Venice & the Dalmatian Coast

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 for entry into Italy, Croatia and Montenegro; however, you will not need a visa for the short duration of this tour.

If you are a citizen of another country, you should contact a consulate or embassy of Italy, Croatia and Montenegro to determine what travel documentation is required.

International Maritime Security guidelines require that your passport information be provided to us prior to your embarkation. You need to provide this information to us as soon as you book your cruise or boarding may be denied. Once you board the cruise ship, your passport will be held by the purser until you disembark.

Please Note: Longer stays abroad for any purpose may require additional travel documentation.

You will be issued a ship's boarding card that is also your room key. You are required to scan this card every time you enter or exit the ship. You must also carry a government issued photo identification with you ashore such as a driver's license.

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 and 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.

To facilitate Travel Requirements, destinations are increasingly utilizing online forms that require digital proof that you've successfully completed your submission (via an email, QR code, etc.) To ensure smooth travels and peace of mind, we strongly recommend all guests carry a personal smart phone and sign up for international data plans before traveling overseas.

TRAVELING WITH CHILDREN AS A GUARDIAN: If you are traveling as the guardian of a child/children, we strongly suggest that you carry a letter from both parents of the child authorizing emergency treatment in the event of illness or accident. For travel abroad, many foreign countries have specific entry requirements for children under 21 who are traveling internationally without BOTH parents. (These requirements are in response to the increased incidence of children being abducted and taken abroad.) PLEASE NOTE THAT TAUCK IS NOT RESPONSIBLE for the disruption of travel caused by improper documentation for children traveling without both parents.

Deposit Information:

The deposit and the fees for the optional Protection Plan or Cancel Fee Waiver [CFW] coverage are due at time of booking. Your deposit is £750.

Terms and Conditions:

For additional information pertaining to our Tauck Journeys, including Cancellation Information and Booking Conditions, click here to learn more.

At the time of booking, please have the following information ready:

• Tour Name and Departure Date Desired
• Traveler Name(s):  Please have first and last names as they appear on the passport or driver's license.
• Traveler's Address(es)
• Traveler's Phone Number(s)
• Emergency Contact Information: This would be a relative or friend whom we could contact during the tour in the event of an emergency. Please provide their name and phone number(s).
• Interest in purchasing a travel protection product (US and Canada)
• Interest in extending your trip by staying in a Tauck recommended hotel before your trip begins or after it ends
• Interest in our specially negotiated airfares.

Regarding your final payment:

Final Payment is due to Tauck 60 days before departure for lands trips, and 120 days before departure for cruises and rail journeys. If your deposit was made by credit card, final payment will be automatic unless you opted out at time of booking. Bookings without full payment at this time may be subject to cancellation without notice. Failure to make payment will be a considered a cancellation by the guest and all applicable cancellation fees will apply.

Customer Protection: Our UK-based agents comply with the bonding requirements of the Civil Aviation Authority and provide full financial protection for the package holidays that we sell in the UK. For flight-based holidays, this is through the Air Travel Organiser's Licence (details of which are available from the UK-based agent with whom you book). When you buy a package holiday that doesn't include a flight, protection of your monies paid to our UK-based agent will be provided by way of a bond.

AIRFARE: Airfare to and from this destination is not included in the journey cost. If purchasing your air elsewhere, it is very important to provide us with your confirmed arriving and departing flight information no later than 3 weeks before your arrival date. Flight information can be submitted to Tauck (or verified, if you've already provided it) in the My Account section of Tauck.com.

TAUCK AIRPORT TRANSFERS are included at the start and end of the journey between the airport and the Tauck hotel. Airport transfers are available for any pre tour or post tour hotel stays immediately consecutive to the tour, providing flight information is received in the Tauck office no later than three weeks in advance. Details on locating your transfer upon arrival to the tour start city will be included in your final documents.

AIRLINES and CHECKED LUGGAGE: Due to space limitations during your Tauck journey, we ask that you please limit your checked luggage to one average-size suitcase per person. Besides complying with the Tauck restriction noted above, you should also be sure to research and comply with all airline baggage restrictions relating to your flights to and from your Tauck journey. Airlines have become much stricter in enforcing size and weight limits in recent years, and are free to revise luggage policies without notice. Researching and complying with airline luggage restrictions is the responsibility of the guest, and Tauck cannot be held responsible for any costs or disruptions to travel caused by the failure to research and comply with airline policies. PLEASE NOTE that if you are booked on a tour that includes on-tour flights, the checked luggage weight restrictions for these flights may be lower than the weight restrictions for your international flights.

Checked Luggage – General

Due to space restrictions, we ask that you please limit your checked luggage to one suitcase per person weighing no more than 50 pounds (23 kg) and with overall dimensions (length + width + height) not exceeding 62 inches (158 cm). 

Airlines are free to revise luggage policies without notice, and certain airlines have different baggage allowances for different classes of service. Researching and complying with airline luggage restrictions is the responsibility of the guest, and Tauck cannot be held responsible for any costs or disruptions to travel caused by the failure to research and comply with airline policies.

Tauck luggage tags will be provided by your Tauck Director on Day 1 of your itinerary. Please do not attach a Tauck luggage tag to any carry-on items, as the Tauck tags designate luggage that is to be handled and transferred by ground operators and hotel staff during your journey.

HEALTH CONSIDERATIONS

All Ponant ships are registered in France. Please check with your health insurance provider to determine whether you are covered while traveling. If you will not be covered under your current policy, we strongly suggest that you arrange for adequate coverage while on tour.

If you have a medical condition that 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.

VACCINATIONS

MOBILITY

To enjoy this cruise, you should be in good health and able to walk reasonable distances, often over uneven ground, including cobblestone and limestone streets, as some of the most memorable sightseeing can only be accomplished on foot. The Dalmatian Coast is home to many historic buildings and sites, some dating from antiquity. Therefore, roads, walkways and architecture will present difficulties for some guests with physical limitations. The amount of walking you do, however, is at your discretion. Additionally, you must be steady and balanced to walk around the ship while cruising on the Adriatic Sea. Some ship to shore transportation is by local tender. Occasionally you may get wet with spray.

The Ponant Small Ship has elevators that connect most decks.

All Ponant ships has a licensed and registered French physician and nurse on board for professional and emergency services, which are available at customary charges. The ship's small infirmary is designed to provide medical care for certain temporary illnesses and accidents, and is not intended or capable of providing on-going treatment of pre-existing medical conditions.

Please Note: We regret that this Tauck itinerary cannot accommodate wheelchairs or motorized scooters. Likewise, we regret that we're unable to provide individual assistance to guests with walking difficulties or other personal needs. The responsibility of the Tauck Director who accompanies your trip is to ensure that the larger group enjoys a relaxing and informative journey, and he or she cannot be relied upon to provide ongoing individual assistance to any one guest. Guests requiring such individualized assistance must be accompanied by an able-bodied companion who can provide it.

SPECIAL DIETARY REQUESTS

The restaurants, hotels, caterers and numerous other partners we work with all do their best to accommodate special dietary requests from Tauck guests. However, given the diverse nature of those food providers (from small wineries to grand hotels to world-famous restaurants in more than 70 countries worldwide), some of our partners are better able than others to accommodate such requests. We therefore cannot guarantee that all dietary requests can be accommodated at every meal. Also, please note that where dietary requests can be accommodated, choices will frequently be limited.

SMOKING

Smoking is not permitted on the motor coaches or inside the ship, including inside staterooms. Smoking is only permitted on the outer decks in the designated smoking areas. These regulations pertain to e-cigarettes as well.

We have compiled a reading list of recommended books to give you more information about the destinations you will be traveling to on your upcoming journey!

You can view the reading list here.

Along the Adriatic coast, summers are hot and dry with lots of sunshine, and winters are mild but rainy. Venice is generally humid. During the spring months, average high temperatures range from 75 to 81°F (24 to 27°C) in Venice and from 77 to 85°F (25 to 29°C) in Dubrovnik, and the average rainfall is 2.6 in (67 mm) per month in Venice and 4.3 in (108 mm) per month in Dubrovnik. In the summer the high temperature is generally in the 80's.

To read about current weather conditions, we suggest you log on to the Internet website by clicking here.

Bringing the right clothing for your trip is important – we've partnered with Necessary Gear who provide an "easy-to-use, one-stop shop" for your Tauck travel needs, specifically selected for this trip. Click here to visit their site.

Your journey is designed with leisure in mind. Dress for comfort and convenience with a wardrobe that is adaptable and allows for layering. Many days are spent outside or in transit. Therefore, during the day, casual, comfortable, cotton clothing is recommended. Occasionally cool weather will require warmer, layered clothing. Shipboard attire is casual and informal. The usual dinner dress aboard the Ponant ship is also casual and relaxed; while a jacket and tie is not required, swimming shorts, bathing suits, t-shirts, tennis shoes or flip-flops are not appropriate at meal times. However, the Captain's dinners aboard are occasions for festive attire.

Valet laundry and pressing services are available on board the cruise ship and at the Hotel Danieli for a fee; however, there is no dry-cleaning available on board. Hair curling and clothes irons are not permitted on board the cruise ship.

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.

Following is a list of recommended items to pack for a cruise on the Adriatic Sea:

• Comfortable walking shoes (VERY IMPORTANT)                                      
• Short and long-sleeved shirts/tee shirts (for the warmer, summer months extra tee shirts are always a good idea)                                              
• Shorts (for summer) and pants for casual daytime wear (below-the-knee-length shorts for church visits)                                                       
• Sport coat for men (with tie suggested for Captain's gala) and slacks/dress for women for evening wear                                                      
• Sweater; lightweight for summer, and medium weight for spring/fall             
• Camera, lenses, batteries, chargers and extra memory cards                     
• Swimwear 
• Sunglasses                                                                 
• Sunscreen and hat                                                          
• Small flashlight                                                           
• Insect repellent                                                           
• Washcloth - not all European hotels provide washcloths, so you may want to bring one along.  A package of pre-moistened towelettes is an excellent alternative.                      Travel alarm clock (many hotels do not have clocks in the rooms)                                                                                                 
• Prescription medicines (an adequate supply to last your entire journey), and written copies of your prescriptions from your doctor.  While it may be possible to refill prescriptions during your journey, the availability of refills cannot be guaranteed.  What's more, refilling prescriptions in foreign countries can be difficult and time-consuming.