Fares & Policies

What your price includes

The price shown for a cruise is the price you pay, taxes aside. Dinner, Brunch and Lockage Tour prices include a 17% service charge, and our booking and card processing costs are included too. We show the breakdown before you pay, in your cart, and in your confirmation email. There is no fee that appears for the first time at checkout.

Food and drink, an optional tip for the crew, and Flex Cancellation are optional. Each is shown on its own line and is only added if you choose it. Expedition Cruises are 5% off when 10 or more guests are on the same booking.

If you cancel

Cancel 7 or more days before departure and you receive a full refund of everything you paid, except the Flex Cancellation fee if you bought one.

Inside 7 days of departure there is no refund. Instead, you can move your booking once, free of charge, to another sailing in the same operating season. It depends on availability, and any difference in price is payable by you (if the new sailing costs less, we refund the difference). If you made the booking itself inside 7 days of the sailing, you can still cancel for a full refund within 48 hours of booking, as long as it is at least 24 hours before departure.

Cancel under Manage Booking on our website, or by email to sternwheeler@jettylight.com. The time we receive your request is the time that counts. A telephone call is not a cancellation until we confirm it in writing.

If you cancel only some of the guests on a booking, the same schedule applies to those guests. The rest travel unchanged.

Flex Cancellation (optional)

Flex Cancellation is 10% of your booking total (tickets and any preordered food and drink), shown as its own line. The box is empty unless you tick it, and it can only be added when you book.

With Flex you can cancel for any reason, no questions asked, up to 24 hours before departure, and everything else you paid comes back to your original payment method. The Flex fee itself is not refunded. Flex is not travel insurance: it waives our own cancellation terms and does not reimburse anything you spent elsewhere. Inside 24 hours of departure the standard rules above apply.

How refunds are paid

Refunds go back to your original payment method, never to a gift card unless you ask for one. Our team approves refunds, usually within two business days. Your bank or card issuer typically takes a further 5 to 10 business days to show it, which is outside our control. Cash bookings are refunded in cash at the dock or by company cheque.

If a refunded online purchase included food and beverage, it may not be possible to credit the exact menu selection. In that case you receive a credit of similar value.

If we cancel

If we cancel a sailing, for weather or river conditions, a mechanical issue, a Coast Guard direction, or too few guests to sail safely, you receive a full refund of everything you paid, including any Flex fee and any preordered food and drink, to your original payment method. No deductions. If you would rather move to another sailing, we will offer that, and choosing the refund is never the harder path.

Changing your booking

Under Manage Booking you can add or remove guests, move to another sailing, or cancel, up to 12 hours before departure. Adding guests is paid at the time of the change at the same all-in prices. Removing guests follows the cancellation rules above.

Gift cards

Gift cards never expire, and we charge no fees on them. A gift card costs exactly its face value. Gift cards sold on this website are valid for Sternwheeler Columbia Gorge cruises and for purchases aboard the vessel. They are a way to pay, and one option you may choose if you cancel, but never a substitute for a refund you are owed. Gift cards are not redeemable for cash except where the law requires it.

Weather

Our cruises operate in rain or shine, and the captain decides whether a sailing proceeds, based on wind, river conditions, visibility and the safety of guests and crew. A sailing that goes ahead in weather you find uncomfortable is not, by itself, a cancellation. If you choose not to travel, the cancellation rules above apply. If the captain decides not to sail, we cancel the sailing and you receive a full refund as described under If we cancel.

Accessibility

The Sternwheeler Columbia Gorge is a historic-style vessel and is not fully ADA compliant. The Main Deck is accessible from the dock ramp and has an accessible restroom. The Second and Third Decks are reachable only by stairs; there is no elevator or lift aboard. Please let us know about any mobility needs in advance so we can make the necessary arrangements. We ask every guest to answer the Vessel Access Declaration when booking.

Food and beverages

We don't allow outside food or beverages to be brought on the vessel, with the exception of water. Our on-board menu offers a variety of options to suit different tastes and dietary requirements. If you have specific needs or preferences, please let us know in advance and we'll do our best to accommodate you.

Pets and service animals

For the safety and comfort of all our passengers, we only allow service animals performing in an official capacity on board. If you're planning to bring a service animal, please notify us in advance so we can make the necessary arrangements.

Life jackets

Coast Guard-approved life jackets are carried aboard for every guest. Our crew will show you where they are and how to use them, and will bring you one if you would like it. Please ask any crew member.

Questions

Call (855) 766-3682. See also our Privacy Policy and SMS Terms.