Terms of Service - Santo Domingo travel

Please ensure you have read, understand, and accept the following Terms of Service before booking with us.

PASSPORTS. All individuals departing from the United States of America must possess a valid passport. You cannot travel if your PASSPORT or RESIDENT CARD is expired. It is your responsibility to ensure that you have valid travel documentation, including but not limited to passports and visas, which meet the requirements of immigration and other government authorities at every destination. A government-issued ID is required for travel within the USA.

WE DO NOT CHECK PASSPORT EXPIRATION DATES. As the passport holder, it is your responsibility to make sure your passport is still valid before you travel. Please, ensure that you have at least SIX MONTHS of validity on your passport after your return date to the U.S. Apply several months in advance for a new passport.

You are responsible for confirming with the United States Department of State or representative government agency of the country to which you are traveling the requirements for visas and/or other requirements for admission to your destination. Any fines, penalties, payments, or expenditures incurred because of such documents not meeting the requirements of those authorities will be your sole responsibility.

PAYMENT PLAN. If you are paying a reservation in installments, you must follow these rules, or your reservation could be canceled:

90 days before the travel date: Half of the reservation price must be paid.
60 days before the travel date: The total reservation price must be fully paid.
For cruise reservations, the total price must be paid 120 days before departure.
Frequency of installment payments: Bi-weekly or monthly.
Minimum installment payment amount: $350.

If there is a Payment Plan Agreement signed, its provisions shall be considered part of these Terms of Service.

DEPOSIT. The non-refundable deposit per person is $350, regardless of the initial payment amount. The deposit must be paid in full within 45 days after the reservation date.

CANCELLATIONS AND REFUNDS. A cancellation request for a reservation is made to Santo Domingo Travel and Services by the client who paid for the reservation. The cancellation must be requested in writing. Verbal cancellation notices are not accepted. The cancellation date is the date the written cancellation notice is received by Santo Domingo Travel and Services. If the reservation is canceled after being rescheduled, the cancellation refund is calculated based on the original departure date, prior to rescheduling.

The deposit is non-refundable. Additionally, if there is a cancellation request, the right to receive a refund is limited, as outlined in the following schedule:

Cancellation 121 days or more prior to departure: Refunded amount paid, less non-refundable deposit, and non-refundable items (see below).
Cancellation 60 to 120 days prior to departure: Refunded up to 50% of the reservation price, less non-refundable items.
Cancellation 59 days or less prior to departure: No refund available.

Credit card refunds are issued to the card used for payment. If the original card is no longer available, the refund will be issued as credit for future travel with Santo Domingo Travel and Services. Payments received in cash/check/transfer may be refunded by bank transfer.

NON-REFUNDABLE ITEMS. In addition to the refund calculated based on the cancellation date, canceled bookings may incur charges of up to 100% of the booking price due to the following non-refundable items:

Airline tickets.
Cancellation penalties imposed by hotels, cruise lines, wholesalers, tour operators, and other providers.
Fees for visa requests and any visa fees paid by Santo Domingo Travel and Services.
Any service already paid by Santo Domingo Travel and Services to a provider.

If the airline, tour operator, or any other service provider cancels a flight or any other service, the refunds or credits available to the customer are entirely dependent on the provider’s terms and conditions. Some providers do not offer cash refunds but instead issue credit vouchers for future use. Santo Domingo Travel and Services itself cannot issue refunds or credits for canceled services. Santo Domingo Travel and Services must follow the policies of the airlines and other providers.

TRAVEL INSURANCE. Reservations do not include travel insurance. Santo Domingo Travel and Services recommends that you purchase travel insurance to help protect you and your travel investment against the unexpected.

Any questions regarding the insurance policy and any claims should be directed to the insurance company identified in the policy. The customer is responsible for notifying the insurance company before the travel date of any trip changes. Changes to be notified include but are not limited to the trip’s price, destination, and start and end dates.

ADDITIONAL FEES:

Some fees or taxes may be payable at airports or hotels.
Additional baggage fees may apply. Please contact your airline or refer to its website for detailed information regarding their baggage policies.
A $50 non-refundable fee will be charged for any changes or revisions made after the initial deposit, in addition to any fees imposed by third-party suppliers for the changes or revisions.

We primarily accept payments by transfer, or cash. If the customer chooses to pay using a credit or debit card, we charge a 3% convenience fee. A 3% administrative fee will be deducted from every credit card refund. If the 3% convenience fee was not charged with the original payment transaction, the refund administrative fee will be 6%.

A $100 non-refundable fee will be charged for each credit card transaction that is charged back.

RESERVATION CHANGES: Any changes to a reservation may result in a rate change. For example, a change in the number of guests booked at a hotel may cause the loss of the originally reserved promotional rate, and the reservation will then be subject to the current hotel rate at the time of the change.

SARGASSUM ADVISORY: Sargassum is a free-floating seaweed common in the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico. While beneficial to ocean life, these large seaweed mats often wash up on beaches. The amount of seaweed on beaches varies with time of year and ocean currents. While resorts do their best to maintain clean beaches for their guests, you may experience some inconvenience during your stay.

SCOPE AND NATURE OF OUR SERVICE AND LIMITATION OF LIABILITY: Santo Domingo Travel and Services acts solely as a travel agent. We sell various travel-related products on behalf of numerous service providers, including hotels, tours, airlines, cruises, and rail. Santo Domingo Travel and Services’ responsibility is to make travel bookings on your behalf and to arrange relevant contracts between you and the travel service providers. We have no responsibility for these services, as we have no control or legal relationship over their personnel, equipment, operation, or property. Our service does not constitute and should not be regarded as a recommendation or endorsement of the quality, service level, qualification, or rating of any Trip Provider (or its facilities, venue, vehicles, products, or services), unless explicitly indicated otherwise.

Requests to the hotel cannot be guaranteed. We are not responsible for flight delays or changes made by airlines. All bookings are subject to the terms, conditions, and liability limitations imposed by these travel service providers. You understand that your legal recourse is against the specific provider, not Santo Domingo Travel and Services.

Santo Domingo Travel and Services and its employees, affiliates, officers, directors, successors, agents, and assigns do not own or operate any entity that provides goods and services for your travel, including, without limitation, lodging facilities, airlines, vessels, motor coaches, or other transportation companies, guides, local ground operators, providers or organizers of optional excursions, food service providers, etc. All such persons and entities are independent contractors and are in no way affiliated with Santo Domingo Travel and Services. You may see the name Santo Domingo Travel and Services on motor vehicles, signs around the hotel, or elsewhere. This use of our name is purely for identification and does not denote ownership, supervision, or control by Santo Domingo Travel and Services.

Santo Domingo Travel and Services is not liable for any negligent or willful act or failure to act of any travel service provider or any third party. Santo Domingo Travel and Services is not responsible for any injury, loss, death, inconvenience, delay, or damage to person or property in connection with the provision of any goods or services, whether resulting from acts of God, illness, war, civil unrest, strikes, criminal or terrorist activities, overbooking or downgrading of accommodations, or any other cause beyond our control. If, due to weather, flight schedules, or other uncontrollable factors, you are required to spend additional nights, you will be responsible for your hotel, transfers, and meal costs. Baggage is at the owner’s risk.

Customers specifically agree that Santo Domingo Travel and Services does not accept liability for failure to meet any obligations due to events beyond our reasonable control. If we fail to meet any obligations, we shall only be liable for direct losses and not for indirect or consequential losses. Our maximum liability to you shall not exceed the price of your reservation, unless otherwise stated by law.

CREDIT CARD TRANSACTIONS: Travel service provider cannot provide the services for which you have contracted, your remedy lies with the provider, not Santo Domingo Travel and Services. In the event that payment has been made to Santo Domingo Travel and Services by credit card, you agree not to seek to charge back your payment to Santo Domingo Travel and Services. If Santo Domingo Travel and Services incurs costs, including attorneys’ fees, to recover any payments charged back, you agree to be liable for these costs. If the credit card is declined, you agree to settle any amounts owing to Santo Domingo Travel and Services via money order or cash immediately.

PROVIDERS, ALTERNATIVES, AND ADD-ON ITEMS: We reserve the right to change airlines and other providers. Should your hotel be unavailable, we reserve the right to substitute it with one of equal or better category. Add-on items, including excursions and concerts, are offered as a courtesy. We will make proper arrangements for these services; however, if they cannot be delivered for any reason, it does not entitle you to refunds, exchanges, or compensation of any kind.

FLIGHT CONFIRMATION AND SEAT ASSIGNMENT: We strongly suggest that clients reconfirm flight times with the carrier before departure. Air travelers should check in at least 3 hours before departure for domestic flights and 4 hours for international flights and report to the gate at least 1 hour before departure. Failure to comply may result in the loss of the seat.

Airfare taxes and fuel surcharges are subject to change without notice until paid in full and tickets issued. Fares may change without notice before e-ticket issuance and may not be available on all flights and/or travel dates. For group seating, please ask the agent for extra costs, as least expensive fares usually do not allow specific seat selection. Many airlines do not allow advance seat assignments for groups and secure seat blocks but assign specific seats at airport check-in.

GROUP TRAVEL PACKAGES: In each tour, the itinerary specifies the services included in the trip. As a rule, a strictly literal approach must be followed, meaning what is not specifically listed as included in the tour price is excluded. The order of activities in the itinerary may change. Additionally, if an activity on the itinerary cannot be carried out due to reasons beyond the control of the tour operator, it will be replaced by another activity.

Not Included in the Rates: U.S. and international arrival and departure fees, and other government-imposed fees; port taxes; passports; visas and vaccinations; tips to your tour director, host, driver, local guides, and/or ship crew; gratuities on ferries, trains, and cruise ships; laundry; telephone; minibar; alcohol, beverages, and food outside of the contracted menu as presented at a hotel or restaurant (these extra items will be billed to you before leaving the hotel or restaurant); optional excursions; airport transfers on non-qualifying flights; porterage at airports and train stations; travel insurance premiums; carrier baggage fees; and all other items of a personal nature.

Hotels mentioned in the itinerary are examples used as references only. Special requests, such as elevators or air conditioning, are not guaranteed at all properties. Furthermore, even if a property offers amenities like air conditioning or an elevator, it may not be operational during your stay. All rooms have a private bathroom and TV; some may also offer a minibar, safe, and hair dryer. Many hotels in Europe lack air conditioning, or local legislation restricts its usage to certain dates. In some circuits, slight differences exist within the quality of hotels located in the same city. Due to narrow streets, buses are not always able to park directly at the hotel entrance, meaning passengers may need to walk a short distance with their luggage. In several cities, hotels for groups may not be near the city center.

Please note that standards, bed sizes, and room dimensions vary between hotels of the same class across different countries, and even within the same country. Many hotels do not offer triple rooms; instead, they provide standard rooms with twin beds or a double bed and an additional camp-bed style or sofa-bed. Triple rooms on cruises typically consist of two twin beds and one bunk bed. We do not recommend triple rooms unless traveling with children, as they may be cramped. Most hotels in Europe do not allow more than three people, including minors, per room. Families of four with children under three may want to consider booking two rooms. There is a limited number of triple bedrooms at each hotel, and on rare occasions, it may be necessary to use a double and a single room. Booking a triple room implies acceptance of these conditions.

HEALTH AND SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS: It is your responsibility to be aware of health requirements for your travel destinations and to carry all necessary vaccination documentation. Please advise the airline/hotel/service provider of any special requirements, such as special meals or medical needs. Governments and local authorities may implement travel requirements related to diseases. These requirements can change rapidly, so we recommend checking the websites of your destination’s country, city, and state before your trip for the latest information. Airlines, transportation services, entertainment venues, tour operators, and hotels may also have preventative measures in place to reduce the spread of diseases. Information on policies is available online from these service providers. Keeping up with the most current protocols, measures, and restrictions is essential, as these are constantly evolving.

Please be advised that Santo Domingo Travel and Services acts only as your travel agent and is not responsible for the actions, omissions, protocols, restrictions, or measures applied by any government, airport, hotel, tour operator, or transportation service provider. By booking with Santo Domingo Travel and Services, you acknowledge, understand, and agree that travel may involve exposure to infectious diseases, including but not limited to MRSA, Influenza, and COVID-19. While measures may reduce risks, the risk of illness or even death does exist. By traveling, you voluntarily assume all such risks, known and unknown, even if arising from negligence, and accept full responsibility for your participation and exposure.

PHOTOGRAPHS & MAPS: All photographs and videos on the website are for informational purposes only and may not represent the actual item purchased. Maps on the website are for informational purposes only, showing approximate locations and attractions and are not intended to be precise in every detail.

REFUSAL OF SERVICE: Santo Domingo Travel and Services assumes no liability for service provider actions, including refusal of service. Service providers reserve the right to refuse service at their discretion, including if the traveler lacks proper documentation, has a contagious disease, is under the influence of alcohol or drugs, or displays disruptive behavior.

POLICIES ON PICTURES: Customers accept that by entering a private space like an airplane or facility, they are subject to the provider’s policies on photography and video, whether known or not. The client should confirm the provider’s photography and video policy, as some restrict recording others, capturing company personnel, or taking images of equipment and procedures.

JURISDICTION: These Terms of Service are governed by Florida state laws.

NEGOTIATION: Customers will make a good-faith effort to resolve disputes promptly by negotiation, providing written notice of unresolved issues. Within 15 days of notice, the recipient will respond in writing. Within 30 days, both parties will meet to discuss the dispute. The parties agree that all statements, conduct, and offers made in negotiations are confidential and inadmissible in arbitration or litigation.

MEDIATION: If unresolved by negotiation, disputes will proceed to mediation via JAMS, followed by arbitration if needed. Each party may submit a written mediation request to JAMS. The parties agree to cooperate in scheduling and share the costs.

ARBITRATION: Unresolved disputes after mediation are subject to binding arbitration under JAMS rules in Miami, Florida, with one arbitrator. The arbitrator may not award punitive or indirect damages, and parties waive rights to recover such damages.

CLASS ACTION WAIVER: Customers waive the right to class action against Santo Domingo Travel and Services or affiliates. Any claims must be individual, not in a representative or class capacity