pdubya

I’m going to Alaska on a Pr___ss cruise ship and I’m not sure how close to the ship is allowed to the glaciers, whales, etc. Has anyone been on one of these and what would be the best gear to take. Tripod, monopod, nopod? I have Tamron 24-70 G2, 150-600 G2 (am thinking about getting a Tamron1.4 teleconverter),Tamron 70-300. I also have Canon 10-18, 18-55, 24mm. Any suggestions would be helpful as I would like to travel light. Thanks in advance!

UTMike Loc: South Jordan, UT

On the big boats, like yours, they do not get very close, so a long lens is good. Some big boats will, however, allow you to take smaller boats, especially into points of interest. Many sights, such as mountain goats, eagles, bears and such, will be at a distance. Whatever support you prefer (e.g., tripod) would be a good idea.

pdubya

Good to know, thanks. I’ll probably take 150-600 then, the vibration control seems to work well with a monopod.

letmedance Loc: Walnut, Ca.

Web sure to take a wide angle, a picture of a glacier without its resting place is a waste. The tele should get you good pictures of the wildlife and my favorite bird the Bald Eagle. On my last trip our ship sailed right up Glacier bay to within a quarter mile and a 50 did a fine job. You won't be disappointed.

DWU2 Loc: Phoenix Arizona area

We were on an Alaska cruise in July, photographing whales, glaciers, etc. My advice: Take both the 24-70 and the 70-300. Forget about the teleconverter - they work poorly with zooms. Our ship got close enough to the Hubbard glacier that most of my shots were in the 50 -70 mm range. I also used it to take some overlapping shots I later stitched into panoramas. You'll need a telephoto for whales (which we saw repeatedly on a nature cruise from Sitka). The 150 - 600 is way too heavy - it'll get in the way of enjoying your trip. My best advice: The best experiences will be with guides and trips you'll find then. Skip the gift shops and see the land.

letmedance Loc: Walnut, Ca.

Come on now, the gift shops are the mainstay of many locals.

PH CIB

Have been there on two Inside Passage Cruises and two Bus and Train Inland Tours,,,I am certainly not an expert,,,you will have shore excursions in every port you stop at,,,do not know what Princess includes but the Neets Black Bear Boat Tour in Ketchikan will get you a lot of great pictures of Black Bears and Eagles near a Salmon Hatchery,,,got very close to a Female Brown Bear with Cubs at Icy Point Strait with Indian Guides along the river on viewing platforms,,,almost all tours off the cruise ship that offered boat viewing of whales and orcas and glaciers came through although almost all photos of dorsal fins and tails,,,recommend Juneau for whale watching and glaciers,,,definitely recommend the land tour of Denali and go on the 6 or 8 hour tours saw 20+ Grizzly Bears, Caribou, Dall Sheep, Birds and small mammals unfortunately did not see any Moose or Wolves,,,here unfortunately shooting out of a school bus with windows and other tourists so not exactly ideal but still a wonderful wildlife experience,,,recommend Glacier Bay and the Hubbard Glacier and Kenai Fjords Tours,,,want to go back for Katmai National Park and Brooks Falls to photograph Brown Bears,,,I carried a Fuji XT2 camera with a 15-36mm and 75-210mm and 150-600mm lens with 1.4 and 2x teleconverters in a water resistant Newswear Chestwear Vest with an Optech rain sleeve,,,missed some shots changing lenses and due to the weight wished sometimes that I had just brought along a good bridge camera...

rgrenaderphoto Loc: Hollywood, CA

Princess Cruises enter Glacier Bay and as part of their grand sweep, will eventually get close enough to a glacier to hear the ice cracking and moving. Find out when the schedule gets the ship entering the bay, and get on the uppermost and most forward deck you can. With my cruise, which was a 3500 passenger ship, it was on the deck in front of the gym. Get a spot on the rail because it fills up quickly. Dress warmly, not forget a warm hat and gloves that have finger slits to allow you to manipulate the camera's controls and stay warm. It gets cold up there in the mornings.

When I went on the cruise, I had a Nikon D60 and the 18-55 kit lens. Took some pretty amazing images of the terrain. If I was going today, I would have the 24-70 because the bay, when the ship is entering, is a wide angle world. Whales are sneaky buggers, and congregate off the ship's bows where the turbulence stirs up the bottom and allows feeding. So, you'll see a disturbance in the water and then a broad back cresting. You have got to be quick.

Are you taking the sea/land tour that includes Denali? That is where the 150-600 will come in handy shooting out of the window of the tour bus when it stops for Bears, Wolves, Moose, etc. If you are only taking the sea cruise, I do not think the 70-300 will do you any good, as it is a wide angle world.

Ob1 Loc: Utah

When we went last year I took 2 lens, 24-70 and 70-300. Skip the monopod and tripod. The ship vibrates too much, there is no room or time on shore excursions.You have had some excellent advice above, take some waterproof covers for your camera and lens. It’s Alaska, it rains. Hat, coat, gloves, oh yes. Denali a must, the earlier bus the better. Take the guided tour 8 hrs. unless you have been before, then you could take the wilderness tour (no food, water or snacks provided) it lasts 14 hours. Relax and have the time of your life.

Apaflo Loc: Anchorage, Alaska

Really now. Lets learn something about Alaska!

Where I live the annual equivalent precipitation (meaning it includes the water in snowfall too) is less than 5 inches. That makes it technically a desert.

That area is larger than 39 of the 50 states!. Another large part of Alaska is an arid region with less than 15 inches annually. That happens to include the area around Denali National Park.

Keep in mind that Alaska covers an astoundingly huge amount of geography!

pdubya

Lots of great tips, thanks! We’re doing the Glacier Park cruise. Haven’t scheduled any side trips yet.

Stardust Loc: Central Illinois

You'll need a side trip on smaller boat to see & shoot any whales. Enjoy your cruise.

HOHIMER

Take the small plane tour out of Juneau or Ketchikan, (I forget) if you have time.

sueyeisert Loc: New Jersey

I went on a cruise last year. We used a catamaran to get close to glaciers. Take a monopod and the 150-600 lens and take a second camera so you don’t have to switch lenses on cameras. Also bring camera rain gear.

johnst1001a Loc: West Chester, Ohio

70-300, 18-55 and 24 mm will do great. You don't get real close to the glaciers, maybe a mile to the Marjerie in glacier bay. But it is close enough for great pictures, particularly if it is bright enough, though I suspect it will be cloudy. You will do well with the 24 mm for the wide angle shots and benefit from the bigger aperture than the 70-300. Plus the glacier is wide, so you will not be able to get the entire glacier even at 70 mm. But the 70-300 is good as well, so you can zoom in on parts of the glacier. Take several hundred pictures, and then post process to get the best results. Use RAW for sure, jpegs if you want, but because of the lower light available due to the clouds you want maximum flexibility to draw out the dark areas. Oh, and yes, the glaciers do have a blue tint to them. The ice is bluish.
Have a great time.