We are planning a "family" cruise in August 2010. Because my wife and son are not photographers, we will be doing a larger boat (like Holland America) cruise. We do plan to have a balcony room and I will have my gear with me.
I know it isn't the most "recommended" for a photographer, but any insights you folks might have about itinerary, cruise lines, etc., would be most appreciated.
Posted by David Taylor on June 28, 2009 at 2:56 PM
I have friends who have traveled via larger cruise ship through both the Prince William Sound (PWS) and the Inside Passage. They have always had a great time, but as you admitted, they are not geared towards the advanced photographer, because of your limited mobility & itinerary options. Not sure what your price range is, but I would consider Cruise West. They are smaller boats (around 100 passengers vs Holland America's offerings - which are still spectacular - at around 1000-1500+ passengers). Cruise West is more costly, but they offer amazing opportunities - for photographers & their families. Regardless, you are sure to have a great time.
As for gear - bring a tripod for shore-bound ops. I'd recommend a flexible kit, everything from ultra wide angle to a decent tele zoom, perhaps a 100-400 IS (Canon), 80-400 VR (Nikon), or similar. They are smaller sized lenses, lightweight, and offer a great range of focal lengths. Also consider purchasing (if you don't own one already) a camera "water jacket". If you are looking to do it on the cheap, the Storm Jacket is an option.
http://www.warmcards.com/SJ1.html
A good investment would be purchasing a cover made by Kata - it's what I use & trust:
http://www.kata-bags.com/product.asp?p_Id=229&Version=Photo
You may want to post a copy of your question/post in the All Topics area as well. Most Alaskan's may not know much about cruise line options (although, many of us do have a general distaste for Princess & her partners...), simply because we live here and haven't used a cruise line in Alaskan waters - we usually go someplace warm
Have a blast, and feel free to ask questions - I'm happy to help.
Dave: Thanks for your input. I looked at the Cruise West materials and that will definitely be filed away for future. Looks like a trip for a couple serious photographers. Not currently in the "Budget" for a family trip where the other members are not as avid about photography as me and want to have other "interests" met too. I am sure this will be my "first" foray into Alaska, with others in years to come.
I'm afraid I don't know much about the big cruises; I have family members who have done them, but the closest I've come to the the big boats is cursing the wakes they leave when I am kayaking... Look hard at the side excursions from Ketchikan, Juneau and around Glacier Bay. Those will give you far superior photo ops, and might entrance non-photographers as well.
Posted by Ron Niebrugge on June 29, 2009 at 11:05 PM
I was given an Alaskan cruise on Holland America as a gift from my former employer, and although it wouldn't be my choice for travel, it was actually a lot of fun. We went from Vancouver to Seward which was nice as we finished at home.
I was very happy with Holland America, but can't really offer any comparisons. I'm partial to a ship that begins or ends in Southcentral Alaska (Seward or Whittier) because I think you get to see more variety. I would much rather do one of those trips then one that just covered Southeast. I would make sure I either started or stopped in Vancouver and not Seattle
I would pick an itinerary that included Glacier Bay, that is a beautiful area. If you have a choice, Skagway is my favorite town in Southeast Alaska, although our cruise didn't stop there. Almost all the ships stop in Ketchikan. Doing a Misty Fjords flight tour is probably your best bet there. If you are limited on funds, go with the zip-line tour. Juneau is a great place to see whales, that would be my pick there, and I think all the ships include Juneau. Granted you are going to see a lot of whales from your ship, but for a good photo opp, the whale boat tour will get you much closer. If you can afford it, the helicopter tour out of Juneau to the Icefield would be a highlight. If you do hit Skagway, I would ride the historic railroad - that is a wonderful trip. In Sitka, the totem park is very pretty. I have seen whales out of Sitka, but it isn't as likely as Juneau.
Once you have an established itinerary, I'm sure we could offer further advice and opinions if you are interested.
The one week out-and back cruises (depart and return to the same port) don't get as far north as the one-way cruises that sail Seward-Vancouver (or similar) The one-way trips make for a better experience, but cost more for the whole trip (you save money if you fly into and back out of the same city). In August, the glaciers will be their bluest - the snow cover from the previous winter will be all gone - great shooting time. Early August is better for whales than late - that's intruding on the time of year when they begin departing southward for their winter seas. Juneau has many excellent whale watching cruises to choose from. I second the advice on Misty Fjords - the flight is expensive but unlike anything else I've ever done - landing in over a waterfall onto a mountaintop lake and standing on the pontoons is unforgetable.
Talk to the ship's photographers about the best locations on board for seeing/shooting the glaciers in whatever bay you enter, and how early to get out there - they will know. Everyone on board will be out on deck at that point, so moving around to hunt for a vantage point at that point will be too late.
Thanks for the good advice. A lot of it is in line with what I was finding. We have been waffling between the RT and one-way. Sounds like the one-way makes for a better experience. I have been looking at trips that include Skagway (for the railroad) and Glacier Bay. Great advice on talking to the ships photographers. I should probably seek them out at the beginning of the cruise.
I'd sure be tempted to go with Princess, one-way to Seward followed by a train ride to Anchorage and Denali, with at least a day of bus touring in Denali. We haven't done it ourselves, but have talked to lots of folks who added the train and Denali to the end of the cruise. Worth every penny and then some according to accounts from both photographers and non-photographers. If your budget and itinerary allow, schedule a Kenai Fjords tour out of Seward while you're at it.
Just to clarify, Princess and Carnival go into Whittier, Holland America and Royal Caribbean into Seward, but Whittier is very close the Seward, and Hank's advice is still applicable - and a great suggestion.
Shows you how long it's been since I visited Seward in summer!
Another PLUS for Seward is the Sea Life Center. Their bird exhibit gives you closeup shots of northern marine species you truly won't see anywhere else, plus the seal and sea lion tanks offer great above- and below-water views. Some of the fish tanks are notable too. Nice place to wile away a long afternoon.
Can you guess I really like Seward? Don't forget the short walk (asphalt trail, even) to Exit Glacier. Nice, close views of blue ice, as well as some excellent landscape opportunities when you wander down the watershed from the glacier.
I have been to AK twice. My first time I was lucky enough to be selected for a 5 day pass to the McNeil River Grizzly Sanctuary. Needless to say THAT was fantastic. But my wife and daughter did not go along. I wanted to show them the super AK scenery and decided to go back on a cruise. We took the Holland America Veendam cruise from Seward to Vancouver. We took this cruise in May. That was the bad part. If you go, I would go in July or early Aug. The wildlife wasn't all that evident in May. The Veendam stopped in Juneau, Ketchikan and Haines. In Haines we took the Chilkat Eagle Preserve boat tour. We saw several moose but the driver of the boat never waited long enough for them to come back around after the sound of the engines scared them away. That meant 400mm VR time. In July or Aug the river should have more wildlife around. Eagles were around but certainly not the 100s that you would see in the fall. (I didn't expect that of course.)
You should be able to get some good panning shots of eagles. My best one actually came off the deck of the Veendam since the eagles were pretty plentiful in town as well.
In Juneau we did the Mendhall Glacier. The bus driver told us that in July or early Aug you would probably see bears right off the road feeding off the salmon runs. In the afternoon I would suggest the MT. Roberts Tramway ride BUT don't book that on the cruise. The price is the same when you get there and very often the top of the Mt. is socked in with fog and you can't see anything. The clouds broke just as we docked so the view was super. You may also spot wildlife pop out here and there if you do some hiking on the trails on the MT top.
Ketchikan I would suggest the Totem Bight State Park. We actually took the tour bus for really cheap money. It is less commercial than Saxman and more rural as well as near the water. You also got to mingle with the locals which was fun too.
I would also suggest that you go a few days early if you can and take a ride up to Denali. Needless to say that will yield LOTS of photo ops ! Any questions just email me.
Discussion
12 repliesI know it isn't the most "recommended" for a photographer, but any insights you folks might have about itinerary, cruise lines, etc., would be most appreciated.
As for gear - bring a tripod for shore-bound ops. I'd recommend a flexible kit, everything from ultra wide angle to a decent tele zoom, perhaps a 100-400 IS (Canon), 80-400 VR (Nikon), or similar. They are smaller sized lenses, lightweight, and offer a great range of focal lengths. Also consider purchasing (if you don't own one already) a camera "water jacket". If you are looking to do it on the cheap, the Storm Jacket is an option.
http://www.warmcards.com/SJ1.html
A good investment would be purchasing a cover made by Kata - it's what I use & trust:
http://www.kata-bags.com/product.asp?p_Id=229&Version=Photo
You may want to post a copy of your question/post in the All Topics area as well. Most Alaskan's may not know much about cruise line options (although, many of us do have a general distaste for Princess & her partners...), simply because we live here and haven't used a cruise line in Alaskan waters - we usually go someplace warm
Have a blast, and feel free to ask questions - I'm happy to help.
I was very happy with Holland America, but can't really offer any comparisons. I'm partial to a ship that begins or ends in Southcentral Alaska (Seward or Whittier) because I think you get to see more variety. I would much rather do one of those trips then one that just covered Southeast. I would make sure I either started or stopped in Vancouver and not Seattle
I would pick an itinerary that included Glacier Bay, that is a beautiful area. If you have a choice, Skagway is my favorite town in Southeast Alaska, although our cruise didn't stop there. Almost all the ships stop in Ketchikan. Doing a Misty Fjords flight tour is probably your best bet there. If you are limited on funds, go with the zip-line tour. Juneau is a great place to see whales, that would be my pick there, and I think all the ships include Juneau. Granted you are going to see a lot of whales from your ship, but for a good photo opp, the whale boat tour will get you much closer. If you can afford it, the helicopter tour out of Juneau to the Icefield would be a highlight. If you do hit Skagway, I would ride the historic railroad - that is a wonderful trip. In Sitka, the totem park is very pretty. I have seen whales out of Sitka, but it isn't as likely as Juneau.
Once you have an established itinerary, I'm sure we could offer further advice and opinions if you are interested.
Talk to the ship's photographers about the best locations on board for seeing/shooting the glaciers in whatever bay you enter, and how early to get out there - they will know. Everyone on board will be out on deck at that point, so moving around to hunt for a vantage point at that point will be too late.
I appreciate all the help. Thanks!!
Another PLUS for Seward is the Sea Life Center. Their bird exhibit gives you closeup shots of northern marine species you truly won't see anywhere else, plus the seal and sea lion tanks offer great above- and below-water views. Some of the fish tanks are notable too. Nice place to wile away a long afternoon.
Can you guess I really like Seward? Don't forget the short walk (asphalt trail, even) to Exit Glacier. Nice, close views of blue ice, as well as some excellent landscape opportunities when you wander down the watershed from the glacier.
You should be able to get some good panning shots of eagles. My best one actually came off the deck of the Veendam since the eagles were pretty plentiful in town as well.
In Juneau we did the Mendhall Glacier. The bus driver told us that in July or early Aug you would probably see bears right off the road feeding off the salmon runs. In the afternoon I would suggest the MT. Roberts Tramway ride BUT don't book that on the cruise. The price is the same when you get there and very often the top of the Mt. is socked in with fog and you can't see anything. The clouds broke just as we docked so the view was super. You may also spot wildlife pop out here and there if you do some hiking on the trails on the MT top.
Ketchikan I would suggest the Totem Bight State Park. We actually took the tour bus for really cheap money. It is less commercial than Saxman and more rural as well as near the water. You also got to mingle with the locals which was fun too.
I would also suggest that you go a few days early if you can and take a ride up to Denali. Needless to say that will yield LOTS of photo ops ! Any questions just email me.
Don Gorczynski
www.naturewildphotography.com