ikirumata

There are a lot of harbor seals, bald eagles, and if you are lucky, a whale or two to watch from the shore. If it weren't for the whizzing of the zip line, ISP would be the perfect quiet escape! Totally different than the other touristy ports. No tshirts, no lumberjack shows, and no diamond shops...just lots of trees and beach.

If you don't want to schedule a tour, you can probably spend an hour or two exploring and then head back to the ship and spend your time on deck enjoying the scenery (and looking for wildlife). ISP is a nice refuge from the other touristy destinations.

On our NE cruise (mid October), we spotted some whales on the way to Halifax (way in the distance along with some dolphins). On our way back to Boston, there was a time where the ship went through a pod of whales. There were whales everywhere! Probably doesn't happen a lot, but there are whales to be seen if you are lucky!

We took a small bout tour to Tracy Arm and we saw whales on the way to and from the Fjord. Once inside the Fjord, we didn't see any whales. The trip's main focus was to see the Fjord and thus we didn't spend much time in search for whales.

I think that if you really want to see whales, its always a good idea to book an excursion specific to whale watching.

Have fun!

Bread on our Radiance trip was hard and sometimes overcooked. Bread on the Brilliance was good.

I don't know if it was due to cost cutting (comparing a cruise 8 years ago vs current), but I think I enjoyed our beef when we sailed out of Galveston better than any other cruises.

How about a GoPro? Would be cool to mount it on the helicopter/plane.

I want to purchase a new camera for my Alaska cruise in July and am looking for some suggestion. I don't want to carry a big camera with different lenses but I do want something with a good zoom capability and image stabilization.

Any suggestions would be appreciated. I want to try and stay under $300.

thanks

Judi

Check out the photography section of the cruise critic boards. Lots of great info there!

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=118

Here is someone that bought a Panasonic FZ200

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1694983

I totally understand if you want to save some money by eating on the ship while in port, especially in Alaska. I didn't find anything in Alaska worth the price for eating in port. There were good/tasty choices, but I thought things were typically overpriced for the tourists. I didn't find that Alaska had a great food tradition anyway, compared to other places, like New England/Canada.

I think that every port will allow you to come back to the ship and eat lunch without difficulty, except for Skagway. The walk from town to port is a haul.

The Radiance has a really good lunch in the MDR during port days, in particular, the made to order salads.

Have a great time!

Im not a landscape photographer by any means, so I can't advise based on that. I like to use my wide angle lenses if I can get really close to my subject much more than I use them to "get everything in." Here I was able to get really close to the boat using my Tokina 12-24.

Boat at Peggy's Cove by ikirumata, on Flickr

When I was in Alaska, I wasn't close to anything :) and no matter what focal length I was at, there was always something awesome to shoot. I brought along a Tokina 12-24 and a Canon 70-200 and it seemed whenever I would switch to the wide angle, something caught my eye off in the distance. My 12-24 didn't get much use and I found changing lenses on a small moving boat a tenuous affair (I just need more practice). I simply adopted the strategy of anything closer than my 70-200 could not get, I would just put down the camera and enjoy the experience (A humpback was lunge feeding right off our boat once. Would have been nice to capture, but I am very grateful for experiencing it. There was something visceral there that couldn't be captured with a camera).

Getting back to your question. If you don't already have a wide angle, I wouldn't buy one just for Alaska. If you feel you absolutely need one, rent it.

Please come back and share your awesome photos!

I hope you don't mind if I ask a question here but I see several people posting here that we have met on cruises and have been to Alaska. We are D+ with RCI but wanted to try Celebrity and would like to sail on the Solstice. We have booked the Solstice for May 1st of next year and it states on our schedule that we will be cruising the Inside Passage which is another reason we booked this cruise. We will leave out of Vancouver & depart the ship in Seattle, so it isn't round trip. My question is...If you have sailed the Inside Passage, do you feel that this is a "must do" and also is it better to do round trip from one port ? We have never been to Alaska and we are needing help with this. Thank you for your advice, we really appreciate your views. Janet

I wouldn't say the Inside Passage is a must do. In fact, when we sailed in Alaska (Radiance), we went through the Inside Passage and I don't recall anything that would be classified as a must see.

If you are considering renting a 100-400 f4.5-5.6 for Alaska, consider renting the 400 f5.6 instead. Chances are you are going to be shooting at 400mm all the time anyway, might as well get the lighter prime lens instead (arguably better image quality too).

Good luck!

ISP is only 20 miles away from Point Adolphus, considered the best place to watch whales in Southeast Alaska. This should be the primary reason for visiting ISP (getting away from Diamonds International is a bonus). That being said, once you know that you are getting the best whale watching in ISP, that frees you to do other things in Juneau. Based on Celebrity's itinerary, you have the rare opportunity to take Adventure Bound to Tracy Arm.

ISP itself is not flashy in any way...and thats not a bad thing. To me its a great place to relax and let the wild of Alaska sink in (if they can only get rid of that infernal zip line). I am a big nature and wildlife fan and you don't have to go very far to get that in ISP. All without the pressure of calculator pushing diamond salesmen, loud cars racing up and down the roads, and inappropriate innuendo t-shirts hanging on racks in the middle of the walks. Just the sound of the waves hitting the shores, seals playing in the distance, and eagles soaring above (and just when you are about to succumb to the quiet beauty of it all...ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZing...stupid zip line).

ok, its not perfect, but it is still a breath of fresh air compared to the other commonly visited ports.

Hoonah Eagle by ikirumata, on Flickr

Deck 3 will be more quiet and closer to the exits when you dock/tender. Lower floors tend to have less rocking. However, it will be further from the upper deck, windjammer, gym, and solarium. And, I think it will be the lowest ocean view rooms. Your view will be closer to the water line.

Deck 4 will be a bit higher (possibly better view from your port hole), closer to the centrum bar where they have live acts/bands/etc. May be more noisy and it really isn't that much closer to the upper deck.

Get floor 3 if you want quiet and want to get to the port/tender exit faster. Get floor 4 if you want to be close to the nightlife.

Personally, I wouldn't get an oceanview for Alaska. I like the inside rooms as I usually spend most of my time outside on the upper deck looking at Alaska (and put the savings toward excursions). Its better to have the ability to move from side to side up on the deck, especially when looking for wildlife.

If I were wanting the ability to stay in my room to view Alaska (and I had no budget), I would opt for a balcony, especially a rear one. Ocean views, for me, seem like a bad compromise, but I totally understand if anyone doesn't want to spend their cruise in a closet and does not have the budget for a balcony.

Either way, Radiance is a beautiful ship! You are going to have a great time no matter what you choose!

Seals? I love seals!

If you go early in the season you will see pups too!

Harbor Seal and Baby by ikirumata, on Flickr

Mountain Goats are year round too!

Tracy Arm Mountain Goat by ikirumata, on Flickr

If you are lucky, a bear!

Bear at Tracy Arm Fjord by ikirumata, on Flickr

Always a ton of eagles!

Eagle on Iceberg by ikirumata, on Flickr

And, if you take a small boat, you too can get close enough to photograph them!

Have a great time!

So pissed that they got rid of the Goat Cheese Souffle! It was the #1 reason we went to Chops (my wife is vegetarian and loved it!). Am I just not seeing it on the menu? Anyone know where else I can get my Goat Cheese Souffle fix next time I cruise?

:mad:

Do the Adventure Bound trip! Not many itineraries get the opportunity to do both Glacier Bay and have enough time in Juneau for an Adventure Bound trip.

Tracy Arm is amazing! Although the Adventure Bound trip is primarily to see the Fjord and Seward Glaciers, you will see some amazing wildlife (up close too!).

Check out my Alaska pictures in my signature for some pics of Tracy Arm from May 2012 (midway through starting with the waterfalls).

Have a great time!

Its late and I have given up trying to upload pictures here from flicker. I have lots of blue in mine, and I am sure I just left it on the Auto setting. Can someone direct me to upload directions from Flicker.

The way I do it is:

1. Click on the picture you want to share

2. on the right, you should see some icons. Look for the icon that looks like a box with an arrow coming out of it. Click on this icon.

3. You should now see a box pop up. There will be some icons along the top of this box that look like the usual social media sharing icons (facebook, twitter, tumblr, email, pintrest). Under those icons, you will see 3 options (Link, HTML, BBCode). Click on BBCode.

4. You should now see a URL/code box. Highlight it, copy it, and then paste it into the cruise critic forum reply. You can choose the size of the image in the dialog just above the link.

if you do it correctly, the image will appear when you preview or submit your post. It will look like this:

Calving at South Sawyer Glacier by ikirumata, on Flickr

There has been some updates to Flickr, so the iconography may be a bit different. Let us know what you find! Good luck! Looking forward to those pictures!

I know that you say that a balcony is a must, but something to consider, especially for Alaska. You mentioned wanting to get close to nature. Viewing nature from the cruise ship (balcony or otherwise) is nice, but vastly inferior to taking a smaller boat (or land excursion) out and into the wild. Its like flying over Yellowstone National Park and saying you saw it from the window of a plane. You can see the wildlife and Old Faithful using binoculars, but you really don't get to experience it (ok, not exactly apples to apples, but intentionally obtuse to prove a point).

You mentioned being on a budget. For our cruise to Alaska in May 2012, the money we saved by going with an inside (over a balcony) paid for ALL of our excursions (and we still came out ahead...even after souvenirs and a couple nice port lunches). For reference, we:

- took an 8 hour tour to Tracy Arm - a must do btw!

- kayaked in Orcas Cove in Ketchikan (amazing)

- went whale watching in Icy Strait Point (awesome)

- went hiking in Skagway (I wish we would have rented a car).

- took a train ride from Seward to Anchorage (nice, but next time we are renting a car and driving)

- ate lunch at Tracy's Crab Shack (overrated btw)

- ate lunch at the fish and chip place on the Ketchikan dock (not bad)

- gifts for the kids/grandparents/co-workers (cheap Chinese stuff ftw!)

The only time we spent in the room was literally to sleep and to change clothes. The rest of the ship time (when it was daylight), we spent up on the deck with other passengers sharing the views (trading excursion stories, scouting for wildlife, and showing off pics). There is also something to be said about having extra pairs of eyes when looking out for wildlife. Some times, we were the only people on deck. We just pulled up a couple deck chairs and watched Alaska drift by. One of our favorite moments was seeing a line of dolphins that stretched from horizon to horizon. We could have only seen that from the front of the ship. Chances are, we would have missed that spectacular event if we were confined to a balcony, looking off to one side or the other.

I know that you have your reasons for going with the balcony, but "only balcony...much less Alaska" mindset may actually limit your experience in this case.

So, if you were to choose one of the excursions I've named below, given what we want to do in the other ports, which would it be?

Why choose? Do all of them by getting an inside! Getting on to excursions is by far the best way to experience Alaska. Don't skimp here.

Either way you go, I hope you come back with amazing stories (and pictures to share)! Wish I was there with you (or without you...Im not picky)!

Also, does anyone have any pictures they can post of T.A.?

There are some pics of Tracy Arm at the link in my signature.

Here are a couple samples:

IMG_5142 by ikirumata, on Flickr

IMG_5121 by ikirumata, on Flickr

IMG_5103 by ikirumata, on Flickr

Lots more if you go to the link in my signature. Lots of wildlife to be found out there as well! We saw...2 bears, mountain goats, eagles, whales, seals, and all kinds of birds. The excursion the week before us saw a wolf! The pics were amazing. We were not so lucky.

Anyway, I highly recommend taking a smaller boat out there. Tracy Arm is beautiful especially if you can make it all the way to BOTH glaciers!

Have fun!

I just uploaded some pics from our excursion to Tracy Arm via Adventure Bound. You can view them in the Alaska Pics link in my signature.

Here are a couple shots:

Being a fjord, rock walls jut out from the water straight up on both sides.

IMG_5148 by ikirumata, on Flickr

Deep blue icebergs were everywhere! The color is just breathtaking.

Deep blue icebergs! by ikirumata, on Flickr

Seals like to give birth on the icebergs. The icebergs mess with whale sonar, so they feel safe here. This pup was just born not too long ago. You can still see where the umbilical cord was once attached. Amazing!

Seal and newborn pup by ikirumata, on Flickr

Nice view of one of the sides of the Sawyer Glacier. We were blessed with a beautiful day in late May!

Tracy Arm Fjord by ikirumata, on Flickr

Why chance the hotel printer not working? Print 2 copies now and if you lose them, then try the hotel computer. :)

Have a great time!

We have a northbound Alaska cruise booked for early June. We are looking for excursions to book. We do not want to flight-see, or fly-in anywhere for that matter, so was looking for anyone who's been to Ketchikan to give a recommendation for a fun excursion?

How about kayaking? Orcas cove is a nice place to kayak.

Have you even gone on a vacation and come home only to find out your camera didn't capture the same things your eyes did? This Alaska trip is a once in a lifetime adventure for us, and I want to be able to share it with family and friends. To complicate matters, I need a point and shoot camera! To capture all of the Alaska beauty, do any of you have a recommendation for a camera to capture the trip? Thank you!!!

Come ask that question over in the Photography section of the Cruise Critic Forums!

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=118

You will get all kinds of helpful answers!

Going on my first cruise to Alaska in July. For Juneau, trying to decide between the Tracy Arm tour or a helicopter tour that lands on the glaciers. Any thoughts? Pros/Cons on each?? Thanks for any insight.

I checked your time in port for Juneau (2-10pm) and I don't think you have near enough time to go all the way out to Tracy Arm. Our tour was pushing 10 hours. If you did have time, I would highly recommend it.

Juneau is your best whale watching port. Consider that if whales are on your bucket list. Otherwise, a helicopter ride would be awesome too.

Have a great time!

Remember also that temps on the water are much colder than on land. So, if you have any boat excursions or like to be up on deck, especially during a glacier viewing, you will be happy that you have a heavy jacket/hat/gloves packed. Have fun!

My favorite is the all day trip from Juneau to Tracy Arm with Adventure Bound.

This...Especially if you get to see both glaciers. Even though its a glacier/fjord tour, we have seen so much wildlife on this tour...bears, mountain goats, eagles by the bucketful, whales, and seals (with cute seal babies). Its a must do!