plenox

DH just bought my daughter a pair of ZRS10x32 binoculars. It is so light that I can compare that to one of our older 10x25 compact binoculars. The brightness is actually better than my now 9 year old VISTA binoculars.

 

http://www.zen-ray.com/shop/binoculars/zrshd/zrshd10x32.html

 

We used the $20 off coupon (I think the code is SAVE20)

Does the coupon still work? My brother's family just booked their first Alaska cruise for 2017. Thinking about ordering a pair of binoculars for them.

we just walked around the town while in Ketchikan. That's the least favorite port of all in my opinion. But everyone's preference is different though:cool:

Most ships will face one side to the glacier (usually port first, in my experience) for about half an hour, and then turn to the other side for half an hour. If you stay on your balcony the whole time, you only get to see the glacier half the time! :eek: As others say, better to be out on deck, at least part of the time.

that is a good idea

when we were at Skagway, we just skipped the town all together and drove directly to Emerald lake

For bear and eagle watching, we always packed our ZRS HD binoculars. On the boat, we use 8x binos.

where can you buy Alaska fishing license

what time does the ship leave the port? I thought they all stay until in the evening

We will be on the 5/28 sailing of holland America nieuw amsterdam. We have signed up for the excursion to board a smaller boat, tour Tracy arm and then go directly to Juneau. Anyone have any experience with this tour? It is quite expensive so I am wondering if it worth the money. We really enjoy scenic cruising, glaciers and wildlife viewing.

 

 

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haven't done this myself. But curious how long the boat ride will be.

we took 8x42 to use on the ship and 10x42 for the land portion of the trip

we cruised Tracy Arm in early September and did manage to get really close to the glacier at the end of the arm.

it is totally worthy it. If you have a party of 4-6 people, it is more cost effective to drive out there than doing the train tour

it might be too late to rent a car for this summer. But definitely worth a try

be careful though. You don't want to accidentally roam on ship's antenna. That can be a very expensive mistake

we rented a car and drove all the way to Emerald lake. pretty relaxing 2-3 hr drive

I have been trying to take pictures through the binoculars with my phones with some success. But it is a pain to align them together. Can someone recommend a setup so the camera is always aiming at the binoculars' eyepiece?

We bought this for our next trip.

http://www.zen-ray.com/shop/smartphone-adapter-s.html

It works really well. Took me less than 1min to set it up.

I have seen people get motion sickness on those tour before. Make sure you prepare accordingly.

we stayed in downtown Marriott and Loden hotel before. Both are within walking distance to cruise terminal. They also offer courtesy shuttle

we took 4 pairs of binoculars so each of us has our own. Our favorite is the zen-ray vista 8x42 and 10x42. We use 8x magnification on the ship and 10x when doing cruise tour after getting off the ship.

+1.

I also will pick June sailing over September after having done both

we drove there ourselves and spent 90 mins there. That's plenty of time for us.

From our experience learnt from the forum, take 8x42 or 10x42 waterproof binoculars. The roof binoculars with streamlined shape is lighter than Porro binoculars with zigzagged shape. Waterproof is important feature as we had 4 raining days out of 7 during our cruise. We use them primarily for whale watching. We bought several pairs of VISTA 8x42 and Zen-Ray ZRS 10x42 so everyone can have his or her own pair.

here is my must have packing list

camera,

memory (a lot of them) or portable HD to download images

GoPro camcorder or similar

Binoculars (10x42 or 8x42 with waterproof feature)

rain jacket

tourbook

backpack

walking shoes

Jeans are fine.. but hiking pants will be more comfortable

we stayed there a couple of years back.. It has shown its age and history, but nevertheless a nice hotel. Have you considered Loden hotel, which is our favorite?

Thanks folks!

Only port that I have concerns about is Ketchikan. We dock at 10:00 am with the Niew Amsterdam and leave at 6; the Crown and Westerdam dock at 7 and depart 12:30/ 1pm. Wondering if we should attempt to use the public bus to get to Totem Bight or arrange for private transport.

stop complaining. At least your ship will dock at the port.. Ours was tendered when we were there.:D

We're cruising to Alaska in July and just trying to figure out what shore excursions to take. We'd like to go to try to see bears. I know sightings aren't guaranteed, but just wondering if anyone has been on any of the following tours and what you thought of them:-

 

Rainforest Sanctuary, Ketchikan

 

Wildlife & Brown Bear Search, Icy Strait Point

we saw 3 black bears from the ship when we sailed into Tracy's Arm. You do need to bring binoculars with you. Otherwise, they are just a few moving black dots.:)