Evergreen Tours

Previously when you booked an Evergreen river cruise from Australia, you were cruising with their sister brand, Emerald Cruises, whose award-winning Star-Ships are premium floating hotels. So there has been a name change to bring the Emerald Cruises brand Downunder.

Yes, Evergreen has pre-paid certain tips and gratuities for you, including all drivers, local guides, porters (1 piece of luggage only), and meals included in your tour. Please note tipping is NOT included for meals, drinks, taxis and transfers that are not included as part of the tour.

Yes, Evergreen's Deposit Protection Plan must be purchased at the time your booking is made and may not be added at a later date. Read more here.

All passengers are required to possess a passport valid for 6 months beyond the conclusion of their trip.

Evergreen will supply a Health and Fitness form in your travel wallet. These forms are designed to provide Evergreen with instant information if an emergency should arise. These forms will be returned unopened at the completion of the tour. It is not compulsory to fill out these forms but is strongly recommended.

Evergreen strongly recommend a visit to your doctor and dentist prior to your tour. If you are aged 70 or over at the Tour Departure date you must provide Evergreen with a doctor's letter confirming you are fit and healthy enough to take part in the specified tour including reference to the itinerary, destinations and tour departure date.

You must advise Evergreen of any pre-existing medical conditions that might reasonably be expected to increase your risk of requiring medical attention, affect the normal conduct of the tour and/or the enjoyment of other tour members. You will be required to fill in Evergreen's Health and Fitness form and hand it to your Tour Director on the tour departure date.

Yes, and it's advisable to pack an ample supply of any medicine you are taking, copies of prescriptions and the telephone/fax number of your doctor. Because of strict drug laws in some countries, drugs you take on doctor's orders should be carried in their original container showing the prescription label. Always keep your medication in your hand luggage.

Some cruise ships do not have elevators, and ships that are equipped with elevators may not have elevator access to all decks. Wheelchair passengers should be aware that cabin doors and rest rooms are not wide enough to provide access for standard wheelchairs. Requests for disabled rooms must be made at the time of booking and are subject to availability. For safety reasons, passengers in wheelchairs cannot be carried on boarding ramps (which may be steep due to water levels) whilst the vessel is tied up or at anchor or on to motor coaches. Please let your Global Journeys Travel Advisor know of your particular needs to ensure you can travel on the trip of your choice.

There are medics that travel on board Holland America's ships.

Travel documents will be issued approximately 3 weeks prior to departure. If you need to receive your documents sooner, or need your documents sent to a different location for any reason, please be sure that you let your Global Journeys Travel Advisor know where to send them.

The luggage allowance is one suitcase with a maximum size of 76 x 53 x 28 cms (30 x 21 x 11'') and weight of 20 kilograms. You may also carry a small backpack, or the Evergreen issued backpack. Additional bags beyond the luggage allowance may incur additional charges and are to be settled directly to the hotel or as required. Please check with your Global Journeys Travel Advisor if you have any specific requirements.

Handling and porterage of your luggage (as per the luggage allowance above) is included in your tour. Additional bags beyond the allowance may be charged or it may be the responsibility of the passenger to forward the baggage to another destination. Luggage handling is not included during any independent or non-escorted touring. In this situation, luggage handling and porterage will need to be organised directly with the hotel porters. For security reasons, porterage around public transport including airports and train stations is your responsibility.

No, Evergreen request that you please wait until you have claimed your luggage at your destination airport. This will ensure airline companies will not tear off this tag, as it is required to easily identify your luggage for transfer services and hotels.

It is highly unlikely for your luggage to be mislaid; however, Evergreen suggest if travelling as a couple to pack each suitcase with back up clothes and toiletries for each person. Evergreen also suggest writing your personal and tour details on a label inside each suitcase (including name, address, telephone number, departure and return flight details). Write only your name and destination address on outside labels.

You are on holidays and therefore the dress code is relaxed. However, most Evergreen guests do observe smart casual for the many evening activities planned on tour. Perhaps include something a bit more elegant for the Welcome and Farewell dinners, although black tie and formal attire are not needed. Evergreen also recommend a mixture of light and medium weight clothing that can accommodate changing weather conditions including a waterproof jacket.

• Casual sportswear for daytime that can be mixed/matched/layered
• Jumper/warm jacket/gloves/hat/scarf for cooler mornings and nights
• Swimwear
• Comfortable walking shoes with rubber soles for good grip
• Sunglasses and sun hat

The following list may be useful when packing for your trip:

• Airline tickets and passport (plus extra photocopies and passport photos)
• Travel and travel insurance documentation, and itinerary (make a copy for your emergency contact)
• Cash, debit or credit card and emergency contact numbers if lost or stolen, plus local currency for first day and a money belt
• Spare memory cards and batteries for your digital camera or film in clear plastic containers
• Only those keys needed on return
• Personal medication and prescriptions, extra glasses/contacts and prescriptions
• Sunscreen, lip balm and insect repellent
• Pocket calculator, address book, journal and pens
• Tissues and anti-bacterial hand wipes or hand sanitiser
• Raincoat or umbrella
• Plastic bags for dirty laundry, washing powder and elastic clothesline
• Travel alarm clock, earplugs and sleep mask
• Adaptor plugs (onboard electricity is 220v) mobile phone charger, battery charger
• Face cloth / flannel
• Small torch and batteries (there is minimal lighting at remote locations)
• Overnight bag (for overnight rail journeys)
• First aid kit

Please Note: All hotels on tour provide towels, irons, hair dryers, soap and shampoo within the room.

If your flight arrives before noon (usually 14.00 is check-in time) at the city where your tour starts, the hotel may not have your room available until mid-afternoon. Evergreen endeavour to ensure that rooms are ready for your arrival times however this is not always possible, and it is outside their control. Some people use this time to explore the neighbourhood, shop or relax in the hotel public areas. On arrival at your hotel, please check to see if your Tour Director has already posted tour information in the foyer.

On certain occasions, for operational or local reasons, it may be necessary for Evergreen to change your hotel accommodation or a brochured attraction in a particular location. If this does occur, you will be notified of such changes as soon as possible.

Evergreen's DiscoverMORE activities are subject to availability, operational and seasonal factors. All activities can be reserved, subject to availability with the Evergreen Tour Director whilst on tour unless otherwise stated. Please note a minimum number of people are required for some activities to operate.

When staying in a hotel you can generally arrange laundry direct with the hotel although it can be costly. Some hotels will provide an iron for you upon request. There are also laundromats in certain towns and cities. Evergreen recommend checking with your Tour Director for more specific details.

Your holiday is a special time and Evergreen's Tour Directors make all the difference. From your very first day their warm greetings and professionalism signal the start of a wonderful rapport. For all land tours you will have the services of a Tour Director who has your best interests at heart and will take care of all arrangements for you.

Yes. If you have not already advised your Global Journeys Travel Advisor at the time of booking, please let your Tour Director know at the start of the tour any special needs or dietary requirements so they can be best accommodated. Remember your favourite food items will not always be available.

Be mindful that meals on your trip will often reflect the local cuisine and delicacies, which may be different to what you are normally accustomed to. Your dining experiences will certainly enhance your tour and introduce you to the local region and culture.

Evergreen Explorer is a program for people who have travelled with Evergreen Cruises & Tours. The program offers members that extra level of service, member only tour offers, recognition when on tour, fun member competitions and special savings off your next holiday with Evergreen. Read more here.

Yes. Membership is free and an automatic entitlement once you have travelled once with Evergreen Cruises & Tours.

Membership is free and automatic after you have travelled with Evergreen. You retain your membership and access to member benefits for life. There is no requirement for additional travel. As you travel with Evergreen you progress to the higher tiers of Gold and Diamond where you'll receive even greater benefits at each higher tier. There are three levels of membership:

• Evergreen Explorer Silver
• Evergreen Explorer Gold
• Evergreen Explorer Diamond

No. Membership is automatic and limited to those who have previously toured with Evergreen on a paid Evergreen cruise and/or tour.

No. Silver, Gold, or Diamond membership is valid for life and you can only move upward in tier status as you reach higher qualifying levels: from Silver tier status to Gold status and from Gold tier status to Diamond tier status. Tier status is never downgraded as in some other loyalty programs.

No. Please make sure that your Global Journeys Travel Advisor includes your exact name and address as per your previous Evergreen trip. The Evergreen reservations consultant will be able to search for your past record.

The Welcome Home Vouchers are sent within 8 weeks of arriving home from your trip. The vouchers are then valid for 24 months. Please note this is within 24 months of the date you book your next trip, not when you travel.

As sister brands, Evergreen and Emerald Cruises guests are valued members of the Explorer program and can earn points and redeem member benefits on Evergreen and Emerald Cruises bookings.

Evergreen Explorer is a separate program to the Scenic Club loyalty program operated by Scenic Tours. Individuals may have membership of both Evergreen Explorer and Scenic Club. Benefits are not interchangeable or transferable between Evergreen Explorer and Scenic Club. However, individuals who complete a Scenic Tours trip may choose to have that tour count towards their Evergreen Explorer membership and tier status assessment. Should they do so, it will not also count towards their Scenic Club membership or tier status and the transfer cannot be reversed. Please note, individuals who complete an Evergreen trip may NOT have that tour count towards their Scenic Club membership and tier status assessment.

Points are calculated on days travelled.

Airport transfers are only available on the first and last day of your tour and at times Evergreen designate. Transfers outside these times will be at your expense and must be secured by your own arrangements. Passengers who have purchased Evergreens pre and post hotel accommodation and airfares (through Evergreen & Global Journeys) will be provided airport transfers to/from their hotel in the tour start or end city only, on the day of the pre or post accommodation booking. No refund will be given for unused transfers.

If you miss the pre-booked transfer, you will be responsible for making your own way to the Tour departure point, at your own expense. Airport transfers may be group transfers scheduled to coincide with multiple flight arrival times.