This page sums up the law in plain words. We read it on legislation.gov.uk on 21 October 2026. It is not legal advice. Your booking conditions sit alongside it.
Our travel team says changes to an itinerary are uncommon. If one hits your trip, our travel team at The JLT Group handles it with you.
Which rules cover my river cruise?
The 2018 travel regulations, when your cruise is part of a combined holiday. Their full title is below.
The Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018 (SI 2018/634).
Regulation 2 sets out what counts. You need at least two types of travel service for one trip. Flights and the cruise would be two. They must be put together in one of the listed ways. One trader combining them before you sign one contract is one way. One price for the lot is another.
A cruise booked on its own is less clear-cut. So ask the agency, in writing, whether your booking is a combined holiday. Most of what follows depends on that answer.
What if the cruise is cancelled before I go?
If it's a combined holiday, you get a full refund. Regulation 13 lets the organiser cancel in two cases. In both, you get no extra compensation on top:
- fewer people booked than your contract's minimum, and you were told in time (20 days before, for a trip over 6 days)
- unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances stop the trip, and you were told without undue delay
Regulation 14 sets the deadline. The refund is due without undue delay. The latest is 14 days after the contract ends.
If it cancels for any other reason, regulation 13's two cases don't apply. Ask in writing what it is offering, and why.
What if the itinerary changes before I go?
If it's a combined holiday, you choose. Say the organiser is forced, by circumstances beyond its control, to make a significant change to a main part of the trip. That gives you two options. That's regulation 11. You can accept it, or end the contract without a fee. The main parts include the destination, the itinerary and the dates (Schedule 1).
The organiser must tell you clearly, in a form you can keep, like an email. It must give you a reasonable time to decide. It may offer a different trip instead. You can take it, but you don't have to. Is the changed or new trip lower quality, or cheaper? Then you're due a price reduction.
End the contract and turn down the alternative, and you get all your money back. Again, the limit is 14 days. Regulation 16's rules on price reductions and compensation apply too.
What if the price goes up?
A rise is allowed only if your contract says so. Even then, only fuel, taxes or fees set by third parties, or exchange rates count. Regulation 10 says any rise must reach you at least 20 days before the start. A rise of more than 8% of the total brings in regulation 11's choice. Accept it, or end the contract without a fee.
What if my cruise is cut short once I'm on board?
If it's a combined holiday, these rules apply on board too. Tell the organiser straight away. Regulation 15 makes it responsible for every part of the trip in your contract. That holds whoever runs that part. It must put things right, unless that's impossible or the cost is out of proportion.
Can't a big part of the trip go ahead? Then it must offer suitable alternatives at no extra cost. If the alternative is lower quality, you get a price reduction.
Regulation 16 adds two more rights:
- a price reduction for any time the trip wasn't as agreed
- compensation for any damage you suffer as a result
The second has exceptions, and unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances are one of them. The price reduction doesn't have that exception. It falls away only if the problem was your own doing.
Regulation 15 also covers getting home. If those circumstances stop you returning as planned, the organiser pays for the accommodation you need. The limit is usually 3 nights. It doesn't apply to people with reduced mobility, and some others. The organiser must have known their needs 48 hours before the trip. Regulation 18 also says it must help you if you're in difficulty.
Is a credit or a later cruise the same as a refund?
Not in these regulations' terms. Where they give you a refund, your payments come back to you within 14 days. Regulations 11 to 14 don't mention vouchers or credit notes. A later cruise can be a fair offer, and taking it is your choice.
Can I cancel myself without paying?
Usually there's a fee. Regulation 12 lets you end the contract at any time before the start. The organiser can charge a termination fee, which must be "appropriate and justifiable". You can ask it to explain the amount.
There's one exception. Unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances may hit at or near the destination. If they significantly affect the trip, you can cancel before it starts with no fee. You get a full refund, but no extra compensation.
How do I claim?
In writing, and soon. Keep it to the facts and the dates.
- Write down what changed, when you were told, and what was offered.
- Keep every email, letter and receipt.
- Send your claim to the company you booked with.
- Ask for the refund, the price reduction, or both, and name the regulation.
Booked through a travel agency? Regulation 17 lets you send that agency messages and complaints about how the trip is delivered. It must pass them on without undue delay. For time limits, the agency getting it counts as the organiser getting it.
Does my travel insurance help?
It can, for things the regulations don't cover. The FCDO's travel insurance guidance (last updated 2 August 2024) makes three points:
- buy insurance as soon as possible after booking
- cruises generally need extra cover, because a hospital is harder to reach
- cover if a travel agent goes out of business is typically not included
Flight-inclusive holidays have their own scheme, ATOL. Parts of a trip not listed on your ATOL Certificate are not protected. Our page on what ATOL protection covers explains the certificate.
Do other travellers ask about this?
A lot. We counted posts in one group about one line's river cruises, where a quarter of posts mention the UK. 206 of 867 posts were mainly about a cancellation or a change. 182 of 867 were mainly about compensation, and 110 of 182 of those mention the UK. Source: published trip questions and reports we analysed (June to October 2026). We counted topics only.
What changes in April 2027?
SI 2026/455 comes into force on 6 April 2027. It changes which separately booked trips count as combined. It also removes linked travel arrangements, a looser kind of separate booking, from the 2018 rules. It doesn't apply to contracts made before that date.
Ask before you book
The time to ask is before you pay:
- Is this a combined holiday under the 2018 travel regulations?
- Who is the organiser, and who do I contact if something changes?
- What are the termination fees, and when do they rise?
- What happens if the river is too low to sail? Our low-water page covers that one.
Get each answer in writing. Then tell our travel team about your cruise, using the form below.