# Alaska Cruise - Activities and advice required



## RChauhan (Jan 29, 2017)

My wife and I are going on a cruise to Alaska in May this year. The itinerary includes Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan & Glacier Bay.

I would love some advice on what to do and see from those of you who live there or have been there. We would live to see whales and bears.

Equipment wise, I want to travel light so here is the shortlist - 70D & 550D, Tokina 11-16 f/2.8, 24-105L f/4, 100-400L m1 + 1.4xIII, tripod, clamp, CPL & ND. Advise here would be greatly appreciated as well.


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## beforeEos Camaras (Jan 29, 2017)

RChauhan said:


> My wife and I are going on a cruise to Alaska in May this year. The itinerary includes Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan & Glacier Bay.
> 
> I would love some advice on what to do and see from those of you who live there or have been there. We would live to see whales and bears.
> 
> Equipment wise, I want to travel light so here is the shortlist - 70D & 550D, Tokina 11-16 f/2.8, 24-105L f/4, 100-400L m1 + 1.4xIII, tripod, clamp, CPL & ND. Advise here would be greatly appreciated as well.


what cruse line? I and my wife took Norwegian one of the best side trips we too was the white line railroad to the Canadian border the 11-16 will be a must if you take it also victora is one of your stops the burchis gardens is a must


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## Random Orbits (Jan 30, 2017)

My family liked the Skagway White Pass and Yukon rail ride. We also did the whale watch in Juneau. The scenery for the whale watch was great and the 100-400 will come in handy. We saw seals/sea lions. We saw whales but they weren't breaching when we saw whales off Boston. We also saw goats and bears on the White Pass rail ride, so the 100-400 may come in handy there. The totems at Ketchikan and the salmon hatchery are other good options to see.

The UWA and the normal range will be used most. Didn't bring a tripod but didn't miss it either. We were usually on the move, and you spend the nights on the boat, which isn't conducive to long exposures.


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## scottkinfw (Jan 30, 2017)

I went on Royal Caribbean with my son a few years back.
Kayak rental is fun.
If you can swing it, the land tour including Denali tour was well worth it. We saw the big 5 up close and personal.
My son enjoyed a zip line, can't remember where, but it was billed as longest or highest or whatever.
We both went on a whale watching trip and saw tons of humpback whales, well worth it.
All of the above are add on.
Also, we got a room with balcony (very small indeed), and this was well worth it because depending on time of year, you can sit outside with little total darkness (check how long daylight is however).
See if you can get close to a glacier (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mendenhall_Glacier) and experience icebergs being calved.
Have fun.
esk


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## AcutancePhotography (Jan 30, 2017)

RChauhan said:


> Equipment wise, I want to travel light so here is the shortlist - 70D & 550D, Tokina 11-16 f/2.8, 24-105L f/4, 100-400L m1 + 1.4xIII, tripod, clamp, CPL & ND. Advise here would be greatly appreciated as well.



All depends on the types of tours you have booked. 

If you are doing tours arranged through the cruise line, this is too much equipment. When we went on our cruise we took one camera one lens and found that to be sufficient due to the crowds and time constraints. I think your 24-105 will be more than enough.

Now if you are booking private tours or going off by yourself, then bring more kit. But since this appears to be your first Alaska cruise and you are probably booking shared tours, I think that your listed kit is far too much and you won't have the time nor the space to need any of that. 

Besides you will be too busy enjoying the beauty of nature.. Hope you enjoy your trip. We sure did.


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## Cory (Jan 30, 2017)

We did the Seattle back to Seattle one a few summers ago with Princess. 
Your gear looks perfect. If you like, some of my Alaska pics are at www.flickr.com/photos/corysteiner/ 
If it's Princess Cruise Lines our Naturalist was Kathy Slamp and we hung on to every jewel that came out of her mouth. When she spoke we ran as quickly as possible to wherever she was.
In Juneau we did the gold panning/salmon bake excursion which was insanely outstanding.
In Ketchikan we did the Wildlife Excursion which was a small boat of awesomeness that there's not a word yet invented for.
In Skagway we did the mush dog breeding kennel excursion which was just phenomenal.
I had my Canon t1i, standard zoom and 100-400. Both were used a lot and I didn't feel the need for anything else. An UWA may have been nice, but I think I'm glad to have had minimal/useful gear.


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## D. (Jan 30, 2017)

Definitely go see the Misty Fiords National Monument at your stop in Ketchikan. Not to be missed!


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## meckley (Jan 30, 2017)

The whale watching & Mendenhall Glacier photograph tour was great. The photography advice was basic, but the glacier and whale watching was great. We had a whale surface and dive under the boat! Sadly, I had the 100-400 with a 1.4 extender on just as it surfaced!! I loved the snorkeling in Ketchikan and I took my Sealife DC1400 along just for that.

I really liked the White Pass & Yukon Route Railroad, but it was foggy when we first started to climb up the mountain. The fog did make for some nice pictures.

In Glacier Bay and College Fjord were great. You have to be ready to catch pictures of the glaciers calving. Our best pictures were off of the stern as we started to leave the area. I could tell by the way the glacier was calving, that a large section was ready to come down. It did just as the ship was leaving!


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## RChauhan (Feb 17, 2017)

Thanks for all the advise. Based on the options available, we are considering the following. What do you think?

*Juneau*
-Medenhall Glacier
-Whale watching
OR
-Pack Creek Bear viewing

*Skagway*
Some combitarion of:
-White Pass, Klondike & Yukon
OR
-Kroschel Wildlife Refuge

*Ketchikan*
-Rainforest Canopy Zipline - can you take cameras here?

Regarding the tripod, I will not be taking it to Alaska but need it for Lake Tahoe which is also on our list.


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## HB (Feb 17, 2017)

Hi, as a retirement treat my wife and I traveled from Scotland to cruise the inside passage to Seward from Vancouver on the Celebrity Millennium, May/June last year. What an experience it turned out to be.
I had my 7D MKII, 100-400 MKII +1.4 iii and a 17/50 2.8 for scenery and "snaps", no tripod which I didn't really miss and felt I had all bases covered. The zoom was rarely of the camera as wildlife and particularly the birds was my mission.
The Whale watching from icy strait point drew many positive remarks from fellow passengers, where I encountered my first wood thrush, a Swainsons. 
A cable car trip up mount Roberts at Juneau was memorable, woodland birds, Alpine plants and spectacular scenery.
Don't be too perturbed if you feel your not getting the shots you want at the Hubbard glacier to begin with, the only time we were allowed up on the bow of the ship, pick a high point and as the ship turns your time will come but DO have plenty of layers of clothing on plus hat. 
The ship presents quite a presence as far as the birds are concerned and take flight pretty early and the truth is if it wasn't for my images to review later would have struggled to identify quite a few as they were mostly all new species for me, whales and porpoise, seals and sea otter were almost daily from the balcony which I had to tear myself away from when sailing, imagine having to sleep whilst there was still daylight outside.
We did venture into Denali from Anchorage, as mentioned elsewhere well worth it. Bears, moose, caribou, even more alpine plants but my highlight Gyr falcon by it's breeding site.
I can't possibly cover all highlights but I came away not feeling I needed anymore equipment and as I had my laptop to store images daily so memory cards weren't an issue though did have to battery change daily.
We finished the trip on Vancouver island for four days, staying in Victoria, also as mentioned Butchart gardens was a real treat, so much wildlife attracted by all the beautiful plants.
Hope this helps.
To the wider Rumours community, my first post, first started viewing a couple of years ago and can't thank you enough for all you have taught me. Cheers.


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## njene (Feb 28, 2017)

We did Holland America cruise a few years ago, pretty much the same itinerary.

In Juneau we did a whale watch tour, very small group , in Auke Bay, no more than 10 people total. I think we paid $180 pp so it wasnt cheap, but with a small group your not fighting for space on the deck to shoot.

We did a bus tour into Carcross Yukon when we were in Skagway, which was very nice, lots of rugged landscape shots in Yukon.

Glacier Bay was phenomenal! We had clear skies and bright sunshine, absolutly perfect and watching the glaciers calving was unbelievable. Off the boat we saw humphacks and were followed by a huge pod of dolphins one afternoon.

We saw Bears when we visit Mendenhall Glacier.

Remember to dress in layers, Alaskan weather is all over the map. Wide angle for landscapes, and landscapes are sweeping there, but zoom for wildlife, and your pretty much set. Looks like you have what you need.

Whatever you decide to do, it will be spectacular. Enjoy your photography, and dont forget to put down the camera from your eye, and just take in the moment and enjoy it.


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