Heritage Rail Journeys – Standard Terms & Conditions
Belle Trains’ Harz Mountain Steam Spectacular – May 2025

BOOKING TERMS AND CONDITIONS
This document sets out the terms and conditions by which you contract with us to provide you with services relating to this journey by steam train. By making a booking through us (in-store, by phone, by email or online via our website) you acknowledge that you have read, understood and you agree to be bound by them. A list of terms are defined at the end of these Booking Conditions. 

“You” and “Your” means all persons named in a booking (including anyone who is added or substituted at a later date). 

“We”, “us” and “our” means Travelations Pty Ltd trading as Cruise Express (ABN 31 095 788 177).

Travelations Pty Ltd t/a Cruise Express (herein referred to as the Facilitator) is a member of the Australian Federation of Travel Agents (AFTA), an accredited member of the AFTA Travel Accreditation Scheme (ATAS) and a member of the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA). We are committed to the provision of excellent service and quality travel products.

PRICING & ITINERARY: All prices are listed in Australian dollars and are based on operator prices correct at the time of publication. In the event that operators or service providers alter prices, the Facilitator reserves the right to correct any errors, inaccuracies or omissions and to change or update fares, fees and surcharges at any time, up to and including the day of departure, without prior notice. The Facilitator reserves the right to reprice due to fluctuations in currency and reserves the right to pass on any increase in costs to clients due to change in rate of exchange.

The Facilitator will use all reasonable endeavours to provide the tour you have booked in accordance with the advertised itinerary. However, due to the nature of travel, it may not always be possible for the Facilitator to adhere strictly to the original itinerary or tour inclusions. When circumstances beyond the control of the Facilitator occur, the Facilitator reserves the right to make alterations to the tour inclusions or itinerary accordingly, before or after the commencement of the tour. Any changes to the itinerary will be notified to you

1. if prior to your tour departure date, by phone or email   or
2. if during your tour, personally by your Tour Manager

To the maximum extent permitted by law, you agree that the Facilitator is not liable to you for, and you release the Facilitator from, any cost, claim, loss, damage or expense whatsoever arising either directly or indirectly in connection with any alteration to your tour inclusions or itinerary or substitution carried out in accordance with this clause. This includes without limitation any claim for distress, disappointment or loss of enjoyment arising from the alteration(s). This is also applicable to any personal expenses incurred by you including food, beverages and personal items or costs associated with any other travel arrangements affected by the changes, including any costs and expenses incurred by you for cancelling or changing those other arrangements or arising from a failure to meet a connection.

BOOKINGS: All bookings must be made directly with the Facilitator and are subject to availability of the appropriate services (eg. rail seats, hotel accommodation and coaches) at the time of booking.

DEPOSIT PAYMENT & BOOKING CONFIRMATION: A non-refundable deposit will be payable per person at the time of booking. This deposit may be refundable up to 45 days prior to departure, only in the event that Extraordinary and Unavoidable Circumstances directly impact our ability to operate the tour. All refunds will be subject to a small administration and processing fee.

Payment may be made in the following ways:

– by direct deposit into the Travelations Pty Ltd bank account (allow one working day for funds to clear).
Payee: Travelations Pty Ltd
BSB: 032020
Account: 148332

– by credit or debit card (Visa or MasterCard 1.4% fee or American Express 1.8% fee).

PAYMENT SCHEDULE:
An initial deposit of $500 per person will be payable upon booking.
Airfares are instant purchase and will be payable in full at time of booking.
A second deposit of between $2,000 and $3,100, dependent on class of travel, will be due by 5 August 2024.
A third deposit of between $2,000 and $3,100, dependent on class of travel, will be due by 5 November 2024.
Final payment will be due no later than 5 February 2025.
All payments are non-refundable, including instant purchase airfares.

CANCELLATION & AMENDMENT SERVICES: If you wish to cancel, please notify the Facilitator in writing of your booking cancellation request. All payments will be non-refundable. This is why we strongly encourage you to obtain travel insurance with comprehensive cancellation protection as soon as your booking is confirmed (see TRAVEL INSURANCE section below). 

If you wish to make amendments to already booked Travel Arrangements, please contact us and we will endeavour to facilitate them as part of our Cancellation and Amendment Services. While we will endeavour to facilitate all amendments, please note that some amendments are subject to agreement by our Travel Providers. If you request us to make amendments to your booking, you agree to pay us an amendment fee of $55 per amendment.

EXTRAORDINARY & UNAVOIDABLE CIRCUMSTANCES: In the event of Extraordinary and Unavoidable Circumstances, such as Belle Trains cancelling the Harz Mountains Belle tour in its entirety before the start of the trip, a full refund will be offered directly via the original booking and payment method. Cancellation may occur at any stage prior to the tour due to various factors including but not limited to engineering works, pathing issues, locomotive or crew availability, adverse weather conditions or pandemic. Belle Trains cannot accept any liability for any additional costs incurred due to cancellation.

GENERAL TERMS & CONDITIONS
Whilst it is Belle Trains’ top priority to ensure that the advertised locomotives, coaching stock, route and times (which are all reliant on third parties) run as publicised, they also reserve the right to modify or cancel any elements of the holiday at any stage. As Belle Trains cannot accept any responsibility for third party actions, they strongly advise that all passengers secure their own full independent travel/cancellation insurance.

In the event of any passengers needing to cancel their place/s on this departure for any reason, charges will apply in accordance with the passenger cancellation terms found on this page. Belle Trains and the Facilitator cannot accept liability for any additional costs incurred in passengers’ travel plans. Due to these clauses we highly recommend to avoid disappointment and unnecessary expenditure that passengers refrain from pre-booking transport links or accommodation unless covered by the passengers’ personal insurance as well as ensuring coverage is in place for individual cancellations.

If your Travel Arrangements are cancelled due to Extraordinary and Unavoidable Circumstances, then we will use reasonable endeavours to obtain a future travel credit to the value of funds paid to date less any third-party Travel Provider costs incurred. If cancellation occurs due to Extraordinary and Unavoidable Circumstances after a tour has commenced and the Facilitator provides any alternative travel services (such as transport or accommodation) you agree to pay for these additional costs. The Facilitator will use reasonable endeavours to provide a future travel credit for any unused portion of your Travel Arrangements, subject to the refunds the Facilitator is able to recover from Travel Providers.

Your rights to a credit may be limited under the Travel Provider Booking Conditions. We make no guarantee and expressly disclaim any warranty that we will be able to obtain a credit from a Travel Provider.

Please note that any credit issued by the Travel Provider may be partial only and may be subject to specific conditions. We have no control over these conditions.

DOCUMENTATION: Final tour documentation will be distributed to you by email approximately 2-3 weeks prior to departure.

HEALTH, FITNESS AND PARTICIPATION: The Facilitator reserves the right, at the discretion of the Tour Manager and/or Train Manager, to deny boarding to you if, upon arrival at the railway station or start of the tour or at any time during the tour, you are deemed to be physically unable to participate safely in the tour. No refund will be given in these circumstances so please carefully consider the following:

You may NOT rely on the Tour Manager(s) or fellow passengers for personal physical assistance. You warrant that you are in good health and/or fit to travel on tour. While this tour does not require a special level of fitness, for your own safety and the overall benefit of the group, you must possess a moderate level of mobility, including the ability to

* negotiate railway stations without wheelchair assistance
* embark and disembark trains, coaches and other methods of transportation without assistance
* climb and descend steps and stairs unaided
* handle your own luggage
* use combined shower/bath facilities (it is not possible to guarantee walk-in shower facilities)

Regrettably, heritage trains were not designed to accommodate passengers who are confined to a wheelchair or need mobility equipment. You may be seated in a carriage without toilet facilities so you must be able to negotiate your way between carriages easily and without aid. Additionally buffet or dining car(s) may be located several cars away from your carriage. At some stations the platform may be lower than the train door, requiring the ability to negotiate stairs up and/or down.

Limited first aid facilities are available on all trains. You should carefully consider your own medical requirements, especially when rail journeys include travel to remote areas. The Facilitator cannot guarantee that facilities such as refrigeration are available on all trains for those passengers requiring safe storage of medication. Please discuss with the Facilitator at the time of booking.

TOUR INCLUSIONS: Your Travel Arrangements include heritage rail travel, group coach transfers, hotel accommodation, meals, sightseeing and other activities as specified. Accommodation is allocated on a twin-share basis unless otherwise requested and confirmed. Hotels are capacity controlled, subject to change and some room types may have additional costs.

NOT INCLUDED IN TOUR COSTS: All items not specifically referred to as Tour Inclusions including excess baggage, meals, gratuities and tips except where indicated, travel insurance, laundry, drinks and items of a personal nature.

TRAVEL INSURANCE: The Facilitator strongly encourages you to be adequately insured for the duration of your trip and recommends you consider comprehensive travel insurance to cover cancellation, medical requirements, luggage and additional expenses. The choice of insurer is yours. We strongly suggest you purchase insurance at the time you pay your first deposit. This is because cancellation fees and charges may be imposed from that time.

The Facilitator is a distributor of nib Travel Services Australia. nib Travel Insurance Distribution Pty Ltd (ABN 40 129 262 175, AR 336467) is an authorised representative of nib Travel Services (Australia) Pty Ltd (ABN 81 115 932 173, AFS Licence No 308461). We act as nib Travel Services’ agent and not as your agent. The insurance advice given is general advice and you should consider if this product suits your needs. Before purchasing, please read the PDS available from https://www.nibtravelinsurance.com.au/pds .This insurance is underwritten by Pacific International Insurance Pty Ltd (ABN 83 169 311 193).

ONBOARD DINING: Belle Trains work very closely with their on-board chef and catering team to provide a bespoke dining service as described on their website and Harz Mountains Belle promotional material. A unique environment, their on-board services rely on the finalised timetable with particular consideration given to departure and arrival times and booked stops which can impact the service they are able to provide. If there are any changes to the planned Dining across the tour due to any of the above, they will, where time allows, advise passengers ahead of the trip.​

Belle Trains will aim to cater for any dietary requirements but require advanced notice of any dietary requirements preferably at the time of booking or at least four weeks prior to the tour date. Otherwise, there is a real risk that they will not be able to guarantee that your requirements will be catered for. Due to the confined nature of the heritage carriages, they have limited capacity for carrying large stocks on board.

Belle Trains cannot guarantee that all of their on-board food will be free of specific allergens (such as nut, gluten, dairy etc…) as it is prepared and cooked in kitchens where traces of allergens may be found.

TIMINGS: All final timings and platform numbers for the Harz Mountains Belle will be confirmed by Deutsche Bahn AG in the run up to the trip. At this stage any advertised times are conservative estimates.

Belle Trains will strive to ensure that all of the boarding/alighting stations stipulated across its website and any official Harz Mountains Belle communications are those which are used on the tour. In the unlikely event that it is not possible for Deutsche Bahn AG in their final timings to include any of the planned stations, Belle Trains will ensure that all passengers are transferred, most likely by road coach, to the applicable station.

CARRIAGES: Belle Trains reserves the right to change carriages from the ones advertised if necessary.

STEAM: Belle Trains will always endeavour to deliver steam traction for the sections rostered for steam haulage across the tour but cannot guarantee this. On occasion it may be necessary to substitute with a diesel or electric locomotive principally due to fire risk, drought, route restrictions or locomotive failure.

Any aspects of the tour where part of the journey is pre-planned to be diesel or electric hauled, it will be stated in the tour literature and at the time of booking. Sometimes due to operational logistics, it may be required for changes to be made at a later than usual stage. In such an event, Belle Trains will endeavour to communicate any changes to passengers at the earliest opportunity.

HOTELS: Belle Trains reserves the right to change passenger hotels from the ones advertised if necessary.

MINIMUM AGE REQUIREMENT: To travel on a Belle Trains holiday, you must be a minimum age of 14 years accompanied by an adult or 18 years of age unaccompanied.

PASSENGER MOBILITY: Belle Trains for the Harz Mountains Belle will be using heritage carriages and subsequently are unable to offer step free access to board the train. Passengers, therefore, must be able to step up into the carriage from platform level as well as being able to walk through carriages to their assigned seats without assistance. They also require that any passengers booked on this tour can also board a road coach unassisted and walk a short distance.

Some optional excursions may involve lengthy walking and some sites may not be able to offer step free access and require passengers to walk up several flights of steps. The Belle Trains team will look to highlight any mobility requirements when sending out the various optional excursions and they encourage passengers to speak with the office team for any further clarification.

ONBOARD STORAGE: Due to the historical nature of the carriages, there is limited access to seating areas and toilets making it not possible for mobility scooters, wheelchairs and walking frames to be used on-board the train. There is also limited on-board space for the storage of wheelchairs and walking frames, so Belle Trains requests that you are able to collapse any wheelchairs and walking frames whilst on-board, so they may be stored in a suitable space. Motorised wheelchairs and scooters are not permitted on-board and cannot be stored for safety reasons. It is essential that passengers or someone within the party are responsible for folding and carrying the wheelchair on-board ready to be stored.

COMMUNICATING MOBILITY ISSUES: Any passengers with mobility difficulties or with a mobility aid to store must make the Belle Trains team aware preferably at the time of booking but at least four weeks prior to the tour date, so they can make the necessary arrangements for on-board storage, preferable seating options, coach logistics and any hotel requirements to ensure a seamless experience.

If you have any other questions, please do give the Belle Trains team a call where they will be very happy to talk things through and avoid any disappointment.

Conditions of Carriage
Across the tour, all passengers are obliged to adhere to the below listed conditions of carriage:
1.    Passengers must observe instructions provided to them either in writing or verbally by the on-board train staff prior to and during the journey.
2.    Passengers shall not in any way hinder the safe operation on the train or the railway.
3.    Passengers shall not smoke on-board the train or at stations where it is prohibited, including the use of e-cigarettes.
4.    Passengers shall not verbally or physically abuse staff or other passengers.

If any of these conditions are breached, Belle Trains reserves the right to remove the offending passenger(s) from the train. In the event of any passenger(s) being removed from the train for a breach of conditions, no refund or compensation will be given.

NOTICE OF RESPONSIBILITY: The Facilitator is not itself a carrier or hotelier, nor does it own trains, hotels, coaches, airlines or cruise ships. The Booking Services that the Facilitator supplies consist of arranging and coordinating train travel, accommodation, transfers and tours, flights and cruises, making bookings and issuing documents to be redeemed by Travel Providers. 

The Facilitator exercises every care in the selection of reputable Travel Providers. However, it is important to note that all bookings with the Facilitator are subject to the terms, conditions and limitations of liability imposed by the Travel Providers whose services we utilise, some of which limit or exclude liability in respect of death, personal injury, delay and loss or damage of baggage.

OUR LIABILITY: Australian Consumer Law and corresponding legislation in state jurisdictions in certain circumstances imply mandatory conditions and warranties into consumer contracts (“Consumer Warranties”). These Booking Conditions do not exclude or limit the application of the Consumer Warranties. Other than the Consumer Warranties, we disclaim all warranties.

To the fullest extent permitted by law:
– The Facilitator does not accept any liability under these Booking Conditions, in tort (including negligence) or at law for any injury, loss (including indirect losses), delay or additional expenses caused directly or indirectly by the actions or omissions of a third party over whom we have no direct control (including a Travel Provider); and
– our maximum liability to you under these Booking Conditions, in tort (including negligence) or at law is limited to resupplying the Booking Services or Cancellation and Amendment Services (as applicable) or paying to have them resupplied. 

GENERAL: The contract between the Facilitator (Travelations Pty Ltd trading as Cruise Express) and you is governed by the laws of the State of New South Wales. Any disputes shall be dealt with by a court with the appropriate jurisdiction in New South Wales.

If any provision of these Booking Conditions is found to be unenforceable, then to the extent possible it will be severed without affecting the remaining provisions.

Any personal information you provide to us will be collected, stored, used, protected and shared in accordance with Australian Privacy Principles, and our Privacy Policy, which is published here https://cruiseexpress.com.au/privacy-policy/

Please read all booking terms and conditions carefully.

DEFINITIONS
“Booking Services” means the following services:

– providing advice on Travel Arrangements and Travel Providers that may be appropriate for your requirements;
– facilitating your purchase of Travel Arrangements from Travel Providers; and
– providing a mechanism for you to pay for Travel Arrangements.

“Amendment Fees” means the fees payable to us for endeavouring to arrange amendments.
“Cancellation and Amendment Services” means the following services:

– endeavouring to arrange amendments to booked Travel Arrangements with Travel Providers;
– cancelling Travel Arrangements with Travel Providers; and
– processing any refunds or issuing any credits due to you from Travel Providers. 

“Unavoidable and Extraordinary Circumstances” means circumstances pursuant to which your Travel Arrangements cannot proceed due to flood, earthquake, war or civil strife, acts of terrorism, hurricane, cyclone, industrial disturbance, strike, fire, lock-out, epidemic, pandemic, failure or delays of scheduled transportation, or any law, order, decree, rule or regulation of any government authority (including quarantine requirements or government travel advisories), or for any other reason beyond the Travel Provider’s control. 

“Travel Arrangements” means any travel arrangements booked through us to be supplied by a Travel Provider, which may include (but are not limited to) rail travel, accommodation, meals, transfers, guides, activities, tours, flights and cruises.

“Travel Provider” means a third party who principally contracts with you for the provision of Travel Arrangements subject to the Travel Provider Booking Conditions.

“Travel Provider Booking Conditions” means the booking conditions of a Travel Provider.

Updated: 3 July 2024