Frequently Asked Questions

1. What are the Passport and Visa requirements for travelling to the United States?

It is the passenger's responsibility to ensure that all documentation is valid and in order.
Visa Waiver Program (VWP): Irish citizens/ holders of Irish passports can avail of the Visa Waiver Program (VWP). Some travellers are not eligible by law to enter the US using the VWP and you should check with the US Embassy for details of these categories before you purchase your holiday. If you do not hold an Irish passport, you must check the applicable passport and visa requirements with the embassies of the countries you will be visiting during your holiday. Passports must be valid for at least 6 months after your expected return date to Ireland.
Machine Readable Passports (MRP): From 26th October, 2004 passengers entering and transiting the United States under the VWP are required to hold a machine readable passport (MRP). If any person who is a citizen of a VWP (i.e. Irish citizens/holders of Irish passports) does not have a MRP, then they will need to obtain a U.S. non-immigrant visa prior to departure.
Children: Over 16 years of age: must hold a valid MRP.
Under 16 years of age: Children who have previously been added to a parent’s passport will also be required to have an MRP in their own name.

Please note that Passports take between at least 4-6 weeks to secure, so applications for passports, including applications to exchange a non-MRP for a MRP should be made in advance.

It is your responsibility to ensure that exactly the same name (including initials) appears on your ticket as in your passport. If there is any difference, you may be refused entry onto your flight. We regret we cannot accept any liability if you are refused entry onto any flight or into any country or otherwise suffer any difficulties or incur any costs as a result of not having an acceptable passport or any required visa(s). Passengers who have previously been refused a US visa, should contact the US embassy. Those intending to re-enter during their vacation i.e. on a coach tour into Canada or cruising the Caribbean or Mexico should ensure on doing Immigration that Multiple Entry is stamped on their passport.

2. What is the Baggage Allowance for flying to the US? What other taxes and charges may be applied?

Baggage allowance to the US is generally 2 checked pieces per person, but varies on charter services. If you go over this allowance you will be charged on a per kilo basis. This amount is at the discretion of the airline. Details of your baggage allowance are shown on your flight ticket.

Taxes, Security Charges: Taxes which vary from airline to airline and destination to destination will apply on all packages, these taxes can range from e50 up to e170 and change on a daily basis. In some destinations, notably the Caribbean, Cancun and Canada, a local departure tax is payable at the airport, these taxes are not included in the prices of our holidays and must be paid for locally by the passenger. Airlines impose a security charge of e54 per person.

3. Can I pre-assign seats for my flights?

   You should appreciate that airlines do not guarantee any particular seat and reserve the right to assign or reassign seats at any time, even after boarding of the aircraft. Please note seat assignments will be assigned at check in for charter flights.

4. Where can I find information on my Flight, Flight times, Check-in Requirements, Customs and Immigration?

   When you receive your travel documents, please check the flight numbers and timings on your tickets. Any flight route or timings shown in our brochure are for guidance only and may have changed.
   
   Check-in for international flights is 3 hours prior to departure. Some direct flights have an enroute stop-over for technical or operational reasons.
   
   Customs and immigration can usually be cleared at your first point of entry to the United States. Passengers travelling from Dublin or Shannon can normally clear US Immigration before your departure from Ireland. There are occasions, completely beyond our control, when a flight is delayed and American Holidays does not have any liability for delays which may arise. Such changes will not be regarded as a significant change and you will not be entitled to cancel you holiday without paying the appropriate cancellation charge.
   
   Reconfirmation of Flight Times: Flight only customers must reconfirm their return flight at least 24 hours prior to departure. Contact details included in travel documents.
   

5. How do I choose my Hotel & Room Type?

   Our reference to hotel in our brochure covers all accommodation and does not necessarily distinguish between local classifications such as “Motel” or “Inn”. Most hotel rooms in the US consist of 2 double beds and can sleep up to 4 people. In our prices 2, 3 and 4 share such a room.
   
   In many hotels, where the maximum occupancy of the room exceeds the number of beds listed in the brochure description a roll away bed can be provided at a charge of approximately $20.00 per night usually payable locally. New York is an exception to this rule where in many cases a twin room may consist of two single beds or one double bed.
   It is important to note that the size of rooms in New York are exceptionally smaller in comparison to rooms in Florida.
   
   All prices in the brochure are based on “Standard Streetside Rooms”. In many properties we have various different room types, while our prices are based on “Standard streetside Rooms” we can in most cases give you a quotation in an upgraded room type i.e. poolside, beach view, suite etc, these different room types are available at a premium.
   
   For example you may have the main body of the hotel which contains the reception, restaurant, bar and some bedrooms etc, and several annex containing further bedrooms, your room may be situated in any of these buildings.
   
   A number of the properties which feature in our brochure, being low rise properties do not in some instances have lift facilities. If it is imperative to your requirements that your accommodation provides a lift facility please ensure that you bring this matter to our attention at the time of booking.
   
   Suites: Suites are usually a different room configuration in the hotels discussed above. "Suite" is a room that is offers more space than a standard hotel room and usually is equipped with a kitchenette. The "Suite" room type will be one large room with a sitting area. The sleeping area will be part of the room and not sectioned off from the sitting room.
   
   Apartment: The word "Apartment" suggests that any and all bedrooms are separate to the sitting area. You will need to refer to the specific accommodation for details on what the apartment is equipped with.

6. What do American Holidays Star Ratings mean?

   In the U.S. there is no uniform grading system for hotels. So American Holidays has created its own grading system. This system is based on a broad spectrum of factors ranging from location to facilities, from value for money to general standards of service and design. What is an important factor in choosing your accommodation in Orlando may not even be considered when picking a hotel in New York. In some cases prices can be an indication of the standard of the property but inevitably there are differences from place to place. Do remember when choosing your hotel that if you pay the lowest price you cannot expect the highest standard of accommodation – very often by paying a little extra, you can make a good holiday a truly memorable one.
   * Budget Basic accommodation
   ** Comfortable, basic accommodation offering value for money
   *** Good medium standard accommodation offering a range of facilities
   **** First class property, good facilities, location and popular with regular visitors
   ***** Excellent accommodation with a large range of restaurants and amenities.

7. What is included in my Hotel Price?

   Our prices include standard streetside room only accommodation, unless otherwise stated.

   In rare cases hotels are fully inclusive (i.e. food and beverage included) this will be clearly listed in the hotel description.

   None of our packages include attraction tickets or resort facilities such as kiddies clubs, massage therapy or spa treatments.

   Although we list the facilities of a property in our hotel descriptions this does not necessarily mean that the use of these facilities is included in your price or free of charge, if you are in any doubt please inquire from our reservation staff at the time of booking.

   Resort Fees: You should be aware that certain properties levy clients directly in resort with fees for the use of various facilities at those properties. We have, where possible, in this brochure, detailed such fees in the hotel descriptions applicable.

   Parking: Most properties offer free parking,however,some establishments do charge a daily/weekly fee. Where possible, we endeavour to advise of these charges.

8. Can I book Special Room Preferences - such as connecting rooms, early check in, low floor, non smoking, cot etc?

   Yes. You can ask for connecting rooms, early check in and other special requests when booking your reservation online. Upon checkout there is a specific field for special requests and any preferences should be entered in here. The hotel will do its best to meet your requests, but requests cannot be guaranteed until check in. Any requests will be honored based upon availability at the time of your stay.

   Special Needs/Disabled/Elderly: If you have any special requirements you should contact us immediately and complete a Special Needs Form,which can be obtained from our Operations department on 01-433 1050. Please also be sure to check whether your accommodation is suitable for your disability and that you have adequate insurance coverage.

9. Where can I find Driving Directions to the hotel?

   A link to driving directions can be found on the left side of each Hotel Overview page.

10. What are my Payment Options?

    We accept MasterCard, Visa, Laser and Diners Club. At this time, we can only accept bookings paid for with one of these credit cards. All payments must be in Euro.

11. Will my online reservation be secure? How will my personal Data be Protected?

    Yes. Specialist Holiday Group trading as American Holidays, Crystal Holidays and Tropical Places respects your privacy and maintains your profile information on a secure server. It can be accessed, maintained and used by you and only you. Specialist Holiday Group does not authorize any other use of your confidential information. To learn how we protect your information, view our Privacy Policy.

    Data Protection: Specialist Holiday Group trading as American Holidays, Crystal Holidays and Tropical Places are committed to protecting your privacy and information. A copy of our privacy policy is available on request from 18-19 Duke Street, Dublin 2. The information that we use is for the purpose of fulfilling our contract as a tour operator/holiday provider. Information that you provide us will be held on our computers (and in other ways) for use by us for the following purposes:
    (a) booking information;
    (b) information about you (and your travelling party) may be passed to holiday providers and others and may include things such as age, religious beliefs, dietary requirements, you (or your travelling party's) physical or mental health. This information may also be transferred abroad. Outside the 'EEA' controls on data protection in such countries may not be as strong as the legal requirements inside the European Economic Area;
    (c) If you apply for insurance, then we may process information (including medical information) about you (or your travelling party) and pass it to the insurers;
    (d) Information supplied by you may be processed by us for Statistical Analysis and or Market Research and may in certain instances be disclosed to our agents for the purposes of fraud prevention and or debt collection;
    (e) To contact you via e-mail, letter or phone with details of American Holidays' or selected suppliers' products and services including financial services, which may be of interest to you.
    
    By entering into a contract with us you agree to the use and disclosure of information by Specialist Holiday Group as described.
    
    A copy of your personal information held by Specialist Holiday Groupcan be provided on request. You have the right to have any inaccurate personal information rectified or erased.
    
    Please note that airlines are required by new laws introduced in the US and other countries to give border control agencies access to passenger data. Accordingly any information we hold about you and your travel arrangements may be disclosed to the customs and immigration authorities of any country in your itinerary.

12. What if I need to Cancel or Change my Itinerary?

    Please see our Terms and Conditions for information on cancelling or changing your reservation. In order to amend/cancel your itinerary you will need to call one of our representatives on 01-6733800 or 01-4331050.

13. When will I receive my Tickets? What are my Ticket Delivery Options?

    We endeavour to have your holiday tickets and itinerary to you 14 days prior to departure. During peak season however, it is appreciated that some delay may be inevitable due to the large volume of bookings which have to be packaged.

    Your tickets will be delivered to the contact address entered when confirming your booking. If you have booked through a Travel Agent you package will be delivered to your travel agent to forward to you personally. Alternatively if you would prefer to collect your tickets in person from our offices you may do so by contacting one of our representatives on 01-4331050

14. When is Spring Break?

    In March and April, Clearwater, Key West, Cancun and the Bahamas are host to many American college students all intent on having fun, which can make for a very lively holiday. If you are looking for something quieter at this time of year we suggest that you advise us at the time of booking.

15. Can I travel when pregnant?

    If you are pregnant you should check with your doctor before you travel. If you are more than 28 weeks pregnant at the time of your return flight, airlines insist on a medical certificate stating you are fit to fly. If you are more than 32 weeks at the time of your return flight they may refuse to carry you. Please also note the restrictions on your travel insurance policy.

16. Should I carry a Credit Card?

    We believe it is essential to obtain a credit card prior to your departure. In America credit cards are a way of life. Hotels will require an imprint of your Credit Card on check-in to cover for incidentals and for security reasons. Car hire companies will also require a credit card imprint of the nominated driver. In our opinion you should not leave home without your plastic friend.

17. Is tipping expected in the USA and Canada?

    Gratuities are expected by most people who provide a service in America and Canada, such as waiters, porters and bus/taxi drivers. Waiters and bartenders generally get tipped 15-20% of the bill, depending on the quality of service. Taxi drivers 10-20 %, chambermaid's approx $2 per night and baggage tips are normally $1 per bag. On a cruise tipping information is normally given in your orientation.

18. What taxes are payable on my holiday?

    Taxes ranging from € 60.00 to € 165.00 per person apply on all packages. In some destinations, notably the Caribbean and Cancun, a local departure tax is payable at the airport. These taxes are not included in the prices of our holidays and must be paid for locally by the passenger.

19. What are the drinking & smoking policies in the USA and Canada?

    Smoking is banned on all transatlantic flights. Although it is banned on coach tours there are stops during the tour when you may smoke. Almost all US airports are completely non-smoking and many public areas i.e. restaurants and bars in the States are fast becoming non-smoking.

    US drinking laws allow no one under 21 on a licensed premises. Photo ID is required in many establishments - your passport would suffice.

    Customers requiring a smoking room at their hotel accommodation should request it at the time of booking.

20. Will I have to pay Resort Fees?

    You should be aware that certain properties levy clients directly in resort with fees for the use of various facilities at those properties. We have, where possible in the web site, detailed such fees in the hotel descriptions applicable.

21. What safety standards should I expect on my holiday?

    At American Holidays the wellbeing and safety of our customers is a high priority. Therefore we are continually looking to improve safety and hygiene standards in all our overseas destinations. One of the joys of travelling abroad is experiencing the different way of life in other countries. However, it is important to remember that safety and hygiene standards in some destinations differ from those we take for granted at home.

    Hotels, apartments, homes and other facilities will be obliged to meet local safety regulations, but these do not always match Irish standards, which are among the highest in the world. We therefore strongly recommend that upon arrival in resort, you and your family should familiarise yourselves with your accommodation and its safety procedures, as a safeguard in the unlikely event of an emergency

22. What is the climate like?

    Whilst hurricanes or tropical cyclones are irregular and difficult to predict, in areas around the Western North Atlantic, climatic conditions potentially conducive to hurricanes or tropical cyclones are most likely to arise during the months of June through to October.

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