Gladys

Hello. Should I book the cruise’s excursions with hopes of getting pictures or search for photography tours specific to taking pictures? Thank you.

Brenda IS Scottish Loc: GOLDEN Colorado

Both. There should be port extrusions for photographing.

mizzee Loc: Boston,Ma

Both!

orrie smith Loc: Kansas

Take the bus tour of Denali

FotoHog Loc: on Cloud 9

I have booked Alaska again this year, but have serious thoughts about it now. Am I prepared for the possibility of being stuck on a coronavirus infected ship? Currently, the odds are not favorable for anyone in the confines of a cruise ship among 1000+ people from many countries. According to health organizations, an effective treatment seems to be a long way off yet.

That said, Alaska is a great destination for photography. I have been there 6 times and never get tired of capturing the rich variety of wildlife and fabulous natural sights. I research all excursions and book them conveniently with the cruise line, if they offer them. Otherwise, in Alaska many excellent excursions can be obtained independently right on shore, or online ahead of time. In other countries that practice would be more risky, as I learned the hard way by almost missing the boat in Africa.

Below is one of my many photos from Alaska.

(Download)

Stardust Loc: Central Illinois

Depends what you want to shoot. On Royal Caribbean cruise, with standard side trips at stops from ship or bought in towns, off the top of my head I shot Bears, Boats, Eagles & Other Birds, Float Planes, Glaciers, Gold Mining, Gold Rush Cemetery, Mountain Passes, Old Train Engines & Cars, Other Ships, Salmon, Totum Poles, Unique Bldgs & Shops, Street People, and Whales, not counting photography on the ship. Only missed seeing a moose on my desired list. What is yours?

coolhanduke Loc: Redondo Beach, CA

We went on a cruise to Alaska. If you book an excursion with the cruise, they need to wait for you to get back. Not the case if you book with an outside group. Having said that, most cruses don’t stay in port long enough to go on a meaningful photo op. At least not ours.

lbivins Loc: Green Valley, AZ.

Having lived there for 60 years let me recommend that you make sure that there is a land component to your cruise. Don't forget the Alaska Railroad. To really see Alaska you need to get to the South central / interior for a true Alaska adventure.

photoman43

Alaska cruises vary greatly as to what you can see and photograph. If you are interested in nature photography, go on a small boat cruise as the boat can get much closer and get to areas where the large cruise ships go. These trips are for usually 5-9 days. The boats hold about 50-90 passengers.

bcplimpton Loc: Southern New Jersey

Consider Backcountry Journeys. They have a variety of Alaskan trips specifically for photography.
https://backcountryjourneys.com/

ski Loc: West Coast, USA

In small towns (Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, Sitka) don't take canned excursions... Take local transportation (cab, bus, etc.) to tell them you are hiring them to take you to the areas of interest. Much cheaper and a lot more fun because you're not haggling with numerous other tourists....

David in Dallas Loc: Dallas, Texas, USA

I've been to Alaska twice (and going again in August) and used standard land/cruise options (not special ones for photography). I did not lack for photographic opportunity, but sometimes things were a little more hurried than I would have preferred.

I think the type of tour you take depends on what the objective of the trip is: are you going to see Alaska and document your travel, or are you going primarily to get pictures?

My first Alaska tour was in 2007 and was 13 days land plus a 7-day Inside Passage cruise (and 2 days in Vancouver, BC). Photos at https://www.flickr.com/photos/8712554@N02/collections/72157601967848026/.

My second Alaska tour was in 2014 and was 10 days land plus 9 more days on a much smaller ship (Baranof Dream), which went to much smaller ports. Photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/8712554@N02/collections/72157648510965310/.

My upcoming tour will be mostly land, with a couple of very short day cruises.

All my touring of Alaska has been with John Hall's Alaska (kissalaska.com)--I have been very satisfied with their tours--they use excellent lodgings and are very well organized. I have no experience with special photographic tours (anywhere)--I'm just a typical tourist who gets the best photos he can, when he can.

Fotoartist Loc: Detroit, Michigan

I have always considered it a big challenge to get great shots out of Alaska.

via the lens Loc: Northern California, near Yosemite NP

Wait a bit and the cruise will get much cheaper! Tourism is taking a big hit right now and that will get worse in the month ahead. I would never book a cruise to take photos; I'd book a photo trip and leave all non-photographers at home.

bobbyjohn Loc: Dallas, TX

You don't need a tour specific to photo ops. Any tour will have photo ops. Wife and I did Alaska vacation in 2015, 1 week land tour (John Hall's Alaska), and 1 week on board ship.

See:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmTMuCJb3kg