Please use our booking page, or contact us directly to check for availability of your chosen holiday cruise or day trip.
We ask for a £200 holiday deposit per berth, or £400 for single occupancy to be made along with a completed booking form to secure your booking. Group bookings are required to pay a deposit of 35% of the total holiday cost.
Payment for day trips is to be made in full at point of booking, & sent along with a completed booking form as above.
We accept payments by BACS or cheque to ‘Puffer Steamboat Holidays Ltd’ only.
We will only send our bank details out via email for security reasons so please contact us directly for details.
Paying a deposit indicates that all members of your party accept the booking conditions and have read our holiday brochure. (pdf. copy is available on our website.)
You will receive a booking confirmation letter upon receipt of your deposit and a copy of your completed booking form for your records.
Your holiday balance is due 40 days before the start of your cruise (or 60 days for group bookings).
Cancellation or changes made by you
If you do not pay the balance of your holiday cruise when it is due this will be treated as a cancellation. We will send you out a reminder. We will not refund your deposit if you do not pay your balance in reasonable time.
If you cancel your cruise after the balance has been paid no refund will be due.
If you would like to move your booking to another holiday cruise with Puffer Steamboat Holidays we will try to accommodate you if we can. If we are unable to do so, it will be treated as a cancellation.
Cancellation or changes made by us
VIC 32 is a traditional heritage vessel operating on Inland Scottish waters, subject to weather conditions. The safety of the vessel, passengers and our crew take precedence at all times.
This means that we may not always be able to provide the exact itinerary on our cruising or day trip schedule. All changes will be at the discretion of the Skipper and you will be informed of any changes at their earliest opportunity.
The operators of Puffer Steamboat Holidays reserve the right to make changes or cancellations to our holidays or day trips at any time. This may include the embarkation and/or disembarkation point. If we need to make a change we will let you know as soon as possible via our office team and advise you regarding alternative travel arrangements.
Puffer Steamboat Holidays Ltd. will not be responsible for any travel costs that may be incurred as a result of such changes.
If circumstances mean that we have to cancel a voyage then we will offer you an alternative voyage for the current or following season, or alternatively a full refund. Our liability only extends to offering a refund for the full amount paid to us and we will not compensate you for any other loss.
In the event that we cancel a Day Trip due to weather conditions or other factors, we will refund the full value of your booking. We will provide as much notice of cancellation as circumstances allow. Our liability only extends to offering a refund for the full amount paid to us, and we will not compensate you for any other loss.
We strongly recommend that you take out travel insurance for our holidays and day trips. Please check that your insurance covers boating holidays and cover for your personal possessions.
Health & Safety
S.L. VIC 32 is certified by the Marine and Coastguard Agency to take a maximum number of 15 persons (3/5 crew & 10/12 passengers depending on the voyage). Our vessel and boiler are inspected annually along with all other relevant safety inspections. This means that we have the correct range of safety equipment on board and the fully crew are trained in their use.
On your first holiday evening or before we depart for a day trip you will be given a safety briefing. You must agree to follow the skipper’s instructions at all times. If you are participating in helping to operate the boat, you must not act without being given an instruction to do so by a crew member.
A modicum of physical fitness is required to voyage aboard VIC 32 & to move around the boat safely. If you are concerned about your level of fitness please contact us to discuss this. We have no upper age limit and have had many a sprightly 80+ year old on board!
Children are welcome aboard for holidays and day trips but we recommend age 8 and above for the best holiday experience.
If you have other mental or physical health conditions that may affect yours and others safety and/or you require chilled storage for medication you must tell us. We will make every effort to make your voyage possible and keep your personal details confidential.
The skipper has the right to instruct any person to leave the boat if their behaviour is placing themselves or others at risk, or if their behaviour is impacting on the other guest’s ability to enjoy their holiday.
What is and isn’t included
For holiday cruises all meals, hot beverages, and guided walks are included in your holiday price. All rooms have bedding, additional blankets and hot water bottles available.
For ‘Bring your own packed lunch’ day trips you will be provided with morning and afternoon tea/coffee and a sweet treat only.
Fully catered day charters are available upon request – please contact the puffer office to discuss your requirements.
For Caledonian canal cruises ending at the opposite end of the Great Glen, free transport will be organised at the end of your cruise to return you to your embarkation point.
Alcohol is not included in your booking price but a small bar is available on board (bar list is available in advance) with your tab due at the end of your holiday or day trip. All consumption is at the crews discretion.
We do not provide towels for guests so please bring your own.
USB charging (A point connection please) is the only power available to guests on board so please bear this in mind when packing
About Your Booking Data
We require key pieces of personal information when making a booking with us to process the booking and for your safety aboard. We only ask for the information required to enable you to have an enjoyable and safe holiday or day trip aboard VIC 32, or to enable us to better improve awareness of our activities.
Becoming a Friend of VIC 32
We use a leading Charity membership provider called Membership Mojo to process ‘Friends of VIC 32’ memberships. They processes are compliant with the latest General Data Protection Regulations and you can control your own information and membership directly.
You must have ticked yes in the membership form in order to receive the ‘Calliope’ newsletter and to be sent digital or print information or promotional opportunities regarding the activities of the trust and exclusive offers or promotions regarding the activities of Puffer Steamboat Holidays Ltd.
The information you provide to us will only be accessed by our staff, trustees and our auditors. Please be aware if you have allowed us to claim Gift Aid then we will also share your information with Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (“HMRC”). We may also use information in aggregate, where personally identifiable information is removed, for marketing and strategic development to improve and support our activities
We have a small selection of Puffer items available on our online shop, as well as our on board shop available for purchase during your holiday or day trip. All monies from shop purchases go directly to Puffer Preservation Trust and so are processed separately from holidays and bar purchases.
When you make a purchase online we will attempt to post your item out to you within 7 days of ordering and will contact you directly if unable to do so.
If you live overseas unfortunately our website shop doesn’t have the functionality to calculate individual country postage so please contact us directly to organise purchase of your item and request shipping information.
We use Royal Mail for all our postage requirements and aim to send everything tracked 48 where possible – if you have provided your email you will be provided with a tracking code directly from Royal mail to track your items.
We use recycled packaging wherever possible to post your item so please do the same if you can.
