Booking changes
Date changes to your booking are possible up to 48 hours prior to its scheduled commencement, and are subject to availability. Depending on tour or room availability and intended travel season, differences in tour options, room type or rates may apply as at the date of rebooking.
For Cougar Line’s scheduled departures, date changes to your booking are possible up to two hours prior to your scheduled departure time, however an amendment fee applies, and are subject to availability. Depending on intended travel season, differences in scheduled departure times or rates may apply as at the date of rebooking.
For ‘special hire’ private charters with Cougar Line, date changes to your booking are possible up to 24 hours prior to your scheduled departure time, and are subject to availability. Depending on intended travel season, rates may apply as at the date of rebooking.
Booking policies
- It is highly recommended to book in advance to avoid disappointment.
- Forward bookings are essential to ensure availability of tours and cruises. It is highly recommended to book in advance to avoid disappointment.
- Our daily scheduled tours and cruises operate on minimum numbers, along with maximum numbers. Whereas our private tours and group tours are specifically designed to meet your requirements.
- Please phone 24 hours prior to your tour or cruise departure to reconfirm your booking - 03 577 9997.
- All booking transactions are in New Zealand dollars, both at the time of making a booking and at the time of making a cancellation. Marlborough Tour Company can not accept any liability for fluctuation in exchange rates between these transactions taking place.
- All child prices are for children 5-15 years, when accompanied by a paying adult. Children under 5 years are free and those 16 years or older are subject to adult prices.
- The name that will appear on your bank statement will be Marlborough Tour Company Ltd.
- During the October-April season, most scheduled tours operate daily, except Christmas Day (25 December), Easter Friday, Easter Sunday and ANZAC Day (25 April).
Check In
- We ask guests to check in to our cruises 30 minutes prior to departure.
- If you are being collected for a tour, we ask you to be ready 10 minutes before pick-up time.
Child policy
Children of all ages are welcome on Marlborough Tour Company tours and cruises, except wine tours:
- Child rates apply to children 5-15 years.
- Children 0-4 years travel free on our tours and cruises that allow children.
Cancellation policy - scheduled tours & cruises
If you wish to cancel your booking the following conditions apply:
- 2+ days out: No charge
- Within 2 days of tour departure: 50% tariff charge
- Within 24 hours of tour departure, or on-the-day cancellation: 100% tariff charge
Date changes to your booking are possible up to 24 hours prior to your scheduled tour departure time at no additional charge, and are subject to availability.
Cancellation policy - Furneaux Lodge & Punga Cove
If you wish to cancel your accommodation reservation the following conditions apply:
- 8+ days prior to check-in: No charge/full refund if prepaid
- 7 days - 2 days prior to check-in: Free transfer to another date within a 12-month period, or 100% tariff charge
- Within 2 days of check-in: 100% tariff charge
Cancellation policy - private charter
If you wish to cancel your booking the following conditions apply:
- 10-30 days prior to tour departure - 50% charter fee
- Within 9 days of tour departure – 100% charter fee (no refund)
Cancellations due to Government-imposed travel bans
If your travel plans are interrupted due to Government-imposed travel bans or border closures, you are welcome to transfer your booking to a later date within the next 12 months with no transfer fee.
Depending on tour availability and intended travel season, differences in tour options or rates may apply as at the date of rebooking. Otherwise our standard cancellation policy applies.
Cancellation policy - Cougar Line
For Cougar Line’s scheduled departures, date changes to your booking are possible up to two hours prior to your scheduled departure time, but incur an amendment fee, and are subject to availability. Depending on intended travel season, differences in scheduled departure times or rates may apply as at the date of rebooking.
If you wish to cancel your booking with Cougar Line the following conditions apply:
- Within 48 hours prior to scheduled departure: 100% tariff charge
- Cancellations by Marlborough Tour Company
Marlborough Tour Company Group reserves the right to reschedule or cancel any tours, cruises and accommodation booked if it feels that they cannot be undertaken safely, i.e: bad weather conditions, or if total bookings on a tour or cruise are below minimum numbers. In the event of Marlborough Tour Company Group making a cancellation you will be offered an alternate date or option, or receive a full refund.
All transactions are in New Zealand dollars at the time of making a booking and at the time of making a cancellation, and Marlborough Tour Company Group cannot accept any liability for fluctuation in exchange rates between these transactions taking place.
Intoxication
For the safety of guests, staff and partners, Marlborough Tour Company - and its partners - reserves the right to:
- refuse to serve tour or cruise guests; and
- cancel tours or cruises,
due to intoxication and without a refund.
In circumstances where staff judge the level of intoxication to be such that it may be unsafe for the individual concerned to travel or for staff or other guests to travel with that person, the intoxicated guest may be refused entry to Marlborough Tour Company vehicles or fleet and asked to find their own return transport at their own cost.
Where property damage is sustained by Marlborough Tour Company or its partners, a spoilage fee may be charged.
Reservations
All Marlborough Tour Company services require forward booking to ensure availability.
- Email us for all bookings or enquiries. Confirmation of all email bookings will be within 24 hours.
- Phone +64 3 577 9997.
Smoke-free
All Marlborough Tour Company vehicles and cruise vessels are smoke and vape free.
Water-based cruises
Forward bookings are essential to ensure availability of cruises. It is highly recommended to book in advance to avoid disappointment.
Adverse weather conditions may restrict or cancel cruise departures or limit access into some areas for example salmon or mussel farms. Cruise availability and access onto some areas, due to weather and sea conditions, will be at the sole discretion of the skipper.
Flat soled footwear, sunglasses, sunhat and sunscreen is recommended.
Please note: Luggage and goods are transported "at limited carriers risk"