Explorer, National Geographic Orion, National Geographic Endurance, National Geographic Resolution, The Jahan, Lord of the Glens, Oberoi Philae and Sun Goddess; onboard physician consultations (where available); 24-hour access to exercise equipment (where applicable); 24-hour access to lounges, observation decks, library, and other shared spaces; basic Wi-Fi aboard National Geographic Explorer, National Geographic Orion, National Geographic Endurance, National Geographic Resolution, National Geographic Sea Lion, National Geographic Sea Bird, National Geographic Quest, National Geographic Venture, National Geographic Endeavour II, National Geographic Islander II, National Geographic Gemini, National Geographic Delfina, Oberoi Philae, Sun Goddess, Lord of the Glens, and The Jahan; park and site entrance fees, special access permits, and port taxes. Unused services or items included in our programs are non-refundable.

Pricing and promotions may vary for reservations booked through affinity or charter organizations. Check your affinity or charter organization for complete pricing and promotional information.

The price does not include air transportation (except flights when indicated as included); charter airfare (where applicable, except when indicated as included); pre- and post-expedition extensions (except flights when indicated as included); additional hotel nights (except when indicated as included); cocktails and spirits aboard Oberoi Philae and Sun Goddess; crew gratuities aboard National Geographic Endeavour II, National Geographic Islander II, National Geographic Gemini, National Geographic Delfina, National Geographic Quest, National Geographic Venture, National Geographic Sea Bird, National Geographic Sea Lion, Delfin II and Delfin III; private transfers (except when indicated as included); additional costs associated with medical services outside onboard physician consultation (where available); enhanced and premium Wi-Fi plans; laundry, spa treatments, scuba diving, and phone services (except when indicated as included); travel protection plans; and passport, visa, and immigration fees. For select voyages, completing a medical evaluation form with VIKAND is required. If you utilize VIKAND’s physicians, an additional charge will be due and payable directly to VIKAND.

Certain items not typically included may be included on specific departures in accordance with special promotional offers. Confirmation of such promotional items is reflected on reservation invoices.

Airfare

For all programs, airfare is an additional cost unless indicated as included. Sample airfares are subject to change. We will gladly assist in making your air arrangements. Airline tickets issued by us are subject to each individual airline’s policies. Refunds, where applicable, will be processed according to the timeline and policy put forth by the airline(s).

Advance and Final Payments

The price of your holiday is subject to change after you have booked only in certain circumstances. These include changes in the price of the carriage of passengers resulting from changes to the cost of fuel or other power sources, the level of taxes or fees imposed by third parties including tourist taxes, landing taxes or embarkation or disembarkation fees at ports and airports, or exchange rates, any or all of which may mean a variation in the price of your holiday after you have booked. However, there will be no change within 20 days of your departure.

If your holiday cost has increased due to the above, we will contact you and ask you to make payment to us. If this results in an increase of more than 8% of the price of your travel arrangements (excluding any amendment charges and/or additional services or 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 to us, except for any amendment charges. Should you decide to cancel for this reason, you must exercise your right to do so within 14 days from the issue date printed on your final invoice, and we will provide a refund of any insurance premiums paid to us if you can show that you are unable to transfer or reuse your policy. Should the price of your holiday go down due to the cost changes mentioned above, then any refund due will be paid to you. We will deduct from this refund our administrative expenses incurred. 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.

When you buy a flight-based holiday, all monies you pay to a travel agent are held by him on behalf and for the benefit of the Trustees of the Air Travel Trust at all times. This is subject to the agent’s obligation to pay it to us for so long as we do not fail. If we fail, any money held at that time by the agent, or subsequently accepted from you by him, is and continues to be held on behalf of and for the benefit of the Trustees of the Air Travel Trust without any obligation to pay that money to us. When you buy a holiday not including a flight, all monies you pay to the travel agent are held by him on our behalf at all times.

Effective January 1, 2024

To reserve your place, an advance payment for the program is required at the time of reservation. Payment is accepted by Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, or check. Receipt of your initial payment indicates your acceptance of our complete Terms and Conditions.

Once your reservation is confirmed, we urge you to use your personalized online account for important information to help you prepare for your voyage. Managing your documents online will facilitate fast and accurate communication and allow you to provide us with pertinent details required to complete your reservation. Your online account gives you access to your Expedition Guide, which includes valuable information specific to your voyage. You can also use your online account to make easy payments, view recommended flights and reading material, packing list, and so much more.

Advance payment amount will be 15% of the cabin fare. Final payment will be due 120 days prior to departure. For groups of 8 or more a 50% advance payment is due 187 days prior to departure.

Cancellation Policy

Please inquire or refer to the detailed extension itinerary for the specific cancellation policy of each extension. The effective date of a cancellation will be the date on which your cancellation notice is received. Any revisions you make within the cancellation penalty period, such as departure date or choice of voyage, are subject to cancellation fees. The cancellation policy for certain longer voyages and Holiday departures may vary due to high demand for these voyages, and the cancellation policy for certain voyages may differ from our standard cancellation policy due to promotional offers.

Should the voyage’s cancellation policy differ from our standard cancellation policy, the cancellation policy as printed on your reservation invoice shall govern.

On March 17, 2022, the Federal Maritime Commission published the final rule amending 46 C.F.R. Part 540 regarding the establishment of passenger vessel financial responsibility for nonperformance of transportation. 87 FR 15125. In accordance with this regulation, Lindblad Expeditions provides a full refund to the original form of payment made. Requests for refunds may be made in writing to bookings@expeditions.com.

Lindblad Expeditions, LLC is a registered member of the CA Seller of Travel Program #2151120. Registration as a seller of travel does not constitute approval by the State of California. WA Seller of Travel Program #601134845 001 0001.

Travel Insurance

We reserve the right to refuse or cancel a booking if you do not have personal travel insurance. We will treat any cancellation for this reason as a cancellation by you and the cancellation charges will be payable as set out below. Please read your policy details carefully and take them with you on holiday. It is your responsibility to ensure that the insurance you purchase is adequate and appropriate for your particular needs, and covers all travel, cancellation, medical, and repatriation liabilities for the holiday. We reserve the right to request full details of your insurance policy, however, please note that we do not check insurance policies for suitability. You are responsible for indemnifying us in full in the event that we incur any losses or expenses arising out of your failure to take out adequate insurance cover.

Smoking Policy

Smoking and Vaping are allowed only in designated outdoor areas.

Passport, Visa and Immigration Requirements and Health Formalities

It is your responsibility to check and fulfil the passport, visa, health and immigration requirements applicable to your itinerary. You must check requirements for your own specific circumstances with the relevant Embassies and/or Consulates and your own doctor as applicable. Most countries now require passports to be valid for at least 6 months after your return date. If your passport is in its final year, you should check with the Embassy of the country you are visiting. For further information please contact the Passport Office on 0870 521 0410 or visit www.passport.gov.uk. Up to date travel advice can be obtained from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, visit www.fco.gov.uk. We do not accept any responsibility if you cannot travel or are denied entry into a country because you have not complied with any passport, visa or immigration requirements.

Delays and other Travel Information

We regret we are unable to offer you any assistance should a delay disrupt your itinerary. Any airline or other transport provider concerned may however provide refreshments and/or appropriate accommodation. We cannot accept liability for any delay that is due to re-scheduling times by the airline or airline authorities, or for unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances. The latest flight timings will be shown on your tickets, which will be dispatched to you approximately two weeks before departure. You should check your tickets very carefully immediately on receipt to ensure you have the correct flight times. If flight times change after tickets have been dispatched, we will contact you as soon as we can to let you know. You have rights in some circumstances to refunds and/or compensation from the airline in cases of denied boarding, cancellation or delay to flights. Full details of these rights will be publicised at EU airports and will also be available from airlines. Reimbursement in such cases is the responsibility of the airline and will not automatically entitle you to a refund of your holiday price from us.

Guest Behaviour

We reserve the right to terminate your booking arrangements with us immediately, should you or your party fail to conduct yourselves in an orderly manner. In the event of such termination, our liability to you and/or your party will cease, and you and/or your party will be required to leave your accommodation or other service immediately. We will have no further obligations to you and/or your party.

Age Requirements

The minimum age for children traveling with a parent or legal guardian varies by itinerary. For most voyages, the minimum age is 6 months at the time of embarkation. For the following itineraries, the minimum age is 4 years at the time of embarkation:

• All Antarctica, Antarctica Direct, Antarctica/Falklands/South Georgia and Patagonia/Antarctica voyages

• All Northwest Passage and Canadian Arctic voyages

• All Greenland, Iceland and Iceland/Greenland voyages

• All Svalbard voyages and Norway/Svalbard voyages

• All voyages visiting the Baffin Islands

Additional vessel-specific minimum ages apply: 1 year for Connect, Evolve and Sea Cloud II; 5 years for The Jahan; 7 years for Delfin II, Delfin III and Oberoi Philae; and 18 years for Charaidew II.

All children must travel with a parent or legal guardian.

Groups

For a party of 8 people or more who make their reservations to travel as a group, each guest will receive 5% off the cost of the expedition when booked together.

Share Guarantee Program

If you are a solo guest willing to share accommodations, we will be happy to make arrangements to match you with another solo guest, so you may travel at the double occupancy rate. If you are willing to share, and we are unable to make shared arrangements for you, we will guarantee you the per person double occupancy rate, and you will not incur the solo rate. This program is subject to availability and limited to certain ships and categories.

Medical Information

It is essential that guests with medical conditions and/or special dietary restrictions make them known to us in sufficient time before we confirm your booking so that we can advise as to the suitability of your chosen arrangements, and for us to accommodate the request wherever possible. A qualified and physically able travel companion must accompany travellers who need assistance.

Jurisdiction

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. A contract will exist as soon as we issue our Confirmation Invoice. This contract is made on the terms of these booking conditions, which are governed by English Law, and the jurisdiction of the English Courts.

Data Protection

Personal details will be held and processed by us to enable fulfilment of the holiday contract. You hereby agree to this information being passed to any third parties in order for the supply of the holiday. Personal details supplied to us may also be used for marketing purposes but only with your clear, active consent. We will not disclose personal details to third parties for marketing purposes without express permission. Our Privacy Notice can be viewed at www.fredolsentravel.co.uk/privacy-notice.

Cruise Ticket Contract and Other Terms & Conditions

Your Cruise Ticket Contract is the contract governing your expedition and is available at expeditions.com/shipticket as well as on your Communications Portal with your reservation details. Entry into the site requires acceptance of your Cruise Ticket Contract and our Terms & Conditions. A printed copy of your Cruise Ticket Contract will be provided with final documents, to be received approximately three weeks prior to departure. Carefully read your Cruise Ticket Contract as it contains important terms and conditions which govern your expedition and affect your legal rights including, among other things, limitations of Lindblad Expeditions’ and National Geographic Partners’ liability for loss of property, injury, illness, or death during the voyage. By registering for a trip, you agree to all Terms and Conditions. In the event of any conflict between the Terms & Conditions contained herein and the Cruise Ticket Contract, the terms and conditions contained in the Cruise Ticket Contract shall control.

Note

Itineraries and prices listed on this website are as of publication date and are subject to change. Under normal conditions the total expedition cost is guaranteed at the time of booking. However, the published price is determined far in advance of initial departure on the basis of then-existing projections of fuel and other costs. In the event that we determine that current costs create an unsustainable financial model, including but not limited to increases in the price of fuel, currency fluctuations, increases in government taxes or levies, or increased security costs, we reserve the right to pass on these costs to you to cover such unexpected increases. We will always provide a transparent accounting of the reason for increase in costs.

General

Fred Olsen may amend these terms and conditions at any time. All amended terms and conditions shall automatically be effective upon being posted by Lindblad Expeditions to the Site. We always use industry-standard encryption technologies when transferring and receiving visitor data exchanged with our site.

Our Responsibilities

We are a Member of ABTA, membership number Y0128. We are obliged to maintain a high standard of service to you by ABTA’s Code of Conduct. We can also offer you ABTA’s scheme for the resolution of disputes arising out of this contract, which is approved by the Chartered Trading Standards Institute. If we cannot resolve your complaint, go to www.abta.com to use ABTA’s simple procedure. Further information on the Code and ABTA’s assistance in resolving disputes can be found on www.abta.com. Subject to these booking conditions, your holiday arrangements will be made or performed using reasonable skill and care. We will be responsible if our employees, servants or agents fail to make or perform your holiday arrangements using reasonable skill and care as long as they were acting within the course of their employment or carrying out work, which we had asked them to do. We will not be responsible or pay compensation for any injury, illness, death, loss, damage, expense, cost or other claim of any description, which results from:

(a) the act(s) and/or omission(s) of the person(s) affected;
(b) the act(s) and/or omission(s) of a third party not connected with the provision of the services contracted for and which were unforeseeable or unavoidable;
(c) unusual or unforeseeable circumstances beyond our control, the consequences of which could not have been avoided even if all due care had been exercised; or
(d) an event which either ourselves, our employees, agents or suppliers and subcontractors could not, even with all due care, have foreseen or forestalled. The services and facilities included in your holiday will be deemed to be provided with reasonable skill and care if they comply with any local regulations that apply, or, if there are no applicable local regulations, if they are reasonable when compared to the local standards in practice. We limit the amount of compensation we may have to pay you if we are found liable under this clause:

(i) Loss of and/or damage to any luggage or personal possessions and money, the maximum amount we will have to pay you is £25 per person in total because you are assumed to have adequate insurance in place to cover any losses of this kind.
(ii) Our liability, except in cases involving death, injury or illness, shall be limited to a maximum of three times the cost of your travel arrangements. This maximum amount will only be payable where everything has gone wrong and you or your party has not received any benefit at all from your booking.
(iii) Claims in respect of international travel by air, sea and rail, or any stay in a hotel:

(1) The extent of our liability will in all cases be limited as if we were carriers under the appropriate International Conventions, which include The Warsaw/Montreal Convention (international travel by air); The Athens Convention (with respect to sea travel); The Berne/Cotif Convention (with respect to rail travel); The Paris Convention (with respect to hotel arrangements); and The Strasbourg Convention (CNLI) (with respect to travel on inland waterways). You can ask for copies of these Conventions from our offices. In addition, you agree that the operating carrier or transport company’s own ‘Cruise Ticket Contract Terms’ (which can be found at www.expeditions.co.uk/terms-conditions) will apply to you on that journey. When arranging transportation for you, we rely on the terms and conditions contained within these international conventions and those ‘Cruise Ticket Contract Terms”. You acknowledge that all the terms and conditions contained in those ‘Cruise Ticket Contract Terms’ form part of your contract with us, as well as with the transport company and that those ‘Cruise Ticket Contract Terms’ shall be deemed to be included by reference into this contract.
(2) When making any payment, we are entitled to deduct any money that you have received or are entitled to receive from the transport provider or hotelier for the complaint or claim in question.

If it is impossible to ensure your return as scheduled due to unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances, we will bear the cost of necessary accommodation, if possible, of equivalent category, for a maximum of three nights. The limit does not apply to persons with reduced mobility and any person accompanying them, pregnant women and unaccompanied minors, or persons in need of specific medical assistance, provided that you notified us of these needs at least 48 hours before the start of your holiday.