Pursery Desk Services / General Information

The Cruise Director and Cruise Staff organise all social events, games and activities on board as detailed in the on board Daily Telescope and will be happy to give you any additional assistance you may require.

The ship’s complement, which is multi-national, totals around 230 including the entertainers and British cruise staff. All crew on board are English speaking as required by International Maritime Law.

In the event of any aspect of your cruise or services not meeting your expectations, please notify the Guest Relations Manager at the earliest opportunity. Your comments will be held in complete confidence and every effort will be made to rectify the situation immediately. In the event of not being able to reach a satisfactory conclusion, you may then complete a Holiday Report form which will be forwarded to the Travelscope Head Office. On return from your holiday you may follow up this complaint by writing a formal letter within 28 days of returning home.

For security reasons no visitors are allowed on board at any time.

For cruises visiting countries outside the EU, we recommend you consult your GP six months before travel for details of vaccinations that may be required. Information can also be found on The Department for Health website: www.dh.gov.uk

Please see Vaccines and Travel insurance also.

If you are suffering from any pre-existing medical condition or ailment, or if you require a special diet, you should advise the Travelscope Head Office by completing a medical questionnaire obtainable from Travelscope Head Office. This must be completed a minimum of 8 weeks prior to your departure date.

You are strongly urged to ensure you have declared any pre-existing medical conditions to your insurer in accordance with the policy conditions as failure to do so may well render your insurance invalid in the event you are taken ill during your cruise and you would then be unable to reclaim any medical/repatriation costs incurred by you or on your behalf.

The ship’s doctor has a daily surgery at times stated in the Daily Telescope. A nominal fee is charged for a consultation and for any medication prescribed. Emergency calls are dealt with at any time of day or night via the Information Desk (telephone no. 1012 & 1013). As the surgery does not come under the NHS all treatments and consultations are subject to a standard charge, which you may be able to reclaim from your medical insurance (please refer to your insurance policy).

Any passenger with a disability must travel with a companion, who will take responsibility for any assistance needed during the cruise and in the event of an emergency. Guests needing wheelchairs will be required to bring their own on board and must travel with an able bodied person.

Guests using electrical medical apparatus or bottled oxygen should advise the Travelscope Head Office in writing a minimum of 8 weeks prior to your departure date. You should also check with the manufacturer of any electrical device if a transformer or regulator is required to maintain a constant level of power, as the ship’s electrical current may have slight variants and may not be compatible with the equipment.

Passengers who are dependant on bottled oxygen must ensure they travel with sufficient oxygen to last the duration of the cruise and should carry all necessary regulators, attachments and oxygen masks.

Passengers taking any prescription medication should carry a list of all medications taken and dosages required.

We regret we cannot carry passengers who will be more than 28 weeks pregnant by the end of the cruise.

Any articles found on board or on Shore Excursion coaches are handed over to the Information Desk. Likewise, all enquiries regarding lost articles should be made there. Unclaimed found items will be disposed of at the end of the cruise.

We are at your service for any special celebration! If you have a birthday we will know, but should you have any other special event such as an anniversary or honeymoon please advise us. We are more than happy to make this event a memorable one for you and your family and/or friends. Make your celebrations on board truly memorable with our special occasion packages. Whether it’s a birthday or wedding anniversary, push the boat out and celebrate in style. The following packages are available: Birthday package £25
Birthday cake presented by Captain at dinner
Bottle of wine
Card from sender

Anniversary package £40
Bottle of champagne
Box of chocolates
Card from sender

Pre-bookable special packages
Take advantage of our popular on board packages, which can be ordered at time of booking.

Package one £15
Fresh fruit basket
Bottle of house red or white wine

Package two £25
Fresh fruit basket
Bottle of house red or white wine
Box of chocolates

Package three £45
Fresh fruit basket
Bottle of champagne
Box of chocolates

Callers from the UK should dial 00871 763 019 636 and fax messages sent to 00871 763 019 638. Messages received for passengers are delivered to cabins immediately upon receipt. Please note: the prefix code of 871 will change when Van Gogh is outside of European waters, please contact Travelscope Holidays Ltd for further information.

Please note: call costs to the ship are generally expensive. We would recommend this service is used for emergencies only and that you check the cost of calling with your telephone supplier first.

Postcards may be purchased at the Information Desk where you may also leave correctly stamped letters for mailing. In case you do not have stamps you can leave your mail at the Information Desk where they can mail it for you for a nominal charge. Mail must be handed in to the Information Desk two hours before the sailing time for it to be posted from the port of call that day.

We strongly advise passengers not to leave valuables in their cabin as you do so entirely at your own risk. Safety deposit boxes are available at the Information Desk free of charge, subject to availability. The company cannot be held responsible for any loss of valuables left in your cabin or for items deposited in the boxes.

A cashless system* operates on board for the convenience of passengers. Passengers will be issued with a boarding card at embarkation (which serves as a cruise payment card), and must be presented at point of sales outlets for payment at the time of purchase. Passengers must sign at the point of sale when using the bars, ordering drinks in the restaurant, the cabin laundry service, the Duty Free Shop, the Hair Salon, Photo Shop, the on board postal service, and for doctor's consultation fees and making purchases from the information Desk.

On our ‘Round the World’ cruises, a statement will be delivered to your cabin every 3-weeks and should be settled every month.

Credit/Debit cards displaying the VISA and MASTERCARD symbol may be pre-registered for settlement of your monthly account however the ship levies a one-off charge of £7.50 for registration.

As on board accounts will be settled monthly you may register your credit/debit card one-week prior to the monthly settlement date, please be advised payment will be charged to your registered card each month and therefore arrangements should be made to ensure sufficient funds are available on your card/bank account while you are away.

Travellers’ cheques and cash are also accepted for payment of your on board account, (please note: there is a nominal charge for the use of traveller's cheques on board).

It should be noted your final account will close on the last night of the cruise for the final statements to be prepared, after this time sterling cash will be accepted in selected bars.

Only Visa and MasterCard are accepted on board. All Visa and MasterCards used on board must be valid for up to 1-month after the return date of the cruise. Please note: Visa Electron, American Express, Diners Cards, Solo, Maestro, Switch cards and Personal cheques are NOT accepted on board.

Personal cheques are not accepted as a form of payment when settling the on board account. The ship's official currency is pounds sterling.

Euro and American dollars are available to purchase on board and exchanged at the information desk at the ship's official exchange rate, however supplies are limited. Local currencies of the ports visited will not be available on board.

* Payment for shore excursions may be made with cash, Travellers’ cheques, Visa and MasterCard.

Certain ship’s games and activities require cash payment; Bingo, Daily Tote, Craft, Horse Racing, refundable deposits for board games, library books, sports equipment and Casino. You are therefore advised to bring on board sterling cash to allow participation in onboard activities.

Tipping is the traditional way of saying “Thank you”, for further information concerning this please read under the heading Gratuities.

We appreciate tipping is a matter of personal choice and entirely at your discretion, but for your convenience, as a standard practice gratuities will be charged directly to your on-board account at the rate of £4.00 per person per day. Cruises 30 days or longer gratuities are charged at a lower rate of £2.50 per person per day. If for any reason you may wish to adjust this figure please advise the staff at the Information Desk who will gladly oblige your request.

Please do not throw anything into the sea, the harbour waters or the docks as this is strictly forbidden. We thank you for your cooperation to safeguard the environment.

The International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code became part of the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) suite of International Law on the 1st of July 2004. It was enacted to improve the security of ships and the ports that ships call at with the aim of preventing terrorist attacks. Not only is there the ISPS Code itself (international law), but also an EC Regulation and a UK Regulation to ensure the full spirit of the Code is enshrined in UK law.