Terms of Service
Effective date: September 2026 · Operated by Port Porters LLC
The plain-English version. Port Porters is a coordination service. We arrange for local shops in European river-cruise ports to have the right mobility equipment or bicycle waiting for you. We are not the rental shop, not the cruise line, and we never charge you for the equipment itself — you pay each shop directly, at local prices. What you pay us is a small deposit and, later, a coordination fee for the work of arranging everything. If we can't do the job, you get your money back. The sections below say the same thing more carefully.
1. Who we are and what we do
Port Porters ("we," "us") coordinates rentals of mobility equipment (wheelchairs, rollators, mobility scooters) and bicycles from independent local vendors at European river-cruise ports. Our service is the coordination itself: matching equipment to the travelers in your party from the details you give us, arranging availability with local vendors along your itinerary, and delivering you a port-by-port plan.
2. What we are not
We are an independent coordination service. We are not an equipment vendor, and we do not own, maintain, inspect, or deliver the equipment you rent. We are not a cruise line, carrier, or tour operator, and we are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of any cruise line. Cruise line names appear on our site only to describe itineraries. We do not provide medical advice; nothing in our service is a substitute for your own judgment or your clinician's guidance about what equipment is suitable for you.
3. Your reservation and deposit
Reserving coordination requires a deposit of $25 per traveler, credited in full toward your coordination fee. If you change your plans, your deposit moves with you: it carries over to any new date or itinerary you revise to, as often as you like (see Section 9). If you cancel, the deposit is retained as our service charge — with two exceptions where it comes back in full: if we determine we cannot coordinate your itinerary, and if your cruise line cancels or changes your journey as described in Section 9. Placing a reservation reserves our coordination capacity for your sailing; it does not guarantee specific equipment or vendors.
4. Your information
Our matching depends on the details you provide about each traveler — measurements, weights, riding preferences, equipment needs. You confirm you have each party member's permission to share their details with us, and that the details are accurate to the best of your knowledge. Equipment matched from inaccurate information is not a coordination failure on our part, though we will always try to help fix it.
After you complete your party's tailoring, you can adjust it yourself for 7 business days. After that, just write to us at info@portporters.com and we will make changes with you.
5. Coordination and the 30-day promise
We work sailings in departure order. Your port-by-port plan arrives as soon as it is ready and never later than 30 days before you sail. If we miss that deadline, everything you have paid us — deposit and coordination fee — is refunded in full.
6. The coordination fee
Our fee is charged per traveler, by equipment type, in tiers based on how many coordinated stops that traveler has equipment arranged in: Classic (2–5 stops), Explorer (6–10), Grand (11+), at the rates published on our site. A multi-day call at one city may be offered as more than one stop — one for each day ashore — and each stop you choose counts once. You are in control of the count: when you confirm your port-by-port choices, each traveler's tier is set by the stops they actually chose equipment in — choose fewer, pay a lower tier. A traveler who chooses equipment in at least one stop pays no less than the Classic rate; a traveler who chooses none pays no coordination fee (the deposit remains as described in Section 3, and still counts toward your party's total). The fee is due when you confirm your choices, minus your deposit credit. If you keep your trip as booked, later price increases never apply to you; if you revise your trip, Section 9 explains how pricing works. Cancellations and changes are covered in Section 9.
7. Equipment rentals are between you and each shop
Every rental is a direct transaction between you and the local vendor: their equipment, their rental terms, their prices, paid by you locally. Prices shown on our site are estimates provided by vendors and can change; the price you pay is the vendor's price at rental time. We never process rental payments and never take a commission concealed in rental prices. Vendors may substitute equivalent equipment; we will tell you about any material change we learn of before you travel.
8. Fit, helmets, and safe use
You are responsible for using rented equipment safely and lawfully: obeying local traffic rules, using the included helmet when cycling, and staying within the equipment's stated weight and use ratings. Cycling and the use of mobility equipment carry inherent risks, including serious injury. By using our service you accept those risks and agree that responsibility for the condition and safe operation of rented equipment lies with the vendor that supplies it and the traveler that uses it.
9. Changes, transfers, and cancellations
Plans change — we built for it.
Changing your trip. Until 90 days before departure, you may revise your dates or itinerary as often as you like, at no charge. Everything you have paid — deposit included — carries over. A revision is priced at our rates published at the time of the change, settled when you confirm equipment on the new trip: if the new trip prices higher, you pay the difference; if it prices lower, we refund the difference. If you keep the same itinerary, your equipment choices carry with you; a new itinerary means choosing equipment again on the new route (your traveler details carry either way).
Timing that keeps coordination possible. Complete your party's tailoring by 120 days before departure so we can coordinate fully; a booking whose tailoring remains incomplete at 90 days before departure is released and the deposit is retained. Confirm your port-by-port choices by 90 days before departure. When we confirm your route, we will also ask you to check it against the itinerary your cruise line gave you; if we have not heard from you within 5 business days, we proceed with the route as sent.
Cancelling — more than 90 days before departure. Your coordination fee is refunded in full, in cash. The deposit is retained as our service charge (Section 3).
Cancelling — 90 days or fewer before departure. The trip can no longer be changed, only cancelled, and your coordination fee is handled by when you tell us: from 90 to 61 days before departure, your choice of a voucher for 100% of the fee or a 50% cash refund; from 60 to 31 days, a voucher for 75% or a 25% cash refund; at 30 days or fewer, a voucher for 50%. Vouchers hold full value for 18 months — book any sailing we offer within that time, even one that departs later — then hold half their value until 36 months, after which they expire.
Completing with no equipment. A party that completes selection without choosing any equipment pays no coordination fee; the deposit is retained as our service charge for the coordination performed (Section 3).
When it isn't your doing. If your cruise line cancels your journey or changes your route, send us the notice and choose: a full cash refund of everything you have paid us — deposit included — or a voucher for the full amount. If your entire journey was cancelled by the operator, that voucher never expires. If rerouting causes you to miss a stop we coordinated, we refund that portion of your coordination fee: the fee you paid multiplied by the share of your coordinated stops that were missed.
Life happens. For anything these terms don't anticipate, write to us at info@portporters.com — nearly everything can be worked out between reasonable people.
10. If something goes wrong, and the limits of our responsibility
If a vendor fails to have arranged equipment available, tell us as soon as possible: we will attempt to re-coordinate locally, and where we cannot, we will refund a fair portion of your coordination fee reflecting the affected ports. Beyond that, our total liability to you for any claim arising from our service is limited to the amounts you actually paid to Port Porters, and we are not liable for indirect or consequential losses (missed excursions, trip costs, and the like) or for the acts or omissions of vendors, cruise lines, or other third parties. Nothing in these terms limits liability that cannot lawfully be limited.
11. Your account
Portal accounts are personal to you. Keep your password to yourself, and tell us if you believe your account has been accessed without permission. You must be at least 18 to reserve, and the person reserving is responsible for the booking on behalf of their party.
12. Our content
The Port Porters name, logo, site design, illustrations, and text are ours; cruise line and vendor names and marks belong to their owners and are used only to identify itineraries and equipment.
13. Privacy
Our Privacy Policy describes what information we collect and how we use it. Payments are processed by Stripe; we never see or store full card numbers.
14. Changes to these terms
We may update these terms; the version in force when you place a deposit governs that booking unless a change benefits you or we are required to change it by law. We will note the effective date at the top.
15. Governing law
These terms are governed by the laws of [STATE], and disputes belong to the courts of [COUNTY, STATE]. Before anything formal, write to us — nearly everything can be fixed by email between reasonable people.
16. Contact
Port Porters · info@portporters.com
