Airfare to the tour departure point and from the tour ending point is not included. Airfare may be purchased from us for travel originating in the United States.

• Pack at least one change of clothing in your carry-on bag
• Split your items between your suitcase and a traveling companion's suitcase
• Do not pack any vital medications or valuables in your checked luggage
• Confirm that your luggage is checked and tagged to your final destination at airport check-in
• Place your luggage claim tags in a secure place for your flight
• File a claim for any missing luggage immediately before leaving the baggage claim area
• Secure a case number and contact information for follow-up communications
• Make certain that the airline has your onward itinerary

Your Tauck Director will assist you with airline and other carrier communications, but has no inside contacts to guarantee or expedite recovery of lost luggage. All recovery costs, including the communication costs, are your responsibility. Check your travel protection details for covered expenses.

Personal Expenses such as phone calls, room service, alcoholic and other beverages not specifically included, laundry, dry cleaning, airline excess luggage charges, vaccinations, visa fees and services, airport arrival and departure taxes, individual airport transfers (when applicable), and other optional or incidental extras are not included and may be significant.

 

Airline Security Measures – 

If you are traveling from the U.S., the U.S. Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) Secure Flight program requires that your name, as it appears on your domestic or international airline ticket, must precisely match your name as it appears on the government-issued photo ID (i.e., passport or driver’s license) that you present during security screening. The ID name must also match any additional airline data, such as frequent-flyer information. For example, if you present your driver's license to security and it says John T. Smith, your ticket must also say John T. Smith, not John Thomas Smith, Jack Smith, or any other variant. Your date-of-birth and gender information provided to the airline must also match your passport.

If you make your air travel arrangements through us, please ensure that the name you provide us precisely matches your name as shown on the identification you will use while traveling. If you make your own airline reservations, please ensure that the airline has the correct information.

For more information on the Secure Flight program, please visit the TSA web site by clicking here.

If you are traveling from an airport outside the jurisdiction of the U.S, you will need to determine what travel documentation and identification is required for that particular airport.

Due to heightened security regulations, certain items such as a metal nail file, pocketknife, cigarette lighter, or tweezers, and some liquid, gel, or aerosol items may not be permitted in your carry-on luggage. Please call your airline prior to departure to obtain current information on non-permissible carry-on items and recommended airport check-in times.

Air Services – Airfare may be purchased through us for travel originating in the United States. By using our air services, you agree that we, in purchasing, selling or otherwise arranging air transportation, are acting only as your agent and are not liable or responsible for any accident, death, personal injury, illness, property damage, delay or other loss or expense of any nature whatsoever arising directly or indirectly out of any act of God, or any actions or omissions (including any failure to provide services) or default of, any carrier. All carriers are independent contractors and are not owned, managed, controlled or operated by us. Your airline ticket constitutes a contract between yourself and the airline only, even if purchased through us. We are not liable for, and do not assume responsibility or accept claims with regard to seat assignments, schedule changes, flight changes, cancellations, claims for a refund or reimbursement of airline ticket fees, or any other loss incurred by you for any reason whatsoever (including, without limitation to, bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or similar relief from creditors). We must handle ticketing for our special fares, which are subject to availability and cannot be guaranteed until reserved. Our air services can only be purchased in conjunction with a one of our tours. Tickets or e-ticket numbers will be mailed with final documents. If you cancel or change your air booking before or after departure, all airline cancellation and change fees will apply.

Cruise Regulations – International maritime security guidelines require that your passport information be provided to the cruise line prior to 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, then, your passport will be held by the purser until you disembark.

Holiday and Museum Closures – Museum visits and personal shopping time may be disrupted due to unforeseen circumstances or the many state, religious and civic holidays locally observed. You may wish to log on to Wikipedia to view a list of holidays by country by clicking here.

Itinerary Changes and Price Flexibility – We pledge to make every effort to operate all cruises as advertised. We reserve the right to alter or curtail the itinerary, or substitute sightseeing, hotels, and/or conveyances as deemed necessary. Any savings realized by these changes will be refunded to you. Any resultant added expense will be covered by us. Although not expected, prices on this website may be modified due to unexpected significant external factors not forecast at the time of publication.

Journey Start and End Times are provided at time of booking. The tour begins at 6:30 PM at the Hotel Phoenicia Malta on the first day of the tour. You and your booking agent will be advised of any change to this schedule. Your tour ends at the Hotel Majestic Roma, a transfer to Leonardo da Vinci Airport in Fiumicino is included. Each carrier and each airport has different rules regarding how early you must arrive for flight check in. Please contact your individual carrier for this information.

Membership will be granted to all persons. We reserve the right to terminate the tour of any persons who are abusive of others or whose behavior disrupts the tour.

Photography on Tour – Occasionally, we will use photographs and/or video taken by fellow guests or your Tauck Director on your cruise for print, Internet and other media promotional purposes. If you prefer that your image not be used in any marketing activities, please notify your Tauck Director at the start of your tour.

 

Preparing to Go

Travel Document Requirements –

If you are a U.S. citizen, you will need a passport valid for six months beyond the completion of your Tauck journey to enter Italy and Malta; however, you will not need 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 citizen of another country, please contact a consulate or embassy of each of the countries on this itinerary to determine what travel documentation is required.

 

Please note that longer stays abroad for any purpose may require additional travel documentation.

You will be issued a boarding card, which you must present before embarking the ship in each port. This security measure also ensures that only Tauck guests are permitted onboard.

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, date of expiration and your citizenship, as well as the front and back sides of your driver’s license. 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 –

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 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. CBP also suggests that this note be notarized. 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 – All motor coaches, hotel rooms and Le Ponant are air conditioned for your comfort. European air conditioning should be considered as a climate-control system; most have three settings for the fan, plus a "cool" setting. Very few of the European systems actually have a temperature setting. In general, the amount of cool air that is produced from a European air conditioning system may be less than what you may be accustomed to in your own living environment.

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 – Coastal Italy in summer has very warm, if not hot, days and warm evenings, though at sea the evening breezes do provide cooler temperatures. Dress for comfort and convenience with a wardrobe that is adaptable and allows for layering. Generally, during the day, casual, comfortable, cotton clothing is recommended. Cool weather at higher elevations or at night will require warmer, layered clothing. For the welcome and farewell receptions, casual resort wear is appropriate; formal wear is never required for dining with your fellow guests at a Tauck provided dinner. When traveling abroad, you may have the opportunity to dine at an upscale restaurant on your own, which may require men to dress in coat and tie, and women in more elegant eveningwear.

Shipboard attire is casual and informal. The usual dinner dress aboard Le Ponant is also casual and relaxed; while a jacket and tie is not required, shorts and bathing attire are not appropriate at meal times. However, the captain's dinner aboard Le Ponant is an occasion for festive attire.

Valet laundry and dry-cleaning services are available for a fee at the hotels in Malta and Rome. Onboard, valet laundry and pressing services are available for a fee.

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.

Hairdryers are available at the hotels in Rome and Malta and aboard the ship. For safety reasons, curling and clothes irons are not permitted aboard the ship.

We suggest that you pack the following items your journey:

Elevation - The maximum elevation on this tour is 1,290 feet (366 meters) in Ravello on the Amalfi Coast. Most time is spent at sea level.

Health – Cruising the Mediterranean Sea is very relaxing and the pace is leisurely. 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. Our activities include visiting ancient towns and ruins, usually involving uneven terrain, cobblestone streets, and climbing many steps up steep hills in warm weather. Some ship to shore transportation is by Zodiac (capacity 9 to 12 persons) or local tender. Occasionally you will get wet with spray.

Le Ponant has four decks and no elevator.

Le Ponant has a licensed and registered French physician onboard for professional and emergency services, which are available at customary charges. The ships' 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.

We regret that we cannot accommodate wheelchairs on this cruise. We also cannot provide you with individual assistance for walking, dining or other personal needs. If you need such assistance, you must be accompanied by an able companion who will assist you.

On board the ship, certain outer decks have been designated as non-smoking areas. There is no smoking permitted in the interior of the ship.

Le Ponant is 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 Tauck as soon as possible, if you have not already done so. We will advise your Tauck Director accordingly.

The water on board the ship is potable, and complimentary bottled water is placed in your cabin each day. We also provide bottled water on the motor coaches.

If you are a resident of the U.S., no vaccinations are currently required for travel to Malta or Italy; however, an International Certificate of Vaccination for Yellow Fever is required for entry into Malta if you arrive in Malta within five days of leaving a country where yellow fever is endemic. For complete vaccination and inoculation information, contact your physician, the public health service in your area, or the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A. The Travelers' Health Section of the CDC operates a 24-hour, pre-recorded "Travelers' Health Hotline" at 877-394-8747 (toll-free in the U.S.). You may also log on to the CDC website by clicking here.

If you are a resident of another country, please contact an embassy or consulate of each of the countries on the itinerary to determine what vaccinations may be required for you to visit.

Luggage Restrictions-

Checked Luggage – General

While it is common for some 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. 

 

Cell Phones - We understand and appreciate the value of instant communication when we travel; it keeps us in touch with friends and family, and it's a reassurance in the event of an emergency. However, the use of cell phones can be disruptive to a tour and to other guests who are enjoying their vacation. As a courtesy to others, we ask that you refrain from using your cell phone while on the motor coach, during group functions, when sightseeing and when your Tauck Director is addressing the group as a whole. There will be many opportunities to make and receive calls at times when it does not affect others.

Please contact your cell phone carrier to determine limitations and services that exist for the destinations to which you are traveling.

Currency and Exchange Rates - The official currency in Italy and Malta is the Euro. Local currencies are generally most acceptable as payment and can be obtained at the foreign exchange counter at the hotel in Valletta upon arrival. All convertible currency can be exchanged at banks and foreign exchange bureaus, which are located at hotels, airports, and railroad and bus stations. ATMs offer convenience, very good exchange rates, and are widespread throughout the areas visited. For the best exchange rate, we suggest using major credit cards. American Express, Visa, and MasterCard are accepted in most locations on this itinerary. Travelers’ checks are not universally accepted and usually fees are charged to convert them. Contact your bank in advance of departure to determine whether you will be able to use your ATM and credit cards while traveling.

You may settle your shipboard account with Euros, U.S. dollars, American Express, Visa, MasterCard or U.S. travelers’ checks. There is no foreign exchange facility on board.

To obtain the most current exchange rates for all national currencies, you may want to check your local newspaper or log on to oanda.com by clicking here.

Customs and Tax-Free Shopping – You should familiarize yourself with each country's specific required customs declarations before you travel. In general, you are not permitted to bring live plants, fresh fruits and other produce items into most countries.

 

 

Italy levies a Value Added Tax (VAT) of approximately 20% on consumer purchases; Malta, 18%. (The tax rate may be higher for luxury items and lower for basic goods.) As a rule, if you are not a resident of the country (or of the country’s intergovernmental economic community, e.g., the European Union) in which the purchase is made, you may be entitled to a VAT refund and should inquire about the refund policy where you shop.

Electrical Current – The electrical current in Italy is 230 V, 50 Hz, AC, and in Malta, 240 V, 50 Hz. AC. On board Le Ponant the current is 220 V. If you bring electrical devices that are not compatible with these systems you should bring the appropriate adapters and converters.

Internet Access is available as indicated below:

Hotel Majestic Roma - Access is available in rooms and public areas for a fee. The Business Center is free of charge.
Le Ponant - Internet access is available for a fee, but please note that it can be very intermittent.
Hotel Phoenicia Malta - High-speed access is available in rooms; wireless access is available in public areas for a fee; the hotel has a Business Center

Time Zones – Italy and Malta are 1 hour ahead of Coordinated Universal Time (or Greenwich Mean Time). From late March to late October, these locations switch to Daylight Saving Time and are 2 hours ahead.

To determine current time in major cities around the world, we suggest you log on to timeanddate.com by clicking here.

Weather – Summer along the coast of Italy and in Malta ranges from very warm to hot, with temperatures often above 90°F (32°C) during the day and dropping only to 70°F (21°C) at night. In the fall the temperatures range from 60 to 80°F (16 to 27°C). Rainfall can occur anytime throughout the year, though August is the driest month.

Cancellation Fees – Regardless of reason, cancellations of confirmed bookings result in our incurring costly penalties and cancellation fees from our travel and hotel providers. Therefore, if you have to cancel a confirmed booking, we will charge you a cancellation fee according to when your cancellation notice is received in our Norwalk, CT office. To help limit your liability, please refer to Tauck Travel Protection on this webpage for more information.

If you choose not to purchase Tauck Travel Protection or Cancellation Fee Waiver, you will incur cancellation penalties per person as follows: