Charles Dickens

The cost is all inclusive and includes:

All transportation from the start of the Event to the end is provided.

No accommodation is provided (please see separate FAQ on this)

All food and drink on the trip (a generous amount of wine and alcoholic/soft drinks will be served at lunch and dinner – any drinks required other than at meal times are at your own expense).

Lectures.

The presence of any Members of the Dickens family, any Actors, Morten Solvik, Marina Mahler and Mark Strachan.

All guides and tickets to venues, including the V&A, the Dickens Museum, Gad’s Hill and the Swiss Chalet.

The Private Viewing of the original manuscripts at the V&A.

No need to pay now.

When we reach 19 people who would like to come, we shall ask for the total payment to be paid by electronic transfer to our UK bank account to confirm your place(s).

The cost per person is £4,975 plus VAT.

We shall email you the bank details for UK and International payments.

Please note that the cost is non-refundable should you decide not to attend. Full terms and conditions are available in these FAQ’s.

Your travel to and from the Event is not included.

Please make your own way to the start of the Event and back home again after the Event has ended (we shall make suggestions to you if you wish to stay in London or elsewhere after the Event has finished).

We shall give you detailed instructions how to get to the meeting place for the start of the Event by car/train/taxi etc.

Accommodation is not included.

We have made this decision for several reasons:

Firstly, we would be required to book hotel rooms well in advance and because we will not know how many people are attending until near the Event, we would not wish to let anyone down.

Secondly, the hotels would require upfront payment whilst not knowing how many Guests will attend. This increases the risk for OMS Events Limited.

Thirdly, experience tells us that some Guests wish to make their own arrangements for accommodation and this means they ask for a price for the Event less accommodation. Added to the number of single/twin/double rooms requested, this all adds to the complexity of making sure you enjoy the event to the full.

Finally, you may have friends or colleagues with whom you might like to stay either in Vienna or nearby.

In conclusion, it seems to us that it makes sense all round for you to make your own accommodation decisions.

Yes. You will see the menus well in advance to make your choices.

We are visiting several old properties and they may not have step-free access. We shall visit each location before 31 January 2025 to create a risk assessment for each location and will report to each Guest(s) by email. At the time of writing, we cannot be sure that any or all locations will have step-free access.

The Original Manuscript Society (OMS) is operated and run by OMS Events Limited, a UK limited company number 15645061 with VAT Number 479 5753 27.

The OMS will put on this Event as advertised on the website www.originalmanuscriptsociety.com from time to time. It mentions on the website that the schedule may change. 

Payment.
Once 19 people have registered interest to join the Event, OMS requires the total charge (plus any VAT) as advertised on the website www.originalmanuscriptsociety.com. An invoice will be sent. All bookings will be for the full three nights, covering the three separate days. We cannot accept bookings for less than the three-day Event.

Cancellation by OMS.
If OMS cancels the entire Event of its own volition, a full refund of all monies will be made. PLEASE NOTE: there will be no refund due from cancellation at any time due to sickness, disease, significant transportation issues, closure of any visitor attractions, civil unrest, bad weather or any last minute changes to the schedule or any event outside the control of OMS. Guests are encouraged to take out their own travel insurance cover. Please take the time to digest the implication of this clause.

UK Sales Tax.
There is 20% VAT to pay by all Gusts which we shall pass on to the UK Government.

What is included.
The cost includes:

·      All transportation from the START of the Event

·      All food and drink on the trip (a generous amount of alcohol/soft drinks will be served at the lunch and dinner restaurants – any drinks required other than at meal times are at the guest’s own expense). Restaurant menus will be circulated in advance and dietary requirements will be catered for. We shall not accept any liability of the effect of any food allergies being contravened. It is the responsibility of the Guest(s) to check that all food is suitable to be consumed.

·     All Lectures.

·      The presence of any members of the Dickens family, any Actors involved and Mark Strachan throughout.

·      All lectures and readings.

·      All guides and tickets to venues whilst in London.

·      The Private Viewing of the original manuscripts.

Transport.
Guest(s) are provided with luxury transport from the start of the Event to the end of the Event. If Guest(s) decide to take alternative transport at any time during the Event, this must be paid for separately and we shall not change or amend the schedule to take into account any delays etc experienced by this alternative transport. This is important. We cannot delay the Event for everyone else if you experience delays by choosing separate transportation. You will be referred to this clause if this occurs. No refund will be made for the use of alternative transportation nor for any part of the Event missed by the choice of alternative transport. In particular, if the choice of separate transport results in missing the private viewing of the original manuscripts, no refund of any sort can be made.

Drink.
Ample alcoholic and soft drinks at meal times are included in the cost of the Event. Any drinks outside the serving of meals should be purchased by the Guest(s) separately.

Behaviour.
OMS expects our valued Guests to treat each other, OMS staff and anyone they meet during the Event, with respect and kindness. Any behaviour by a Guest(s) which the OMS staff in their absolute discretion regard as unacceptable may result in that Guest(s) being asked to leave the Event with immediate effect. Please take note of this clause.

Step-free access.
We cannot guarantee that any of the venues we visit have step-free access.

Dated 28 April 2025.