A few years ago I took a photo tour with a professional photographer from Getty while I was on vacation in Europe. He recommended that I use 16gb cards for the most part while vacationing. He suggested changing out the cards every 1-2 days (for longer vacations) in order to insure that if any of the cards were to become corrupted - then only ‘some’ of my vacation photos would be lost. I simply number each card and use them in order. It works for me - and as cheap as cards are now - it is worth it. Obviously if taking - a lot of videos then larger cards would be preferred.

There are some very small zip lock type bags available that I use ( like for pills etc.) that can hold a couple of the flash drives. Just label the bag. I keep all of these bags in a box in one easily accessible location.

We did the land/cruise tour last year starting in Fairbanks and making stops along the way via Train in Denali, Talkeetna, Anchorage, and then boarding our Celebrity cruise ship in Seward.

At the time I carried a Sigma 100-400mm lens and a Sigma 18-250mm for a walk around lens with a Canon T5i. In all honesty I was a little disappointed in the 100-400 as it still lacked a little reach especially while traveling through Denali Park. There are so many sights - animals - etc in the park that hopefully you will have a nice driver who will make every effort to stop for photos as much as possible as ours did. The ride through the park is on school type buses so it is tight quarters and not the most comfortable ride but the views make up for it. There are no private vehicles allowed within the interior of the part after approximate 6 miles from the entrance. The bus tour we took was approximately 55 miles as I recall.

As to my reach of the lens comment - there were times where the animals were on hillsides and down in valleys that made it just a bit far for a good clear photo. You just never know where you will see moose, sheep, bears, caribou, reindeer, Eagles, etc which we saw lots of. I took along a monopod that helped a lot to steady those longer shots. I have since changed to a 100-400 Tamron lens and a 1.4x teleconverter to add some length in the future to the type of shots that I mention above. I think a 150-600mm lens may have been a bit too heavy/bulky to carry along in the bus - but of course you may like that or similar setup.

There are so many photo ops in that part of Alaska, that it is difficult to describe what I liked best and I’m sure your views and interest may be a bit different.

As to what to do in each of the ports. We used independent tours - except in Juneau where we took a ships tour. Time and your interest will dictate where and what you may want to see. We took a private tour via train/bus out of Skagway up to the Yukon / Carcross areas and stopped along the way for photos and to see a dog mushers facility. In Ketchikan we took a private car tour and was afforded the opportunity to get up close to eagles landing in trees right above our heads as well as a trip to a totem pole area that had few other tourist there.

Anyway, you can certainly venture on your own if you have a good grasp on what you want to see/photo and the time to do it. We just felt that having someone show us the areas worked best for us.

Good luck and enjoy your trip. (By the way) we are headed back to Alaska in August for our 4th cruise. Hard to beat the views.

Take care.

I actually have a couple of hand held shots I did of the blood moon with the 150-600mm lens... I was satisfied with the results.

I have the Tamron 150/600 mm. G2 -newest model that I purchased refurbished from WB Hunt a year ago. It still has 2 years on the ‘almost’ all inclusive warranty from Mack in New Jersey which is fully transferable. I have decided that this lens is not the one I want to travel with on River Cruises etc. and for travel to Alaska, and the Panama Canal etc. as it is a bit bigger/heavier than this 70 year old wants to deal with. I just a few days ago posted it for sale on a local FB Marketplace and a local Phoenix, Arizona Nextdoor neighborhood web site. (I really Do Not want to ship it). There is absolutely nothing wrong with the lens, no scratches and great clear glass etc. I would consider selling it to a UHH member, even though I have hesitated due to shipping concerns. I paid nearly $900 for it and have it listed now for $650 plus any shipping if i sell it other than local. It comes with all the original things; box, manual, lens caps and hood, and protective bag. Also I have 3 Vivitar filters. Let me know if you or anyone has an interest. I am still not listing it for sale here just yet (other than this offer), hoping for a local buyer if possible.

Take care, and enjoy whatever you decide on. Wildlife and landscape photography is still what I enjoy the most.

I have that very same bag - have hauled it most everywhere, planes, trains, automobiles 😂 and cruise ships and absolutely love it. In my case though, age and my back have started barking back at me so I just don’t want to lug that bag around. I just recently went to a roller bag (Amazon - about $129) and it sure seems like the answer for me. Holds a lot of stuff and can be arranged to carry some ‘overnight’ necessities also if desired. Did hate giving up the backpack however.

I said that just recently myself. The bad thing is I have no one close (family or friends) that have much interest in cameras/photography. So even vacation photos are downloaded to the computer and backed up most often never to be seen again. 😂. Lighten the load does get attractive !

I actually have used one of those rubbery wrist bands that you can buy most anywhere for a dollar or two. It seemed to work very well.

Possible. Right size threads and unbranded - so who knows.

I purchased an aftermarket hard plastic lens hood for a canon 18-55mm lens. When I set the lens at 55mm I get shadowing in my photos and viewfinder. Obviously the ‘tulip’ portions of the hood are a bit too long. Don’t think I’ll buy another one.

I rely on my 6D Mark 2, And my older T5i. In some instances I like the T5i best. Maybe it’s because I have spent more time with it !

This is an outstanding lens..(and I had the same issue with the lens lock a few times - ha ha ) ...but I have decided that it is just too much to travel with for me. I originally thought I would use it for some River cruises and for when we go to places like Alaska or the Panama canal....however it is just too much for me to lug on the airplane and ship. I am going to be selling it and have purchased the Tamron 100-400mm instead for the same purpose. Hopefully that will be a better choice for my travels at my age. Loved the photos @whlsdn. Enjoy your lens... it is a great one.

I just purchased this particular Roller bag for the exact same reason as you.....to take on cruises. It is carry-on size that could be converted to a backpack if desired. I currently have 2 Canon body’s (one with battery grip); a 100-400 lens; and 2 smaller lenses; battery chargers; an iPad; and other incidentals and room to spare. It comes with a rain cover, a tall collapsible handle and outside strap for a tripod. This can be converted to a backpack, but not why I bought it. I am 70 years old, we cruise once or twice per year, and I no longer wanted to carry a bulky backpack everywhere. The inner portion of the bag compartments are completely (re)movable and can be configured to carry other things...ie: snacks, small jacket maybe, or a smaller fold up bag to carry camera incidentals when you leave the ship etc. Enjoy your cruise/photography no matter what you choose..

(Download)

I would just use a flash drive to ‘copy’ them from one to the other as probably the quickest method. After you are satisfied they copied properly then you can erase the ones on your laptop if you want to.

I have the Canon Connect program on my iPad and my iPhone..... and use it all the time with my 6D Mark2. Can't really complain as it works pretty darn good.