Victoria

Technically no, in practice yes. U.S. citizens on a closed-loop Alaska cruise that begins and ends in Seattle can sail with a certified birth certificate plus government photo ID, or an Enhanced Driver's License — Victoria is a foreign port but the WHTI closed-loop exception covers it. Carry a passport anyway. If you have a medical disembarkation in Victoria or need to fly home from Vancouver, you're entering Canada and re-entering the U.S. by air, both of which require the passport book. Non-U.S. citizens follow standard Canadian entry rules regardless of itinerary.

Only if your ship is in past 10pm and you book a tour with guaranteed return. The gardens are 22 km north of Ogden Point — figure 30–40 minutes each way by coach, plus 90 minutes on site. Summer evenings include illumination after sunset and Saturday fireworks in July and August, which is when the gardens earn the trip. On a 5pm–11pm call in May or September with sunset around 8pm, you're paying CAD $40+ admission to walk through a dark garden. Skip it and do the Inner Harbour instead.

The Inner Harbour core is a 30-minute flat walk along Dallas Road: Empress Hotel, BC Parliament Buildings (lit at night, photogenic), Bastion Square, the harbourfront restaurants. The Royal BC Museum and Beacon Hill Park are within that same loop. Fisherman's Wharf with its food kiosks and harbour seals is closer — about 20 minutes. Anything farther — Craigdarroch Castle, Chinatown's deeper blocks, Oak Bay — needs a cab or transit.

Some, not most. The Royal BC Museum closes at 5pm year-round, so a 5pm arrival means you've missed it unless you skip Alaska's first sea day and visit on a different trip. Inner Harbour pubs and casual restaurants stay open until 10pm or later. The tourist-grade shops on Government Street mostly close by 9pm in summer, earlier in shoulder season. Tim Hortons and a few late-night spots in the Bastion Square area cover the post-10pm window.

Cards work everywhere; that's the simple answer. Tap and chip-and-PIN are universal. Many cruise-corridor businesses (the shuttle, gift shops near the pier, some Inner Harbour bars) will accept USD cash but they'll give you change in CAD at a rate that favors them. If you're doing more than a quick walk, pull CAD $40–60 from a bank ATM (CIBC, RBC, Scotiabank) at downtown branches and decline dynamic currency conversion. Tipping convention is Canadian — 15–20% on bills, in CAD.

Light-touch but real. CBSA officers process passengers as you leave the pier; bring whatever ID you boarded the ship with (passport strongly preferred). Standard Canadian rules apply: no cannabis brought ashore even though it's legal in B.C., no firearms, no fresh produce or unsealed meat. Alcohol bought aboard stays aboard — don't try to walk off with the lido-deck wine. The line moves; the questions are brief; the officers have heard your joke before.