If you need a taxi when the ship arrives, please contact the tour guide on the day before docking, as there is no taxi station at the quay in either Stockholm or Gothenburg.

Arrival times are approximate, as weather and traffic conditions can sometimes cause delay. For that reason you should have a good time margin for continued travel on the day of arrival. The shipping company cannot be held responsible for any additional costs due to delays that are beyond the company’s control.

There is no long-stay parking at the quay in either Gothenburg or Stockholm. However, the shipping company can provide information about parking possibilities. There is long-stay parking within walking distance to the quays in Söderköping, Motala and Töreboda.

Gothenburg quay: Packhuskajen 10 (behind Casino Cosmopol)

Stockholm quay: Skeppsbrokajen 103 (opposite First Hotel Reisen)

Söderköping quay: Next to the lock (Slussgränd)

Motala quay: Motala harbour

Töreboda quay: Next to the railway station

A bus trip back to the point of departure can be booked in conjunction with the 2- and 3-day cruises. Please notify us at the latest 10 days prior to the departure date of the cruise if you wish to make the trip by bus.

Boarding takes place at the earliest one hour and no later than 30 minutes before departure. The tour guide welcomes you at the gangway, after which the crew will help you with your luggage and show you to your cabin.

Daily information meetings are held in three languages (Swedish, English and German). The tour guide tells you what is going to happen during the day, describes the history of the canal and the local sites, and also provides practical information.

The tour guide will be available throughout the cruise and even leads some of the trips ashore.

On shelter deck you will find the dining room and the lounge. As our aim is to create a peaceful and relaxing atmosphere, there is neither radio nor TV on board.

We also recommend that you don't use your mobile phone on board – there are plenty of opportunities for that when the ship lands. On bridge deck you will find comfortable chairs for relaxing and warm blankets to huddle up in on chilly evenings. Here you will also find a bar.

The cabins are small and charming. With the exception of a few cabins, they are fitted with bunk beds and are about the size of a sleeping compartment on a train. For reasons of space, we recommend that you only bring a medium-sized bag to push under the berth. Large suitcases can be stored in a luggage room on board.

As the berths vary in length, please tell us ahead of time if you are above average height.

All cabins are fitted with a washbasin with hot and cold water. The water is drinkable. There are showers on all decks (except for shelter deck on M/S Diana), and toilets on all. The ships all use 220 V and there are outlets in all cabins. 

In the ship's lounge you find a varied library that contains varied non-fiction in Swedish, English and German, including material on the canal, its history and its surroundings. We try to supply the library with Swedish newspapers along the travel route. There is also an onboard souvenir shop with maps, books, postcards and souvenirs.

Mealtime drinks, purchases from the souvenir shop and bar expenses are put on your cabin number. The bill is then cleared on the last day either in cash (SEK) or using the most common credit cards (VISA, American Express, EuroCard and Master Card).

As soon as possible after boarding, please visit the dining room to have some tea or coffee, and to talk to our dining room staff about seating arrangements for lunch and dinner. The meals are an important part of the journey.

Our kitchen staff is superb and we serve a fixed menu for lunch and dinner, two courses for lunch and three for dinner. A breakfast buffet is served every morning, except on the first day of the cruise.

If you should need any special food on board (e.g. because you are vegetarian, diabetic or allergic), please notify us at least three weeks in advance so we can still give you the best culinary experience.

Most of the guided excursions are on foot and require that you can manage a normal walking pace.

The old towpaths alongside the Göta Canal offer many wonderful opportunities for walking or running. You can also borrow one of the ship’s bicycles for explorations along the waterway.

Daytime wear should be comfortable, since much of the time is spent outdoors. You should bring something warm and a windproof jacket, but also your summer wardrobe.  We recommend walking shoes for the excursions. Tradition has it that the guests change to something a bit more elegant for dinner, but going as far as a dark suit is not essential – smart casual is enough.

Children travelling with us must be at least seven years old and sleep in a separate berth. There are no child discounts.

For safety reasons, and for the comfort of other guests, smoking is only permitted outdoors in designated areas. Smoking is prohibited in the cabins, dining room and lounge.

Our ships are charming but old, which means that thresholds are high and stairways steep. In addition, most shore excursions are on foot. For this reason, if you are physically disadvantaged, you should indicate this when booking and bring along a personal companion.

Any requests, problems or complaints that arise during the cruise should be brought to the tour guide's attention at once. Problems can often be solved!

All safety instructions are supplied at the information meeting on the first day of the cruise.

IMPORTANT NOTICE – READ BEFORE ACCEPTING
Please read carefully the terms and conditions contained herein. All these terms are an integral part of the contract between passengers and the Carrier. In accepting this contract, you agree to the terms.
Attentions is particularly drawn to the Carrier’s right of exemption and limitation of liability set forth in Clause 1 below.

1) Carrier’s liability
Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein or elsewhere, any action against the carrier must be brought before the courts of Sweden and Swedish Maritime Code to apply. The passenger hereby submits himself/herself to Swedish law and jurisdiction excluding all and any other court or courts of any other country or countries, which would otherwise have been competent to deal with such action.

Rederiaktiebolaget Göta Kanal (the carrier) exempts himself from liability for passengers before embarkation and after disembarkation for luggage before being brought on board and after having been brought ashore and for live animals.

If it is indicated on the ticket or otherwise agreed or clearly implied that the carriage, wholly or to a specified part, shall be performed by another carrier, the carrier exempts itself from liability for damage, loss or delay caused during such carriage.

The carrier exempts itself from liability for damage, loss or delay arising when the carrier has arranged forwarding or parking of vehicles owned by passengers (car transfer). Passengers are advised to insure their vehicles against damage.

The carrier’s liability for damage, loss or delay is limited according to the Swedish Maritime Code. The limitation amounts are expressed in Special Drawing Rights (SDR) of International Monetary Fund, the current value of which is noted in the daily newspapers under heading Rates of Exchange. The carrier’s liability shall thus not exceed:

For personal injury or death. SDR 175.000/pas
 (abt SEK 2.207.000)

For delay incurred by passenger. SDR 4.150/pas
 (abt SEK 52.000)

For damage, loss or delay in respect of hand luggage. SDR 1.800/pas
 (abt SEK 22.000)

For damage, loss or delay in respect of valuables SDR 6.750/pas
received by the carrier for safe custody. (abt SEK 85.000)

For damage, loss or delay in respect of vehicles. SDR 10.000
 (abt SEK 126.000)
 
For damage, loss or delay in other luggage. SDR 2.700/pas
 (abt SEK 34.000)

The passenger shall bear the risk for
damage to luggage as follows:

For damage to or loss in respect of vehicles. SDR 150
 (abt SEK 1.800)

For damage or loss in respect of other luggage. SDR 20
 (abt SEK 250)

For delay incurred by passenger or luggage. SDR 20
 (abt SEK 250)

pas = passenger

2) Other conditions
For every full fare ticket, 50 kilos (110 lbs) of luggage may be carried free.

Fares paid will not be returned if passengers do not arrive in time for the vessel’s departure. For charges applicable in case of cancellation, please apply to the carrier’s brochure.

The carrier reserves the right without previous notice to make changes in the means and regulations of transportation, sailing list and passenger fares and to cancel sailings arising from circumstances beyond the carrier’s control.

A deposit amounting to 20% of the total trip cost must be paid within 14 days of booking. Full payment of the remaining amount is due no later than 40 days prior to departure day.

Should booking occur later than 40 days prior to departure, the entire amount shall be paid immediately. Special conditions apply for groups.

Changes in the booked trip leading to another departure date, point of departure, trip length or price will be seen as a cancellation and rebooking. In such cases a fee will be debited in accord with the cancellation rules below.

The following conditions are in effect for cancellations:

For cancellations received more than 40 days prior to departure date, an administrative fee of SEK 500 per person will be deducted from the refund.

For cancellations received between 40 and 20 days prior to departure date, 50% of the ticket price plus an administrative fee of SEK 500 per person will be deducted from the refund.

For cancellations received later than 20 days prior to the date of departure, or for passengers who do not arrive at the ship prior to its departure, no refund is made. 

Special conditions apply to group reservations.

We recommend that passengers from abroad take out their own cancellation and travel insurance. This is not available through the shipping company.