Terms and Conditions

By booking a cruise with us you agree to the following terms and conditions.

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• Booking Our cruises can be booked via text, WhatsApp, Facebook or email. 

• Payment The price of all our cruises are detailed on our Cruises page. Any cruises booked in advance must be paid in full at time of booking to secure places. If payment is not made, places can be offered to other people. 

• Telephone bookings Card payments cannot be taken over the telephone.

• Refunds. If we are unable to run your booked cruise any payments are returned in full, this will usually be refunded to the card you paid with within 5-10 working days. 

• Location All of our trips depart from the pontoon at Gairloch Harbour, please see the Our Location page for maps and directions. Please check journey times and allow for traffic in busy periods. YOU MUST ARRIVE 15 MINUTES BEFORE YOUR CRUISE FOR THE SAFETY BRIEFING If you are late for your cruise the boat will leave without you and refunds will not be given NO EXCEPTIONS!

• Destination Although our intended location for the 4 hour cruises is The Shiant Islands, if weather or wind conditions make this not possible an alternative trip may take place, by booking you acknowledge this and agree.

• Numbers. All 2 hour cruises aboard Seaquest MRV require a minimum of 6 passengers, 4 hour cruises require a minimum of 8 passengers and MV Starquest a minimum of 4 passengers. If there are not sufficient bookings unfortunately cruises will have to be cancelled, due to fuel costs we are not able to make exceptions to this rule. Passengers have the option to pay the extra to ensure the boats go out.

• Weather/Cancellations. In the event of us being unable to run our trips, normally due to strong wind conditions, or due to any unforeseen circumstances, any payments will be returned in full. If you are available for a trip later in the week then we will try and accommodate you should there be spaces available, the more availability you have the better. We try to inform passengers of cancellations as soon as possible however as weather is changeable the skipper may make decisions to cancel on the day of the cruise subject to sea conditions. OUR SKIPPER'S DECISION IS FINAL! If you are travelling a long way please check before setting off if the trip is likely to take place. MAKE US PART OF YOUR TRIP TO GAIRLOCH NOT THE SOLE REASON FOR IT.

• Wildlife No two cruise are the same and wildlife is very unpredictable. Although our skippers are very experienced and will do their best to find wildlife, we cannot guarantee sightings of any particular wildlife species. Refunds are not given just because a certain species was not spotted.

• Toilets. There are toilets located in the harbour and we recommend passengers use these prior to going out on the boats. Both boats are fitted with toilets for use in emergencies.

• Clothing. For all our trips please wear warm, waterproof clothing, and appropriate footwear. We do have a couple of spare coats on board for emergencies

• Children. Although we do not have any restrictions applied to our cruises, children aged 5 and under SHOULD NOT be booked onto the 4 hour cruise ait is a very long time for a young child to be out, they may get restless and we are unable to return to the harbour just because your child is unhappy. This suggestion is for the comfort of your child and also the comfort of other passengers who would not wish to spend the trip listening to a distressed child.

• Age limit. We do not have an upper age limit on passengers but it is important to note that MV Starquest is accessed by 3 steps up and 3 steps down. Seaquest MRV has flat access from the pontoon. Please inform us in advance if you have mobility problems as we will need to arrange for the boat to be reversed into the berth in order for the door to be accessible.

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Terms and conditions of Gift Vouchers

• Gift vouchers are valid for a year from the purchase date.

• All spaces on both two hour and four hour Wildlife cruises must be booked in advance.

• Please note that all cruises are subject to availability, during summer months we get very busy so please book early to avoid disappointment. 

• All Wildlife Cruise vouchers are sent via email in PDF form for personal printing, if you require a postal version this can be arranged for extra cost to cover postage and packing.

• Gift vouchers must be produced as payment on the day of the cruise, failure to produce the voucher will require full payment in cash.

• Gift vouchers cannot be exchanged for cash.

• If a cruise is cancelled by Gairloch Marine Wildlife Centre and Cruises for any reason, the voucher holder has the opportunity to book a further cruise on another day. If this is not possible because the voucher holder will not be in the area, the voucher will be extended for a further 12 months from the date of the cancelled cruise.