EXCEPTIONAL ADVENTURES POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
Registration and Travel Policy for Excursions
Once you receive the necessary registration forms to fill out, return them to Exceptional Adventures along with your deposit (see deposit information below). Guests are not confirmed for a trip until the deposit and registration forms are received. If the registration forms and the participant’s photo are not returned to us by the due date the guest may lose his or her spot on the trip and cancellation penalties will apply.
Exceptional Adventures Excursions are priced to include everything our guests will need to make memories. This includes round-trip ground transportation or flights departing from Pittsburgh International Airport, all meals while on the trip, admission to attractions listed in the travel package, lodging, transportation at destination, gratuities and staffing at a 1:3 ratio.
Registration for a trip may be made online, by phone, by mail or in person. Deposits must be made at the time of registration, as noted on the trip description, with full payment due by the designated date. All reservations must be paid in full prior to the event, experience, or excursion or arrangements must be made with Exceptional Adventures staff.
No refunds will be issued if the guest:
- is refused boarding due to lack of proper identification
- is refused boarding due to lack of proper planning/communication with the airline
- is refused boarding, or cannot join the trip, because of illness or behavioral issues
- refuses/chooses not to board plane, cruise ship, or attend an event at the trip destination
- misses his or her flight or is otherwise delayed and is unable to join the trip
The guest is responsible for any charges that may accrue because of the above possibilities.
Sleeping Arrangements/ Personal Privacy Policy and Procedure
Exceptional Adventures Excursions offer a variety of lodging accommodations while traveling. Please see the designated code provided with each trip. These codes will identify accommodations for each excursion.
Exceptional Adventures will utilize homes such as Airbnb or Vrbo when traveling. Staff will remain in the location. Each home will have a separate bed for each guest traveling, but guests may share a room with a fellow guest or Exceptional Adventures staff.
Guests needing awake supervision will need a staff person to attend the excursion with them.
Single rooms may be requested, but a higher rate may apply. All guests will have their own beds, unless sharing a bed is requested in writing ahead of time and approved by guardian(s).
Same gender staffing is not guaranteed; however, all staff have passed background checks and are highly professional and respectful to the needs/concerns of our guests. Out of necessity, Exceptional Adventures staff may share a room with a guest of an opposite gender when a 1:1 ratio is needed, but guests of opposite genders will not share an accommodation, unless there are private bedrooms, or arranged in advance through guardian approval.
Travel Eligibility
Exceptional Adventures welcomes individuals 18 and older who have been diagnosed with an intellectual disability or autism. Other eligibility considerations include, but are not limited to:
- Being able to travel at a 1:3 staff/guest ratio
- Being able to demonstrate proper social behavior
- Ability to be cooperative, courteous and considerate of others
- Only needing reminders or minimal supervision/support to complete personal care needs
- Ability to abide by rules, regulations and policies set by attractions and facilities at the destination and Exceptional Adventures
- Having no major medical or medically fragile conditions
Exceptional Adventures reserves the right to determine if a guest is not eligible for participation in any activity. Guests who require extra assistance, or do not meet our eligibility requirements, may provide their own Direct Support Professional or personal assistant at the same cost of the trip. Any guest needing accessible transportation, wheelchair rental, or additional personal care support should call us before booking a trip (fees may apply).
Exceptional Adventures excursions are wheelchair accessible unless otherwise specified. Space is limited by the number of wheelchairs we can take on a trip. Extra staffing may be needed. Please call us before booking to be sure space is available, and to determine how much assistance will be needed.
If the guest information provided is inaccurate, fees may be applied for those needing higher staff ratio or the guest may be sent home from the trip at his or her expense with no refund.
Guests will be billed for any charges incurred because of their actions, including without limitation; long distance phone charges, pay TV charges, excess baggage charges, property damage, extra lodging or meal charges caused by any delays, and any items that need to be purchased on behalf of a guest.
Staffing Ratio and Personal Care Assistant/Direct Support Professional Policy
Exceptional Adventures’ typical staff to guest ratio is 1:3, meaning one staff member for three guests. If a guest requires more assistance, it is up to the guest, his/her guardian or provider to set this up during the registration process. A guest may bring his/her own staff but must pay the total cost of the activity.
Any guest that is providing their own staff on an activity must provide Exceptional Adventures with the staff person’s:
- Act 33
- Act 34
- FBI clearances
- Sign the Exceptional Adventures Policies and Procedures
They will also be required to submit paperwork that acknowledges their relationship to the traveler and needed clearances. Failure to return any of these items may result in cancelation of the trip for both traveler and staff. Regular cancellation fees will apply.
Exceptional Adventures reserves the right to determine an appropriate staffing ratio for a guest. If the necessary level of assistance is misrepresented on the registration forms, the guest may be turned away at check-in or sent home during an activity. This is to ensure the safety of the individual guest and the group.
Sometimes a guest does not require 1:1 assistance at home, but may still need more assistance, care or attention while traveling, due to being in an unfamiliar environment, with unknown people. Exceptional Adventures will do its best to assist a guest in new environments or situations but will make the safety and trip enjoyment of the entire group the number one priority.
Guest Expectations
The goal of Exceptional Adventures is to provide integrated experiences to people with intellectual disabilities or autism while in the community. All guests must be courteous and respectful of others on the trip, including any staff at restaurants, lodging and activities, etc.
Exceptional Adventures will not allow a guest to stay behind at a location unsupervised. Guests will also not be allowed to wander off. “Alone time” will be honored while at the lodging facility, only while Exceptional Adventures staff are on the premises.
If a guest becomes unmanageable while on a trip, or Exceptional Adventures determines a functioning level and/or behavior has been misrepresented, the guest’s vacation will be terminated and the guest will be responsible for any costs incurred (i.e., emergency transportation home, property damage, etc.) and will not be entitled to a refund.
Exceptional Adventures and its team members are not responsible for harm to guest due to self-injurious behavior, any loss or breakage of personal items brought to, or purchased on, the vacation, or any property damage caused by a guest’s behavior.
Cancellation and Refund Policy:
Events (local socials in the Pittsburgh area):
- Exceptional Adventures will not provide a refund if registered guests are a no call/no show for an event.
- A full refund will be given only with seven (7) days’ notice.
- Cases will be evaluated on an individual basis at the discretion of the Director
of Exceptional Adventures.
Experiences:
- A full refund will be given up to two weeks prior to the event.
- Guests who cancel 48 hours prior to the experience may receive a partial refund.
Cases will be evaluated on an individual basis at the discretion of the Director of Exceptional Adventures.
Excursions:
- Guests will not be given a refund for any reservation that includes individual ticket purchases, such as entertainment tickets, airline fares and special accommodations that are not able to be transferred.
- No refund will be given if the traveler is denied boarding due to lack of proper identification or incomplete disclosure of pertinent information that may result in the traveler being sent home early.
- Cases will be evaluated on an individual basis at the discretion of the Director of Exceptional Adventures.
Accounts in Good Standing
Guests’ accounts must be current and paid in full to register for adventures, unless prior arrangements have been made for a payment plan. All requests for payment plans will be evaluated on an individual basis at the discretion of the Director of Exceptional Adventures.
