Cacao Coast Classroom Cancellation Policy
This policy sits alongside our Terms & Conditions and forms part of the enrolment agreement for the Cacao Coast Classroom Experience. It takes precedence over any printed or verbal statement made elsewhere.
1. At a Glance Scenario Outcome
Family cancels, any reason, any time
No refund. All payments retained. Claim through your travel insurance.
Family requests a transfer
Permitted, subject to a $50 USD admin fee, minimum 21 days before the Experience start date, subject to availability. The booking fee does not transfer.
Cacao Coast Classroom cancels, minimum numbers not met
Deposit and balance refunded in full. The $100 booking fee is retained in all cases.
Cacao Coast Classroom modifies schedules, educators, locations or activities
No refund. We give notice as promptly as possible where changes are significant.
Event beyond our control prevents the Experience running (natural disaster, government restriction, civil unrest, pandemic)
Transfer to the next available block or credit toward a future block, at our discretion. Booking fee retained.
2. Payment Structure
Enrolment in the Experience is confirmed only once all three of the following have been received:
Payment of the non-refundable booking fee ($100 USD) and the programme deposit (35% of the total Experience cost)
A signed copy of the Cacao Coast Classroom Terms & Conditions
A completed and signed Waiver and Release of Liability
The Experience is priced at $1,200 per person, one flat rate. At this price, the payment schedule works out as follows:
Booking fee: $100 USD per booking, due at the point of confirmation, non-refundable under all circumstances, including where the Experience is cancelled due to minimum numbers not being met. This fee covers banking charges, payment processing costs and exchange rate exposure incurred at the time of booking.
Deposit: 35% of the total Experience cost ($420 per person at current pricing), due at booking to secure your place. Non-refundable.
Balance: The remaining 65% ($780 per person at current pricing), due 30 days before the Experience start date. A payment reminder is sent at 35 days. Failure to pay the balance by the due date may result in your place being released.
All fees are stated in USD. Payments received in other currencies are subject to the exchange rate applicable at the time of processing. Cacao Coast Classroom is not liable for exchange rate fluctuations between the time of booking and the time of payment.
Age eligibility (8 and up, with 13+ drop off considered case by case) is confirmed at the time of booking. It is the responsibility of the enrolling parent or guardian to confirm their child meets this criteria before booking. Payments are not refunded on the basis of age ineligibility.
3. Cancellation by the Family
All payments made to Cacao Coast Classroom are non-refundable. This applies to the booking fee, deposit and balance without exception, regardless of the reason for cancellation, including illness, bereavement, travel disruption or change of plans.
Families are required to hold travel insurance that includes trip cancellation cover. This is how you protect yourselves financially against unforeseen circumstances. Cacao Coast Classroom is not able to act as a financial backstop for individual cancellations, and we encourage every family to review their policy's cancellation terms before booking.
4. Transfers
A family who can no longer attend a booked block may request to transfer their place to a different fortnight, subject to:
A $50 USD admin fee
The request being made a minimum of 21 days before the original Experience start date
Availability on the requested block
The $100 booking fee is not transferable and is not refunded as part of a transfer. Only one transfer is permitted per booking.
5. Minimum Numbers
Each Experience requires a minimum number of participants to run. If this minimum is not met, Cacao Coast Classroom reserves the right to cancel or reschedule that block.
Where we cancel a block for this reason, affected families are notified no later than 21 days before the Experience start date. The deposit and balance paid are refunded in full. The $100 booking fee is retained in all cases, as it covers costs already incurred at the time of booking.
We will endeavour to offer affected families priority booking on the next available block at no additional booking fee
6. Programme Modifications
We reserve the right to modify schedules, educators, locations or activities when necessary, for example due to weather, tides, safety considerations, or circumstances beyond our control. Water safety and jungle safety sessions in particular are weather dependent and may shift day to day.
Where a change is significant, we give notice as promptly as possible. Modifications to programming do not entitle a participant to a refund.
7. Force Majeure
Cacao Coast Classroom is not liable for failure to deliver the Experience, in full or in part, where this is due to circumstances beyond our reasonable control. This includes, without limitation, natural disaster, extreme weather events, government travel restriction, border closure, civil unrest, epidemic or pandemic, and comparable large scale disruption.
Where such an event prevents the Experience from running as planned, we will offer affected families one of the following, at our discretion:
A transfer to the next available block, at no additional booking fee
Credit toward a future block, valid for a stated period
The $100 booking fee is retained in all cases, as it covers costs already incurred at the time of booking. Where a force majeure event affects a family's own ability to travel to or from Costa Rica, rather than our ability to run the Experience, this falls under Section 3, Cancellation by the Family, and travel insurance is the appropriate protection.
8. Waiver Requirement
All participants must complete and sign the Cacao Coast Classroom Waiver and Release of Liability before joining any activities. For participants under 18, the waiver is signed by a parent or legal guardian. Participation is not permitted without a signed waiver, and it must be completed as part of enrolment, before the Experience start date.
9. How to Cancel or Request a Transfer
Notify us in writing at cacaocoastcr@gmail.com as early as possible. Claire or Sam will confirm receipt personally and walk you through what happens next, whether that is a transfer request or a formal cancellation.
10. Questions
If anything here is unclear before you book, reach out. We would rather talk it through with you directly than have you read a policy and wonder.
Warmly, Claire & Sam Cacao Coast Classroom, Caribbean Coast, Costa Rica