My advice is to go with a relative minimum of equipment. It appears your itinerary has a lot of ship time in it. There isn't a lot to photograph in the inside passage. If you do some side excursions from, say Ketchikan, you will be on a smaller boat which will be crowded and bumpy. It will be difficult to be trying to change lenses, use a tripod, etc. Bring an all-purpose camera and zoom lens. We went in May a few years ago. The weather can be anything at that time of year so be prepared for that. I see that one place on your itinerary is Icy Strait Point. That was a real disappointment. We went on bear spotting trip there. Now, I realize even in Alaska seeing wildlife is a hit-or-miss affair. But this side trip was really a waste of time and money. We rode a bus for a little while to a river. We traipsed through the woods to a viewing area that overlooked the river and we waited and hoped for a bear to appear. It was cold as hell that day and we all stood around shivering waiting and waiting. Nothing. I think we may have gotten a glimpse of river otter or a beaver at one point. Anyway, I don't recommend it. But there isn't much else to do at ISP except the zip-line. In retrospect we would either stay on the ship or just hike around the immediate area and see what there was to see.

We just took a similar Alaskan trip, but also had a nice couple days in the Denali National Park. In addition to my Canon 5D which I used a lot, I took my little SX-50 which has the super zoom capability. With that I got some nice shots of eagles, bears and whales that didn't require any lens changes. Wildlife shots obviously are a crap shoot as to when they show up and how far away they are.

A collapsible monopod, rainsleeve for your camera and binoculars are good additions. Make sure you have micro cloths or lens paper as rain and mist are ever present.

Tip: Get up on the bow of the ship 2-3 hours early to stake out your spot when approaching the Hubbard glacier. The ship comes in very slow, and the photogs and looky-Lou's are up there well before you get to the glacier and the people will be 3 or 4 deep at the rail. Have fun...it's a beautiful area up there!

Travel light. The venues are usually crowded and you won't be able to juggle all that gear. When we took our cruise this past August I had my d810 with a 28/300 Nikon lens on all the time. I did take a 50mm and used it to capture night time full moon shots. Forget the monopod, there simply isn't room. While on the whale watching boats people will move from side to side and you'll need one hand to hold on the boat. My son's camera d3300 had a Nikon 10/24. Between the two we captured everything we wanted. Sure the 28/300 is soft at 300m but I never fully extended it anyway. The resoulution of the d810 allowed me to crop.

I did a similar cruise in 2016, but we did a 3 day pre-cruise which included several excursions. I highly recommend a glacier helicopter or plane trip and a trip to Denali National Park. That being said, photos from the ship will require zoom capability. We didn't see whales but the landscapes are breaktaking, especially glacier bay. Be sure to capture the glacier with another ship in the frame as a reference point.

I brought my tripod but never used it. I mostly used a 50mm 1.8 prime and a 55-210mm lens. Enjoy your trip, amazing place to see.

Hello,
I'm new here and saw this seemed like a very active community. I will be going on a Celebrity Cruise in May and I'm trying to figure out which gear to take with me for photographing on the cruise/excursions.

Currently I own a Nikon D7100, Nikon 18-200mm VR, Nikon f/1.8 50mm, Nikon f/1.8 35mm, Tamron f/2.8 28-75mm. I was thinking of adding an ultra zoom to my collection for this and some other trips we have planned. Currently I'm leaning toward the Tamron 150-600mm G2 with the improved VC and weather sealing, but figured I'd see what others suggested. Other gear I have that will likely stay behind Tripod, SB-800 flash and might take my monopod.

Oh, I did. There are two questions within one...

Taking a snap shot of something from ground is one thing and taking it from a moving floating platform is another.

If on needs help with the land photography... err...

On a floating platform, whatever it is whatever you shoot you must know (or at least imagine) that motion is involved (Ship vibration to start with then possible swell). If you listen to the few that 'recommend a tripod' on board, it is the best recipe for disaster and then add using a long lens to this looming fiasco? Eeeek!

No the op has lots of gear but is not thinking how to use it. So, does he know how to use it? It does not appear so.

A long lens needs more stability that he will not get on board especially if using a tripod. Sure it will get you 'closer' but the motion blur might become a bit much so he will need to use high speed, high ISO with all the negatives that are known.

I have been on Alaska cruise two times last three years. It's all depends on what kind of cruise you are in. Is it just on the ship or land & sea combo? If it's just on the sea and walk around the town where the ship stops, your 18-200mm is enough, if your trip including land explore, you need a longer lens, the 150-600mm is good for all the wide life. You may bring your 35mm for your family photo.
It's raining and wed most of the time there, bring your rain gear for yourself and your camera. If on land be prepare for mosquitoes. One more thing that you will enjoy the great variety of food on board the ship. Good Luck and enjoy it!

Hello,
I'm new here and saw this seemed like a very active community. I will be going on a Celebrity Cruise in May and I'm trying to figure out which gear to take with me for photographing on the cruise/excursions.

Currently I own a Nikon D7100, Nikon 18-200mm VR, Nikon f/1.8 50mm, Nikon f/1.8 35mm, Tamron f/2.8 28-75mm. I was thinking of adding an ultra zoom to my collection for this and some other trips we have planned. Currently I'm leaning toward the Tamron 150-600mm G2 with the improved VC and weather sealing, but figured I'd see what others suggested. Other gear I have that will likely stay behind Tripod, SB-800 flash and might take my monopod.

Here's my advice. It appears that almost all your time will be onboard the ship, so forget the tripod, but if you feel you need some sort of camera support, take along a collapsing monopod. You can use it as a walking stick when off the ship. And forget about a super zoom lens. It'll be very difficult to use on a boat for all the reasons Ron (Rongnongno) stated. Your 70-200 will be more than adequate. I would recommend a small, compact camera with a long zoom, like the Sony HX90V or the Panasonic Lumix ZS60, for the occasional long shot. Otherwise, a short lens, such as your 35 or 50 will suffice for most of your shots, and what appears small in the out of camera image can be brought in by cropping.

Just a suggestion here. It looks like, from your itinerary, that you will have a whole day in Juneau. I lived there for several years. If the weather is cooperating that day, be sure to book a tour to Tracy Arm. It will afford you some of the most fabulous scenery around there. Mendenhall Glacier is nice and all that, but Tracy Arm is worth every penny spent to go see it. Check it out online and see what you think.

Do bring warm clothing and rain gear, for you and your camera and gear. And keep your kit simple and as light as possible.