BBM! Terms & Conditions
Welcome to Belgian Beer Me! and Bamberg Beer Me! Beer Tours (BBM! Tours LLC). Our tours are designed with fun and pleasure in mind, but please read carefully the terms and conditions before signing up for a tour. They limit BBM!’s liability as the operator of this tour and that of our agents, carriers and suppliers, who are providing your tour arrangements. In addition, they outline the conditions under which your tour will operate. Your deposit and mandatory checked boxes on the online registration form represent your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions as follows.
PAYMENTS & CANCELLATIONS:
Deposit to reserve a seat on a tour is $400, payable at the time of registration. If you can’t go and have to cancel, a change of plans is a breeze. We offer one of the friendliest cancellation policies in the travel business. You will have three choices, you may apply your payment to another BBM! Tour, you may apply your payment to a BBM! gift certificate to use at a later date, or get a refund, minus any amount we have already paid to secure non-refundable hotel, coach and other reservations. There is also a 4% fee to cover credit card fees and handling for refunds. At BBM! we understand sometimes life gets in the way and you have to postpone or cancel. Jury duty, cars break down, adult children move back in, etc. We want you to feel secure in knowing that if you have to cancel, you won’t lose all your money. We’d much rather have you join us again, when you can. You may pay online with a credit card or with a check made out to and mailed to:
Belgian Beer Me! Beer Tours
P.O. Box 98
Grand Marais, MI 49839
You may pay for the entire tour at the time of registration, or pay only the deposit, then be invoiced by email for the remainder to be paid 60 days before the tour. If registering within 60 days of departure, the full amount of the tour is due at the time of registration. Beginning in 2024 you are encouraged to pay with an ACH bank transfer to avoid surcharges. There is a 2.9% surcharge when paying with a credit card. The WeTravel registration platform uses a "Reverse Percentage Formula" like some other payment processors. That means they calculate the fees on the actual amount they charge to the credit card, so it will be a slightly higher amount than 2.9% of the cost of the tour. If you don’t care about earning airline points on your credit card and want to save money, pay with the ACH bank transfer option. Check with your bank to see if they charge a fee for ACH bank transfers. Some provide it as a complimentary service. WeTravel only accepts ACH bank transfers from within the United States. If you want to do an ACH bank transfer from outside the United States, contact me and I will get you the account information you need. Stu@Belgianbeerme.com.
Once a tour begins, no refund is provided should you arrive late, withdraw from a tour prior to its ending, get removed from a tour, or if you skip or miss any group meals or events as stated on the itinerary or tour description. If a tour is cancelled by BBM! prior to its departure, e.g., not enough people to confirm the tour, you are entitled to a complete refund, or you may apply your payment to another tour or BBM! gift certificate.
HOW TO SIGN UP?: You may sign up quickly and easily on our website.
TOUR CONFIRMATION: Tours typically, but not always, require a minimum of six to 12 travelers. Do not buy your air tickets until you have been told the tour is going for certain. Please confirm the operation of the tour prior to buying plane tickets. Tours that are confirmed are typically listed on the BBM! website.
PASSPORTS: A current passport is required of each traveler prior to departure. Be sure your passport is valid for at least six months after the last day of the tour, even though three months may be all that is required. It can take three weeks to get a new passport without paying for it to be expedited. Plan ahead. You do not need a passport to sign up.
Also, "As of November 1st, 2016, customers applying for or renewing their passport must remove glasses for their passport photo. Last year, more than 200,000 passport customers submitted poor quality photos which we couldn't accept. The #1 problem was glasses. We had to put their passport applications on hold because we couldn't clearly identify them from their photo. If the photo of you in your unexpired passport has glasses, don't worry about it. You don't have to get a new passport now. Next time you renew your passport, though, you'll have to take your glasses off."--U.S. Dept. of State.
NO WHINERS: Whiners are not eligible for this tour. If you believe that you might be a whiner, please check with a domestic partner, guardian, or healthcare professional before registering for this tour.
AIR ARRANGEMENTS: BBM! does not include or book air travel for its tours. It is your responsibility to get to the starting point of the tour, usually our first hotel or unless noted otherwise on the itinerary. We advise you to arrive in Europe at least two days prior to the tour beginning to adjust to the time and allow for travel delays. This cannot be overstated. You do not want to be a zombie for the first two days of your tour.
NICHT RAUCHEN: No smoking is allowed while with the group, walking down sidewalks, on brewery tours, in cafes, on the coach, on the train or in hotel rooms. If you must smoke, it must be far away from the group and pose no intrusion to others.
LUGGAGE: You are allowed one medium sized bag (roughly 20” x 28” x 10”) and one small carry on.
FITNESS LEVEL: These are active tours. Walking is involved. Carrying luggage is a certainty. Please disclose any health issues at the time of registration. Travelers must ensure they are medically and physically able to travel in a manner so as to be able to keep up with the walking group. These tours are not for everyone. Repeat, they are active tours. All these tours require at least a moderate fitness level. It is essential you are mobile and agile enough to be able to climb steps, walk across cobblestones, walk fast enough to keep up with a group. You don’t want to be the one slowing people down. You also don’t want to be the one who always rolls their eyes when you learn we need to walk 30 minutes to get to dinner. You should be able to walk for an hour at a time and on your feet for two hours at a time. You should be able to carry/roll your own luggage, sometimes up hills to a hotel, then a couple flights of stairs and to be able to lift it over your head and into a luggage bin on a train.
SIZE OF TOURS: Tours typically range between 6 to 24 people with 14 being the average.This is a comfortable size to gain access to interesting and intimate restaurants, not overwhelm breweries during our visits and to keep tours reasonably priced. We reserve the right to make tours smaller or larger. If we do, you will be notified and have the option of switching tours or a refund.
TIPPING: Is always at your discretion. We don’t charge you up front for gratuities and then disperse them along the way. To avoid potentially awkward moments, your tour leader will alert you to any situation where it is customary to provide a gratuity and give a suggestion to the customary amount. Even then, it is always at your discretion. Companies that tell you all gratuities are included are charging you up front and driving up the cost of their tours. BBM! does, however, provide the gratuities for group company meals, where listed on the itinerary. Providing gratuities for services is a very personal and gratifying option and we like to let you be in control of where you spend your money.
ANIMATE: We take a lot of images and videos on tour. Some of which may be used for BBM! promotional purposes, on social media, our website, direct marketing and videos. By signing up for a tour you agree to the use of these images for these purposes. If you don’t agree, you must let us know at the time you sign up. No worries, though, you will learn the art of animation, and look smart and like you are having fun in every image.
THINGS THAT GO CLUNK: Walking through breweries, near active bottling lines, near hot boiling brew kettles, climbing steps, ladders, stepping over hoses, walking on wet floors are just some of the potential hazards of touring an industrial facility. By signing up for the tour you agree to hold harmless BBM! for any ill fate that may fall upon you or your wardrobe.
TRAVEL INSURANCE: Is advisable. If for no other reason, medevac, which can be uber expensive. It typically starts at $25,000 and can exceed $250,000. Other benefits may include emergency medical, lost, stolen or delayed luggage, trip delay, flight interruption, etc. Many issues surrounding C-19 may be covered if you have been diagnosed by a doctor, including covering part or all of quarantine. Read the fine print of your policy. Contact BBM! if you would like a recommendation for travel insurance.
CHANGE HAPPENS: We reserve the right to make changes to the itinerary, hotels, restaurants, brewery tours as megaforces out of our control dictate, or to be able to take advantage of last-minute opportunities to enhance the tour experience. The spirit of tour shall remain the same.
“WEEFEE”: Complimentary WiFi is available at most hotels and many businesses, but not guaranteed. No losing your mind if you are without WiFi for a brief period of time. You will be OK. Facebook will be there when you reconnect.
TRANSFERS between the airport and our first and last hotels are not included unless listed specifically on the itinerary.
UPDATED & DETAILED ITINERARIES are continually evolving and will be emailed to you closer to departure time. In the meantime, the sample itinerary listed on the tour page of the BBM! website will give you a fair and reasonable plan for what to expect.
DON’T MAKE ME SEPARATE YOU: BBM! may exclude individuals from participating in the tour or an activity if the individual’s participation poses a direct threat to the health, safety and enjoyment of others. For example, if you are coughing and sneezing profusely and no one wants to sit near you, you may be asked to sit out the activities for one day and give yourself time to recover and not infect the entire tour. Also, we will not tolerate aggressive, abusive or undermining behavior. You accept the responsibility for proper conduct. We reserve the right to terminate the tour for problem individuals. No refunds will be given if the decision is made to exclude the traveler from the remainder of the tour or portions of the tour. BBM! shall have no obligation to pay compensation, costs or expenses travelers may incur as a result of the travel arrangements being terminated in these rare instances. In other words, get yourself together, man.
HOTELS: We stay at nice, clean, safe hotels, often two to four star. If you’re going to cut corners, hotels are not the place to do it. Great hotels keep our travelers coming back. Some hotels are small, independent, family-run and some chain business hotels. European hotel rooms can be smaller than those in the U.S. and twin rooms can often have the beds very close to each other. Some hotel only offer twin beds and no larger beds. Not all hotels have TVs or elevators. While many hotels have air-conditioning, some may not. We do not guarantee air-conditioning as many hotels in Europe do not have it. If there is a problem with your room, talk with the front desk or your tour leader to get you in another room right away. Don’t try to just power through problems. Every effort will be made to make your stay comfortable and enjoyable.
SHARING ROOMS: If you are traveling solo and do not wish to pay the single supplement fee, upon request we can attempt to match you up with someone of the same gender in a twin room. This service is not guaranteed. If we cannot match you, you will be subject to the single supplement fee listed on the tour page of the BBM! website. You must inform us in advance of any medical conditions or personal issues that may negatively impact someone else’s enjoyment of the tour, e.g, snoring. If you do not inform us, we reserve the right to change your booking to a single room and for you to pay the balance due on both rooms. The best option for sharing a room is to take the tour with someone you know, with whom you can also peacefully share a room.
GROUP DYNAMICS: We do not guarantee the same travelers on the tour for the entire duration. Some travelers may have to depart early and some may join the tour midstream. Don’t get too comfortable with a set group of travelers as it may change. We encourage our travelers to be flexible with group dynamics.
COVID 19 (C-19) & THE PANDEMIC: You are responsible for understanding the calculated risks involved with travel as it relates to C-19. It has a long incubation period during which carriers of the virus may not show symptoms, but may still be highly contagious. You are responsible for knowing and following protocol such as wearing masks when required and thoroughly washing hands. You are responsible for fully understanding C-19 travel requirements to Europe and back, including any possible quarantine required for testing positive. Quarantines are at your own expense, unless covered by your travel insurance.
PREPARATION FOR THE TOUR: Read carefully the General Travel Tips and Caboodle (FAQs) on the BBM! website. You will learn valuable nuggets of information. Also, read the BBM! Timeline, then you won’t have to ask, “So how long have you been doing this?”
DISCLAIMER OF LIABILITY: Neither BBM!, nor its agents, partners or affiliated entities shall be responsible for cancellations, acts of other service providers, diversions or substitution of equipment or any act, variation, postponement, omission or default by air carriers, land carriers, hotels, transportation company or any other persons providing service or accommodations, including any results thereof, such as changes in services, accommodations or facilities. Nor shall they be liable for loss or damage to baggage or for property, or for injury, illness or death, or for any damages or claims arising from loss, negligence, delay, error, omission, default or negligence of any person, country or government. BBM! assumes no responsibility for damage, injury or loss associated with rail and air strikes, acts of God, terrorism, C-19 and other pandemics, practical jokes, crime, wardrobe malfunctions, force majeure or even force manure. In other words, that’s all on you.
SUMMARY: I willfully and knowingly accept all the risks associated with this tour, including C-19 and take complete and total responsibility for my behavior (even while consuming alcohol), well-being and health during the tour. I agree to not hold liable BBM!, its agents, coach companies, boat companies, hotels, restaurants, other travelers nor breweries in any way should any harm come to me or my family. By signing up for the tour and paying a deposit or full amout, you acknowledge that you’ve read, understand and agree to the terms set forth in these terms and conditions. Enough with the formalities. Let’s get ready to have the beer tour of a lifetime!