Cruise to Alaska... where to go?

[VtChris]

My wife and I are thinking of taking a cruise to Alaska this year and I was looking for some opinions.

Have any of you gone? What was your experience? What are the best places for photography? When is the best time to go? Should I bring any special filters / equipment? any help your willing to give would be appreciated.

[ssim]

I took a cruise on Norwegian Cruise Lines last August. It was ok but the weather was real iffy. I'm not sure what the best time of year is. When we were in Juneau the tour guide on the bus said that they experience rain 26 days a month all year long. Given that most of the stops on these cruises are in the temperate rain forest areas you have a good chance of running into cloudy and/or rainy weather. The scenery is awesome but without direct sunlight it makes shooting a little ho-hum.

My parents had gone on this a couple of times at different times of the year and faced weather much the same.

Equipment wise I would debate hard packing my tripod along and I had also taken my 300 f/2.8. Space on the bus tours is really at a premium and the timing that they take you out doesn't really necessitate a tripod. We did have some shots at some bears and I ended up using my 100-400 and it was sufficient. I always take my filters.

It is certainly a trip worth taking. The only caution I would give after my experience is not to go by the pictures on the brochures.

[Pandragon]

A raincoat would be a good idea :) Juneau is notorious for rain. In my opinion the best times to make the trip would be mid June to the end of August. I always like to travel with zoom lenses because they offer more flexibility. A good wide angle for landscapes, and a good telephoto zoom for wildlife.

For photography I would seriously look into Denali, Katmai, and Wrangell St Elias National Parks. You can't drive into Katmai though, you need to catch a short flight in from Anchorage. You should also looking into taking a fishing charter.

[ktcmojo]

i went on a 2 week cruise/land tour and man it was INCREDIBLE
weather was perfect.......went at the beginning of june-i didnt take a tripod but would have been nice. space on bus/train and any form of transportation is definately at a premium. i took 1 body, 1 50mm prime, 1 80-200 lens, and a 28-135. i would have LOVED to have more lenses but just couldnt fit em in.
you are more than welcome to take a look at the shots i posted. i think i have a couple thousand posted on kodak easy share gallery. i havent been able to get around just posting the site yet-i have to send an invite via email so if you can get me an email addy ill be glad to let ya in!
kip caven
p.s.-thats a trip you will NEVER forget or regret!!

[VtChris]

i went on a 2 week cruise/land tour and man it was INCREDIBLE
weather was perfect.......went at the beginning of june-i didnt take a tripod but would have been nice. space on bus/train and any form of transportation is definately at a premium. i took 1 body, 1 50mm prime, 1 80-200 lens, and a 28-135. i would have LOVED to have more lenses but just couldnt fit em in.
you are more than welcome to take a look at the shots i posted. i think i have a couple thousand posted on kodak easy share gallery. i havent been able to get around just posting the site yet-i have to send an invite via email so if you can get me an email addy ill be glad to let ya in!
kip caven
p.s.-thats a trip you will NEVER forget or regret!!

Thanks... PM sent

[Tapeman]

My 3 week trip was in the begining of June 2006 and we had fabulous luck with the weather. Alaska is a temperate rain forrest so be prepaired for wet conditions. I bought a Kata rain jacket for my camera and never had to use it. Bring all the gear you can carry. I took thousands of photos.