Welcome to SailMatch. The SailMatch platform is operated by SailMatch LLC, a Massachusetts limited liability company ("SailMatch," "we," or "us"). These Terms of Service govern your access to and use of the SailMatch platform as a Traveler, including our website, services, and applications. By accessing or using SailMatch, you agree to be bound by these terms. Travel agents and agencies are governed by the Agent & Agency Terms of Service.
01Acceptance of Terms
By creating an account, submitting a quote request, or otherwise using the SailMatch platform as a Traveler, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms of Service and our Privacy Policy.
These Traveler Terms govern your use of SailMatch as a Traveler. If you use SailMatch as a travel agent or agency, your use is governed by the Agent & Agency Terms of Service.
SailMatch is available only to individuals who are at least 18 years old and capable of forming a binding contract. By using the platform, you represent that you meet these requirements.
If you are using SailMatch on behalf of a company or other legal entity, you represent that you have the authority to bind that entity to these terms.
02Service Description
SailMatch is a marketplace platform that connects cruise travelers ("Travelers") with certified travel agents ("Agents"). Our platform enables Travelers to submit cruise quote requests and receive competing offers from verified travel agents. Agents participate under a travel agency account ("Agency"), as described in the Agent & Agency Terms.
SailMatch does not directly sell cruise vacations, provide travel agent services, or act as a travel agency. We facilitate connections between Travelers and Agents and provide tools for comparing quotes. SailMatch's role ends when a Traveler accepts a quote: the booking itself is arranged directly between the Traveler and the Agent, outside the platform.
03User Accounts
To use certain features of SailMatch, you must create an account. You agree to:
- Provide accurate, current, and complete information during registration, including a working email address and phone number
- Maintain and update your account information as needed
- Keep your password secure and confidential
- Accept responsibility for all activity under your account
- Notify us immediately of any unauthorized use of your account
SailMatch reserves the right to suspend or terminate accounts that violate these terms or engage in fraudulent or harmful activity.
04Traveler Terms
As a Traveler, you may submit quote requests describing your desired cruise vacation. By submitting a request, you understand that:
- Your request details will be shared with verified travel agents on our platform, but your name and contact information are not shared with Agents while quotes are being collected. They are revealed only to the Agent whose quote you accept, so that Agent can complete your booking
- Receiving quotes does not obligate you to make a purchase
- Quotes are provided by independent travel agents, not by SailMatch
- Quote prices are subject to cabin availability; if availability or pricing changes, the Agent may amend or withdraw the quote on the platform
- Accepting a quote reveals the Agent's identity to you and your contact details to the Agent. Accept a quote only in good faith, with genuine intent to book the quoted cruise with that Agent
- Any booking you make is a contract between you and the travel agent; SailMatch is not a party to that transaction
- Agents are not permitted to charge you separate agency or service fees for cruise bookings facilitated through SailMatch
- After you accept a quote, SailMatch may contact you to ask whether you completed your booking. Your answer helps us verify Agent reporting and keep the marketplace honest
- By creating an account, you consent to receiving notifications within the platform (and, where you have opted in, by email) about activity on your requests, such as when new quotes are available. These notifications are a core part of how the service operates
05Quote Confidentiality
Quotes submitted by travel agents through SailMatch are confidential communications intended solely for the Traveler who submitted the corresponding request. You agree not to:
- Share, forward, or disclose any agent's quote to another travel agent, agency, or cruise line
- Use quote information to solicit a competing offer outside the SailMatch platform
- Reproduce or publish quote details in any public forum, review site, or social media
This confidentiality protection exists to ensure agents can offer their most competitive pricing without risk of exposure. Violation of this provision may result in account suspension.
06Anonymity & Pre-Acceptance Questions
Until a Traveler accepts a quote, identities on SailMatch are masked in both directions. Travelers see each quoting Agent as a verified professional with a star rating and match history, not by name, photo, or agency. Agents see the request details, not the Traveler's name or contact information. This is what keeps quotes competing on price, perks, and reputation.
Before accepting, a Traveler may ask up to three clarification questions on each quote, and the Agent may answer each one. To preserve anonymity, every pre-acceptance message in both directions is automatically screened, and contact details (such as email addresses, phone numbers, links, and requests to connect off-platform) are removed before delivery. Attempted workarounds are logged and reviewed.
Whether you are a Traveler or an Agent, you agree not to use pre-acceptance communications to share or solicit contact information, to reveal or uncover the other party's identity, or to move the transaction off SailMatch before a quote is accepted. Violations may result in suspension or removal from the platform and, for Agents, the penalties set out in the Agent Agreement.
07Payments & Fees
SailMatch is free for Travelers. There is no charge to submit quote requests, receive quotes, or compare offers.
Agencies pay SailMatch a platform fee on bookings that result from the marketplace, as set out in the Agent & Agency Terms. That fee is never charged to Travelers and is never added to a Traveler's price.
All financial transactions for cruise bookings occur directly between the Traveler and the Agent. SailMatch does not process booking payments.
08Acceptable Use
The SailMatch platform is provided for personal, non-commercial use by Travelers seeking cruise quotes and for professional use by verified Agents responding to those requests. You agree not to:
- Use the platform for any unlawful purpose
- Submit false, misleading, or fraudulent information
- Impersonate another person or entity
- Interfere with or disrupt the platform's operation, servers, or networks
- Scrape, crawl, harvest, or otherwise systematically extract data from the platform, whether manually or through automated means including bots, scripts, or AI agents
- Copy, reproduce, distribute, or create derivative works from platform content, user data, or quote information
- Use the platform to send unsolicited communications or spam
- Attempt to access password-protected, restricted, or non-public areas of the platform without authorization
- Use information obtained through SailMatch to build a competing product or service
Unauthorized individuals attempting to access restricted areas of the platform or engaging in prohibited data collection may be subject to account termination and legal action.
09Intellectual Property
The SailMatch name, logo, website design, and all related content (including the organization, layout, and visual design of the platform) are owned by SailMatch LLC and protected by applicable intellectual property laws. You may not use, reproduce, modify, or distribute any SailMatch intellectual property without prior written consent.
Cruise line names, logos, ship names, itineraries, and related catalog content displayed on the platform belong to their respective owners or are licensed to SailMatch by third-party data providers. The display of a cruise line's information on SailMatch does not imply that the cruise line endorses SailMatch, or that SailMatch endorses the cruise line.
Content you submit to the platform (such as quote request details or agent profiles) remains yours, but you grant SailMatch a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to use, display, and reproduce it as necessary to operate and promote the platform.
By submitting feedback, reviews, or ratings, you grant SailMatch a perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free license to use, display, reproduce, and adapt that content on the platform, in marketing materials, and for quality improvement purposes. Reviews may be removed from display upon your written request.
10Disclaimer of Warranties
THE SAILMATCH PLATFORM, INCLUDING ALL CONTENT, QUOTES, AGENT PROFILES, AND RELATED SERVICES, IS PROVIDED ON AN "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" BASIS WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED. SAILMATCH EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, NON-INFRINGEMENT, ACCURACY, RELIABILITY, AND COMPLETENESS.
SailMatch does not warrant that the platform will be uninterrupted, error-free, or secure. We do not guarantee the accuracy of any quote, the quality of services provided by any Agent, the availability of any specific cruise or sailing, or the outcome of any transaction between a Traveler and an Agent. SailMatch does not endorse, certify, or guarantee any Agent or cruise line featured on the platform.
11Limitation of Liability
TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, SAILMATCH, ITS OWNERS, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES, AND AFFILIATES SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF OR IN ANY WAY CONNECTED WITH YOUR USE OF THE PLATFORM, ANY QUOTES RECEIVED, ANY BOOKING MADE THROUGH THE PLATFORM, OR ANY DISPUTE BETWEEN TRAVELERS AND AGENTS, WHETHER BASED ON CONTRACT, TORT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR ANY OTHER LEGAL THEORY, EVEN IF SAILMATCH HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.
SailMatch's total liability to you for any claim arising from your use of the platform shall not exceed the greater of one hundred U.S. dollars ($100) or the amount of fees you have paid to SailMatch in the twelve (12) months preceding the claim. Because some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion or limitation of certain damages, some of the above limitations may not apply to you.
12Indemnification
You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless SailMatch, its owners, officers, employees, and affiliates from and against any claims, liabilities, damages, losses, costs, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of or related to:
- Your violation of these Terms of Service
- Your use or misuse of the SailMatch platform
- Any content or information you submit through the platform
- Any dispute between you and another user of the platform
- Your violation of any applicable law, regulation, or third-party right
This indemnification obligation survives termination of your account and these Terms of Service.
13Termination
You may close your account at any time through your account settings. SailMatch reserves the right to suspend or terminate your account if you violate these terms, with or without notice.
Upon termination, your right to use the platform ceases immediately. Sections relating to Quote Confidentiality, Intellectual Property, Disclaimer of Warranties, Limitation of Liability, Indemnification, Governing Law, and General Provisions survive termination of your account and these Terms.
14Governing Law & Dispute Resolution
These Terms and any disputes arising from your use of SailMatch shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, without regard to conflict of law principles.
If you have a dispute with SailMatch, contact us first: most concerns can be resolved informally, and we will try to do so within thirty (30) days. Either party may also bring an individual claim in small claims court instead of arbitrating, so long as the claim qualifies for that court.
Any dispute that is not resolved informally (other than a qualifying small claims action) shall be resolved by binding arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association under its Consumer Arbitration Rules. The arbitration shall be conducted in Massachusetts or, at your election, by videoconference or telephone. The arbitrator's decision shall be final and binding, and judgment on the award may be entered in any court of competent jurisdiction.
YOU AND SAILMATCH EACH WAIVE THE RIGHT TO A TRIAL BY JURY AND THE RIGHT TO PARTICIPATE IN A CLASS ACTION. ALL CLAIMS MUST BE BROUGHT IN THE PARTIES' INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY, AND NOT AS A PLAINTIFF OR CLASS MEMBER IN ANY PURPORTED CLASS OR REPRESENTATIVE PROCEEDING. THE ARBITRATOR MAY NOT CONSOLIDATE CLAIMS OR PRESIDE OVER ANY FORM OF REPRESENTATIVE PROCEEDING.
You may opt out of this arbitration agreement by emailing contact@sailmatch.com with the subject line "Arbitration Opt-Out" within thirty (30) days of first accepting these Terms. Opting out does not affect any other provision of these Terms. If the class-action waiver is found unenforceable as to a particular claim, that claim (and only that claim) shall proceed in court rather than arbitration.
To the extent permitted by applicable law, any claim or cause of action arising out of or related to your use of the platform or these Terms must be filed within one (1) year after the claim arose, or it shall be permanently barred.
15General Provisions
Notices and electronic communications. SailMatch may provide notices to you by email to the address on your account, and such notice is effective when sent. It is your responsibility to keep your account email current. You consent to receiving agreements, disclosures, and other communications from SailMatch electronically.
Entire agreement. These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and SailMatch regarding the platform.
Severability. If any provision of these Terms is held invalid or unenforceable, that provision will be enforced to the maximum extent permissible and the remaining provisions will remain in full force and effect.
No waiver. SailMatch's failure to enforce any provision of these Terms is not a waiver of that provision or of any right to enforce it later.
Assignment. You may not assign or transfer these Terms or your account. SailMatch may assign these Terms in connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets.
Force majeure. SailMatch is not liable for any delay or failure to perform caused by events beyond its reasonable control.
16Changes to Terms
We may update these Terms of Service from time to time. When we make significant changes, we will notify you by email or through a notice on the platform. Your continued use of SailMatch after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the updated terms.
17Contact
If you have questions about these Terms of Service, please reach out through our Contact page or email us at contact@sailmatch.com.