| Age Limits |
The age limit for most Shipping Lines is 79; that is, you will be accepted for passage until your 80th birthday. Insurance companies for the various Lines have become stricter and very few are now granting age exceptions. The lower age limit is 13 on most lines. Reederei F. Laeisz will accept children 5 years and older. Grimaldi Freighter Cruises' age limit is 85. Bank Line's age limit is 80. Canada Maritime and Rickmers Reederei's age limit is 75, but Rickmers (MCC Marine) can extend the age to 79 with a good medical report. |
| Air Travel Offered | Freighter World Cruises is not computerized for airline tickets and therefore offers only limited air on international tickets. We only offer air for those services offering air/sea packages such as Norwegian Coastal Voyages. |
| Alaska / Hawaii | There is currently no passenger-carrying freighter service to or from Hawaii to North America, or to Alaska. |
| Alcoholic Beverages | Limited brands of alcohol are available for purchase (sold by the bottle) once ship is in international waters. If you would like any before that time we suggest you carry on a supply, ... but make sure you declare to the Captain, for customs reasons. |
| Baggage | The baggage limit is usually 200 pounds per person, and it must be in a form that can be carried by hand. |
| Boarding Information | Boarding information is usually sent to the passenger with the ticket package about a month prior to departure. The boarding date can change, and the actual time of boarding may not be known until the day before or day of boarding. |
| Booking -- How Far in Advance? | This varies from service to service, and also for different times of the year. It can also depend on the number of ships in a particular routing. Most passengers book 3 to 6 months in advance. We do not accept bookings less than one month prior to departure. |
| Booking Conditions | Booking conditions, cancellation policies, etc. vary from line to line and are specified in either the Offer of Space sent when a voyage is first booked or in an accompanying Booking Conditions document. (See also Deposits, Final Payments and Refunds.) |
| Bridge Policy | Each Captain determines the bridge policy on his ship. One very happy returning passenger suggests not to forget that it is a privilege to be allowed on the Bridge and that those passengers who are inconspicuous (and therefore do not distract the officers on duty) have a better chance of being invited back. |
| Cargo Onboard | It is impossible for either passengers or passenger booking agents to know in advance what cargo will be carried on any ship. Cargo can range from delicate fruits to heavy machinery to hazardous materials to household goods, etc. A container ship will typically carry thousands of containers which can originate anywhere in the world, so there is no way to know in advance what cargo will be onboard or picked up in transit. |
| Cars / Campers / Motorcycles | None of the freighters currently carrying passengers provide for a passenger to take a car or motorcycle along with them as part of/in conjunction with passenger carriage. The car or motorcycle would have to be shipped by the passenger as freight (independently of their freighter travel arrangements). |
| Children | Children under the age of 13 are not accepted as passengers on most lines. Reederei F. Laeisz will accept children 5 years and older. |
| Coordinating Multiple Freighter Voyages | It can be very difficult to coordinate connecting segments on freighters due to sailing date changes and the possible difficulties in keeping in communication while overseas. Extreme flexibility is required to try to arrange such multiple voyages. |
| Currency on Board | All items purchased on board are usually paid for in U.S. currency, cash only. Travelers checks, personal checks and credit cards are usually not accepted. |
| Deposits, Final Payments, and Refunds | After a passenger has decided on a particular voyage, we will send an Offer of Space detailing the booking, and request a $500 p/p deposit ($250 p/p on some shorter trips; 10% to 25% of the fare on some services). Final payment is typically due 6 to 10 weeks before sailing; full payment will be immediately due if the booking is made within 8 weeks of sailing. Refunds policies in case of cancellations vary from line to line and will be specified in the Booking Conditions for that line. Though optional, we strongly recommend trip cancellation/interruption insurance. See Insurance Required. |
| Deviation Insurance | Deviation insurance is an insurance policy taken out by a shipping line to protect them in case the ship must deviate from its intended itinerary for any passenger related circumstance, and is considered part of the fare. An example might be a passenger illness or injury that would require the ship to head for the nearest port to obtain medical care. With operating costs typically running at $20,000 to $25,000 per day, such a change in route can obviously be quite expensive, so the shipping lines protect themselves via a deviation insurance policy. The shipping line is the sole beneficiary of said deviation insurance; passengers are required to have their own emergency medical/evacuation insurance. See Insurance Required. |
| Dress Code | Dress onboard a freighter is casual. No fancy dresses or suit and tie are necessary. |
| Electric Current Onboard | The electric current onboard most vessels is 220 volts (though a few are equipped with 110 volts). A converter and adaptor are necessary (we can advise you as to the type of plug required, although many adaptor sets come with a variety of different plugs). On older ships a surge protector is also advised for those wishing to bring a laptop computer along. |
| Elevators | Some ships have elevators; most do not. Please note that even on a vessel equipped with an elevator, the elevators are shut down in rougher weather and so are not always available. There can be up to 5 decks between cabin and dining room or lounge, so passengers must be prepared to negotiate many stairs on a daily basis. |
| Employment Onboard Ships |
Freighter World Cruises is a travel agency that books passengers on cargo ships and is not involved in employment on ships in any capacity, either temporary or full time. We are not able to provide information or addresses regarding potential shipboard employers. Additionally, we are not aware of any work away or similar programs for temporary employment. All passenger-carrying freighter lines are foreign flagged, and are staffed through their European offices, via maritime unions, crewing agencies and the like. The crews are usually drawn from the Far East, Pacific Islands, etc. |
| Fares -- What is Included | The fare includes all meals, soft drinks on some ships, and passengers must pay for liquor on all vessels. |
| Foreign Currency Issues |
Most fares are established in Euros, and in those cases the passenger must pay Freighter World Cruises in U.S. dollars, and Freighter World will then pay the shipping line in Euros. The currency exchange rate usually seen on the web, in the newspaper or on television is called the Interbank Rate, which is the market rate for converting a minimum of US$1 million dollars at a time. The rate individuals or small businesses are charged varies, depending upon the nature of the transaction and the amount, and is always some percentage points higher. This percentage is not fixed, but depends upon the currency market at the time the currency is bought. In preparing our fare charts, we round up the rate we are currently being charged to the nearest $.05 to hopefully ensure that all costs will be covered when it is time to purchase Euros to pay for a client's voyage (in case the dollar drops in value in the meantime). After we have bought the Euros and paid for a client's trip, we then refund the difference, unless the dollar has declined in value enough to require more funds from the passenger. |
| Inoculations | Inoculations for yellow fever or cholera may be required on some trips. |
| Insurance Required |
Emergency medical/evacuation is absolutely required for passage. This covers medical care in foreign ports and the cost of getting a passenger to a country with good medical treatment. This is often back to the USA and can easily cost $30,000 or more. Trip cancellation/interruption insurance is available in case a passengers has to cancel a trip for covered reasons. This is not mandatory. |
| Internet / Email | Internet access and email are not currently available for passengers. |
| Languages Spoken | English is the international seamen's language. All officers must know some English to be able to communicate with pilots, coast guards, etc. The standard of conversational English, however, can vary even though most Captains do have a good grasp of English. On German ships, for example, with German lead officers, the main language spoken will be German, though English will be used to communicate with non-German officers and international crew. |
| Laundry | Passengers use the self service laundry (no coins required), which includes washer, dryer and drying room, iron and ironing board. |
| Mail Overseas | Often a mailing list with port agent addresses is sent out with the ticket package. Family and friends can send mail to the ship via the port agent. However, please note that there is no guarantee the letter will actually be delivered to the ship so nothing should be sent that can't afford to be lost. Also, allow more than 2 weeks for some obscure ports. |
| Medical Requirements / Canes / Walkers / Handicapped |
For most lines, passengers over 65 years of age will be required to have a medical certificate (supplied by us) to be completed by the passenger's doctor within 90 days of sailing. Some services require such a medical certificate from all passengers, regardless of age. Since these are all working ships, often with many stairs to be negotiated and elevators that may not always be available, we regret that passengers who must use a cane, walker or wheelchair will not be accepted for passage by the shipping line's insurers. |
| Pets | None of the freighters we work with accept pets. |
| Port Times | Port times vary, but are typically in the range of 6 to 24 hours on a fully containerized ship in a modern port. It can be several days or more for ships carrying bulk or general cargo (please note that few bulk ships are currently available). |
| Port Locations -- How Close to Town? | While some container terminals are close to the center of town, container ports are often quite a way out from the city center, and a hefty taxi fare can be required to get into town. |
| Sailing Dates | Sailing dates regularly change. Please contact us for projected departures on any line. |
| Segments, One-Ways and Layovers |
One-ways and segments are available on many lines, but each line has its own policy. The availability of segments is usually identified in the listings for each service on the web site. If in doubt, contact us for particulars on a given itinerary. Segments will not be sold for durations of a week and under, or on any Caribbean itinerary. Most layovers, where a passenger disembarks and rejoins the same or another ship later, are regarded as two one-way bookings. Considerable flexibility on the part of the passenger is required considering that freighter schedules and itineraries can and do change, which may result in an extended wait between sailings. |
| Smoking | The Captain determines the smoking policy on his ship. Europeans tend to smoke more than North Americans, so it is not unusual to have an open smoking policy. If there is a restriction it will most likely be in the dining room. |
| South American Boardings | At present we are unable to board passengers in any South American port. |
| Special Diets | Special diets cannot be accommodated. (Passengers will have to work around what the ship provides and what snack food the passenger can bring onboard.) |
| U.S. Port to Port Travel | All freighters currently carrying passengers are foreign-flagged, and there is a law called the Jones Act that prohibits foreign-flagged vessels from carrying passengers from one U.S. port to another unless they call a "distant foreign port" en route. (The Jones Act affects not only the entire North American coast, but also most of the Caribbean and even parts of northern South America). |
| Visas | Visas are still required by many countries. We will notify you of any visas required for a given trip. |
| Visiting Ships | Due to the short time most vessels spend in port, during which the Captain and crew are very busy in loading and unloading cargo, dealing with customs, etc., and the increasingly tight security at most ports, we regret that it is usually not possible to visit the ships in port. For ports in the U.S. there is the additional liability problem. |
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