Booking Terms

Barge Nilaya can accommodate between 1 and 4 guests sharing her two ensuite cabins. 

I and a full time crew member occupy two separate cabins at the stern of the ship, but we all share the communal areas. 

Your booking is with:

Deposit

A deposit of 30% is due when you book, with the balance falling due 90 days prior to commencement of your holiday. 

Cancellation by you

In the event of cancellation within 90 days of the start of your cruise, a refund, less your deposit, will be made only if your dates are resold. Cancellations prior to 90 days require forfeiture of your deposit. In certain circumstances, subject to availability, I would be happy to swap dates within Barge Nilaya's current years programme where possible, if dates are available and if it helps. I cannot extend this beyond the current years cruise programme.

Cancellation by us

If for any reason Barge Nilaya Charter Cruises are unable to provide Barge Nilaya for the dates reserved, our liability ends after making a full and immediate refund.

What's included

I provide guests with:

Comfortable double / twin cabins. Each cabin has a spacious attached shower room complete with linen, towels and hair drier.

Barge Nilaya has a comfortable saloon, galley and other communal areas such as her wheelhouse and bow bench.

A continental breakfast and light lunch on each cruising day together with breakfast on the morning of departure and one dinner, home cooked aboard on either the night of your arrival or as suggested in the programme. I'm happy to provide additional home cooked evening meals, subject to our agreeing a suitable budget.

An early evening drink such as a glass of vin ordinaire, beer or soft drink.

You are welcome to purchase your own wines, beers and spirits to bring aboard, or replace stocks of ours that you consume during the cruise.

All diesel, gas, potable water, shore power, navigation permits and mooring fees.

Use of the ships bicycles (at your own risk).

What's not included

The cost of travel to and from Nilaya. Communication with us will be easy and my crewmember or I will arrange to meet you at a nearby railway station on your day of arrival or provide details of exactly how to find us. I can also assist if required, in your making reservations for local ground travel getting to and from Barge Nilaya.

Additional fees for any shore side excursions, taxi’s etc. are the responsibility of guests.

Dinners, other than the one included, can be taken in hostelries ashore, or by self-catering aboard at your own expense. If we find ourselves at a remote mooring with no restaurants, dinner will need to be self catered aboard.  

I'll advise in advance when this is likely. If self catering aboard, we generally all muck in together. I am however happy to provide additional home cooked meals, subject to agreeing a suitable budget in advance.

Other

Personal travel insurance is not included but very highly recommended.

Please note that my barge is not a hotel barge repetitively cruising the same route all season. Her schedule is a moveable feast with no set or fixed itinerary. We are all participating in a voyage of discovery. I try to outline a rough idea of what each week will bring, but this can't be guaranteed. Sometimes we'll be visiting a mooring, canal or region for the very first time.

Barge Nilaya offers a hands on experience and therefore no one person will be totally responsible for all the food. This means that unfortunately, we can't accommodate restricted diets such as salt-free or Kosher. We will however try to accommodate simple food allergies, but only if given plenty of advance warning BEFORE you travel. It's unlikely that small provincial restaurants and cafes encountered while cruising will be able to help with any special dietary requirements.

Your safety is very important hence my requirement that no drinking takes place prior to mooring up each day. All guests must accept as a condition of booking that they appreciate the hazards associated with boating and cycling such as, but not limited to, tripping, falling, slipping, drowning and collision. Barge Nilaya has steep staircases, low headroom in places, bollards, ropes, low railings and occasionally, slippery decks. She is an old ship.

All guests are required to be reasonably fit, agile, active and able. Barge Nilaya’s owner accepts no liability for a guest’s illness, death, injury or loss of personal property, however caused during their time aboard.

Cruises generally run from Saturday at 4pm until departure on a Friday morning at 10am unless otherwise stated. 

After much consideration, we do not take guests under the age of 15 or pets of any kind.

It is regretted that Barge Nilaya's 1922 design makes her unsuitable for people with physical disabilities.

For the safety and comfort of everyone aboard, smoking is not allowed anywhere inside Barge Nilaya. Smoking outside is only permitted if all other guests agree.

Our cruising programme might be subject to events beyond our control, with unforeseen circumstances sometimes affecting our cruising schedule. These can include, but are not limited to: illness, floods, weather, canal closures, canal maintenance, lack of moorings, bureaucracy, strikes, civil disturbance, acts of god, the engine, and whims and fancies of both skipper, guests and crew. All of these things might cause last minute changes to the above, and cruise routes. Although rare, I reserve the right to alter any and all routes accordingly. Flexibility is the name of the game and any such changes cannot be considered grounds for cancellation of the cruise.

Please note: Payment of any deposit indicates your acknowledgement and acceptance of these terms on behalf of all members of your party.