Cancellation & refund policy

The notice period is set by the operator running your cruise, and it differs between shared cruises and private charters. Across the cruises currently bookable on BoatLocal it ranges from 24 hours to 28 days before departure — most often 24 or 48 hours.

The exact window for your cruise is shown on its page before you book, and again in your confirmation email. That figure is the one that applies — this page describes the range, not a promise about any particular boat. Where an operator has not set a window, 24 hours applies.

42 of the 78 cruises currently bookable carry a free cancellation window. The rest are non-refundable once booked, and say so on their own page.

A cancellation inside the free window is refunded in full: the cruise price, any food and drinks ordered with it, the municipal city tax, and the 1.5% transaction fee. Nothing is withheld.

Outside the window, no refund is due. If you cancel anyway the booking is released, but the payment stays with the operator.

If you reduce your party size or move to a cheaper departure while still inside the window, the difference is refunded along with the 1.5% charged on that part. Changes made outside the window alter the booking without a refund.

Use the link in your confirmation email — it opens your booking and lets you cancel, change the date or time, update your details, or adjust your party size. No account needed; the link is the key.

Lost the email? Write to info@boatlocal.nl from the address you booked with and we will find it.

Refunds go back to the card or account you paid with. Your bank decides how long that takes — usually a few working days, occasionally up to ten. We cannot send it anywhere else; that is a condition of how the payment was taken.

Weather, mechanical trouble or anything else on the operator's side means a full refund regardless of timing, or a free move to another departure if you would rather sail another day. Amsterdam weather alone is not usually a reason to cancel — most boats have a roof or heating, and the cruise runs.