FRENCH CANAL BOAT COMPANY
BOOKING TERMS AND CONDITIONS
Version: September 11, 2026
Before we make or finalize arrangements for your trip, we require that you accept these terms at checkout. Your acceptance signifies your agreement and contract with French Canal Boat Company, LLC, as authorized agent for the barge owner identified in your Booking Details (“we” or “us”), on behalf of yourself and all members of your traveling party.
1. Your Booking: Subject to the terms and conditions of this agreement, French Canal Boat Company, LLC, as authorized agent for the barge owner, agrees to provide the barge trip described in your Booking Details. Booking Details means the trip and package selected at checkout together with your written booking confirmation, identifying the barge owner, barge, departure dates, travelers, accommodation or charter, price, and included and excluded services. These Booking Details replace a separate barge-specific Exhibit A.
2. Inclusions and Exclusions: Please see your Booking Details for the rate, itinerary and services included on your trip, as well as the services not included.
3. Payment Terms: To confirm your booking, you must provide a deposit of 25% of the total trip price and accept these Terms and Conditions at checkout. Final payment is due 90 days before boarding the boat. If you are signing up within 90 days, full payment and acceptance of these Terms and Conditions are due to confirm the booking. Payments can be made by check, wire transfer, or credit card. If we do not receive full payment by 90 days before boarding the boat, we may cancel your reservation and retain the deposit. All prices are in US Dollars. Your checkout shows the exact deposit and balance amounts and payment dates.
4. Cruise Details: Rates are shown in US Dollars for the cabin, single-occupancy cabin or private charter selected in your Booking Details, for the duration shown there. Prices are subject to change without notice prior to confirmation. Accommodation, meals, drinks, excursions, equipment and transfers are included only as specified in your Booking Details. Flights, airport and other departure taxes, visa costs, travel insurance, trip cancellation insurance, crew gratuities, optional activities, personal expenses and any other items not specifically included in your Booking Details are not included in the cruise price.
5. Cancellations by You: You may cancel within 24 hours after your initial booking payment and receive a full refund. Contact French Canal Boat Company within that 24-hour window to request cancellation. This exception overrides the non-refundable payment provisions below. After the 24-hour window, all payments are non-refundable, so if you must cancel, we will not provide a refund regardless of the reason for cancellation. However, you may substitute passengers if you wish. If you are a no-show, your payments are non-refundable. To assure fairness to all, apart from the 24-hour refund window above and the operator-cancellation refund in Section 6, no exceptions can be made for any reason, including illness, inability to travel, State Department advisories, or fear of terrorism. No refunds will be made for used trip features.
6. Changes or Cancellation by Boat Operator: Waterways are subject to closure because of lock repairs, drought, flooding, or generally unsafe conditions. Therefore, all announced routes are subject to change at any time. These kinds of changes happen rarely, but you must be prepared for this eventuality. In the event of closure of canals or rivers, an alternate route of equal interest may be chosen. These changes will not be accepted as the basis for cancellation by you. The boat owner reserves the right to cancel for any reason, in which case we will provide a full refund.
7. Age Limit. Children under the age of 17 will only be allowed on the boat when the boat has been chartered.
8. Agent for Suppliers: We act as a broker for the owner of the barge named in your Booking Details. We are authorized to bind the barge owner to the performance of the trip described therein. As agent, except for our refund obligation under Section 6 above, we are not responsible for the acts or omissions of the suppliers of travel services (“Suppliers”) or their failure to adhere to their own schedules, provide services or refunds, financial default, or failure to honor future trip credits. We have no special knowledge regarding the financial condition of the Suppliers and no liability for recommending a trip credit in lieu of a refund. Boat owners and operators may have their own agreements, waivers, or releases that you may be required to sign. All belongings are carried at your own risk. We strongly advise you to travel with as few valuables as possible. Before leaving home, also confirm that your homeowner’s insurance covers all losses in case of theft.
9. Risks of Travel and Release: We assume no responsibility for and shall not be liable for the acts or omissions of any party not under our control, or any acts of God, unsafe conditions, terrorism, health hazards including pandemics, illnesses, weather hazards, or the suitability for a disabled person of any portion of any trip. We have no special knowledge of dangers during travel or at destinations. For information related to such dangers, we recommend going to the State Department travel website https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel.html, and fill in the name of the destination country on the right side of the page. For medical and health information, we recommend going to the Centers for Disease Control website at https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel, then click on “Destinations” and scroll to the name of the destination country. It is your personal decision to travel, and you are doing so with full knowledge of current travel recommendations and travel restrictions with regards to the risks of COVID-19. YOU HEREBY EXPRESSLY ASSUME ALL OF THESE RISKS AND DANGERS, AND YOU HEREBY EXPRESSLY AGREE TO FOREVER RELEASE, DISCHARGE AND HOLD US, AND OUR AGENTS, EMPLOYEES, OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, ASSOCIATES, AFFILIATED COMPANIES, GUIDES, GROUP LEADERS, AND SUBCONTRACTORS HARMLESS AGAINST ANY AND ALL LIABILITY, ACTIONS, CAUSES OF ACTIONS, SUITS, CLAIMS, AND DEMANDS OF ANY AND EVERY KIND AND NATURE WHATSOEVER WHICH YOU NOW HAVE OR WHICH MAY HEREAFTER ARISE OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THESE RISKS AND DANGERS.
10. Vaccination Requirements and Other Rules: We have no responsibility for health-related requirements that travel suppliers and governments may impose from time to time, such as required vaccinations, health affidavit forms, screenings prior to departure or upon arrival, face coverings, or quarantines. For the latest travel supplier rules, check the website of each supplier, and keep checking because these rules are constantly changing, and we are not responsible for those changes.
11. Other Foreign Entry Rules: You assume full and complete responsibility for checking and verifying any and all passport, visa, or other entry requirements of your destination and your connecting points, and all conditions regarding health, safety, security, political stability, and labor or civil unrest at such destination. Many countries require your passport to be valid for six months or more after your date of entry. Some countries will not admit persons convicted of a crime. Some countries require both parents’ consent for minors to travel.
12. Insurance: We strongly recommend that you purchase a travel protection plan to cover all non-refundable trip expenses and a medical evacuation policy. If you decline, you will personally assume full responsibility for any financial loss associated with your travel arrangements, and you could lose your travel investment and/or have to pay more money to correct the situation. For example, you will suffer a loss if: (i) your flight has been cancelled and you miss the boat departure; (ii) you need to cancel your trip due to illness; (iii) you have a medical emergency during the trip and need medical attention or evacuation; (iv) your bags are lost and your medication is in them, and you need to have an emergency prescription filled; or (v) your passport and wallet are stolen, and you need emergency cash and a replacement passport. Please note that, unless you buy a cancel-for-any-reason policy, most policies have a specific clause stating they do not cover epidemics and pandemics, especially when travel warnings are in place. No representation or description of the insurance made by our staff constitutes a binding assurance or promise about the insurance. You agree to hold us harmless for your election not to purchase travel insurance or for any denial of claim by travel insurer.
13. Credit Card Merchant: We also strongly recommend that you use a credit card for your purchase, so that you can exercise your rights under the Fair Credit Billing Act if you do not receive the services you purchased. However, if we are the credit card merchant, our role is to facilitate the sale, collect funds on your behalf, and remit those funds to the Suppliers. Customer agrees not to initiate a credit card chargeback against FCBC except in the event of a material breach of contract or non-delivery of the contracted services, including but not limited to failure to provide the trip as contracted or failure to refund amounts due under the cancellation provisions. Customer agrees to provide written notice and a reasonable opportunity to cure or resolve the issue in good faith before initiating any chargeback, except where cure is not possible.
14. Claims Deadline and Exclusive Jurisdiction: You agree to present any claims against us within 30 days after your trip ends and to file suit within one year of the incident, and you acknowledge that this expressly limits the applicable statute of limitations to one year. You agree that the courts in Denton County, TX will be the exclusive jurisdiction for all claims brought by you or us, and you hereby submit to the personal jurisdiction of those courts.
15. Accepting on Behalf of Traveling Party: If you are accepting this agreement on behalf of yourself and one or more other members of your traveling party, you agree to indemnify us against all claims by such members arising out of or related to any matter covered by this agreement.
Questions: French Canal Boat Company, LLC, 2591 Dallas Pkwy, Suite 300, Frisco, TX 75034. Call 888-229-2315.
Accepting these booking terms does not purchase or decline travel insurance. Any insurance election or separate insurance acknowledgment is handled separately.
