planepics Loc: St. Louis burbs, but originally Chicago burbs

I am in the process of deciding where to go for my 50th birthday next June (just don't feel like staying at home) and the only state I haven't been to is Alaska, so I'm thinking about a cruise/land vacation. Is there anyone who can tell me what the best places are to go or where to generally avoid (too touristy or disappointing/over-hyped)? I might have to get a new lens by then too...I currently have an A330 with kit 18-55 and 75-300s. I really love something with a faster shutter (FPS) but that is financially out of the question.

Jay Pat Loc: Round Rock, Texas, USA

My wife & I did the cruise/land tour with Princess.
The land part included Prudhoe Bay, then driving down the haul road. That 2 week trip included some very cool stuff!
I don't think you should shy away from the touristy stuff as it can be great stuff!!
Also, we stayed a third week with a rental car and did even more very, way cool stuff!!
If you are going that far, consider 3 weeks!!!
You can search my posts for Alaska posts!
Your post will be fun to follow!!!
Pat

Bensson Loc: Maple Ridge/Athabasca Oil Sands

Heck even if you only go for a cruise for 7 days its worth it. I'm going for a second cruise there with the wife in May. Leaving from Vancouver on Celebrity Millennium. We are doing two photo safaris and some personal shore stuff. I highly recommend it. I have a great shot of a calving glacier in my collection from the last trip, along with some "stupid tourist" photos of people trying to get as close as possible to a black bear for better shots on their cell phone cameras. Trouble with the gene pool....theres no lifeguard.

MtnMan Loc: ID

We have done the inside passage cruise a couple of times and are planning to embark on our main bucket list trip this may: three months or so with our travel trailer.

One specific recommendation I'd make is if you go to Juneau and want to go whale watching do not go with the operators the cruise lines provide. They put you on relatively large boats with 50 people or more. It is something of a mad scene when a poor whale shows itself.

Check out "Harv and Marv". We went on a six passenger modern boat with a fabulous tour guide. It was a once in a lifetime experience. Our tour guide was Jayleen Beedle...one of the authors of "Alaska's Watchable Whales". It contains fabulous photographs she and her father took. You'll get the idea she understands the needs of photographers.

http://www.harvandmarvs.com/

St3v3M Loc: 35,000 feet

Never been, but want to see your photos when you return!

KRphotofun Loc: Daisy Hill, Queensland

In 2006, we travelled to Alaska and did a great land tour of Anchorage, Valdez, Fairbanks and Denali National park with Globus tours. We then travelled the Inside Passage using the Marine highway, a system of ferries, hop off and on and spend as long as you want in the towns. Great alternative to the huge cruise ships.

LuckyshotCT

My wife and I went on the cruise / land tour with Princess line last year - an amazing trip. In Juneau, we took a photo safari with Gastineau Guiding Company. A naturalist / photographer led us on a short hike to the Mendenhall Glacier, then a whale watch out of Auke Bay. It was limited to fourteen people.

In Denali, we signed on with the 8-hour Tundra Wilderness Tour, taking the 6AM tour. While out we saw a lot of wildlife, and were fortunate to have a crystal clear view of Denali (Mt. McKinley). Those who went on tours even an hour later saw no wildlife, as the animals had hunkered down for the day.

Ketchikan, Skagway and Fairbanks were nice to visit, but not particularly noteworthy for us.

We were most fortunate with weather. An acquaintance went to Alaska two weeks later and spent the time there in the rain. I hope your trip has good weather.

Had I known what was available when planning the trip, I probably would not have booked the cruise, flown into Anchorage, with arranged trips to Juneau for the Gastineau photo safari, then a cruise into College Fjord, Tracy's Arm and Glacier Bay. Then, on land, traveled to Kenai Peninsula and Denali National Park.

Waxhouse Loc: Tampa Via Philadelphia

The only way to do Alaska is boots on the ground. We drove our RV from Tampa to Alaska via the Alcon Hwy. We entered on the Top of the World Hwy and spent about 8 weeks touring.

Love the retired life.

rozarius Loc: Houston, Texas

We went last year, May 14th thru May 30th, and it was a fabulous time to go. Although it was a little too early for the salmon run, the weather was absolutely fantastic for us. There were only two days throughout the whole trip that it rained. We saw Mt. McKinley very clearly all 3 days which put us in the 10%. We chose Holland America and did the land and then the sea, which I highly recommend. They were fabulous. We flew in to Fairbanks a day early so we could have an extra day there. My husband was stationed there in the army many years ago and we wanted a little more time there. I'm so glad we did that. From Fairbanks we went to Denali, then Anchorage, and then on to Seward where we boarded the ship. Onboard the ship we cruised Seward, Glacier Bay, Haines, Juneau, Ketchikan, and the Inside Passage. We ported in Vancouver and decided to stay an additional 3 days in Vancouver. It was the trip of a lifetime and I highly recommend it. I would go back in a heartbeat. My three favorite places would have to be Denali, Juneau, and Glacier Bay.

Whale watching in Juneau, Alaska


The Glaciers of Glacier Bay


Grouse Mtn. in Vancouver Canada. Yes, I was that close!

rozarius Loc: Houston, Texas

One thing I forgot to say. I highly, highly recommend the upgrade to the train ride from Anchorage to Seward. It was THE BEST extra money we spent on the trip. It was breathtaking. These pictures really don't do it justice, but it'll give you an idea of the terrain. Again, I HIGHLY recommend the train upgrade!

Eagles Nest


This is one of my favorite pictures!


We couldn't believe how much snow there was up in the mountains. Amazing train ride!

MtnMan Loc: ID

Fabulous bear shot!

The others are nice too.

MtnMan Loc: ID

Skagway may have been if you took the train over White Pass in May.

I gather the thing to do in Ketchican is take the sea plane to Misty Fijord.

Ann B Loc: Northeast Indiana

We also took a Globus tour last August/September. I would highly recommend them. We did Anchorage, Denali, Fairbanks, Tok, Dawson, White Horse (these 2 in the Yukon), Valdez & ended up with a cruise in Prince William Sound.
Denali & Prince William Sound were our favorites.
We also had 3 clear views of Denali, plus the fall colors were at their height -- and only a couple of drizzles, followed by beautiful rainbows.
My husband also says to go to Dawson so you can see the can-can girls at Diamond Tooth Gertie's.
It was a beautiful tour & will certainly be remembered for years to come!

planepics Loc: St. Louis burbs, but originally Chicago burbs

All these suggestions so far have been great...but also so depressing. There seems to be just too much to do! My mom, a retired former travel agent had been to Alaska 4 times (once cruising), and only a couple times went to the same towns/parks. Also, the middle of June is not the cheapest time to go (close to peak season) I know I will probably have to book soon to get a decent price on the trip. Do I just do land? Land and cruise? I went to one website due to an e-mail my mom forwarded me (Holland America?) and they listed, it seemed, a hundred different packages/prices/departure dates....Humpff!!!!!!!!!!!!! The pictures are inspiring (end envy-creating)

windshoppe Loc: Arizona

I would second the vote for using the great Alaskan ferry system as an alternative to a cruise. We're not cruise people to begin with, but the flexibility afforded by independent travel is great. We did the inside passage using ferries, rented a car for the Kenai peninsula and that area, then rented a small motor home for the trip to Denali (you can park almost anywhere). Took a very small plane to Glacier Bay piloted by a kid who probably hadn't started shaving yet and he took us on a hair raising tour of wildlife in the mountains. Lots of planned and unplanned adventures that cruises simply don't provide. Alaska is still the most scenic place that we've been in the world.