Baggage
Generally, the amount of baggage that you can bring on board Da Vinci will be limited by the maximum flight luggage allowance, which is 20kgs (44lbs) per person. In addition, one small piece of hand baggage, normally of no more than 5kg (11lbs) in weight is allowed per person. Please check your flight tickets/confirmation for details specific to your flight, as excess baggage is not always permitted and is subject to additional charges.

Brochure Information
The information contained in this brochure has been checked for accuracy and is correct at the time of printing in December 2006. Worldwide events subsequent to this date may necessitate unavoidable alterations to our planned schedules. Any such changes deemed to be significant or fundamental to your booking will be advised to you accordingly. It should also be noted that the destination photography and maps are generic to the locations depicted and may not be a specific representation of sights or images to be viewed in a particular port of call on the river cruise booked. All interior ship photography was taken aboard Da Vinci’s fleetmate, Rembrandt van Rijn.

Cruise Director
The Cruise Director and his staff are on board to assist you in making the most of your time on the vessel as well as ashore and will be pleased to answer any questions that you may have about any aspect of your river cruise arrangements.

Dress Code
Informality is the key and therefore dress on board and ashore is ‘smart casual’. More important is that you dress comfortably and ensure that you have some sturdy walking shoes for sightseeing ashore.

Electrical Appliances
The voltage on board is 220v AC. All cabins are fitted with a continental style two-pin round holed socket, suitable for small electrical appliances only, and there is a razor point and also a hairdryer in the bathroom area. A two pin adaptor will be required for UK appliances.

Entertainment
Our entertainment on board is purposely low-key and designed to complement your leisurely and relaxing cruise. The Cruise Director will arrange some lectures, presentations and quizzes, whilst our resident musicians will play for your listening pleasure in the lounge on selected occasions throughout the cruise.

Gratuities
Gratuities on board are not included in your river cruise fare. If you consider that you have received particularly fine service from our on board personnel, please feel free to tip the crew members concerned. However, the amount of the gratuity is entirely up to you and of course dependent upon your level of satisfaction with services received.

Health Requirements
At the time of printing, there are no specific health requirements or mandatory vaccinations required to visit any of the destinations in the river cruise programme. We shall endeavour to advise you promptly should this situation change. The publication Health Advice for Travellers produced by the Dept. of Health (also available on their website www.dh.gov.uk/
PolicyAndGuidance/HealthAdviceForTravellers )
is a useful guideline to current health requirements for travellers.

Holiday & Accommodation Information
We have endeavoured to provide as much information about Da Vinci and the river cruise holidays as space permits however, please bear in mind that from time to time, certain facilities, activities, entertainments and shore excursions may be altered or withdrawn due to such reasons as adverse water levels, weather conditions, lack of demand, essential maintenance work or other reasons beyond our control.

Itineraries
It should be noted that the river itineraries published in this brochure are subject to amendment. Should major changes to the ports of call, other than timing adjustments or the order in which they are visited, become necessary we shall endeavour to notify you in advance. Please be aware that late changes to itineraries are sometimes necessary due to force majeure circumstances such as exceptional high or low water levels, suspensions of navigation or official decrees. In any event, all decisions regarding the operation of the vessel and its safe navigation are at the Master’s sole discretion.

Medical Information
In the interest of your own safety and wellbeing, you must be fit and healthy to take your river cruise and all other travel arrangements that you book with us. Therefore, the company must be advised at the time of booking of any pre-existing medical condition and of any change to a passenger’s condition that occurs between booking and the sailing date. We reserve the right in our absolute discretion to refuse boarding to persons who in the opinion of the Company’s Medical Consultant are unfit to undertake the river cruise or who have failed to make full disclosure of the nature of their condition. The Company regrets that it cannot accept bookings from passengers who will be twenty-eight weeks pregnant or more by the end of their river cruise. Please note that a failure to disclose a specified medical condition may additionally invalidate your travel insurance.

Medical Services
Due to the vessel’s constant proximity to land, there are no medical facilities on board and medical services will be summoned from shore should emergency attention be required. If you are a UK resident, you are entitled to emergency medical treatment in Holland, Germany and all other EU countries on a reciprocal basis to the UK at a reduced cost or even without charge as long as you hold a European Union Health Insurance Card (EHIC). You can apply for an EHIC free of charge online, by telephone or by post. Ask for further details or log into: www.dh.gov.uk/PolicyAndGuidance/
HealthAdviceForTravellers

On Board Payments
All prices on board are quoted in euros and a cashless system is in operation for all your on board purchases. A shipboard account is opened for you at the start of your cruise and you sign a debit when purchasing goods and services on board. The charges are placed to your account and settlement is made at the end of the cruise by either a credit card, bearing a Mastercard or Visa symbol, or of course, by cash in euros. It is not possible to use debit cards, personal cheques or travellers’ cheques to settle on board accounts.

Passports & Visas
A passport is essential for these river cruises and British passport holders must have a full ten year passport issued in the UK. No individual visas are required by British nationals that hold a passport that shows they are a British Citizen. Holders of other passports should check with the Dutch and German consular authorities to ascertain if there any specific restrictions or passport or visa requirements for their planned itinerary.

Restaurant
The elegant restaurant operates on a single-sitting, fixed seating basis, and your table number will be advised to you by the Reception staff when you collect your cabin key upon embarkation. The Purser will be pleased to assist you with any questions regarding restaurant seating.

Shore Excursions
We have arranged an attractive programme of optional shore excursions, escorted by experienced local guides, at most of the ports of call, an outline of which is shown on page 12. Full details will be sent once your booking has been confirmed and for your convenience, tours may be pre-booked in advance

Smoking Policy
As a consideration to all passengers, smoking is only permitted in the designated smoking areas. A non-smoking policy is operated in the restaurant and in cabins at all times.

Travel Insurance
It is a condition of booking that adequate travel insurance is held by all passengers. Details of the policy we offer are shown on the Booking Form on page 18. If you opt not to purchase this insurance, you must give details of the alternative cover that you have in place, including the name of your insurer, policy number and most importantly the telephone number of the insurer’s Emergency Assistance service.