Questions about payments

What’s your refund policy?

If Trinidad Carnival 2025 is cancelled by the Trinidadian government because of the pandemic, we intend to offer you the following options:

• Secure your spot, lock in your pricing and direct your deposit and payments made to Ultimate Trinidad Carnival 2026 in February 2026. You’ll lock in your 2025 pricing and we’ll advise you of your new payment plan.
• Secure your spot and direct your deposit and payments to Ultimate Summer Carnival 2025 in August 2025.
• Provide you with a full refund, less any irrecoverable fees or costs incurred to date.

Our regular refund schedule is as follows.  This applies should you wish to cancel your trip and you notify us in writing of your cancellation:

• On or before June 30, 2024, you will receive a refund of 50% of the payment you made for the trip;
• Between July 1, 2024 and October 31, 2024, you will receive a refund of 25% of the payment you made for the trip; or
• On or after October 31, 2024 you will not receive a refund in any amount.
• Please note: the refund amount is based upon the sale price of the trip and does not include any transaction or other related fees.

Should your account not be in good standing (i.e. 1 missed payment or more), you are not eligible for refund payments of ANY amount.

How does the Easy Payment Plan work?

For Ultimate Trinidad Carnival, once you make your $800 US deposit, the following month you’ll be emailed a link to set up your automatic Easy Payment Plan by the end of the month.  E.g. if you pay your deposit in January, you’ll be emailed in February to set up your Easy Payment Plan by February 28.

Please note: if you would like the VIP Upgrade, a deposit of $1599.99 US is required.

Payments are accepted via PayPal, which accepts all major credit cards and debit cards internationally.

All final payments are due by December 31, 2024 – no exceptions.

Are the prices listed per person, even if I’m sharing a room with someone?

Yes, the prices listed on our website are per person, single occupancy or double occupancy (2 people sharing a room) in US dollars, unless otherwise indicated.

We do not offer triple or quadruple occupancy for our packages.  If you have a 3rd person traveling with your group, we are happy to match them with a roommate in a room with 2 queen beds.  Please have them add “need a roommate” to their registration form and make their payment to secure their spot.

Questions about the 5-night Premium Experience

Do I need a special Visa or other documents to travel to Trinidad?

No.  The only things you need to travel to Trinidad are your passport valid for 6 months after the date of your travel and a round trip ticket.

Is Ultimate Trinidad Carnival all inclusive?

Ultimate Trinidad Carnival is mostly inclusive, since all of the events on the itinerary are all-inclusive (open bar and food options).  There’s also daily buffet breakfast included in your package at the Hilton Trinidad and in the Tobago Love Upgrade at the Shepherd’s Inn.

We also take care of all of the “little things” on your behalf, like costume pickup, delivery and fitting, collecting and distributing your party (fete) tickets and providing you with all of your trip research.

With Ultimate Trinidad Carnival all you need to do is buy your flight, pack and show up!

What’s included in the Ultimate Trinidad Carnival 5-night Premium Experience?

Please visit our website for package details and inclusions.  Click here.

I’ll be traveling to Trinidad Carnival alone because none of my friends or family want to go. Can you find a roommate for me?

Absolutely!  We’ve worked with several of our clients over the years to match them up with roommates.  Roommates during Trinidad Carnival time usually form lasting friendships.  Here’s how it works: when we get 2 people looking for a roommate, we’ll reach out to you both via email so you can connect.  You’ll then decide if you’d like to talk over the phone or even meet up if you’re in the same city!

With a roommate, you can take advantage of our double occupancy pricing.  Please note we ONLY match roommates in a room with 2 queen beds.

You may also want to consider a single occupancy package if you’d prefer to room alone.  See the single supplement information above in the 5-night Premium Experience section for details – click here.

Is it possible for me to get a customized package outside of what is included in your 5-night Premium Experience?

If you purchase the VIP Upgrade, we will schedule a Travel Planning Session with you to determine your needs.  Based on your needs, we will determine what we will be able to plan on your behalf.

Please note: customizations that involve booking different hotels outside of what’s offered in our packages is not possible.  

I’m a travel agent and I’d like to book a group through your company. Do you work with travel agents?

We love working with travel agents!  However, we’re unable to pay commissions at this time for Ultimate Trinidad Carnival.  We’d love to work with you as a Travel Affiliate on one of our other travel experiences; please contact us.

Questions about costumes and parties (fêtes)

I prefer not to participate in a costume. Are you able to help me?

We may be able to, however we’d like to know what’s your reason for not wanting to participate (play mas) in the biggest parade on the planet!  If you’re modest/are self conscious about your body, trust us when we say that Trinidad Carnival embraces and celebrates all shapes, shades and sizes of people.  Everyone, regardless of their size parades around confidently in their costumes.  We also have costume options that you can take advantage of if you’d like more (ahem) coverage.

If you think that standing on the sidelines is as much fun as being in the parade, keep in mind that things work a little differently in Trinidad than what you might be used to.  The large bands in Trinidad employ tight security, so no “jumpin’ in de band” here!

Still don’t want a costume?  We’re currently providing first preference to our clients who would like to get the entire Ultimate Trinidad Carnival Experience which includes playing mas in full costume.  Please contact us by clicking here.

In regards to the costumes, which band are you associated with?

Our costume provider of choice is Yuma.  We’ve played mas with Yuma for over a decade and our masqueraders have been taken care of, had their costumes created to perfection and had a GREAT time!

One of our reasons for choosing to play mas with Yuma is because of the band size.  Most of our clients are first-timers to Trinidad Carnival and navigating some of the other (larger) bands can be quite challenging.  Yuma is easy to navigate even at a few thousand of masqueraders!  This means you can get to the bathroom easier (no bladder malfunctions), will be able to find your friends (and fellow UTC’ers) throughout the day and most importantly, find your UTC Ambassadors if you need assistance.

What happens if my costume doesn’t fit when I get it in Trinidad?

This happens very rarely, however let’s walk you through our process.  When we collect your costume on your behalf in Trinidad, we’ll schedule a personalized fitting with you at the Hilton Trinidad.  We’ll show you how to wear your costume pieces during this appointment.  Should anything not fit, we’ll work with Yuma to facilitate any costume swaps as possible.

What if I lose weight before Carnival comes? Can I change my costume sizes?

When we’re ready to order your costume with Yuma, which usually happens in August, we’ll ask for your sizing.  It’s your responsibility to ensure that your measurements are accurate. 

Based on our experience over the years, we know the following: for the ladies, all parts of your costume are adjustable to a few inches larger or smaller.  Should your Yuma bra still not fit after adjusting, we’ll work with Yuma for a suitable replacement.

For the men, your Yuma shorts have a drawstring that you can adjust a couple of inches larger or smaller.  We can also swap out your T-shirt for a larger or smaller size depending on availability.

Once your order is placed with Yuma, we’re unable to make any changes to your size.  However, as mentioned above, we’ll work with Yuma should anything not fit during your costume fitting at the Hilton Trinidad.

Is there an opportunity to upgrade to a front line costume in your 5-night Premium Experience?

Absolutely!  When Yuma has launched and their costumes are on their website, we’ll email you all upgrade information for Hardline and Hardline+ costumes (aka front line costumes).

You may also want to consider purchasing our Ultimate Carnivalista Upgrade (click here to see this Upgrade) to get an Individual costume!  With an Individual costume, while not a completely customized costume, you’ll get a larger feathered backpack than the frontline costume options.

There are only 14-20 Yuma Individual costumes and you get some amazing perks in this Upgrade including customized accessories, individual security detail and much more.

What parties (fêtes) are included in your 5-night Premium Experience and Upgrades?

We’ve selected the tried, tested and true all-inclusive parties so you can focus on having a great time!  See below for specifics:

• 5-night Premium Experience: Fri Feb 28, 2025 – Phuket and Sun Mar 2, 2025 – Sunny Side Up, the Breakfast Party (Penthouse ticket)
• 2-night Upgrade: Wed Feb 26, 2025 – Lime at the Hyatt and Thurs Feb 27, 2025 – Tribe Ignite

Do I get to design my own costume?

Fortunately for you, we work with Yuma, who is a leader in costume creativity and design in Trinidad. They’ll do all of the heavy lifting for you regarding designing your costume. You’ll get to pick costume options that will flatter you best out of the designs that Yuma presents in August.

Should you decide to purchase the Ultimate Carnivalista Upgrade, you will get design input into your custom Monday wear.  You’ll work directly with your designer, who will present options of fabric, design and the final look for you to choose from.

Questions about flights

Are flights included in your Trinidad Carnival packages?

Your flight to Trinidad is not included in our 5-night Premium Experience. To purchase your own flight, the airport code in Trinidad is POS.

If you purchase the VIP Upgrade and you ask us to book your flight during your Travel Planning Session, we will email you some options as soon as they become available, which is usually 6-9 months from the date of Trinidad Carnival.  This varies depending on your preferred airline.

Please note, should you purchase our Tobago Love Upgrade, your round trip flight from Trinidad to Tobago is included in the quoted package.