markngolf Loc: Bridgewater, NJ

I went on a Princess land/cruise tour in 2005. I took my newly acquired Canon:20d, 24 - 70 f/2.8 and 70 - 200 f/2.8 and shot mostly on auto/JPG. I did not know enough to shoot otherwise. I don't think I missed much. If I live long enough, I'd love to return. Enjoy your cruise. Remember to look around without the viewfinder. Don't miss the experience and come home with 10,000 images.
Mark

mvetrano2 Loc: Commack, NY

I went on the same cruise in June, but on Celebrity. I took a Canon 6d Mark II, Tokina 16-28 f2.8, Canon 70-200 f4 L IS, and a Tamron 28-300 f3.5-6.3. The boat got in real close to the Hubbard glacier, and was able to walk to within a 1/5 mile of the Manheim. This lenses were perfect for all the photos of the glaciers, landscapes and photos on board.

HallwoedHill Loc: Chattanooga,TN

We did the Princess land/cruise to Denali and the inside Passage at this time last year. I had an Olympus OM D-E MI Mark II and the Olympus Pro 12-100mm, and Pan/Lieca !00 - 400mm. On the land portion you cannot have enough reach. In Denali we watched a mother bear protecting her cubs from a large male, but we were over 400 yards away. Just to far even with the crop sensor.Reach is good on the land portion. As to the cruise and glaciers our ship got with a quarter of a mile, stopped side ways and sat there for an hour. Took my shots from the balcony of our room and they were great. Used both lens. In Skagway and Juneau we did independent excursions and were glad we did. Laughton Glacier hike in Skagway, whale watching in Juneau. Private message me if you want the company info. Also did Brooks Falls out of Anchorage which was the high light of the entire trip for me. Have a great time.

mizzee Loc: Boston,Ma

150-600 and a good walk around lens, plus a monopod. The ship itself won’t be that close to the glaciers but they will offer excursions to get you much closer to glaciers, wildlife, eagles and bears. Take advantage of them!

barryb Loc: Kansas

You didn't mention if you were going on a land tour. Denali is one of my favorite places, but you can count on some of the animals being in a distance, but in the bus it would be awkward for even an monopod. Definitely take the whale watching tour on a smaller boat, and that also was a highlight. the 600 with a monopod would be ok on that, but people will probably be standing in the way, and often they are able to get close enough for the 70-200 to easily reach. Unless you really need many souvenirs , I would spend most of my time taking pictures of the beauty of the state. Enjoy your trip.

bpulv Loc: Buena Park, CA

It sometimes depends on the conditions. My wife and I have done most of our cruises on Princess and have found that on Alaska Cruises, they can bring the ships quite close to the glacier, however that is subject to conditions. One time we went half way up Tracy Arm Fjord and the captain turned the ship around because of icebergs ahead and we never saw the glacier that trip. We only saw a few small icebergs that trip. Most trips get within hundreds of yards of the glaciers.

If I plan to shoot video, I use my carbon fiber compact monopod that folds to 14 inches. It does the job and weighs just under a pound; which makes it excellent for air travel. If your are shooting stills only, leave the tripod or monopod at home because you can shoot at higher shutter speeds to compensate. The ship is very steady around ice because they must move at a very slow speed; no more than two or three knotts.

Before you book your cruise, look at the deck plan of the ship and make sure that there is an unobstructed view from the bow that is accessible to passengers. That is far superior for photographers to your cabins balcony if you are going through a fjord. It is less necessary if you are going through Glacier Bay. Also, take a super-wide angle lens with you. Some of the ships, especially the newer ones like the Royal Princess, Regal Princess, Majestic Princess and Sky Princess, which will have its maiden voyage next year, do not have an unobstructed forward view for passengers. Also, a few of the ships that do have a forward view have blue tinted plastic windshields between you and the view. When pre-scoping out a ship, look at the promenade deck (usually deck 6 or 7) deck plan. If it completely encircles the ship, you will have forward access. Make sure you are on deck before first light so that you will have the best light.

If you are going through Tracy Arm Fjord, you can also take a tour in a smaller boat that you board from the ship when you are about half way through the fjord. It takes you right up to the fjord, even when the ship's path is blocked and returns you to the ship's next port of call later in the morning where you rejoin the ship.

AHK Loc: Lakewood Ranch, Fl.

I do not take any POD to Alaska.

What camera body are you taking..is your camera full frame or cropped? I'm pretty serious so I take two camera bodies on special trips...just in case.

Your Tamron 150-600 is more than enough for any realistic shot distances.

Suggestion: do not shoot Tameron at full 600mm (it gets soft)...try max 500-550mm.

I would not use Tamron 1.4 teleconverter ...slows up focus and deteriorates an already average (at best) F stop.

Canon 18-55 is a good choice for scenery.

Have a great trip

blacks2 Loc: SF. Bay area

You got a lot of great advice and some bad advice. A bad one is taking a tri or monopod along. You will never ever need one, not on the ship or otherwise, they are useless and cumbersome. I took about ten Alaskan cruises and some land tours and I never needed one. Enjoy your trip and above all have I hope you have nice weather.

Taken at 11:30 pm hand held from a ship..

(Download)

steinr98

On top of all else- don't spend your $$$ on a 1.4 converter- your 150-600 is perfect!! You probably will take some side cruses for whales etc-

Ob1 Loc: Utah

I am sure you are correct but Ketchikan relieves 153 inches of rain per year on average. Ketchikan is likely one of there ports. This is according to a store owner and a relative of my wife. I am not a local. I was born in Fairbanks. When we were there it rained nearly daily except for our time in Denali. Just my thoughts that’s all.

hestamm

I've taken only one Alaska cruise. At the time, I had an Olympus E1, with 14-54, 50-200, and a Sigma reflex (mirror) 600 f8. Sailed on a Regents ship, smaller than the behemoths, and got close to glaciers. Nevertheless, I used my 600mm quite a lot, even though it was hard to focus and was a bit soft. My most used lens was the 50-200 and often at the long end. I like close-up shots, though, not wide angle. I definitely used my tripod a lot, too, especially with the 600mm. Make sure you have a good rain jacket, fleece, hat, & gloves. It can be quite cool exposed to the wind and occasional rain you're likely to encounter.

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

My ideal camera for travel is the Sony HX90V pocket camera, it has a pop up viewfinder and a 24-720 mm Zeiss zoom and the camera fits into my belt pouch that only the camera fits snugly into. The biggest mistake people make on a trip is taking too much stuff. You should enjoy your trip and not fuss with equipment. My first and last rule in travel photography is, TRAVEL RIGHT, TRAVEL LITE.

knessr

We just got back in June from an Alaska cruise with the same company. It was our fifth one. Based on those five trips, here is my advice:
- Skip the support. The ship vibrates enough to make your photo blurry. Hand holding your camera at a shutter speed that is at least a reciprocal of your focal length is all you need.
- I use just two lenses: 18mm to 70mm and a 70mm to 200mm on a Canon M3 mirrorless. You could go up to 300mm if you want to, but it is not necessary.
- As mentioned already, get up high. I shoot from the top open deck. That way I can move from one side to the other as opportunities present themselves. The ship spends a lot of time at the glaciers, so you will have plenty of time to shoot.

hestamm

In all of the responses you have received so far, you have had multiple opinions expressed. Some obviously prefer wide angles; others, like me, prefer longer zooms. What do you like to shoot? That should be a major factor in your choices. Most of my shots were taken in the longer focal lengths (125-200mm on a 4/3 camera, which most consider a 2x "crop" cam). I used my tripod a lot for shots with my 600mm reflex lens, despite the fact that ship motion would affect the sharpness. I also used it frequently at 200mm as long as I could shoot wide open (f3.5 for that lens) and at 100 ISO. The attached photo of another ship against the background of the Hubbard Glacier, taken on my 2006 cruise, was with my 50-200 at 77mm (154 FF equivalent) at ISO 200 and f8. I know it's a bit dark, but so was the day. This was shot hand-held. It's typical of the "wider" shots that I like to take.

David in Dallas Loc: Dallas, Texas, USA

I've been to Alaska twice, both land/cruise packages. First time cruise was Holland American and we used small tender boats to approach the glaciers. Second time was smaller cruise ship that itself made close approaches. I'm kind of a minimalist photographer--I take only my Nikon D7xxx and the 18-200 VR/VR2 lens and no "pod" at all. I have been well served by that combination, although I would have liked to have had a longer lens in the tour of Denali NP. My experience with planned tours is that there is usually no time to mess with lens changes or setting up a tripod. I have learned to support my camera without aids.