1. Terms & Conditions

Tour services are provided by Alaska Adventure Unlimited (hereinafter referred to as AAU), whose name in full appears below. When you purchase an AAU tour by placing a deposit, you agree with AAU terms and conditions.

Alaska Adventure Unlimited (AAU) / Anchors Away Cruise Outlet / AKBL 2136219 / AKBL 2179285 PO Box 871681 Wasilla, AK 99687

AAU shall provide itinerary management and transportation to your tour services including accommodations/activities provided by our preferred operators/vendors during the first six days of your tour itinerary guided by AAU. Unguided days offer transportation by the preferred vendors booked on those specific days based on the selected itinerary. These days are booked by AAU but provided by the preferred vendors. The terms and conditions shall conform to those specified for your tour itinerary, conditions as specified below.

4. Documents, Invoices, and Final Tour Itinerary

AAU shall submit a written tour itinerary, details of the services, and other tour conditions, via email for final documents. If your reservation is made within 30 days prior to tour departure, the final tour itinerary shall be presented on or by the departure date. The scope of travel services for which AAU is liable in arranging and administering the itinerary is specified in the terms and conditions below and in the final tour itinerary.

5. Tour Fare

The Tour Fare shall be paid no later than February 15 of the year of departure. When your reservation is made on or after the 15th day of February, the tour fare shall be paid immediately upon booking. Tour fares (inclusive of tour deposits and any additional charges), will be owed and payable, from the date of reservation even without a signature. Children do not have a lower fare unless they are a 3rd or 4th guest in a room and are listed as a triple or quad occupant. The fare is indicated for each tour itinerary.

6. Included in the Tour Fare

The following may include items unrelated to the tours you choose. Please note that the items included in the tour fare are only those specified in AAU itineraries. In principle, AAU will not make refunds for the below fare even if you choose not to use the relevant services.

Hotel Rooms: Rooms with private bath are provided at the hotels in our block space or separately booked on each itinerary. A client traveling alone is requested to book a single room occupancy by choice or circumstances, extra charges will be required. A triple room may be provided as a double occupancy room with one extra bed added.

Meals: Meals may or may not be included, based on the tour you select. Some tours include a sack lunch in Denali National Park, lunch onboard a Kenai Fjords Day Cruise, a breakfast/dinner on Gold Star Rail, and continental breakfasts at participating accommodations, these are not guaranteed unless specified in the tour itinerary.  Meal plans are enumerated on each itinerary.

Railways: Some tours have multi-transportation options due to 6 guided days and some rail unguided days. Rail is operated by Alaska Railroad and subject to their policies and conditions. Adventure Class service or Gold Star Class service is provided depending on selected tour packages unless upgrades are purchased or guests select another option in writing.

Park Fees: National Park fees are included where it is part of the itinerary unless otherwise stated.

Excursions: Tours are operated by an AAU vehicle, except on select excursions that may include taxi, motorcoach, and/or sightseeing boat or plane on a seat-sharing basis, as well as rail previously mentioned. Also included are administration fees to cultural centers, museums, parks, etc. mentioned in each itinerary.

Transfers: Transfers are supplied by AAU vehicle, some courtesy shuttles are available by hotels, third-party transfer service booked by AAU, or a taxi/Uber if stated in the itinerary. Transfers to or from the airport before/after your tour are not included on select tours but can be purchased.

Baggage: The transfer and handling of two pieces of baggage, one standard size (up to 50 lbs.) and one carry-on per person are included. However, at certain times and places, this service is not included owing to limited baggage capacity on trains and/or ships and the unavailability of porters at stations, hotels, and/or airports. Baggage restrictions apply when traveling to specific remote lodges. For example, on the Full Circle Alaska tour, there is a day when a soft-sided 30 lb. limit is required for a flight out to a remote lodge. This bag will be provided, and your luggage stored until your return. If you require more luggage due to continuing travel on a cruise ship or other destinations, there is a storage service available which may incur a fee. Ask your agent.

Guide Services: An Alaskan resident is the driver/guide for sightseeing adventures offered by AAU. These resident guides are resident persons with local knowledge of the area, some flora/fauna knowledge, and local stories of their lives lived in Alaska. They are not experts in biology and geology nor are they certified naturalists. Excursions provided by contracted vendors supply their own guides, with their guidelines for service and knowledge. For rail segments, except in cases specified in each itinerary, the AAU guide will not accompany the tour. A vendor-supplied assistant will be provided for pick-up and meeting services.

Beverages: Complimentary beverages such as bottled water, soda, or juice are provided while traveling in the AAU vehicle. Meal time or evening drinks are at your cost. Alcohol is not allowed in the vehicle in open containers at any time but is available for purchase both at local restaurants as well as provided stops at convenience stores.

Airlines: Domestic or International flights are not sold by AAU. Small plane excursions are contracted with local vendors and their policies and conditions apply. Sightseeing flights are included where stated in the itinerary.

Note: In principle, AAU will not make refunds for the above fare even if you choose not to use all or some of the relevant services.

7. Not Included in the Tour Fare

Charges and expenses other than those specified in the preceding article are not included, such as: laundry, telephone, additional meals and drinks, and any other expenses of personal nature; international and domestic airfares; airport departure taxes; airport transfers; excess baggage (pieces: 3 or more); gratuities to any vendor guides, hotel porters, and chauffeurs are additional and optional; medical expenses for injuries and illness; traveling and accommodation costs between arrival/departure and the start and end points of the itinerary. Transfers to the beginning departure point and from the ending departure point of the tour are not included. Travel Insurance is optional.

12. Cancellation of Tour by the Client

You are at all times entitled to cancel your tour; however, AAU tours are non-refundable. If you change the departure day or any transportation/accommodations for your convenience, AAU may consider it a cancellation of the entire tour, and cancellation charges will apply. Cancellations due to unforeseen circumstances may be covered by an optional Travel Insurance policy purchased by the guest.

13. Cancellation of Tour by AAU

If you have not paid the tour fare final payment by the prescribed date, AAU may cancel your reservation. In such cases, the cancellation charge will be your deposit. In any of the following cases, AAU may cancel your reservation and tour: When it becomes evident that you do not satisfy the age, qualification, skill, or other requirements specified by AAU for participation in the tour; when you are recognized as unfit to join the tour owing to illness or for other reasons, such as a positive Covid-19 test; when there is evidence that you threaten to cause other participants inconvenience or might otherwise interfere with the smooth performance of the collective activities of the tour. When AAU cancels your tour, it shall review the cancellation reasons and determine the refund amount of the tour fare (or deposit) if any is due, received from you.

When the necessary conditions for a tour activity, as clearly stated at the conclusion of the terms and conditions cannot materialize, such as insufficient snowfall for ski tours, insufficient water levels for raft tours, or when there is a valid reason to believe that the required conditions cannot be met, AAU, even with a non-refundable clause, may choose to offer a future travel credit. In the event of a natural calamity or disaster, poor weather conditions, civil disturbance, suspension of services related to transportation, accommodations, etc., governmental orders, or other circumstances beyond AAU control, and when safe, and smooth tour operation according to the itinerary specified has become impossible, or there is a valid reason to believe that the multi-day tour cannot continue, no refund is due, and AAU reserves the right to offer a future tour credit.

When AAU cancels either your reservation or your multi-day tour outside of the above reasons, it shall refund payment when it is within AAU’s control.

14. Cancellation Charge

If you cancel for personal reasons, the following cancellation policy will apply to your tour fare. If you are part of a private group, guests remaining on the tour will incur the balance of additional per-seat costs associated with the change in number of participants. The following applies to cancellations of the tour spaces:

Cancellation Policy Cancellation Charge

(1) If notice of cancellation is received after the deposit and before Feb. 15th, year of departure: 50% of the tour fare or 100% of the deposit

(2) If notice of cancellation is received after final payment or on or after Feb. 15th, year of departure 100% of the tour fare. 

15. Cancellation Following Departure

Cancellation by Client: When you leave the tour group for personal reasons, AAU will consider it a forfeiture of contracted rights and claim to any refund.

Cancellation by AAU: AAU may cancel your tour after the departure date in the following cases: When you are unable to continue the tour owing to illness or other factors. When you seem to disturb the order of collective activities of tour participants by negligence of instruction from the tour conductor or violent deeds or menace towards these people or those accompanying them, which otherwise jeopardizes safe, smooth tour operation; when the tour cannot continue owing to natural disaster, weather conditions, civil unrest, labor disputes, suspension of services by transportation or accommodation facilities, governmental orders, or other causes beyond AAU control. Effect of cancellation and refund: If AAU cancels your tour in accordance hereinabove, travel services rendered or not rendered to you shall be deemed as having been completed. No refund will be given. When AAU cancels your tour in accordance with the hereinabove, AAU shall, at your expense, help make necessary arrangements as requested for return to the point of departure.

17. Itinerary Management

AAU partners with activity vendors in creating tour itineraries. When AAU confirms, owing to inclement weather or other conditions, that you may not be able to receive the specified tour services on either the accompanied or unaccompanied portion of the tour itinerary, AAU shall take all necessary measures to ensure that you will receive alternate tour services, unless the service is an optional activity procured by you on your own behalf. In such instances, AAU shall make every effort to create a revised tour itinerary to serve the purpose of the original one. Certain vendor activities, such as bear viewing, will require guests to be responsible for procuring the desired services after being provided with vouchers and/or confirmations by AAU.

Tour driver/guide shall be licensed as an authorized driver by the State of Alaska. The guide/driver shall ensure the safety of guests and smooth operation of the tour. You shall be required to follow the instructions of the guide/driver so that the tour can unfold safely and smoothly. Hours during which the guide/driver renders services shall, in principle, be from 08:00 AM to 08:00 PM. A guide/driver shall not accompany you on vendor activities.

18. Liability of AAU and Exemptions

In performing its obligations, should AAU cause damage to you through willful negligence or fault, AAU shall be liable for such damages. However, this only applies if the damage report is made within 2 years reckoned from the day following the occurrence of the damage. AAU shall not be liable for damages incurred by you if any of the following reasons apply: Fire, natural disaster, war, civil unrest, accidents during transportation or accommodations, and alteration or cancellation of tour itinerary due to such causes.

AAU shall additionally not be liable or compensate for delays, stoppages, changes of schedule and route, tour itinerary alterations and/or cessation of services related to transportation, accommodation, and tour activities owing to such causes: Orders of either US or foreign governments, immigration regulations, isolation resulting from infectious diseases/viruses, accidents occurring during your activities; food poisoning; theft; bad weather and natural disasters, war, civil unrest, governmental orders, suspension of services involving transportation or accommodations, provision of transport services different from the original schedule, necessary measures to prevent tour participant harm.

20. Itinerary Booking Guarantee

AAU tours are planned months in advance and they may include the services of other independent suppliers e.g. accommodation providers, activity vendors, vehicle hire companies, ferries, rail, etc. Since we do not have control over such suppliers, we reserve the right to make certain changes to the tours. Changes to tours will normally be minor. Example of minor changes would be reversing an itinerary or reversing select days, so long as all original components are still provided. If AAU makes significant changes to the tour arrangements, you will be contacted and given a choice to accept the change or select an alternative tour. Even if major changes occur in the initial itinerary contents, AAU shall not pay compensation if they are changes listed on the Final Tour Itinerary, and the changes are within the scope of services states in AAU tours.

AAU shall not provide compensation when the order which tour services are provided changes from those originally stipulated when all services are provided during the tour.