Travel Document Requirements – Grand Alaska aboard Princess begins in Anchorage, Alaska, U.S., and ends in Vancouver, Canada.
If you are a U.S. citizen traveling internationally, you will need a passport valid for six months beyond the completion of your Tauck journey to enter Canada. Click here for more information on the U.S. Department of Customs and Border Patrol website.
If you are a U.S. citizen, you do not require a visa for the short duration of this tour. Please note that longer stays abroad for any purpose may require additional travel documentation. If you are a frequent traveler to Canada from the U.S., you may benefit from the NEXUS program which is a joint initiative between the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency and the Canada Border Services Agency that allows pre-screened and approved travelers faster processing at designated highway lanes in high-volume border crossing locations, at certain airports, and at certain marine reporting locations in the Great Lakes and Seattle regions. For further information, you may log on to the Nexus Internet site by clicking here.
If you are a citizen of another country traveling internationally, please contact an embassy or consulate of Canada and of the U.S. to determine what travel documentation will be required.
The White Pass & Yukon Route train excursion on day 11 from Skagway to British Columbia, Canada is a round trip journey that crosses the border into Canada but does not stop; therefore, there is no presentation of passports on this day.
Anyone with a criminal record (including some misdemeanors such as Driving While Impaired (DWI) charges) may be excluded or removed from Canada, and should contact a Canadian embassy or consulate well in advance of any planned travel to ensure proper travel documentation.
We recommend that you make at least two photocopies of all the travel documents that you bring with you. Include copies of the photo page of your passport that contains the date of issuance, the date of expiration and your citizenship. Secure one set of copies in the safe in your room while traveling and leave one set behind with someone at home who will assist you in the event your documents are misplaced, lost or stolen.
Travel with Children-
Age Recommendations ― Children 5 years of age or older at the time of travel are welcome on this Tauck journey. Based upon our experience with family travelers, we have a minimum recommended age for each journey to encourage comfort and enjoyment for all of our guests. All children must be accompanied on activities by a parent or guardian. At least one guest in the traveling party must be 21 years of age or older in order to make a reservation.
Babysitting ― Our journeys are designed for adults and children to share the wonder of discovery together. If you require babysitting services, your Tauck Director will put you in contact with the appropriate hotel staff with whom you may make babysitting arrangements. There is usually an additional fee for these services. Many hotels do offer on-site babysitting services; however, babysitting services may not be available at all of our hotels.
There are no babysitting services available on the cruise ship. Please note that our Tauck Directors are not responsible for providing babysitting services.
Safety and Welfare Responsibility ― We welcome the participation of child travelers on our exciting excursions. If you are traveling with a child on a Tauck journey, you have the sole responsibility for ensuring that the child with whom you are traveling follows all rules of safety during the cruise. By traveling with us, you release Tauck, Inc. and our partners of all liability for any risks and/or injuries to the child with whom you are traveling.
Special Travel Documentation for Children
Authorization for Travel
If you travel into or out of the U.S. with children under the age of 18, you should be aware of the following: because of increasing incidents of child abductions in disputed custody cases and because children are at risk as possible victims of child pornography, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) strongly recommends that unless the child is accompanied by both parents, you should have a notarized note from the child's other parent (or, in the case of a child traveling with grandparents, uncles or aunts, sisters or brothers, or friends, a note signed by both parents) stating that the parent(s) not traveling acknowledge that the parent(s), family members, etc. who are traveling into or out of the U.S. with the child have permission to do so. While CBP may not ask to see this documentation, if they do ask, and you do not have it, you may be detained until the circumstances of the child traveling without both parents can be fully assessed.
If there is no second parent with legal claims to the child (parent deceased, sole custody, etc.), other relevant paperwork, such as a court decision, birth certificate naming only one parent, or a death certificate, will be useful.
Many other countries also share this concern for children who travel without both parents. To ensure smooth travel, we require you to comply with the travel regulations of each country visited. This information may be obtained from a country’s consulate or embassy.
Authorization for Emergency Medical Treatment
In the unlikely event of a medical emergency, a medical facility will require permission from the child’s parents to provide treatment. Therefore, we strongly suggest that you bring along a letter from both parents (including other pertinent documents as cited above) authorizing emergency medical treatment for their child.
Children who are U.S. citizens must have a passport valid for at least six months beyond the completion of the journey.
We are not responsible for the disruption of travel caused by the improper documentation of any guest, including children traveling without both parents. While there is no definitive format or standard, click here to view a sample letter for guardians or one parent traveling with a child.
Air Conditioning – The motor coaches used on this tour are air-conditioned for your comfort. There is air-conditioning on the Princess ships but none of the hotels included on this tour’s itinerary provides air-conditioning.
ATM and Credit Cards–We recommend that you contact your bank in advance of departing on this cruise to determine whether you will be able to use your ATM and credit cards while traveling. When contacting your bank, notify them of your travel dates so that they will anticipate charges being made outside of your hometown and do not suspend your cards for what may appear to them to be "suspicious" charges. We also recommend that you make a photocopy of the front and back sides of your ATM and credit cards to leave behind with someone at home who will assist you in the event your cards are misplaced, lost or stolen.
Clothing and Packing – The weather in Alaska is unpredictable. You will be visiting the warmer, dryer area of the interior and the cooler, wetter rainforest of the southeast coast. We suggest you pack clothing that can be layered for various weather conditions. Slacks, a sweater or fleece, a lightweight jacket and a rain coat are versatile clothes for touring, and comfortable "walking shoes" are a must!
We suggest that you dress for a cruise on the Princess ship the same way you would for any stylish land-based resort. Casual sportswear, including shorts, lightweight pants and jogging suits, is the order of the day. We recommend you bring a sweater, a jacket or an all-weather coat for cool evenings, and for shore excursions. Due to unpredictable weather, don't forget a hat or visor and a collapsible umbrella. You'll also want low-heeled, rubber-soled shoes for strolling on deck, as well as comfortable walking shoes or sandals to wear while on shore excursions.
There are two designations of evening wear aboard Princess: Smart Casual and Formal.
Smart Casual Evenings:
Passengers dress as they would for a fine restaurant at home
Skirts/dresses, slacks, and sweaters for ladies
Pants and open-neck shirts for men
Formal Evenings: (two)
Evening gowns and cocktail dresses for ladies
Tie and jacket, or suits for men
In the dining room, items such as cutoff tee-shirts, shorts, halter tops, and jeans are not permitted and shoes must be worn at all times. Princess cruises require passengers to use cover-ups over bathing suits when entering the ship's public rooms.
Laundry and dry-cleaning services are available on board the Princess. Valet laundry is available at all hotels on this tour except for the Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge where you will find coin-operated facilities. Hair dryers are not available at the Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge.
We recommend that you pack an adequate supply of your prescription medication in its original container to last through your entire journey, together with a copy of your doctor’s prescription or a letter from your health-care provider on office stationery explaining that the medication has been prescribed for you, a list of the generic names of your medication, your travel documents and a change of clothing in your carry-on bag to avoid any inconvenience in the event that your flight or luggage is delayed. No medications are sold on board the cruise ship other than those prescribed and stocked by the ship’s physician.
We suggest that you pack the following items your journey:
- Comfortable, sturdy walking shoes that have already been broken in (very important!)
- Rain gear - rain coat and umbrella (very important!)
- Casual daytime wear – slacks, long and short-sleeved shirts
- Jacket and tie for men
- Casually elegant evening wear for ladies
- Sunglasses, sunscreen, hat
- Swimwear
- Gym wear
- Fleece jacket or warm sweatshirt
- Warm hat, gloves and socks
- Binoculars (7x50 preferably)
- Insect repellent
- Camera, lenses, batteries, memory cards and/or plenty of film
- Battery-operated travel alarm clock
- Rain poncho and collapsible umbrella
- Zipper-lock bags
- Daypack for camera equipment
- Sundries and toiletries that may be difficult to find en route
- Copies of your travel documents that should be secured in the safe in your ship cabin while traveling
Elevation - The maximum elevation on this tour is 3,900 ft (1,189 m).
Health - This itinerary is one of the more rigorous domestic itineraries we offer. To enjoy this cruise, you should be in good health and able to walk reasonable distances, often over unpaved and uneven surfaces. Some of the most memorable sightseeing can only be accomplished on foot. The amount of walking you do, however, is at your discretion. The adventurous journey includes several early morning starts, full-day excursions and many different modes of transportation, including airplane, railroad, cruise ship, boat tender, ferry, catamaran, jet boat, river raft and tram car.
There is a significant amount of walking in Denali National Park and other wilderness areas visited during your journey.
The Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge has two floors and no elevator. If you have difficulty walking, be sure to advise your Tauck Director at the beginning of the tour so that rooms close to the public areas can be requested when possible.
As this itinerary is designed for those who are interested in a faster-paced, adventure-filled experience, if you have a medical condition which might limit your participation in activities, please consult your physician for pre-departure health advice and notify us as soon as possible, if you have not already done so. We will advise your Tauck Director accordingly.
We are not able to accommodate wheelchairs on this tour. We regret that we cannot provide individual assistance to guests for walking, dining or other personal needs. Persons needing such assistance must be accompanied by an able companion who will assist them.
On board Princess, smoking is allowed in passenger staterooms and most public rooms, but the show lounges, dining rooms and all food service areas are designated as non-smoking.
The medical center on the Princess ship is staffed by full-time British-registered doctors and nurses. In addition to daily office hours, they are available 24 hours a day in the event of an emergency. If you require medical services, charges for those services will be added to your shipboard account, and you will be provided with an itemized account to submit to your insurance company.
The Princess cruise ship is registered in Bermuda. Please check with your insurer to learn if coverage applies outside the United States, or purchase appropriate travel insurance. If you need to bring and use syringes or other medical equipment onboard, we request that you bring a sharps box and that you contact the shipboard medical infirmary for disposal instructions.
No vaccinations are currently required for travel to Alaska . For complete vaccination information, contact your physician, the public health service in your area, or the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta. The CDC operates a 24-hour information number at 800-232-4636 (toll-free in the U.S.). You may also log on to the CDC website by clicking here.
Luggage Restrictions:
Checked Luggage – General
While it is common for airlines to allow passengers to check more than one piece of luggage per person, space constraints during your Tauck journey make it difficult to accommodate extra luggage. We ask that you limit your checked luggage to one average size suitcase per person.
Recently, airlines have adopted policies enforcing strict number, size and weight limits. Luggage exceeding maximum restrictions may require expensive overage fees, frustrating and hurried re-packing at the ticket counter, or even risk being left behind.
Many carriers require that checked luggage not exceed a weight of 50 lbs (22.7 kg) per piece. Airlines revise luggage policies frequently and often without notice; therefore, we cannot be held liable for the accuracy of the weight limit listed above. We urge you to check with your airline before traveling to determine current number, weight and size restrictions. It is also important to note that restrictions for luggage number, weight and size may vary with the same airline based on the class of service you select. First and Business Class ticket holders may have different restrictions than Coach Class travelers. You may wish to consult the website, luggagelimits.com, by clicking here.
We cannot be held liable for additional fees or inconveniences imposed by the airline due to luggage number, weight and size policies.
Please be sure to attach your Tauck luggage tag to your suitcase before leaving home!
Carry-on Luggage - General
Although oversize bags and wheeled, carry-on luggage are popular for airline travel, they are often not convenient or appropriate for motor coach travel or for many on-tour flights. Most modern sightseeing motor coaches offer limited space for numerous or larger items. Space under seats or in the overhead rack is typically small, and designed to accommodate items like coats, hats, purses, and small camera bags, etc.
For your day-to-day travel while on tour, we recommend that you limit your hand luggage to a small, soft-sided carry-on piece, and that you bring only those items you need handy during the day such as make-up, medications, cameras, film, etc. Items too large to fit under the motor coach seat or on the overhead rack must be stored in the luggage bays beneath the motor coach, and may be inaccessible during daytime travel.