Terms & Conditions

Warwick Castle Breaks

Holiday Extras Shortbreaks Limited Booking Conditions for Warwick Castle Breaks hotel packages.

We want to offer you the best products and the best service. We aim to consistently exceed your expectations, so that when you are booking with us, you can feel confident you're with the best team there is. This section aims to bring important points to your attention.

These booking conditions form the basis of your contract with Holiday Extras Shortbreaks Limited (trading as Holiday Extras). Holiday Extras Shortbreaks Limited operates Warwick Castle Breaks on behalf of Warwick Castle. The web site address www.warwickcastlebreaks.com is used by Holiday Extras Shortbreaks Limited for the promotion of hotels with Warwick Castle entrance tickets. In these booking conditions 'We', 'us' and 'our' means Holiday Extras Shortbreaks Limited. 'You' and 'your' means all persons named on the booking, including anyone added or substituted at a later date.

Once your hotel package for Warwick Castle has been confirmed by us we will accept responsibility for it in accordance with the following Booking Conditions as an organiser under The Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018.

Redeeming your voucher:

• If your new booking is more expensive than your voucher value you will need to pay any additional costs in full at time of booking.
• Your voucher can be used as part payment towards any break, accommodation and room type, subject to availability.
  
  

  Vouchers issued on or before 15th August 2021:

• Your voucher can be redeemed online for any stays currently on sale, your voucher must be redeemed by 30th June 2022 and is non-refundable.
• Once you've made a booking, any remaining balance will stay on your voucher for you to redeem on a future booking before 30th June 2022 for any stays on sale.
  
  

  Vouchers issued on or after 16th August 2021:

• Your voucher must be redeemed within 6 months of issue date and will be non-refundable. (Your stay date does not have to be within the 6 month period).
• Any remaining balance left on the voucher will expire after 6 months of the voucher being issued.
  
  

  Dragon Slayer Terms and Conditions

  Dragon Slayer tickets must be added on during the booking process at the 'A little something extra...' stage or post booking in Manage My Booking. Guests are guaranteed Stalls seating, within the Band B ticket section, Blocks 4 & 5. You will receive an email from SEE Tickets with your Dragon Slayer ticket and seat number 3 days before your stay. Dragon Slayer event is bookable for your check in night only, if you require the event to be booked on another night please contact the guest experience team. Dragon Slayer Evening Show add on is powered by SEE Tickets and is not covered under the standard terms of our Booking Protection. If you wish to cancel the Dragon Slayer tickets paid for as part of your short break booking please contact us a minimum of 5 days prior to the date of the event. Please see our Help Centre for more details. Dragon Slayer is on 11th - 13th August and 17th - 20th August 2023.

  Booking Terms and Conditions

  1. Making your booking: The party leader must be authorised to make the booking on the basis of these Booking Conditions by all persons named on the booking and by their parent or guardian for all party members who are under 18 when the booking is made. The party leader is responsible for making all payments due to us. The party leader must be at least 18 when the booking is made. Please be advised that one guest per room must be 18 years old or over.

  All bookings must be made online via the website named above, via our Guest Experience Team or through one of our authorised travel agents. Your booking will be confirmed by a booking reference, we will reconfirm this to you and provide your confirmation by email.

  Group Bookings: Please note for large group bookings of 5 rooms or more (including school bookings) the prices on our website are not applicable and we reserve the right to cancel. Please contact events@warwick-castle.com to make enquiries for large group bookings.

  You will be issued with an instant email confirmation carrying a link to your print at home tickets if applicable. Please carefully follow the instructions on how to print your own tickets as you must bring these with you to gain entry to Warwick Castle. If you do not have access to an email address or are encountering difficulties obtaining your booking confirmation, please see our Help Centre for more information.

  Please check your booking confirmation carefully as soon as you receive it. Contact us immediately if any information appears to be incorrect or incomplete as it may not be possible to make changes later.

  2. Payment: Full payment is required at the time of booking. All monies you pay to one of our authorised travel agents for your holiday with us will be held by the agent on your behalf until we issue our confirmation invoice. After that point, your agent will hold the monies on our behalf.

  Please note: Warwick Castle Breaks uses the merchant ID 'hex*warwickcastlebreak' or 'HXPAYMENTS', and this will appear on your bank account statement once you have made your booking and payment has been taken from your account.

  3. Your contract: A binding contract between us comes into existence when we or our Guest Experience Team Sales Specialist / your travel agent gives you your booking reference. We will try to solve any disagreements quickly and efficiently. We both agree that English Law (and no other) will apply to your contract and to any dispute, claim or other matter of any description which arises between us (except as set out below). We both also agree that any dispute, claim or other matter of any description (and whether or not involving any personal injury) which arises between us must be dealt with by the Courts of England and Wales only unless, in the case of Court proceedings, you live in Scotland or Northern Ireland or the Republic of Ireland. In this case, proceedings must either be brought in the Courts of your home country or those of England and Wales or the Republic of Ireland. If proceedings are brought in Scotland or Northern Ireland or the Republic of Ireland, you may choose to have your contract and any dispute, claim or other matter of any description which arises between us governed by the law of Scotland/Northern Ireland/ the Republic of Ireland as applicable (but if you do not so choose, English law will apply).

  4. Identity verification search: We will validate name, address and other personal information supplied by you during the order process against appropriate third party databases. By accepting these terms and conditions you consent to such checks being made. In performing these checks personal information provided by you may be disclosed to a registered Credit Reference Agency which may keep a record of that information. You can rest assured that this is done only to confirm your identity, that a credit check is not performed and that your credit rating will be unaffected. All information provided by you will be treated securely and strictly in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998.

  5. The cost of your break: Holiday Extras is committed to providing the best choice of product, at the best prices, so throughout the season we continually review our products and prices. There are likely to be some seasonal special offers and in some circumstances prices may go up or down. The price of your chosen package will be confirmed at the time of booking.

  We reserve the right to correct errors in both advertised and confirmed prices. We will do so as soon as we become aware of the error.

  All prices are for pre-booking and include VAT at the current rate.

  6. Changes by you:

  Bookings with Cancellation Protection:

  If you have added our cancellation protection to your booking you can change your stay date up to 36 hours before your arrival date.

  Bookings without Cancellation Protection:

  If your booking is not covered with our cancellation protection you can change your stay date up to 7 days before your arrival date.

  Additional Information:

  If you choose to change your stay date to a different date and should your new break be more expensive, you will need to pay any additional amounts at the time of booking. Where the new Short Break is cheaper than your existing booking, we will refund the difference. All amounts will be either taken/refunded to the original payment method. Any refunds which are due can take up to 14 working days to be refunded.

  Certain packages & promotional offers may be non-amendable, therefore, will be exempt from our standard terms and conditions. Any non-amendable packages will be highlighted on the event or promotion page and Help Centre.

  All other changes to your booking, including lead name, personal details, ticket entry date, and carer ticket refunds can be changed or requested up to 36 hours before your arrival date. You can request these changes through Manage My Booking.

  Whilst we will do everything we can to help, we cannot guarantee to meet any such requests. Please be aware some changes may incur an additional charge. All changes to your booking must be made through Warwick Castle Breaks at Holiday Extras.

  7. Cancellation by you: Should you or any member of your party need to cancel your booking once it has been confirmed, the party leader must immediately advise us. All cancellations must be made through Warwick Castle Breaks and are subject to the conditions and charges (based on the total booking cost) below.

  If you choose not to add on the Cancellation Waiver, the following cancellation charges will apply:

  Cancellation on arrival date, or non-arrival date

  100% of total booking value

  Cancellation within 36 hours-3 days before arrival

  75% of total booking value

  Cancellation within 4-14 days before arrival date

  50% of total booking value

  Cancellation more than 14 days before arrival date

  25% of total booking value

  Cancellation on date of booking (before 4pm — Unless your stay date is within 36 hours then 100% cancellation fees apply) 0% of total booking value

  0% of total booking value

  8. Cancellation protection: If you add our non-refundable cancellation protection on to your booking (at the time of booking), this will protect you if you need to cancel for any reason.

  Provided you cancel your booking at least 36 hours before the date of your stay or park entry (whichever is the sooner), then you will receive a full refund of your booking cost, minus the cancellation protection charge which is non-refundable. Please note that if you cancel your stay within this 36 hour period, you will be charged the full cost of your booking.

  Please note the cancellation notice period may be impacted by a change in opening times during the festive season. Please allow for this change in opening times when calculating your minimum 36 hours notice of cancellation. The notice period excludes 25th December, this will not be reflected on your confirmation for Winter Breaks.

  Cancellations must be performed over the telephone during our usual opening hours of 09.00 and 17.00 Monday — Sunday. (Please note these times may vary during the winter festive season). Cancellation requests via email or voicemail will not be processed.

  9. Changes and cancellation by us: Occasionally, we have to make changes to and correct errors on websites / brochures and other details. This may happen both before and after bookings have been confirmed, and we reserve the right to cancel confirmed bookings if necessary.

  Occasionally, we have to make a significant change. Significant changes include the following changes when made before departure:

  • A change of accommodation to that of a lower official classification or standard.
  • A change of accommodation area.

  If we have to make a significant change or cancel, we will tell you as soon as possible. If there is time to do so before departure, we will offer you the choice of the following options:

  1. accepting the changed arrangements or

  2. purchasing an alternative Warwick Castle Break from us, of a similar standard to that originally booked if available. If the chosen alternative is less expensive than your original one, we will refund the difference.

  3. cancelling or accepting the cancellation in which case you will receive a refund minus the cost of any Cancellation Protection. Please note, the above options are not available where any change made is a minor one.

  10. Force Majeure: Except where otherwise expressly stated in these booking conditions, we regret we cannot accept liability or pay any compensation where the performance or prompt performance of our contractual obligations is prevented or affected by or you otherwise suffer any damage or loss (as more fully described in clause 11 (a) below) as a result of "force majeure".

  In these Booking Conditions, "force majeure" means any event which we or the supplier of the service(s) in question could not, even with all due care, foresee or avoid. Such events may include war or threat of war, riot, civil strife, terrorist activity or actual threatened terrorist activity, industrial dispute, natural or nuclear disaster, adverse weather conditions, fire and all similar events outside our control.

  11. Our liability to you:

  1. We promise to make sure that the holiday arrangements we have agreed to make, perform or provide, as an applicable part of our contract with you, are made, performed or provided with reasonable skill and care. This means that, subject to these booking conditions, we will accept responsibility if, for example, you suffer death or personal injury or your contracted holiday arrangements are not provided as promised or prove deficient as a result of the failure of ourselves, our employees, agents or suppliers to use reasonable skill and care in making, performing or providing, as applicable, your contracted holiday arrangements. Please note it is your responsibility to show that reasonable skill and care has not been used if you wish to make a claim against us. In addition, we will only be responsible for what our employees, agents and suppliers do or do not do if they were at the time acting within the course of their employment (for employees) or carrying out work we had asked them to do (for agents and suppliers).

  2. We will not be responsible for any injury, illness, death, loss (for example loss of enjoyment), damage, expense, cost or other sum or claim of any description whatsoever which results from any of the following:

  • The act(s) and/or omission(s) of the person(s) affected or any member(s) of their party

  • The act(s) and/or omission(s) of a third party not connected with the provision of your holiday and which were unforeseeable or unavoidable 'force majeure' as defined in clause 10.

  3. Please note, we cannot accept responsibility for any services which do not form part of our contract. This includes, for example, any additional services or facilities which your hotel or any other supplier agrees to provide for you where the services or facilities are not advertised in our brochure and we have not agreed to arrange them.

     Also please note that whilst we endeavour to ensure photographs are appropriate and accurate representations they must not be regarded as contractual.

  4. The promises we make to you about the services we have agreed to provide or arrange as part of our contract will be used as the basis for deciding whether the services in question had been properly provided.

  5. Please note, we cannot accept any liability for any damage, loss, expense or other sum(s) of any description (1) which on the basis of the information given to us by you concerning your booking prior to our accepting it, we could not have foreseen you would suffer or incur if we breached our contract with you or (2) which did not result from any breach of contract or other fault by ourselves or our employees or, where we are responsible for them, our suppliers. Additionally we cannot accept liability for any business losses.

  6. You must provide ourselves and our insurers with all assistance we may reasonably require. You must also tell us and the supplier concerned about your claim or complaint as set out in clause 12 below. If asked to do so, you must transfer to us or our insurers any rights you have against the supplier or whoever else is responsible for your claim or complaint (if the person concerned is under 18, their parent or guardian must do so). You must also agree to cooperate fully with us and our insurers if we or our insurers want to enforce any rights which are transferred.

  12. Complaints and problems: In the unlikely event that you experience a problem whilst on your Short Break and need to raise a complaint please follow the below steps:

  • When you're on your Short Break: if a problem or complaint arises whilst you're on your Short Break, please inform the supplier of the service(s) in question. Any verbal notification must be put in writing and given to the supplier as soon as possible.

  • Please note: We will not accept responsibility for any matter that you are aware of and do not bring to the attention of the hotel or Park during your break, thereby giving them an opportunity to rectify the issue.

  • If you remain dissatisfied, you must write to our Guest Support Team by visiting our Help Centre within 28 days of the end of the break you have purchased from us giving your booking reference and full details of your complaint.

  • For all complaints and claims which do not involve death, personal injury or illness, we regret we cannot accept liability if you fail to notify the complaint or claim entirely in accordance with this clause.

  13. Your Responsibilities: Bookings are accepted on the understanding that all persons travelling are normally in good health and able to fulfil the physical demands of a Warwick Castle Break.

  It is your responsibility to ensure all members of the party are in possession of all necessary travel and health documents before departure. British Citizens do not require a passport or visa for the Warwick Castle Break package we offer. Irish citizens require a full Irish passport to enter the UK. A full Irish passport takes at least 5 weeks to obtain. If you or any member of your party is not a British Citizen or passport holder and are travelling from outside the UK please check passport and visa requirements with the Embassy or Consulate of the UK and any other countries through which you are intending to travel. We cannot accept any liability or associated costs if you are refused entry onto any transport or into the UK as a result of failure to carry correct documentation.

  14. Conditions of suppliers: Many of the services which make up your break are provided by independent suppliers. Those suppliers provide these services in accordance with their own terms and conditions. Some of these terms and conditions may limit or exclude the supplier's liability to you. Copies of the relevant parts of these terms and conditions are available on request from the supplier concerned.

  15. Special requests and medical problems: If you have any special requests, you must advise us at the time of booking. Although we will endeavour to pass any reasonable requests on to the relevant supplier, we regret we cannot guarantee any request will be met. Failure to meet any special request will not be a breach of contract on our part. Confirmation that a special request has been noted or passed on to the supplier or the inclusion of the special request on your confirmation invoice or any other documentation is not confirmation that the request will be met. Unless and until specifically confirmed, all special requests are subject to availability.

  If you or any member of your party has any medical problem or disability which may affect your break, please tell us before you confirm your booking. In any event, you must give us full details in writing at the time of booking. If we reasonably feel unable to properly accommodate the particular needs of the person concerned, we must reserve the right to decline their reservation or, if full details are not given at the time of booking, cancel when we become aware of these details.

  16. Financial security: For hotel packages with Warwick Castle entrance tickets, we operate a trust account. This arrangement means your money will be refunded in the unlikely event of our being unable to provide your break due to our insolvency.

  17. Call monitoring and recording: As part of our continuing effort to ensure you receive the highest service standards, we may monitor and record your call for training purposes.

  18. Directions: Please make sure you have directions to your hotel and the hotel's telephone number. Warwick Castle's postcode is CV34 6AH (standard parking) and is well sign posted and less than two miles from junction 15 of the M40. Directions should be used in conjunction with an up to date road map.

  19. Overnight parking: Parking for the night of your stay at the hotel is included in the price as and where indicated, otherwise a parking charge is payable directly to the hotel. Parking is always at the vehicle owner's risk. Hotels own car parks are unsecured unless otherwise stated.

  20. Holiday Extras star ratings: All hotel star ratings in Holiday Extras literature are Holiday Extras own ratings and are based on the following:

  • Any official rating awarded to the hotel, for example: AA Stars, RAC Stars and ETB Crowns will be considered, but they would not translate directly into the equivalent number of Holiday Extras stars.

  • If a hotel does not hold an official rating, we evaluate it on a similar basis to most official scheme operators.

  In both of the above cases, when giving our rating we also consider:

  • Feedback we have received from our guests.

  • Feedback from our own regular visits to the hotels, both on business and as guests.

  21. Breakfast: Is included unless otherwise stated.

  22. Leisure facilities: If available, may be charged for and certain restrictions may apply. For example children may not be permitted to use some or all facilities and some facilities may incur an extra charge.

  23. Alarm calls: As hotels do not take responsibility for alarm calls we suggest you take a travel alarm.

  24. Pre-authorisation at hotel: Please be aware that most hotels will ask you for a credit or debit card against which they can pre-authorise an amount in respect of any extras or other expenses charged to the room. The amount pre-authorised is at the discretion of the hotel and varies widely. In the event that any charges are payable you will be free to pay for these either with the pre-authorised card or by any other acceptable means.

  25. Entry conditions: Use of your Warwick Castle ticket implies agreement with the Entry conditions posted on the Warwick Castle website, at the Warwick Castle entrance and / or in the Attraction guide.

  Warwick Castle management reserves the right to refuse admission to any ticket holder and, in the interest of the public and for safety reasons, they also reserve the right to require guests to leave the Attraction at any time.

  No person under the age of 18 will be admitted to Warwick Castle unless they are accompanied by an adult aged 18 years or over and such person or persons whilst on site must remain under the control or supervision of an adult at all times.

  26. Car parking: Car parking is chargeable on arrival at the Attraction.

  27. The standard short break package offering is a 1-day ticket entry into the Castle where stated. Your Castle entry day is the date displayed on your ticket. For guests with 2-day tickets, your 1st entry day is the date displayed on your ticket and your 2nd entry day will be the following day.

  Please note that School Holiday dates may vary across the country and only certain activities are available at Warwick Castle during School Holiday dates. All prices and offers are on selected dates only. All prices are subject to change and availability.

  Please note if you purchase a Merlin Annual Pass at Warwick Castle, Warwick Castle Breaks will not be liable to refund the cost of the tickets purchased on your Warwick Castle Breaks package prior to purchasing your Merlin Annual Pass.

  If you have any further queries regarding your Warwick Castle Break, please contact us:

  Address:
  Holiday Extras Shortbreaks Limited
  Newingreen
  Hythe
  Kent
  CT21 4JF

  Alternatively please see our Help Centre for more information.

Merlin Entertainments Holidays Limited: Package Booking Terms and Conditions for Warwick Castle Short Break Bookings

This document (referred to as the "Package Booking Terms") and your booking confirmation together set out the terms applicable to the Package you book with us. By booking a Package with Merlin, you must agree to these Package Booking Terms.

Glossary:

“ABTA” means the Association of British Travel Agents, a trade association for UK travel agents, tour operators and the wider travel industry.

“Warwick Castle” means the Castle and resort complex located at Warwick, Warwickshire, CV34 6AH.

“Warwick Castle Short Break” means the sale of accommodation and/or theme park tickets and/or other services for the Warwick Castle.

“Warwick Castle Tickets” means entry tickets to the castle and additional services that require proof of purchase to gain access, provided by Warwick Castle.

“Attraction” means Warwick Castle.

“Cancellation Protection” means the service purchased by you in order to obtain more flexible cancellation terms.

“Merlin” means Merlin Entertainments Holidays Limited (a limited company incorporated and registered in the United Kingdom with company number 06287489, having its registered office at Link House, 25 West Street, Poole, Dorset, England, BH15 1LD).

“Merlin Annual Pass” means an annual purchase that provides multiple entries to multiple Merlin Attractions.

“Package” shall be construed as defined in the Package Travel Regulations (Regulation 2(5)); in these Package Booking Terms the term describes when, during a single booking process, you have bought from us an accommodation and tourist service package together for the same trip (and paid for them together).

“Package Booking Terms” means these package booking terms setting out the special terms that apply when you purchase a Package from Merlin.

“Package Travel Regulations” means The Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018.

“Partner Hotels” means external accommodation providers, where the accommodation is not located at the resort complex at Warwick, Warwickshire, CV34 6AH

“Services” means the services bought and resold to you by Merlin.

“Service Provider(s)” means the supplier providing Merlin with the services bought by you.

“Unavoidable and Extraordinary Circumstances” means a situation beyond the control of the party who seeks to rely on such a situation and the consequences of which could not have been avoided even if all reasonable measures had been taken.  Examples include:

1. warfare and other serious security problems such as terrorism;
2. significant risks to human health such as the outbreak of a serious disease at the travel destination; or
3. natural disasters such as floods, earthquakes or extreme weather conditions where such unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances make it impossible to travel safely to the destination.

“we”, “our” or “us” means Merlin.

“you” means the lead booker and all persons under the booking entering into these Package Booking Terms with us.

1 Important legal terms applicable to your Package

Please review these Package Booking Terms carefully. These Package Booking Terms, along with your booking confirmation and all other information on our website, set out the terms and conditions of the contract between you and Merlin. If you have booked a “Package” with us, we will inform you of this in your booking confirmation.

Merlin sells Warwick Castle Short Breaks on behalf of Warwick Castle Ltd trading as Warwick Castle. The booking journey website address can be found at https://www.warwick-castle.com/bookings and is used by Merlin to sell Packages which include accommodation and Warwick Castle Tickets. Once your Package booking for Warwick Castle has been confirmed by us, we will accept responsibility for it in accordance with the following Package Booking Terms as an organiser under the Package Travel Regulations.

If you purchase a Package with us, you will benefit from all the rights applying to Packages under the Package Travel Regulations. We will be responsible for the proper performance of the Package as a whole.

Note you will not always benefit from “Package” protection when you book accommodation from us. Instead, the combination of Services you purchase may be classified as a “Linked Travel Arrangement” (“LTA”). If you have bought a Linked Travel Arrangement, we will tell you. Please note LTAs offer you less legal and financial protection than Packages. When you buy a LTA from us we will let you know what legal and financial protection comes with it at the time of purchase.

2 Making your booking

All bookings for Packages are subject to availability at the time of booking. We will inform you as soon as possible after you place a booking if, for any reason, the Package you have sought to book with us is no longer available. A Package booking will only come into existence between us when you have paid the price payable on booking and we have issued our booking confirmation to you.

If you have any special requests relating to your Package you must let us know during the booking process. We will try to accommodate reasonable special requests but we cannot guarantee that such requests will be met.

If you have a medical condition or a member of your party is a person of reduced mobility, please let us know before making a booking so we can ensure that the Package is suitable for you.

The party leader must be authorised to make the booking based on these Package Booking Terms by all persons named on the booking and by their parent or guardian for all party members who are under 18 when the booking is made. The party leader is responsible for making all payments due to us. The party leader must be at least 18 years of age when the booking is made. Please be advised that one guest per room must be 18 years old or over.

All bookings must be made online via the website: https://www.warwick-castle.com or via our Customer Experience Team. Your booking will be confirmed by a booking reference and confirmation email.

You will receive a further email containing all of your vouchers & tickets included in your booking. Please ensure you have downloaded or printed your tickets as these are required to gain access to Warwick Castle.

Please check your booking confirmation carefully as soon as you receive it. Contact us immediately if any information appears to be incorrect or incomplete as it may not be possible to make changes later.

3 Payment

Full payment of the cost of your Package is required at the time of booking.

Please note: Merlin uses the merchant ID “Merlin Entertainments Holidays” and this will appear on your bank account statement once you have made your booking and payment has been taken from your account.

4 Your Package contract

A binding contract between you and Merlin is created when we provide you with your booking reference via a booking confirmation email. The Laws of England & Wales shall apply to the interpretation of these Package Booking Terms and any disputes arising from your booking. The Courts of England and Wales shall have non-exclusive jurisdiction over any dispute arising from or related to these Package Booking Terms, so, for example, if you live in Scotland or Northern Ireland, you may bring a claim in the courts of the country you live in.

In the event that any section of these Package Booking Terms is held to be illegal or non-binding, the remainder of these Package Booking Terms will continue to apply. Even if you or we delay in enforcing any of these Package Booking Terms, the applicable section can still be enforced at a later date.

No other person has any rights under these Package Booking Terms – these are between you and Merlin.

5 Identity verification search

We will validate the name, address and other personal information supplied by you during the order process against appropriate third-party databases. By accepting these Package Booking Terms, you consent to such checks being made. In performing these checks, personal information provided by you may be disclosed to a registered Credit Reference Agency which may keep a record of that information. You can rest assured that this is done only to confirm your identity, that a credit check is not performed and that your credit rating will be unaffected. All information provided by you will be handled in accordance with our privacy policy, available here. https://www.warwick-castle.com/security-privacy/privacy-policy/

6 The cost of your break

Merlin is committed to providing the best choice of product, at the best prices, so throughout the season we continually review our products and prices. There are likely to be some seasonal special offers, and, in some circumstances, prices may go up or down. The price of your Package will be confirmed at the time of booking.

We reserve the right to correct errors in advertised prices. We will do so as soon as we become aware of the error.

All prices are for pre-booking and include all taxes and charges.

7 Changes by you

Bookings with Cancellation Protection:

If you have added our cancellation protection to your booking, you can change your stay date up to 3 days before your arrival date.

Bookings without Cancellation Protection:

If your booking is not covered with our Cancellation Protection, you can change your stay date up to 7 days before your arrival date.

Additional Information:

If you choose to change your stay date to a different date and should the new booking be more expensive, you will need to pay any additional amounts at the time of booking. Where the new booking is cheaper than your existing booking, we will refund the difference. All amounts will be either taken/refunded to the original payment method. Any refunds which are due can take up to 14 working days to be refunded. Certain products and promotional offers may be non-amendable, therefore, will be exempt from our standard terms and conditions. Any non-amendable Packages will be highlighted on the event or promotion page and Help Centre.

All other changes to your booking, including lead name, personal details, ticket entry date, and carer ticket refunds can be changed or requested up to 3 days before your arrival date. You can request these changes by telephone on 0330 2368860. We do not have a legal obligation to make such changes, but we may, at our sole discretion try to accommodate your request. Please understand that it is often not possible for us to do so as changes may depend on availability of accommodation. Please be aware some changes may incur an additional charge.

8 Transfer of the Package Travel Contract to another Traveller

You may transfer the Package booking once it is concluded to a person who satisfies all of the conditions to the Package.  You must give us reasonable notice of the transfer and we will inform you of any additional fees, charges or other costs arising from the transfer of the Package travel contract.

9 Cancellation by you

Should you or any member of your party need to cancel your booking once it has been confirmed, the party leader must immediately advise us. All cancellations must be made through Merlin and are subject to the conditions and charges (based on the total booking cost) below.

You will be charged a cancellation fee per person which reflects the losses and costs which we incur in cancelling the booking as we may have incurred costs in relation to your booking. For those who have not added cancellation protection, our cancellation charges are as follows:

Cancellation on arrival date, or non-arrival date:

100% of total booking value.

Cancellation within 36 hours – 3 days before arrival date:

75% of total booking value.

Cancellation within 4 – 14 days before arrival date:

50% of total booking value.

Cancellation more than 14 days before arrival date:

25% of total booking value.

Cancellation within 24 hours of receipt of booking confirmation:

0% of total booking value.

In addition to the cancellation rights set out above, you will have the right to cancel your booking before the start of the Package without paying any cancellation charge in the event of Unavoidable and Extraordinary Circumstances occurring at the place of destination or in its immediate vicinity (and we have confirmed that such circumstances will significantly affect your trip or that they will significantly affect the carriage of passengers to the destination). If you cancel in these circumstances, we will give a full refund of any payments made in relation to the booking but you will not be entitled to any sort of compensation for damages for the cancelled trip. This can be made by way of vouchers towards a future stay with us.

10 Cancellation protection

If you add our non-refundable cancellation protection on to your booking (at the time of booking), this will protect you if you need to cancel for any reason.

Provided you cancel your booking at least 3 days before the date of your stay, then you will receive a full refund of your booking cost, minus the cancellation protection charge which is non-refundable. Please note that if you cancel your stay within 3 days of your stay, you will be charged the full cost of your booking.

Please note that 25^th and 26^th December, and 1^st January shall not be counted as a day of notice for the calculation of the minimum of 3 days' notice, so please ensure that sufficient notice is given during the festive period.

Cancellations must be made over the telephone to 0330 2368860 during our opening hours of 9am and 5pm Monday – Friday. (These times may vary - please check our “Contact Us” page). Cancellation requests via email or voicemail will not be processed.

11 Charges and cancellation by us

Occasionally, we may need to make changes to or correct errors on websites/brochures and other details, provided that these changes are before the point of your booking being confirmed.

On rare occasions, we may have to cancel your Package and we reserve the right to do so. If we have to do so, we will notify you as soon as possible. We will also offer you an alternative Package where possible. If we cannot offer you an alternative, we will provide you with a full refund for the Package and, unless the cancellation was for Unavoidable and Extraordinary circumstances or more than 14 days before your booking, you may also be entitled to compensation for damages suffered.

Occasionally, we must make a significant change to your Package. Significant changes include the following changes when made before departure:

(a)          A change of accommodation to that of a lower official classification or standard.

(b)          A change of accommodation area.

If we must make a significant change, we will tell you as soon as reasonably possible. You will then have the option to:

(a) Accept the proposed change. If this results in a Package of lower quality or cost, you may be entitled to a price reduction in accordance with section 14 below;

(b) Reject the proposed change and terminate your Package with a full refund; or

(c) Reject the proposed change, terminate your Package and take an alternative one if we decide to offer this.

If you decide to take an alternative Package, we will inform you of the impact on the price of your booking. We will give you a reasonable period of time to make your decision, which will usually be 7 days from notification of the change.

If we do not hear from you within this timeframe, we shall send a reminder to you, following which we shall be entitled at our discretion to terminate the Package after a further 7 days and provide you with a refund.

If you decide to reject the proposed change and terminate your Package with a full refund, you may also be entitled to compensation for damages you have suffered.

We may not give you any of the above options in the event that a change to the purchased Package is a minor change. Please note that a change of accommodation to another of the same or higher standard usually qualifies as a minor change.

12 Our liability to you

We promise to make sure that the Package we agreed to make, perform or provide, as an applicable part of our contract with you, is made, performed or provided with reasonable skill and care. This means that, subject to these Package Booking Terms, we will accept responsibility if, for example, you suffer death or personal injury or your contracted holiday arrangements are not provided as promised or prove deficient as a result of the failure of ourselves, our employees, agents or suppliers to use reasonable skill and care in making, performing or providing, as applicable, your contracted holiday arrangements. In addition, we will only be responsible for what our employees, agents and suppliers do or do not do if they were at the time acting within the course of their employment (for employees) or carrying out work we had asked them to do (for agents and suppliers).

We will not be responsible for any injury, illness, death, loss (for example, loss of enjoyment), damage, expense, cost, or other sum or claim of any description whatsoever which results from any of the following:

(a) The act(s) and/or omission(s) of the person(s) affected or any member(s) of their party.

(b) The act(s) and/or omission(s) of a third party not connected with the provision of your short break, and which were unforeseeable.

Please note, we cannot accept responsibility for any services which do not form part of our contract. This includes, for example, any additional services or facilities which your hotel or any supplier agrees to provide for you where the services or facilities are not advertised in our brochure/website, and we have not agreed to arrange them.

Also please note that whilst we endeavour to ensure photographs are appropriate and accurate representations, they must not be regarded as contractual.

The promises we make to you about the services we have agreed to provide or arrange as part of our contract will be used as the basis for deciding whether the services in question had been properly provided.

Please note, we cannot accept any liability for any damage, loss, expense or other sum(s) of any description: (1) which on the basis of the information given to us by you concerning your booking prior to our accepting it, we could not have foreseen you would suffer or incur if we breached our contract with you or (2) which did not result from any breach of contract or other fault by ourselves or our employees or, where we are responsible for them, our suppliers. Additionally, we cannot accept liability for any business losses.

You must provide ourselves and our insurers with all assistance we may reasonably require. You must also tell us, and the supplier concerned about your claim or complaint as set out in section 14 below. If asked to do so, you must transfer to us or our insurers any rights you have against the supplier or whoever else is responsible for your claim or complaint (if the person concerned is under 18, their parent or guardian must do so). You must also agree to cooperate fully with us and our insurers if we or our insurers want to enforce any rights which are transferred.

13 ABTA

We are a Member of ABTA under membership number Y6797. We are obliged to maintain a high standard of service to you by ABTA’s Code of Conduct. We can also offer you ABTA’s scheme for the resolution of disputes which is approved by the Chartered Trading Standards Institute.

In the event of any dispute, conflict, claim or controversy, we encourage you to contact Merlin’s Customer Support team on 0330 236 8860 in the first instance. If we are unable to resolve your complaint, please go to www.abta.com to use ABTA’s simple procedure. Further information on the Code and ABTA’s assistance in resolving disputes can be found on www.abta.com.

14 Our responsibility for the performance of the Package and if something goes wrong

Under the Package Travel Regulations, we have a responsibility to you for the performance of all elements of the Package.  We want your customer experience to be a positive one, but we acknowledge that very occasionally things go wrong. If you have any issues with the Package not being delivered to you, as advertised, if the problem is with the tourist service element of your trip, please in the first instance take the matter up with our Customer Support team. If, however, the problem is with the accommodation element of your trip, and you are on your trip, please contact the accommodation’s customer services first.  If the problem is not resolved to your satisfaction, please contact our Customer Support team.

If you feel that there has been a failure to perform the Package or improper performance which adversely affects the performance of the Package (“Serious Complaint”), please tell us immediately.  This will give us the opportunity to resolve the Serious Complaint whilst you are still on your trip or make suitable alternative arrangements for you. You may only reject any alternative arrangements we offer to you if they are not comparable to what was agreed in the booking.  If you reject the alternative arrangements we offer, then you may still be entitled to a price reduction in the trip or legal damages compensation for losses suffered.

If a Serious Complaint substantially affects the performance of the Package, and we have failed to remedy it within a reasonable period of time, you may decide to continue with your Package or terminate your booking without paying a termination fee. You may, where appropriate, be entitled to a price reduction and/or compensation for damages too.

Alternatively, if we do not resolve a Serious Complaint, or, for very good reason you cannot wait for us to sort out the problem, then alternatively you may resolve the Serious Complaint yourself and request reimbursement of reasonable expenses from us. However, note your right to rectify the problem yourself will not arise if remedying the Serious Complaint means us incurring disproportionate costs. In that case, your only right will be to seek legal damages compensation from us (for losses suffered) or a proportionate price reduction. 

Please note if you do not advise of a Serious Complaint whilst on the trip, as described above, you deprive both Merlin and the person that Merlin has acquired the accommodation from of the opportunity to investigate and rectify the problem. This may affect your rights under these Package Booking Terms.

You will be entitled to an appropriate price reduction for any period during which there is a Serious Complaint, unless the Serious Complaint is attributable to you.

You shall be entitled to receive appropriate compensation from us for any damage you sustain as a result of a Serious Complaint except where the Serious Complaint is:

a.    attributable to you;

b.    attributable to a third party unconnected with the provision of the services included in the Package and is unforeseeable or unavoidable; or

c.     due to Unavoidable and Extraordinary Circumstances.

We will also not be liable to pay damages compensation to you where there are international conventions which limit the extent or the conditions under which compensation is paid. These international conventions include the Geneva Convention (in respect of travel by road).  We shall have the full benefit of any limitations of compensation in any relevant international conventions or applicable laws.

As permitted by Regulation 16(6) of the Package Travel Regulations, our liability to you will in any case be limited to a maximum of three times the cost of Package, except in cases involving death, injury or illness where we or the person that Merlin has acquired the accommodation from, have caused such damage intentionally or with negligence.

If you are granted compensation (or a price reduction) from a third party in relation to a Serious Complaint, that compensation will be deducted from any compensation (or price reduction) you will receive from us pursuant to these Package Booking Terms.

As stated above, we will always be responsible to you for the following:

a.    death or personal injury arising as a result of Merlin’s negligence;

b.    fraud on the part of Merlin;

c.     any other liability that cannot be excluded or limited under applicable law.

Other than as explained above, we are not responsible to you for any damages, losses or costs relating to your use of Services in a way that is not permitted under these Package Booking Terms.

Otherwise, we are only responsible to you for any damages, losses or costs which result from us not performing our obligations under the Package Booking Terms and which could have been reasonably foreseen by Merlin and you when entering into these Package Booking Terms.

15 Your responsibilities

It is important that you behave responsibly and with consideration for others during your Package. Accordingly, to the extent that we or the accommodation believe that your actions on the trip could or have caused disruption or annoyance, or a risk of safety, or damage to property, to us, the accommodation, or other customers, or if it is believed that you are not fit to travel, then we may cancel your Package without further liability to you. In these circumstances, the compensation provisions above will not apply.

In the event that your behaviour causes loss or damage to any person or property for which we are liable, you agree to compensate us for such loss and damage, together with any legal costs which we may incur in pursuing a claim against you.

16 Conditions of Service Providers

Some of the Services which make up your Package are provided by independent Service Providers. Those Service Providers provide these Services in accordance with their own terms and conditions. Some of these terms and conditions may limit or exclude the Service Provider’s liability to you. Copies of the relevant parts of these terms and conditions should be available on request from the Service Provider concerned.

In the event of any conflict between the Service Providers’ terms and conditions and these Package Booking Terms, these Package Booking Terms will apply.

17 Special requests and medical problems

If you have any special requests, you must advise us at the time of booking. Although we will endeavour to pass any reasonable requests on to the relevant supplier, we regret we cannot guarantee any request will be met.

If you or any member of your party has any medical problem or disability which may affect your break, please tell us before you confirm your booking. In any event, you must give us full details in writing at the time of booking. If we reasonably feel unable to properly accommodate the needs of the person concerned, we must reserve the right to decline their reservation or, if full details are not given at the time of booking, cancel and provide you with a refund when we become aware of these details.

18 Financial protection of your Package

As required under Part 5 of the Package Travel Regulations, we have put in place insolvency protection in respect of your Package which covers any payments made by you for package(s), taking into account the period between when you make the full payment of the cost of your booking and when your stay is completed.

We provide this financial protection in respect of the Warwick Castle Short Breaks by way of bonds made by Barclays Bank Plc, Trade Operations One Snowhill, Queensway, Birmingham, B4 6GN and Accelerant Insurance Europe SA, Bastion Tower, Place du Champ de Mars 5, Brussels, Belgium.

In the event of Merlin’s insolvency, ABTA can be contacted at 30 Park Street, London, SE1 9EQ, by telephone on 020 3758 8779 and by email at consumerprotection@abta.co.uk.

You agree that in the event of our insolvency, ABTA may arrange for the services you have bought to continue, or for a suitable alternative to be provided at the same cost as your original booking.

19 Call monitoring and recording

As part of our continuing effort to ensure you receive the highest service standards, we may monitor and record calls with you for training purposes.

20 Overnight parking

Parking for the night of your stay at the hotel is included in the price as and where indicated, otherwise a parking charge is payable directly to the hotel. Hotel's own car parks are unsecured unless otherwise stated. When staying at one of our Partner Hotels, car parking is available at the Warwick Castle for an additional charge.

21 Merlin star ratings

All hotel star ratings in Merlin are Merlin’s own ratings and are based on the following:

(a) Any official rating awarded to the hotel, for example, AA Stars, RAC Stars and ETB Crowns will be considered, but they would not translate directly into the equivalent number of Merlin stars.

(b) If a hotel does not hold an official rating, we evaluate it on a similar basis to most official scheme operators.

In both of the above cases, when giving our rating we also consider:

(c) The feedback we have received from our customers.

(d) Feedback from our own regular visits to the hotels, both on business and as customers.

22 Breakfast:

Breakfast is included at Partner Hotels unless otherwise stated in your booking confirmation.

23 Leisure facilities

If available, charges and certain restrictions may apply. For example, children may not be permitted to use some or all facilities and some facilities may incur an extra charge.

24 Pre-authorisation at the hotel

Please be aware that most hotels will ask you for a credit or debit card against which they can pre-authorise an amount in respect of any extras or other expenses charged to the room. The amount pre-authorised is at the discretion of the hotel and will be made known to you at or before check-in. If any charges are payable, you will be permitted to pay for these either with the pre-authorised card or by any other acceptable means.

25 Entry conditions

Use of your Warwick Castle tickets shall constitute your agreement with the entry conditions posted on the website https://www.warwick-castle.com/security-privacy/terms-conditions/, at the Warwick Castle entrance and/or in the Attraction guide.

Warwick Castle management reserves the right to refuse admission to any ticket holder and, in the interest of the public and for safety reasons, they also reserve the right to require guests to leave the Attraction at any time.

No person under the age of 12 will be admitted to the Attraction unless they are accompanied by an adult aged 18 years or over and such child or children whilst on site must remain under the control or supervision of an adult at all times. Merlin reserves the right, in its absolute discretion to change the age restrictions referred to in this condition, if any particular circumstances so require in the interests of safety and security.

Please note if you purchase a Merlin Annual Pass at the Warwick Castle, Merlin, will not be liable to refund the cost of the tickets purchased on your Package prior to purchasing your Merlin Annual Pass.

If you have any further queries regarding your Warwick Castle Short Break, please contact us on 0330-2368868 or at:

Address:

Merlin Entertainments Holidays Limited
Link House, 25, West Street, Poole, Dorset BH15 1LD

Alternatively, please see our Help Centre for more information https://support.warwick-castle.com/hc/en-us