Mark your calendars now!
March 3 - 11, 2012
AREMA has concluded arrangements with a respected tour operator for a one week tour of Cuba’s railroads as part of our educational mission. We have received a license from the Treasury Department to conduct a fully escorted tour including the FCC main and branch lines, the Hershey Electric Interurban, and steam operated sugar cane railways. This is a one-time only opportunity to see first-hand the Cuba network. It is unlikely that this tour will be offered again. As you know, access to Cuba for Americans has been very limited for over fifty years. Occasionally windows open up for specialty tours. This is one of those. If the administration changes next year, this window will likely close again.
The trip has been sold out.
The tour will depart from Miami on Saturday morning, March 3 and return in the early afternoon of Sunday, March 11. You will be responsible for travel to/from Miami, but after that we have handled everything. The tour will include the charter flight (on a US airline) from Miami to Havana and return, all hotels, all trains, charter buses, and all meals. Reservations will be on a first-come, first served basis.
Tour Cost: $3,508
Single Supplement: $578
The single supplement is available to those who do not want to share a room. If you wish to share rooms to reduce costs, please specify when registering and we’ll let others who want to share know. Unlike the other Rail Technology Tours, there are no additional costs for hotels, trains, and some meals so you only have to pay once for most everything.
We have special train charters arranged with museum-age equipment include 1920’s Brill Cars, original line steam hauled trains, and railways stations operating much as they did 100 years ago. If you ever wanted to immerse yourself in railroad (and car) technology from 50-100 years ago, this is the opportunity to do so. This is also a chance to fully understand where Cuba is regarding infrastructure if our relationship changes in the future. The folks at the FCC are excited about our visit and are pulling out all the stops to show us how they have managed to operate and maintain a complex main line operation (some sections at 70 mph) with tools and procedures from another era.
A complete itinerary is available separately.
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TOUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS – PLEASE READ CAREFULLY
Tour Price
Due to complex nature of this tour, AREMA reserves the right to make small changes to the price of the tour prior to final billing. While we have endeavored to include all of the items listed on the tour itinerary, communications limitations may require small adjustments to the final price to ensure that all of the costs have been allocated.
Single Supplement
All prices are based on double room occupancy. We will try and match you with a roommate if one is available. If not, you will be charged the single room supplement. Single rooms may be in limited availability in some of the remote locations.
Accompanying Persons
These rail technology tours are 100% rail technology oriented and are generally not suitable for spouses or other accompanying persons. There is no spouse program. All participants must assist in the preparation of the historic tour findings (generally expected to contribute one PowerPoint slide from each participant to be used to illustrate findings at the AREMA 2012 annual conference program).
Participant Costs
Participants are responsible for obtaining transportation to/from Miami International Airport at their own cost. In addition, costs for personal items, meals not listed in the itinerary, laundry, phone calls, excess baggage charges, side tours, insurance, passport fees, vaccinations, gratuities, medical costs, tips to train or motor coach staff, extra transportation costs due to unanticipated changes in the itinerary for reasons beyond our control, including weather, travel conditions, or cancellations, government intervention, sickness, political disputes, and failure of transportation or other causes beyond our control.
Travel Insurance
Due to the complex nature of this tour it is strongly recommended that you purchase travel insurance within 21 days of booking this tour. This insurance will give participants many benefits including trip cancellation, lost baggage, accidents, sickness, trip cancellation, bankruptcy, strikes, weather conditions, employer termination or layoff effecting you or a person sharing the room with you, terrorist incident in your departure city or city of destination, jury duty, unavailability if you are subpoenaed or quarantined, your residence or traveling companion residence is rendered uninhabitable, emergency military duty, traffic accident, single supplement upgrade if your traveling companion cancels their trip, trip interruption, trip delay, missed connections, itinerary change, emergency medical benefits, medical evacuation, baggage delay and loss, pre-existing medical conditions if enrollment is within 21 days of your invoice date, burglary of you or your companion before departure, and felonious assault of you or your traveling companion before departure; along with a 24 hour hotline for emergency assistance and emergency cash transfers..
Travel and Health Documents
A valid passport is required for entry into Cuba. Consult your health professional for any recommended immunizations and health documents. AREMA assumes no responsibility if a participant is refused entry. Return cost and cancellation fees will be paid directly by the participant in the event they do not have valid entry documents.
Change of Itinerary
We reserve the right to substitute, alter, or modify the tour arising from unexpected and unforeseen conditions beyond our control. Such conditions include weather, train schedules, equipment, motive power, revision of train consist, train delays, labor strikes, political disputes, derailments, closure of a rail line, breakdown of railroad or motive power equipment, railroads not honoring contracts, and bus equipment problems. We will always endeavor to provide substitutes if any changes do take place. No refunds will be made for any change of itinerary.
Reservations
If the trip is cancelled after December 31, 2011 then we will work with the tour operator to refund as much of the tour cost as possible. Participants will be encouraged to file a claim with their travel insurance company for a full refund. Note that the tour operator has advised us that this trip is considered a “sure go” so any cancellation would be due to unusual circumstances.
Cancellations
Cancellations must be received by postal mail, email or fax before any refunds will be considered. Allow sufficient time if sending your written notice by US mail. The date the written cancellation is received by AREMA will be the effective date of the cancellation. Please note that it can take up to 60 days to process a refund.
Cancellation refund rules: 100 days prior to the start of the tour you will receive a full refund less a $150 per person administration fee. 99 to 61 days before the departure of the tour only 20% of the tour cost can be refunded 60 or less days before the start of the tour are unable to receive any refund. Please note that your travel insurance can assist if you meet their cancellation requirements
Legal Terms
AREMA is not liable for any costs incurred resulting from cancellation this tour including any incidental or consequential damages such as nonrefundable airfare, train, or hotels. Registrants are strongly advised to obtain travel cancellation insurance within 21 days of booking the tour. Information about this insurance will be sent to each participant upon registration.
AREMA is not liable for accidents, illness or loss or damage of personal property that may occur during the tour. AREMA shall bear no responsibility for the safety of the participants and their personal property. Registrants are strongly advised to arrange appropriate insurance coverage before departure.
The tour venues require walking and climbing on irregular or rough surfaces in railway environments as well as use of public transportation that may not be able to accommodate persons with mobility impairments. Persons with special needs should make those needs known at the time of registration. AREMA assumes no responsibility for the inability to access venues or public transportation.
Our tour operator gives notice that they are acting agents for the owners, contractors and suppliers, providing the transportation and all related travel services and assume no responsibility for injury, sickness, damage, loss, additional expenses accidental delay or irregularities which may be caused through willful or negligent acts or omissions on the part of the companies providing or engage in transportation, accommodations or services related to the accomplishment of the tour. Nor do they assume responsibility for natural disasters, social or political upheaval, acts of terrorism or acts of nature. Our tour operator reserves the right to substitute hotels, tour leaders, equipment, motive power, trains, onboard accommodations, routes and to alter the itinerary when deemed necessary without notice. The right is also reserved to cancel any trip or train prior to departure for any reason. Our tour operator is not responsible for expenses incurred by tour members in preparing for the tour, including non-refundable airline tickets, visa fees, planning, phone calls, or any other expenses. Our tour operator reserves the right to decline to accept, or ask to leave a tour, any person whose actions impede the daily operations of a tour, welfare or enjoyment of other tour members. AREMA cannot give any refunds for any unused services. The terms contained herein shall serve as a waiver of liability to AREMA. Assumption of risk on behalf of the client, their heirs, executor, administrators, successors, and assigns for any and all known persons injuries.
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