fionan

It would be great if you could come back here afterwards and let us know how you got on. I have the same question but for a later cruise. I'd love to know if you thought the hike was worth it

When you say the lens won't zoom in at all, that sounds like it might be a problem with autofocus. That happens because the light is low and you are trying to focus on a very dark object - the lens simply isn't getting enough information to enable it to focus. Depending on where you live, this may not be an issue on your practice shots - try shooting at twilight and focusing on a very dark object to reproduce the light conditions. In the Inside Passage you can do test shots focusing on the very dark bits of the mountains.

If auto focus still won't work then you need to focus manually- you will want the aperture to be as small as you can (higher number), so that you have the deepest field of focus and you will also want the speed to be fast so that the whale's movement does not blur the image. You will need to increase ISO as much as you can to compensate for these. Then manually focus as best you can on the whale. Once you have that set up, if the distance between the whale and the ship stays about the same you should not need to keep refocusing. You won't be able to do more than set the focus to be roughly correct in the first place.

That lens should be absolutely fine for Alaska wildlife, I've also got the Canon Rebel (EOS in Europe) and have used a similar lens with great success. Some tips:

If your problem with ealier shots was that you could not zoom in enough then make sure you are shooting at the highest resolution(Large photos on the menu). That will mean that for whales far away you can crop the picture on your computer and will still have fine detail.

If your problem was a blurred image, make sure that the whale is in focus by putting it dead centre in the frame so that the centre red dot is on the whale's head. - although you can change the focus point within the frame, only the centre focus point sends all the information to the Rebel camera's processor. The other points will focus but not as well. You can then compose the shot by cropping on your computer.

The main cause of blurriness is that the whale is of course moving while the picture is being taken - so speed up the shot. If the light levels are low you will need to move the ISO to 400 or even 800 so that you can still get a 1/500 or 1/600 second shot. The higher the ISO the grainier the image, so it is a trade off. But it is easy to switch ISO while shooting so it is worth trying different settings for the same scene (depending on how long the whale stays around)

If you are not comfortable setting the shutter speed and or aperture size yourself and the whale is far away, try using the landscape setting so that you have a better chance of the whale being in focus, but you will have to combine that with a high ISO to keep the shutter speed fast.

Finally, there are several versions of the lens you are using and some of them are considered to be not so good. If the lens came bundled with the camera when you bought it it might be one of the less good versions. The problems with those lenses tend to be at the far end of their length, so you are likely to get very much crisper photos by using the lens at around 250mm and then cropping even more aggressively on your PC. You could try that at home to see what the limit is on your lens.

Did I get better bear and whale and dall sheep photos with my 150 - 500mm Sigma lens? - undoubtedly. Was it worth the price and the weight of carrying it around? - probably not.

That lens should be absolutely fine for Alaska wildlife, I've also got the Canon Rebel (EOS in Europe) and have used a similar lens with great success. Some tips:

If your problem with ealier shots was that you could not zoom in enough then make sure you are shooting at the highest resolution(Large photos on the menu). That will mean that for whales far away you can crop the picture on your computer and will still have fine detail.

If your problem was a blurred image, make sure that the whale is in focus by putting it dead centre in the frame so that the centre red dot is on the whale's head. - although you can change the focus point within the frame, only the centre focus point sends all the information to the Rebel camera's processor. The other points will focus but not as well. You can then compose the shot by cropping on your computer.

The main cause of blurriness is that the whale is of course moving while the picture is being taken - so speed up the shot. If the light levels are low you will need to move the ISO to 400 or even 800 so that you can still get a 1/500 or 1/600 second shot. The higher the ISO the grainier the image, so it is a trade off. But it is easy to switch ISO while shooting so it is worth trying different settings for the same scene (depending on how long the whale stays around)

If you are not comfortable setting the shutter speed and or aperture size yourself and the whale is far away, try using the landscape setting so that you have a better chance of the whale being in focus, but you will have to combine that with a high ISO to keep the shutter speed fast.

Finally, there are several versions of the lens you are using and some of them are considered to be not so good. If the lens came bundled with the camera when you bought it it might be one of the less good versions. The problems with those lenses tend to be at the far end of their length, so you are likely to get very much crisper photos by using the lens at around 250mm and then cropping even more aggressively on your PC. You could try that at home to see what the limit is on your lens.

Did I get better bear and whale and dall sheep photos with my 150 - 500mm Sigma lens? - undoubtedly. Was it worth the price and the weight of carrying it around? - probably not.

Translation for Americans: Jumper = sweater not pinnafore dress. :)

Looking forward to checking out these shops next year.

There's a broken link for cabin 8147 - Zuiderdam (link points to halfact//s.com)

Adding my vote for being able to see the basic category of cabin (Inside, OV, V, NS) without having to open the link.

Thanks so much for doing this.

Will they let you get off the boat with the excursion passengers? I've holidayed in Santorini - it sounds like the excursion passengers disembark at the ferry port which is only about a mile or two out of Fira - in the opposite direction from Oia. There just isn't anywhere else along the crater that has boat docks and flat space for parking buses. If your independent plans involve a car (self drive, taxi or guide with car) then you could arrange pick-up at the ferry port. There is a public bus into Fira, but I think it just matches the ferry times (only a couple each day).

Many of the water based excursions for land tourists also depart from the ferry port - the tourist hotels are mostly on the flat side of the island with the beaches - so you could also pick up an independent water tour from here.

Unless of course it is a service call stop and you can only get off if you have a tour ticket.

I just spent a week on the island last summer. There are lots of taxis - and any restaurant can help you get one, and the buses from Oia to Fira are frequent and reliable. The lines for the cable car are loooong to return to the port near to sailaway time. The walk up the steps is tough but doable, and the walk down is obviously much easier. But be aware that there is so much dried donkey doo doo dust on the steps that if you do walk it your shoes will get coated and also your trousers up to about knee level will smell really bad (so bad that I had to put them outside my room).

If I only had a day, I wouldn't bother with the boat trip to the thermal spring or the new volcanic island in the middle of the crater. The thermal spring is barely warm seawater. and the new island is just a hill made of cinder with a couple of wisps of steam coming out of the ground. But Oia is beautiful, well worth the trip and it has a lovely quirky bookshop that is worth finding.

Make sure you tell your bank you will be using your cards overseas - otherwise they may not work in the ATM machines. We found that out the hard way on a long cruise and were only saved by getting a cash advance from the ship's Front Desk which was put on our onboard account. Funnily, our credit card worked fine on the boat and pre-cruise hotel, but was locked down for the ATMs.

A question for you: Do you think that the geological features of Port Arthur would be seen better from a boat trip or a road trip? I'm trying to choose between excursions offered. We will be docking at Port Arthur.

Thanks,

F

I've done Alaska on both lines and they are a completely different experience:

Things HAL does better:

• cabins - by a mile. On LB the cabin was strictly somewhere to sleep. Narrow single beds at right angles in a tiny cabin and as for the bathroom - cabin attendant called it the "shoilet" basically a toilet, tiny hand basin and telephone shower head on a hook, in a space the size of a phone booth. Remove toilet paper before showering. There were better cabins that were larger, but the bathrooms were equally spartan.
  
• Shopping and ports. We went Sitka to Juneau and only visited one other settlement for the entire week.
  
• Entertainment and general "cruise experience"
  
• Accessibility - level access, elevators between floors, handicapped accessible cabins. (However, there were some cabins on the main deck level with the bar and restaurant)
  

Things LB did better:

• Food - the food was amazing, as you would expect from a smaller number of passengers. Ingredients were top range - eg King Crab legs, steaks; sauces were Cordon Bleu class; wine was included at meals; special requests were anticipated and offered - eg chef created (unasked) sugar free wholefood deserts for my diabetic partner. They just arrived on the table - "the chef thought you might like to try this".
  
• Going with the flow - itinerary was infinitely customisable - eg one afternoon a huge pod of Orcas came by the ship. We spent 3 hours hanging out with them rather than moving on. One evening a big old bear was feeding on the shore. We just stopped and watched him until the light faded.
  
• Excursions - all included, with an emphasis on nature watching but at different levels of ability. A lot of patience from the staff helping less confident passengers get comfortable with the zodiacs.
  
• Expertise on board - naturalists who really knew their stuff and a photo adviser who gave lots of tips on how to photograph what we were seeing.
  
• Actually getting to see Alaska, 100% of the time on board.
  
• Predicting the total cost - excursions all included in cost as was wine with meals - so onboard expenses much much lower.
  

stuff that was just different

• Spa services - there wasn't a proper spa with beauty treatments, but there was a very skilled massage therapist on board - if you wanted a massage you put your name on her list and she came to find you when the boat was underway and nothing interesting happening to compete.
  
• Staff service ethos - Great, professional and appropriate service on both lines, just very very different. On HAL there is a professional and committed staff from 3rd world who take pride in their service levels, address you respectfully "Miss X", and have very defined roles. On LB the staff were younger, American and egalitarian in approach. The same staff worked as cabin attendants and waitstaff, we were on first name terms, a much more casual relationship yet at the same time taking equal pride in their service levels.
  

I hope the above is helpful. I'd say give LB a call if you have any concerns about accessibility of your particular boat or itinerary. I think I've read that the Alaska boats are the least comfortable in the fleet, so some of my comments above might be too negative for the trip you are planning. For me there was no contest - the LB Alaska trip was just miles better in every way, but that was because Alaska rather than the ship was the destination.

or the reverse....... Milford Sound (in New Zealand) is an SC stop where passengers can disembark for an overnight roadtrip, joining the ship again at the next regular port stop. Only passengers on the official HAL excursion can leave the ship. (Guess where I'm going for my next cruise!)

yes, thanks for this - a biiiig difference in price! I will look into this as well.

11 day Sydney to Auckland Friday 13 Feb 2015 is still on HAL's website, but it is also showing on Olivia website as a full charter.

Thanks, guys! One more thing to get excited about!! And I had not even thought that I might be able to get a photo from the other perspective at sailaway as well. The only slight downer is that to pass a 5am breathyliser test, I will need to stick to orange juice at the pre-trip party the night before :)

Can you see the cruise ships at the White Bay Terminal from the Bridge? I am thinking of doing the Bridge Climb before my cruise, and if you can see the ships from the top of the bridge I will try to book a dawn climb on the day of my cruise. Ship is meant to dock at 6am so if I am really lucky I will see her sailing in. (The climb is timed so that you reach the top at sunrise - 6.30) Any thoughts from locals? I don't think we climb much higher than the road level, but we do get a 360 deg view when we reach the top, so maybe someone who has driven over the bridge could tell me the answer.

Thanks!

Thanks everyone! I do get seasick, but love cruising too much to let it put me off.

the cruise will be spending one day/night from Sydney to Hobart, two sea days/nights from Port Arthur to the Fiords of NZ and one sea day/night from Wellington to Auckland. How bad are the seas likely to be in each of these segments?

thanks, Fiona

Will be visting Port Arthur, &, Akaroa I know this may be a stupid question, but will the geology and wildlife be the same(ish) in this part of the world, or are there very different things to see on boat trips from the port??

Port Arthur offers: " a three-hour cruise along the spectacular coastline of the TasmanNational Park, between Eaglehawk Neck and Port Arthur. Experience the highest vertical sea cliffs in the southern hemisphere. Enter

sea caves; see wonderful wildlife, hundreds ofseals, migrating whales and abundant bird species in the thousands. At any time of theyear you’re likely to see the feeding frenzy of diving gannets, albatross and sea eagles wheeling on the wind, cliff-nesting peregrine falcons and playful dolphins surfing the bow wave of the boat. "

Akaroa offers this on a powered boat"

Take a chartered motor cruise on beautiful Akaroa Harbour, which was formed by a massive volcanic eruption. Cruise its deep blue waters where you will hear about the fascinating geological history of the region and its rich marine life. Among the highlights of this scenic cruise is the Cathedral Cavewith its massive sea walls that are home to many sea birds. Keep an eye out for the spotted shag and little blue penguin. While cruising towards the head of the harbor you may also see fur seals and the playful Hector’s dolphin—the smallest oceanic dolphin in the world. These beautiful marine mammals

enjoy riding the bow waves of the launch

or this on a sailing ketch:

"See the dolphins in the crater of an extinct volcano and enjoy the wildlife of Akaroa Harbour up

close. Relax and soak up the sun, sea and hills or take part as one of the crew. See Hectors

dolphins, yellow-eyed and blue penguins, New Zealand fur seals, albatross and other sea

birds. Be surrounded by giant volcanic sea cliffs, caves and rock formations along the

journey"

Can anyone tell me how they enjoyed any of the above, whether they can recommend independent tour operators offering the same kind of trip?

And, importantly, will the Tasmanian and New Zealand tours be different enough that it is worth doing both. If not, which trip has the edge?

Many thanks

Fiona

A few more things to add:

If you are going to the Lido (buffet) there are no trays there, but you will find a tray in your room under the ice bucket which can come in very handy :)

I have the celiac condition and HAL has always been wonderful in accommodating it. I find it easier to eat in the MDR because I get given the dinner menu for the next night at some point during dinner and I mark it with what I would like to eat the next evening - they then prepare it in the "special diets" section of the kitchen and it is made to order and they tweak the recipe if necessary to make it gluten free - eg substituting rice for couscous or grilling fish rather than coating it in flour and frying it. They would do the same for a dairy free diet - eg by omitting a sauce or using oil rather than butter. (I did a behind the scenes kitchen tour where they showed us the special diets kitchen area and it was separate from the stations where each entree is assembled)

Obviously choosing to tip is a personal decision, (and I'm ony mentioning it because you haven't cruised before and are also new to these boards where there is usually a tipping thread on the go with a range of views expressed :)) but because I recognise that it is extra work for the MDR waiters to fetch a menu for me and then process it and also to deal with fetching my special meal that night, I like to give them a few dollars each night to recognise that. Those guys are rushed off their feet just doing their usual job. I have a different table every night so there isn't one guy who takes care of it, but even if I had fixed dining I would probably tip each night - it does smooth the way for efficient menu delivery each night.

You can order a second starter instead of a main course, if you fancy smaller plates. You can ask for a side order of steamed vegetables if you want to eat healthy (and specify no butter)- the veg portions included in the entrees can be small, like a garnish.

Also, as well as the quite fancy entrees on the menu there is an "always available" section which has plainer food - grilled salmon, grilled chicken breast and grilled steak. If you are finding the menu food quite rich then these can be a nice plainer alternative.

Eating at the Lido - you can always ask for help and the server will call the chef to run through the recipes to check you can eat them, but it does take time and can make the people behind you in the line a bit cross. So I tend to only take food that I know can't possibly have any gluten in them and probably miss out on a lot of delicious stuff when there are a lot of people getting their lunch.

At lunch time there is a good salad bar in the Lido and also usually a Mexican food station where you can get different plain salad veg and guacamole.

I've only travelled on Charters where they arrange a special needs meeting with the Chefs and the Maitre'd. They are very helpful in explaining what they can do for guests, so I'd suggest approaching the Maitre'd on the first day and asking if you can talk to someone from the kitchen as well.

I think if you bring back a plate to the cabin every time you see something in the Lido that you fancy for later in the day, and order from room service you will be absolutely fine. I hope that you love your cruise and that you will ask HAL to take care of your needs, because they really will look after you well, so long as they know what you need. I remember breakfast waiters insisting on bringing me special gluten free pancakes because they could see I was only ordering boring safe stuff and not letting them spoil me with all the things that they could do for me.

Thank you! If I can't get any specific recommendations I'll look on Ravelry for yarn shops and just hope that they have some artisan stock as well as just factory made stuff.

Does anyone know of any places that sell natural undyed yarn from the local sheep at Tasmanian or NZ cruiseports - or do any of the farms that can be visited on excursions sell their own products?

We will be visiting Hobart, Port Arthur, Dunedin, Akaroa & Wellington.

Thanks!