CroisiEurope cruise policies
CroisiEurope Policies: Deposits, Final Payment, Cancellation, Gratuities, Dress Code and Age Rules
Every booking rule that affects your wallet or your packing list, on one page: what you pay when you book, when the balance is due, what it costs to cancel, what the fare already covers, the tipping guideline, what to wear at dinner and who can sail. Figures are CroisiEurope's own, from the General Terms and Conditions of Sale that its U.S. office publishes for cruises booked in the United States.
Deposit
The deposit is a percentage of the cruise price, not a flat amount, and the percentage depends on how you book: 20% when the booking comes through a travel agency such as SmartCruiser (what CroisiEurope calls an indirect booking) and 30% when you book direct with CroisiEurope. It is due within 3 days of confirmation by credit card, bank transfer or personal check, or within 8 days by wire transfer, and the booking is only confirmed once it arrives.
| Cruise length | Deposit |
|---|---|
| Booked through SmartCruiser or another travel agency | 20% of the cruise price per person, within 3 days |
| Booked direct with CroisiEurope | 30% of the cruise price per person, within 3 days |
| Booked inside 30 days of departure (45 days for the Mekong, Nile, Ganges, Amazon and Southern Africa) | Full payment at booking |
Good to know
- The deposit is refundable until the cancellation schedule begins: cancel more than 90 days before departure and CroisiEurope keeps a flat $200 per person on a European river or barge cruise ($350 on coastal, Mekong, African and other non-European cruises) and refunds the rest.
- CroisiEurope does not sell a nonrefundable-deposit fare. The only nonrefundable items at booking are travel insurance, booking fees, visa fees and the optional Cruise Flexibility plan.
- Flights and transfers booked through CroisiEurope follow the airline's own payment and cancellation rules and are not covered by the cruise deposit.
- CroisiEurope accepts Visa, Mastercard and American Express, personal checks (not within 30 days of departure), wire transfers and electronic funds transfer, all in U.S. dollars.
Final payment
The balance is due at least 30 days before departure on European river, canal barge and coastal cruises and at least 45 days before departure on the Mekong, Nile, Ganges, Amazon and Southern Africa programs. If the balance is late CroisiEurope sends a notice and can cancel the booking and keep the deposit if payment has not arrived within 8 days of it.
Standard schedule
| Cruise length | Balance due |
|---|---|
| European river, canal barge and coastal cruises | 30 days before departure |
| Mekong, Nile, Ganges, Amazon and Southern Africa | 45 days before departure |
| Bookings made inside those windows | Full payment at booking |
Good to know
- Travel documents (vouchers) are emailed about 30 days before departure and only after the booking is paid in full.
- CroisiEurope prices in U.S. dollars and can revise a price for exchange rates, fuel or other costs up to 30 days before departure; no price change is allowed inside 30 days. Fuel is priced on a €75.96 barrel, with no revision while oil stays between €45 and €85.
- Optional shore excursions can be prebooked with the cruise at a package rate or bought on board; once booked they are not refundable.
- Meals on the first and last days are included only as far as the program says (typically dinner on arrival day and breakfast on the last morning).
Cancellation charges
Charges are a flat fee per person far out and a percentage of the package price closer in, counted from the day CroisiEurope receives your written cancellation. The percentage applies to the cruise package; travel insurance, booking fees, visa fees and any cancellation fee a supplier such as an airline charges are not refunded. The same schedule applies whether you cancel one guest or the whole cabin.
European river and canal barge cruises
Every river and hotel barge cruise in Europe: Rhine, Danube, Seine, Rhone, Douro, Loire, Elbe, Po, Guadalquivir and the French canals.
| Cruise length | Days before sailing | Charge |
|---|---|---|
| Any length | More than 90 days | $200 per person |
| Any length | 90 to 60 days | 35% of the package price |
| Any length | 59 to 30 days | 50% |
| Any length | 29 days or fewer | 100%, no refund |
Coastal, Mekong, Nile, Ganges, Amazon, Southern Africa and other non-European cruises
Coastal and seafaring cruises, the African safari cruises, the Mekong, and any cruise not listed in the first schedule.
| Cruise length | Days before sailing | Charge |
|---|---|---|
| Any length | More than 90 days | $350 per person |
| Any length | 90 to 60 days | 35% of the package price |
| Any length | 59 to 30 days | 50% |
| Any length | 29 days or fewer | 100%, no refund |
Good to know
- Cancellations must be in writing to CroisiEurope's U.S. office; tell SmartCruiser and we send it the same day, and the charge is set by the day CroisiEurope receives it.
- Changing the cruise date counts as a cancellation and a new booking, with the schedule above applied to the original date. Other changes made 15 days or fewer before departure cost $75 per person, nonrefundable and payable only by card or bank transfer, and no change of any kind is accepted inside 4 days of departure. Transferring the booking to another person costs the same $75, subject to the suppliers accepting the new name; airlines charge their own fees.
- If one guest in a double cabin cancels, the remaining guest pays the single-cabin supplement.
- A no-show, including arriving late, missing travel documents or a delayed flight, train or transfer, is treated as a cancellation on the day of departure with no refund. Deciding not to travel because of a State Department advisory is also a cancellation.
- CroisiEurope's optional Cruise Flexibility plan, bought at booking and itself nonrefundable, allows one change of date or destination: $179 per person on river cruises, $268 on coastal and seafaring cruises (change up to 30 days before departure) and $358 on the Mekong, Ganges, Nile and Southern Africa (up to 45 days before).
- Refunds go back to the original payment method after the cancellation charge is deducted, or to SmartCruiser when we made the payment for you, and we pass them straight on. When CroisiEurope cancels a cruise it offers a replacement of equal value or a refund, and its terms let it issue a Future Cruise Credit valid for 18 months when a refund is not possible. It can cancel a departure for insufficient bookings up to 21 days before sailing.
- Trip cancellation and medical insurance is strongly recommended: the cruise fare includes assistance and repatriation cover but not hospital or medical costs, and Medicare does not pay for care abroad.
Gratuities
Gratuities are not included in the fare and are entirely at your discretion. CroisiEurope suggests €5 to €10 per guest per day as a guideline. There is no automatic daily charge: on the last evening an envelope is left in your cabin, and you drop it in the box at the reception desk when you disembark; the crew shares the contents equally.
| Stateroom | Daily gratuity |
|---|---|
| All cabins, all ships (CroisiEurope's guideline) | €5 to €10 per guest, per day, in cash, at your discretion |
Good to know
- Nothing is added to your onboard account for gratuities, and CroisiEurope does not sell a prepaid gratuity. The guideline is quoted in euros; bring euro cash for the envelope.
- Tips for local guides and coach drivers on excursions are separate and at your discretion.
- The euro is the onboard currency; Visa, Mastercard and American Express are accepted on board for anything you buy, which is little: water, wine, beer, juice and coffee with meals and the regular drinks at the bar are in the fare, and only champagne, the grands crus on the special wine list and the premium brands on the special bar card cost extra.
- On a few cruises (Christmas market sailings among them, as the brochure notes per program) drinks are not included; your itinerary's price footnote says which applies.
Dress code
No formal nights and no written dress code on any CroisiEurope ship. Days are casual, and for dinners, cocktails and the gala evening guests dress up a little, as they would at a nice restaurant. In CroisiEurope's own words there are no strict guidelines and no requirement for suits or gowns.
Daytime
Casual clothes and comfortable walking shoes for the excursions, which are mostly on foot or by coach. Pack for the season: light clothes in summer, a sweater or jacket for cooler evenings on the river, and rain gear with a small umbrella.
Dinners and cocktails
A little smarter than daytime, like dining at a nice restaurant at home: slacks or a skirt with a blouse, trousers and a collared shirt. No jacket or tie is expected. Dinner is one seating at a fixed time with a set three-course French menu.
Gala evening
The night guests like to dress up: the crew appears in dress uniform, there is a pre-dinner drink with the captain, the chef serves a gala banquet and the lounge bar turns into a dance floor. A cocktail dress or a jacket is as far as anyone goes; no tuxedo or gown needed.
Dress Your Best nights
| Cruise length | Formal nights |
|---|---|
| Any length | 0 formal nights; one gala evening per cruise (CroisiEurope does not publish a count, reviews report one per sailing) |
House rules
- There are no ironing facilities on board, so pack clothes that do not wrinkle easily.
- Excursions often visit churches, cathedrals and monasteries that refuse entry to anyone in clothing that is too light or revealing; cover shoulders and knees.
- Smoking is forbidden inside every ship; smokers use the sun deck, where ashtrays are provided. Animals are not accepted on board.
Age rules
CroisiEurope welcomes families and publishes no general minimum age; it is one of the few European river lines that carries babies. The rules it does publish concern who children must travel with, two destinations with an age floor, and alcohol. Age is counted on the day of departure.
Minimum age to sail without a parent or guardian
| Departure | Minimum age |
|---|---|
| Every sailing, every ship | 18; a minor must travel with a parent or with an adult over 21, and minors cannot book on their own |
Stateroom assignment
Children share a cabin with a parent (most cabins take one child as a third guest; the third occupant in a triple cabin gets 30% off on European cruises) or, from age 5, can have a cabin next door to the parents' cabin. CroisiEurope does not assign a cabin to a minor without an adult in the booking. The ships carry no baby equipment, so bring a travel cot, stroller and diapers; children's menus can be requested at booking for children over 1.
Infants
| Sailing | Minimum age |
|---|---|
| European river, barge and coastal cruises | No published minimum; children under 2 travel free for meals and accommodation, ages 2 to 9 get 20% off the cruise fare (excluding excursions, transfers, flights, taxes and fees) |
| Southern Africa and India (Ganges) cruises | 7 years; younger children are not accepted |
| Mekong, Amazon and Southern Africa (Visages et Fleuves du Monde) | No published minimum apart from the under-7 rule; children under 15 sharing with adults get 15% off instead of the European child discount |
Drinking age
| Departure or destination | Minimum age |
|---|---|
| Every sailing (CroisiEurope operates no U.S. itineraries) | 18: no alcohol is served to minors, and the crew may ask for proof of age; local law in France and most of Europe sets 18 |
Good to know
- Pregnancy must be declared to SmartCruiser at booking; there is no doctor or medical team on board, CroisiEurope can refuse a booking if the pregnancy makes travel impossible or dangerous, and a supplier may ask for a medical fitness certificate.
- Mobility: most CroisiEurope ships and coaches have no elevator or wheelchair ramp. Only the three-deck ships have an elevator, and it does not reach the sun deck. The crew gives no personal assistance, so any guest who needs help must travel with a qualified, physically able companion, and the need must be declared at booking.
- Summer family offers (the CroisiFamily program on selected France, Portugal, Spain, Italy and Rhine sailings) give children up to 14 a free cruise, excluding flights, taxes, transfers, excursions and options, and waive the single supplement for a single parent with two children; Croatia sailings give 30% off for up to two children per cabin. The exact ages and dates change each season, so ask when you book.
- There is no kids club or babysitting; children join the folklore evenings, games and quizzes in the lounge bar with everyone else.
- Wedding anniversary discount: on 3 to 13 day European river cruises CroisiEurope gives 10% off per decade of marriage for anniversaries falling in the sailing year, with a marriage certificate.
How SmartCruiser handles the fine print for you
- Booking through SmartCruiser your deposit is 20% of the cruise price instead of the 30% CroisiEurope asks for a direct booking, and we put your 30 or 45 day final payment date on our calendar and remind you before it, so a booking never cancels by accident.
- Before final payment we watch your sailing for CroisiEurope's promotions and move your booking to a better offer when the line allows it.
- CroisiEurope takes cancellations and changes in writing only, so we handle cancellations, name changes and cabin moves with its Palm Beach office directly and tell you the exact charge before you decide.
- Prebooked Classic or Discovery excursion packages, the Cruise Flexibility plan, flights, transfers and travel insurance go on your invoice if you want them, and your pregnancy, mobility or dietary needs go on the reservation where CroisiEurope requires them.
- Where CroisiEurope allows it, SmartCruiser adds bonus onboard credit that you cannot get booking direct. Ask for it when you call 1-800-444-1560.
Last verified October 14, 2026 against CroisiEurope's own pages: General Terms and Conditions of Sale 2026 (U.S.), General Terms and Conditions of Sale 2027 (U.S.), Tips (gratuity guideline), Dress code, Gala evening, Package: what the price includes, All-inclusive onboard formula, Stopovers and excursions, Safety on board (smoking, pets), Family cruises (child offers, cabins), CroisiEurope FAQ (UK site: deposit, balance, Wi-Fi, smoking, pregnancy). CroisiEurope is a French company (Alsace Croisières SA, Strasbourg) and most of its website is written for European guests, with prices in euros or pounds. Cruises booked in the United States are sold by CroisiEurope America Corp of Palm Beach, Florida, in U.S. dollars, under the General Terms and Conditions of Sale 2026 and 2027 on croisieuroperivercruises.com; those U.S. terms, governed by Florida law, are the ones on this page. The French, UK and other European booking conditions carry different deposits, deadlines and cancellation steps, so ignore any figure in euros or pounds you find on CroisiEurope's other sites. Policies change; the cruise line's ticket contract and the terms on your booking confirmation govern.
Questions
CroisiEurope policy FAQ
How much is the deposit on a CroisiEurope cruise?
When is final payment due?
What does it cost to cancel?
Is the CroisiEurope deposit refundable?
What is included in the fare?
How much are gratuities on CroisiEurope?
Does CroisiEurope have formal nights?
Can children sail on CroisiEurope, and what is the drinking age?
Ask a CroisiEurope specialist
Deposits, deadlines, cancellations and what to pack: one call and it is handled, with SmartCruiser's bonus onboard credit on your booking.