Terms

Last updated 6 October 2026

Booking a charter

A charter books the whole boat for the window you choose. Everyone aboard must be on the manifest and must sign the waiver before boarding.

Deposits, payments, and cancelling

A charter is held with a deposit, taken when you book. The rest is charged automatically to the same card in two payments, 15 days and 3 days before the cruise. We remind you before each one and there is nothing for you to do. If you book inside 15 days of the cruise, the full amount is due when you book. The checkout shows your exact dates and amounts before you pay.

The deposit is non-refundable. It holds a date we then turn other people away from. If you cancel, anything you have paid beyond the deposit is refunded, less the card processing fee.

Card processing fees

Card processing fees are not refundable. Our payment processor charges us 2.9% plus 30¢ on every card payment and does not return it when we refund, so any refund, for any reason, is the amount you paid less that fee.

The refundable damage hold

The day before your cruise we place an authorisation on the card you booked with. It is a hold, not a charge: the money stays in your account and the hold is released after you are back at the dock. If something aboard is damaged we may capture part or all of it, and we will tell you what and why before we do.

Weather and the captain’s call

The captain has sole and final authority over the vessel and may end or alter a cruise for safety at any time.

A forecast of rain is not a cancellation. San Diego forecasts often show rain for a day that turns out to be a passing morning shower and a clear afternoon. If conditions look doubtful, we talk it through with you and decide together, closer to the day.

If we cancel for weather, mechanical trouble, or safety, everything you have paid becomes credit toward another date. We do not give refunds for weather. Comfortable weather means different things to different people, and the captain’s call is based on safety and sea conditions. If we ever agree to a refund instead, it is the amount paid less the card processing fee.

Aboard

BYOB. Everyone drinking must be of legal age and drink responsibly. Dogs are welcome. The captain’s instructions are not optional.

Text messages

Marissa Cruises sends text messages only about a cruise you have booked. When you book, you may opt in with a checkbox that is not pre-selected and reads: "I agree to receive text messages from Marissa Cruises about my booking: booking confirmations, schedule or weather changes, and check-in details for your cruise. Message frequency varies. Message and data rates may apply. Reply STOP to unsubscribe. Reply HELP for help or email [email protected]. Consent is not a condition of purchase." We do not send marketing texts, and we do not sell, rent or share mobile numbers or SMS consent with third parties for their own marketing. You can stop the messages at any time by replying STOP.

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