JohnGinPBG

We took a public bu to Mendenhall and back last June. I can't recall but I don't think it was more than $40 RT pp, maybe less. It worked out great. We had 2 hours at Mendenhall, which was plenty. Skipped the visitor center and hiked the beach trail to Nugget Falls. Very picturesque. We were glad we did the on our own.

25 minutes ago, RachelG said:

They post a list of the excursions online at 90 days out, and you are able to book then.  I advise booking right at the90 day mark as some of the excursions fill up fast.  We tend toward the most active ones, and those do not fill up as quickly in general.  I will be blogging here as usual live during the cruise, so look for that when the time comes around.  I will try to remember to list what the other available excursions are each day, and will give detailed info about the ones we do.

Thanks much, Rachel. I'll  be anticipating your blog, as we have eight stops in common with our 2020 cruise, which all look amazing. If you could mention which islands have Zodiac water landings, that would be great to know.

I'll be following you intently next month. Have a great cruise!

Thanks, all! I'm 376 days out, so there's any urgency. Just curious.

6 hours ago, Stumblefoot said:

RachelG is on this voyage in May and I imagine would be happy to let you know about excursion/activities.

Thanks, Stumblefoot! How might I contact her?  (new here)

7 hours ago, TLCOhio said:

Glad to know you will be traveling along "vicariously" with us during this adventure.  I plan to do a live/blog as we travel during this upcoming late July trip

I have a copy of this incredible book that details every mile of an Alaska cruise in words, picture and great maps.Wonderful history included and very well-written. Send me your address and I'll loan it to you. jgallup77@gmail.com.

2 hours ago, pasca said:

 We will be going it alone in a couple of ports (Ketchikan and Sitka), with sightseeing and day hikes.  Do you know if Silversea will pack lunches for us, if we don't want to return to the ship to eat?  

 I don't think the ship wii pack lunches for you. we were told that no food was allowed off the ship  -- although we might have sneaked off a few snacks (promise not to tell).

If you're hikers, we had a great and very inexpensive day in Juneau. Took the tram to Mt. Roberts and hiked the surprisingly challenging bit very rewarding loop trail up there. (in the rain). Then went back to the ship for a nice lunch and, in the afternoon went on a city bus to Mendenhall glacier and did an easy hike along the beach to the glacier and Nugget falls.

Enjoy your cruise!

35 minutes ago, Fortunate2 said:

Thanks JohnGinPBG for the great endorsement of Captain Paul Davis!   Our cruise in June has us in Sitka on the 20th and I just emailed Captain Davis for his availability.   Quick question ... how was the ride during your tour?  My bride is a little sensitive to motion and I want to make sure it's a great day.    Appreciate it!

 

Since this is a smaller boat, he zips around pretty quickly and there is minimal movement of the kind I imagine would cause any queasiness. That said, there was some minor chop in Sitka Sound and we experiences a few jolts along the way. Nothing that took away from our enjoyment of the trip, however. It all depends on the day, I suppose. 

Is anyone sailing on this expedition cruise on the Cloud this year?

We are on the Cloud from Dublin to Reykjavik in May next year and will be visiting the same stops from Iona to Noss Island. I'm interested in knowing what the expedition team has in store for these incredible-looking destinations.

In general, when does SS inform you of the excursions/activities on expedition cruises?

30 minutes ago, TLCOhio said:

 

Agree 100% as to our hopes and plans to explore in and around Saint Lazaria Island.  As you properly note, being on a smaller boat allows more flexibility to get closer to the "action". But, much during our time in Alaska, will depend on the weather!!  We'll hope for the best.   In July 2010, when at the top of Norway and Europe above the Arctic Circle during a Silversea Silver Cloud trip as detailed/linked below, we did a similar type of smaller craft that went out to an incredible "bird island" that was such an amazing experience.  There, in Norway, we saw tens of thousands of puffins!!  Plus, so much more.  It was totally amazing!!!
 

Saint Lazaria is eerily beautiful. It reminded me of King Kong's Skull Island. Amazingly, there were whales very close to shore in shallow water. One surfaced right next to the boat and sprayed my wife! Below are a few more shots to whet your appetite.

Some encouraging news from our trip - in 12 days in Alaska we had about two hours of rain total, which we hiked through on Mt. Roberts in Juneau. I wish you the same!

Love your comprehensive research! I'm the same way and believe the more you know about your destinations in advance, the more you'll enjoy actually being there. I'm currently researching our 2020 expedition cruise on SS from Dublin to Reykjavik with many stops along the way on sparsely-inhabited or uninhabited islands except, of course for thousands of birds.

Have fun over the next few months anticipating your Alaska adventure!

34 minutes ago, TLCOhio said:

 

YES!!!   On Tuesday, July 30, at 9:30 am, we will be going out with Captain Paul Davis of Gallant Adventures for three hours exploring these nearby scenic areas, looking for wildlife, birds, nature, coastal sites, etc., etc.  

That's great, Terry! Paul is great and very knowledgable about the wildlife and geology of the area and, with his small boat, he can take you into areas where the big boats can't go (he took us into a small cave). I hope he takes you to St. Lazaria island - tons of birds and amazing scenery.

I'm sure you'll have a great time! I'll be with you vicariously.

On 4/14/2019 at 3:13 PM, TLCOhio said:

For Sitka, we have a private tour/boat lined up to see whales, sea otters, seals, sea lion, puffins and and hopefully many other sea birds.  

 

Glad to see you're going to get out onto beautiful Sitka Sound and the amazing wildlife there. Are you going with Captain Paul Davis of Gallant Adventures? Our day with him last June was the highlight of our entire Alaska trip. Have a great time!

Thanks, JP, for your original blog and these additional tips. I'll be interested to hear what the Cloud offers you in Akureyri this year as well as your experience on Vigur Island, which is also part of our itinerary next year.

I'm really enjoying being a (new) part of the SS Cruise Critic community. It's an incredible treasure trove of information thanks to all the posters. Anywhere I'm considering sailing , there's bound to be great first-person accounts and photos. Such a gift!

We chose our first-ever cruise (Alaska on the Shadow last summer) based on CC reviews. Really glad I found the site and the board. I'll do my best to share our experiences, but you and the other regular posters set a very high bar!

We did Alaska last June, the Caribbean on the Spirit a couple weeks ago (booked the cruise 3 days before sailing) and have the Med in October and next year on the Cloud to look forward to.

Thanks again and enjoy your cruise this year!

3 hours ago, dani negreanu said:

A "bit" late to the party....

Another latecomer here. So glad this awesome review has resurfaced! We're sailing on the Cloud next May from Dublin to Reykjavik with six stops in Scotland/islands and Orkney, Shetland and Faroe Islands and on to Iceland. 

Like you, JP, we have long days in Orkney and Akureyri and we're inspired by your independent adventures there. We'll wait and see what the ship has in store, however, since this is an expedition cruise (our first) and they may have some good tours included for us.

We're adding time in Ireland pre-cruise and Iceland post so this should be 3+ weeks of awesomeness!

6 minutes ago, Sunny AZ Girl said:

Great photos and tips! "Thank you! 

All shot with my 55-210mm.

Highly recommended: http://www.gallantadventures.com/index.html

Silver Spirit in Roseau, Dominica.

Coming in very late to this discussion.

I bought an a6000 with the kit lens and the 55-210 in December 2017 for our June 2018 Alaska cruise and Denali trip. Like you, immersed myself in youtube videos learning the ins and outs of the camera (still learning!). Soon afterward, sold the kit lens and bought a Sigma 16mm f 1.4, which has been an incredible landscape and low-light lens. Ended up taking over 700 pictures in Alaska on an amazing trip.

Here are my top tips based on Alaska and other trips:

1.Auto focus is unreliable for wildlife at a distance if set on wide or zone. Use center or, better yet, flexible spot small to get pinpoint focus. If you're comfortable using manual focus, try focus peaking to help get sharp subjects. (wish I knew these tips before Alaska).

2. You can extend your telephoto reach by up to 2X using ClearImage Zoom without sacrificing image quality, so your 210mm would become effectively 420mm, which is actually equivalent to over 600mm on a crop sensor. I set my C1 button as zoom, so it's really handy.

3. I used continuous shooting, high in drive mode for moving subject such as whales and was pleased with the results.

4. To make my landscape pics pop, I use a circular polarizer filter. It also cuts glare on water nicely, if used at a 90-degree angle to the sun's rays. I basically leave it on all the time when outdoors.

5. I use the rule of thirds grid to help place subjects in the best area of the frame.

6.  My most important tip for you is to skip Sitka town and get on a boat. We want on Gallant Adventures small boat 5-hour trip and saw multiple whales up-close, sea otters, sea lions, seals, eagles, puffins and thousands of other sea birds and a grizzly. It was the highlight of the entire trip! Here are some pictures from that day, a few of which could have been better-focused.

Have a great trip and take lots of great photos!

Don't forget the La Dame Grand Marnier souffle.

Room service Creme Brulee always works. Or cheesecake for your daughter.

14 minutes ago, nowornever said:

the amazing Lemon Grass Creme Brulee in Indochine.

Pictured above. Agreed!

15 minutes ago, jpalbny said:

(warmer than Albany, for sure).

Hey Napria,

We sailed on the Spirit last week and had some wonderful gelato. I would suggest, however, that your daughter sample the unlimited variety of deserts to satisfy her sweet tooth. They're delicious and artfully presented.

JP, fellow Albanian (or maybe Albanyite??) here. Actually grew up in Newtonville. Now enjoying my 28th year in South Fla. Two SS cruises under my belt and two more booked. You have inspired me to see more of the world. Cheers!

2 hours ago, kenevenpar said:

JohnGinPBG - Do you have a link to a site for the cruise you are taking?  That kind of trip would definitely be on my bucket list.

Here you go:  https://www.silversea.com/destinations/northern-europe-british-isles-cruise/dublin-to-reykjavik-e4200529012.html

I agree on the bucket list.

Well, Terry, after your Denali trip, the rest of your voyage might be a little let-down. The train ride is fun and scenic, but then it's another bus  back to Anchorage, which is uninspiring. My guess is that you'll have a day to recall all the beautiful places you've visited and relax in preparation for the long flight home. I'll include some train pics.

So I'm thinking about doing a live blog with pics from our Spirit Caribbean cruise. You and so many other posters have inspired me. I'm a newbie, as you can tell, but I've learned so much from this community and I want to give back a little. I have three upcoming SS cruises and I think I can contribute to the conversation (and photos, too, since it's much easier now). My biggest challenge will be finding the time.

Anyway, end of Alaska posts and off to San Juan soon!

Thanks! Enjoy!

No time to write much today since yesterday we booked a last-minute sailing on the Spirit that leaves San Juan on Friday! Our SS Cruise Consultant got us a sweet deal and now we're scrambling to prepare.

But here are some pics from Denali. I hope you are as lucky as we were with good weather, great wildlife and views of the big mountain! Truly an amazing day.

Here's another from Sitka - I forget the name.

Next year, we're going on a birder's dream cruise on a small ship from Dublin toIceland, stopping on many incredible bird-only Scottish islands along the way including Lunga and St. Kilda. Can't wait!

And a black oystercatcher and tufted puffin in Sitka, AK.