"Photo Safari by land and Sea" in Juneau

[utseabee]

So I had decided I didn't want to do an excursion in Juneau, but am tempted...

I am lookin at the Photo Safari by Land and Sea excursion through Princess. It includes a hike around Mendenhall Glacier, as well as a whale watching trip.

was wondering if anyone had been on this excursion, and if it would be worth it with just a point-and-shoot camera.

[Budget Queen]

So I had decided I didn't want to do an excursion in Juneau, but am tempted...

I am lookin at the Photo Safari by Land and Sea excursion through Princess. It includes a hike around Mendenhall Glacier, as well as a whale watching trip.

was wondering if anyone had been on this excursion, and if it would be worth it with just a point-and-shoot camera.

 

As an alternative, you could book an independent whale watch (which is 100% chance of humpback sightings), and get a Mendenhall drop off/pick up- arranged with the whale watch vendor. The other direction you would take the shuttle bus, which runs to the dock.

 

All of Alaska is a photo safari in my opinion. And having a little freedom, may be more of a benefit perhaps?

[Sunny AZ Girl]

I am booked on that same excursion next week. I will be on the Carnival Spirit, but it is run by the same company. If you do a search you will see that it is a very popular excursion and the reviews are heavily in favor of it. I posted the same question a while back and the answers were that the excursion is good for all levels of experience and cameras. I have a Sony Cybershot DSC-H5, not a DSLR. I love my camera. It is not a pocket camera, but easier to carry that a DSLR with all the extra lenses. I hope to upgrade someday, but for now I think it will do nicely. Extra Zoom would be great (I have 12X digital). but cropping after the fact helps, too.

 

I booked this excursion more for the chance to pick up tips on lighting, camera settings, etc than just the places the excursion visits. As BQ suggests, the places you go are also available in different ways. I am pretty much a self-taught amateur photographer (and mostly just on vacation, family functions, etc) and I tend to gravitate to anything that will give me an opportunity to learn a little more about photography. Some day soon I hope to be able to advance my skills and equpment.

 

I will be happy to report back on my experience upon my return. When is your cruise?

 

BTW - it is a limited size excursion so if you think you would like to go I would book it sooner rather than later as it is popular.:)

[utseabee]

I am booked on that same excursion next week. I will be on the Carnival Spirit, but it is run by the same company. If you do a search you will see that it is a very popular excursion and the reviews are heavily in favor of it. I posted the same question a while back and the answers were that the excursion is good for all levels of experience and cameras. I have a Sony Cybershot DSC-H5, not a DSLR. I love my camera. It is not a pocket camera, but easier to carry that a DSLR with all the extra lenses. I hope to upgrade someday, but for now I think it will do nicely. Extra Zoom would be great (I have 12X digital). but cropping after the fact helps, too.

 

I booked this excursion more for the chance to pick up tips on lighting, camera settings, etc than just the places the excursion visits. As BQ suggests, the places you go are also available in different ways. I am pretty much a self-taught amateur photographer (and mostly just on vacation, family functions, etc) and I tend to gravitate to anything that will give me an opportunity to learn a little more about photography. Some day soon I hope to be able to advance my skills and equpment.

 

I will be happy to report back on my experience upon my return. When is your cruise?

 

BTW - it is a limited size excursion so if you think you would like to go I would book it sooner rather than later as it is popular.:)

 

I would love to hear your thoughts when you get back! We leave on July 31st.

I am the same way...i am looking at this excursion more for the experience and photo tips than for the ride. i love shooting theme parks around here, and some am always looking for new angles and tips.

I have a canon a590, which is point and shoot with a few progammable options. I've been going through the manual for the last week or so, learning all of its tips and tricks before our trip.

[Cheryl H]

I'm looking forward to your report too.

 

We considered this tour, but then I heard they don't have a restroom on their boat. So now we're booked for a whale watching in Icy Strait with FISHES. And for Juneau, we'll just do the Mendenhall Shuttle buses to the glacier. I want to take my time there anyway.

 

I cannot decide on whether to sign up for something else in Juneau (in additional to going to the glacier). We may just walk around and hopefully find a good place to have lunch.

 

Looking forward to hearing how the photo safari goes. Have fun on your trip!

[Sunny AZ Girl]

I have a canon a590, which is point and shoot with a few progammable options. I've been going through the manual for the last week or so, learning all of its tips and tricks before our trip.

I have been studying mine for several weeks now. I have had the camera for two years and I am amazed at how many options I was not using! I have been practicing on the back yard, the cats, and basically anything that looks a little bit interesting. The photo forum on this board has a lot of good information, too.

 

Looking forward to hearing how the photo safari goes. Have fun on your trip!

I will be happy to let everyone know how the excursion goes!:D

[AZVoodoo]

So I had decided I didn't want to do an excursion in Juneau, but am tempted...

I am lookin at the Photo Safari by Land and Sea excursion through Princess. It includes a hike around Mendenhall Glacier, as well as a whale watching trip.

was wondering if anyone had been on this excursion, and if it would be worth it with just a point-and-shoot camera.

 

 

I did this in 2007 and it was excellent. The guide was a professional photographer and was really helpful to those that needed it. I had a DSLR but most others had P&S and they did fine. I was able to get a picture of only one whale but that was due to being there too early in the season (Early June). The hike was fairly level with a lot of opportunities for some nice shots.

 

This is a shot you could expect with a P&S looking across the lake at Mendenhall Glacier

 

[NHsnowpup]

I have been practicing on the back yard, the cats, and basically anything that looks a little bit interesting.

 

I had an earlier model with a little lower zoom. Loved it!! Have blown up some shots to 12 X 16, after cropping and they looked awesome. The color always came out perfect and it would do a full moon like nobody's business. Gave it to the son, when they got me a Nikon D80 for graduation. Miss it sometimes!

 

I have been stalking the dogs (wolves), the crows (eagles), and the morning fog(Misty F.) for practice around here. It's a wonder that they haven't dialed up SPCA to report me for harassment.

Enjoy and report back!!

[Sunny AZ Girl]

I had an earlier model with a little lower zoom. Loved it!! Have blown up some shots to 12 X 16, after cropping and they looked awesome. The color always came out perfect and it would do a full moon like nobody's business. Gave it to the son, when they got me a Nikon D80 for graduation. Miss it sometimes!

 

I have been stalking the dogs (wolves), the crows (eagles), and the morning fog(Misty F.) for practice around here. It's a wonder that they haven't dialed up SPCA to report me for harassment.

Enjoy and report back!!

I have been quite pleased with my camera's features. Being blessed to live in a part of the country with so many photo ops I have been practicing landscape shots as well. I took this picture in Sedona on a day trip to practice landscape shots. I have it blown up to 11X14 and framed at home. I am amazed at the clarity for a P&S camera. I hope to have some wonderful glacier pictures to show off after next week as well.:)

 

[Travel_Maven]

I just returned from our June 26 cruise on the Diamond Princess with a 5 day independent land tour prior to the cruise. It was a wonderful cruise and fabulous trip in general! Unfortunately the Photo Safari was a huge disappointment! :(

 

I had read all the wonderful reviews and decided it would be nice to get some tips for my DSLR and pocket camera along with whale watching and visiting the Mendenhall Glacier. During our tour we barely got any help with our camera and after seeing 2 whale flukes they said that was enough and took a long route back to the dock to see the sea lions on the buoy that everyone sees. We later found that all the other whale watching tours saw a great pod of Orcas and lots of humpbacks. Needless to say we were highly disappointed! As far as Mendenhall Glacier goes, the so called "hike" was a short easy path to the glacier where about 3-4 landmarks were pointed out. When we got to the glacier we were pretty much on our own for a few minutes until time to board the bus back to the dock.

 

To be fair, it very well could have been our tour guide that was the problem. I've looked on their website to see if he was listed and he wasn't. I'm wondering if he is new and just not motivated. Lots of people love this excursion so it is probably a good tour usually. Just a word of advice, please be sure your tour guide knows what you expect and is motivated to give you a good tour.

 

Good luck!

[Sunny AZ Girl]

I just returned from our June 26 cruise on the Diamond Princess with a 5 day independent land tour prior to the cruise. It was a wonderful cruise and fabulous trip in general! Unfortunately the Photo Safari was a huge disappointment! :(

 

I had read all the wonderful reviews and decided it would be nice to get some tips for my DSLR and pocket camera along with whale watching and visiting the Mendenhall Glacier. During our tour we barely got any help with our camera and after seeing 2 whale flukes they said that was enough and took a long route back to the dock to see the sea lions on the buoy that everyone sees. We later found that all the other whale watching tours saw a great pod of Orcas and lots of humpbacks. Needless to say we were highly disappointed! As far as Mendenhall Glacier goes, the so called "hike" was a short easy path to the glacier where about 3-4 landmarks were pointed out. When we got to the glacier we were pretty much on our own for a few minutes until time to board the bus back to the dock.

 

To be fair, it very well could have been our tour guide that was the problem. I've looked on their website to see if he was listed and he wasn't. I'm wondering if he is new and just not motivated. Lots of people love this excursion so it is probably a good tour usually. Just a word of advice, please be sure your tour guide knows what you expect and is motivated to give you a good tour.

 

Good luck!

Like you, I have read mostly positive reviews. I am really hoping that my experience will be different. Please express your disappointment to Princess &/or the tour operators. I know it won't help you after the fact, but could be very helpful to those of us who are coming after you.

 

Thank you for the review. I am glad the rest of your cruise/tour was a success.

[CherylsCaribbeanTravel]

I just returned from our June 26 cruise on the Diamond Princess with a 5 day independent land tour prior to the cruise. It was a wonderful cruise and fabulous trip in general! Unfortunately the Photo Safari was a huge disappointment! :(

 

I had read all the wonderful reviews and decided it would be nice to get some tips for my DSLR and pocket camera along with whale watching and visiting the Mendenhall Glacier. During our tour we barely got any help with our camera and after seeing 2 whale flukes they said that was enough and took a long route back to the dock to see the sea lions on the buoy that everyone sees. We later found that all the other whale watching tours saw a great pod of Orcas and lots of humpbacks. Needless to say we were highly disappointed! As far as Mendenhall Glacier goes, the so called "hike" was a short easy path to the glacier where about 3-4 landmarks were pointed out. When we got to the glacier we were pretty much on our own for a few minutes until time to board the bus back to the dock.

 

To be fair, it very well could have been our tour guide that was the problem. I've looked on their website to see if he was listed and he wasn't. I'm wondering if he is new and just not motivated. Lots of people love this excursion so it is probably a good tour usually. Just a word of advice, please be sure your tour guide knows what you expect and is motivated to give you a good tour.

 

Good luck!

 

Thank you for the review! I am also booked on this tour in a few weeks. I have read such positive things about the photo safari that I would be disappointed to experience what you did. I will positively keep my eyes peeled for other reports. I'm glad you enjoyed the cruise though :).

 

SunnyAZ, my cruise departs July 26, but I won't be in Juneau until August 7th (it's a 14 day cruise and Juneau is near the end). I will be looking for your review also. I can cancel up until August 4. If there isn't going to be good whale sitings, I'll just book the ships whale excursion.

 

Thanks again,

 

Cheryl

[Sunny AZ Girl]

Cheryl - from what I understand if you are primarily interested in whale sightings you would be better off to book a whale watching excursion. I am primarily interested in expanding my knowledge base in photo techniques - whales would be a very good bonus! If the tour does not live up to it's promise of a good photo guide and photo tips I will be very disappointed. I will post my review once I get home.

[Cheryl H]

Cheryl - from what I understand if you are primarily interested in whale sightings you would be better off to book a whale watching excursion. I am primarily interested in expanding my knowledge base in photo techniques - whales would be a very good bonus! If the tour does not live up to it's promise of a good photo guide and photo tips I will be very disappointed. I will post my review once I get home.

 

Well, my husband loves photography and I think he would enjoy this excursion, but I'm not sure about the no restrooms issue. I also liked that the safari sort of escorts you around Mendenhall. But then I read some other threads that the trail to the water fall is fairly easy to follow and there's even a new trail being built. So we switched over to the whale watching in Icy Strait. Can't quite manage both in the budget, so Icy Strait won.

 

Looking forward to hearing how your excursion goes. Have fun!!! Wish it was time for our trip already.

 

Edited to say, I wasn't sure if you were talking to me or the other Cheryl. :-)

[CherylsCaribbeanTravel]

Cheryl - from what I understand if you are primarily interested in whale sightings you would be better off to book a whale watching excursion. I am primarily interested in expanding my knowledge base in photo techniques - whales would be a very good bonus! If the tour does not live up to it's promise of a good photo guide and photo tips I will be very disappointed. I will post my review once I get home.

 

Hi Again (I'll be the other Cheryl :)),

 

This whole post is probably way more information than you are interested in, but I have a love of photography that I want to improve upon. I just purchased a new point and shoot. A Cannon sx20. Like your Sony H5, this one is one step down from a DSLR. I also purchased the book and cheat sheet that goes with the camera. It takes amazing photos, but boy do I have a lot to learn (which is why I want the photo safari). Whales are important, but not number one.

 

I am arriving in Seattle several days prior to my cruise and am taking a photo tour there also. I have been all over the photo forum here, but I must admit it is over-whelming.

 

Best case scenario, the photo tour in Seattle will help to solidify questions I have from the book so that I can walk on the ship able to get some decent shots. I was signed up for the photo tour in Sitka but reviews of that trip were poor and it didn't seem p&s friendly.

 

Anyway, as you can see, I will be REALLY interested in your review because based on what you have said we have similar photo desires. What day are you taking the trip in Juneau? I might be in Seattle already, but I'll make sure to come back to the forum.

 

Thanks again,

Cheryl

[puckster55pics]

Hi Again (I'll be the other Cheryl :)),

 

This whole post is probably way more information than you are interested in, but I have a love of photography that I want to improve upon. I just purchased a new point and shoot. A Cannon sx20. Like your Sony H5, this one is one step down from a DSLR. I also purchased the book and cheat sheet that goes with the camera. It takes amazing photos, but boy do I have a lot to learn (which is why I want the photo safari). Whales are important, but not number one.

 

I am arriving in Seattle several days prior to my cruise and am taking a photo tour there also. I have been all over the photo forum here, but I must admit it is over-whelming.

 

Best case scenario, the photo tour in Seattle will help to solidify questions I have from the book so that I can walk on the ship able to get some decent shots. I was signed up for the photo tour in Sitka but reviews of that trip were poor and it didn't seem p&s friendly.

 

Anyway, as you can see, I will be REALLY interested in your review because based on what you have said we have similar photo desires. What day are you taking the trip in Juneau? I might be in Seattle already, but I'll make sure to come back to the forum.

 

Thanks again,

Cheryl

Hi Cheryl,

If you have any lakes in your area I would recommend going to one & practicing with your camera settings as in Alaska on a cruise shooting water in sunlight & in cloudy/rainy conditions will help prepare you somewhat for your trip. I would start with the snow/water setting & get the hang of that & then try other settings. In many cameras the ISO speed is pre-set in certain modes like sports,snow/water etc.. so practice with it all you can between now & your trip. Looking forward to your pics & be sure to check out the photo board here, lots of good info & also check out Outdoor Photographer magazine-great source of photo knowledge;)

[Sunny AZ Girl]

Anyway, as you can see, I will be REALLY interested in your review because based on what you have said we have similar photo desires. What day are you taking the trip in Juneau? I might be in Seattle already, but I'll make sure to come back to the forum.

 

Thanks again,

Cheryl

It does seem as if we have similar interests. I will try to get back to this board soon after getting home to give you a review. I will be in Juneau on Saturday next week and home late on the 20th. I hope to get back here on the 21st, God willing.:)

 

Well, my husband loves photography and I think he would enjoy this excursion, but I'm not sure about the no restrooms issue. I also liked that the safari sort of escorts you around Mendenhall. But then I read some other threads that the trail to the water fall is fairly easy to follow and there's even a new trail being built. So we switched over to the whale watching in Icy Strait. Can't quite manage both in the budget, so Icy Strait won.

 

Looking forward to hearing how your excursion goes. Have fun!!! Wish it was time for our trip already.

 

Edited to say, I wasn't sure if you were talking to me or the other Cheryl. :-)

Icy Strait sounds like a wonderful port. I am sorry we won't get to go there. Have fun!

 

Hi Cheryl,

If you have any lakes in your area I would recommend going to one & practicing with your camera settings as in Alaska on a cruise shooting water in sunlight & in cloudy/rainy conditions will help prepare you somewhat for your trip. I would start with the snow/water setting & get the hang of that & then try other settings. In many cameras the ISO speed is pre-set in certain modes like sports,snow/water etc.. so practice with it all you can between now & your trip. Looking forward to your pics & be sure to check out the photo board here, lots of good info & also check out Outdoor Photographer magazine-great source of photo knowledge;)

Do you have any specific suggestions for settings on glacier snow and reflctions off water?

[Budget Queen]

I was able to get a picture of only one whale but that was due to being there too early in the season (Early June).

 

[/img]

 

Sorry, for clarification, this is not true. The humpbacks are FULLY migrated in Alaska by end of May. Humpbacks are seen ALL cruise season, including the first trips end of April. And finally Auke Bay is 100% sightings of humpbacks on their tours. Has been for years.

[Budget Queen]

I just returned from our June 26 cruise on the Diamond Princess with a 5 day independent land tour prior to the cruise. It was a wonderful cruise and fabulous trip in general! Unfortunately the Photo Safari was a huge disappointment! :(

 

I had read all the wonderful reviews and decided it would be nice to get some tips for my DSLR and pocket camera along with whale watching and visiting the Mendenhall Glacier. During our tour we barely got any help with our camera and after seeing 2 whale flukes they said that was enough and took a long route back to the dock to see the sea lions on the buoy that everyone sees. We later found that all the other whale watching tours saw a great pod of Orcas and lots of humpbacks. Needless to say we were highly disappointed! As far as Mendenhall Glacier goes, the so called "hike" was a short easy path to the glacier where about 3-4 landmarks were pointed out. When we got to the glacier we were pretty much on our own for a few minutes until time to board the bus back to the dock.

 

To be fair, it very well could have been our tour guide that was the problem. I've looked on their website to see if he was listed and he wasn't. I'm wondering if he is new and just not motivated. Lots of people love this excursion so it is probably a good tour usually. Just a word of advice, please be sure your tour guide knows what you expect and is motivated to give you a good tour.

 

Good luck!

 

One problem I have found with this tour, is although it's a good amount of time for the whole tour- the whale watch segment is shorter than just a regular whale watch tour. More time on the water- equals more sightings.

 

And, definately Mendenhall, is a simple visit. You see the glacier, walk along the lake- see it closer. :) There is no concern about "getting lost" not knowing "where to go" etc, for those who may be interested in going on their own.

[granniez]

We did this tour June 9 of this year. Our port time in Juneau was 8am to 10pm. The tour was just as advertised, but I would not do this again. Why?

We did get information and help on camera use, but the information is limited because of the tour time involved. This is not the time to learn how to use your camera! You might get one or two questions answered specifically about your own camera(it does not matter if it is p&s or dsl). The pictures you will get will depend on your camera's ability, and the co-operation of the wildlife(whales, bear, etc) while you are on your tour, and the number of pictures you will shoot. Thank goodness for digital media. Shoot, shoot, shoot alot! You can delete when you get home.

Our tour guide was very knowledgeable about photography and the area both, but it takes hours and hours to become a "great" photographer. I shot with both a DSL and a P&S on most of my trip. Sometimes I have to look at the photo info to see which camera took the shot.

The Mendenhall Glacier was a "stop" near the visitor's center(we did not get to go in) while we waited for everyone to do the potty stop before our hike(walk). There was a brief opportunity here to take pictures of the glacier itself. We then went on the "trail of time" that takes you on a nice easy path for a little over an hour(as we recall). It traces the history of the glacier and the flora and fauna of the small area. We learned a lot about the plants that are growing in the area, saw some rocks that showed us where the glacier used to be almost 100 years ago. I am a "flora" nut, so I took a lot of pictures here of the flowers, ferns, mosses, trees, waterfall, and they are lovely, but won't be a part of my Alaska memory album. We were glad that we had a long port time, because we took the Blue bus back to Mendenhall so we could spend time at Nugget falls and the glacier. To do this trip again, we would do Mendenhall "on our own" so we could spend the time doing what we wanted to do, and not do this as part of a tour.

We had a lot(10-12) of "humpback" sightings on our whale watching part of our tour, with some great tail flukes. There was a "pair" of whales that seemed to be circling our small pontoon, and they put on quite a show for us, but I still do not have the illusive "breech" picture(or sighting) I have been hoping for. We did not see any orcas. The boat is small and because of that, there were not a lot of people in the way when we tried to take pictures. This was very positive aspect of the tour. A few people on our tour went back with another company that evening for another whale watch, and they said they had a lot of sightings, including orcas. I thought we spent too much time seeing the seals on the buoy. I personally would rather have spent more time chasing the whales.

Bottom line-This was just as advertised.

Recommendation: Do Mendehall on your own. Do a specific whale watching trip if you want to see whales. Listen to the recommendations of others on this board as to who's whale watching trip is best for you.

[Travel_Maven]

We did this tour June 9 of this year. Our port time in Juneau was 8am to 10pm. The tour was just as advertised, but I would not do this again. Why?

We did get information and help on camera use, but the information is limited because of the tour time involved. This is not the time to learn how to use your camera! You might get one or two questions answered specifically about your own camera(it does not matter if it is p&s or dsl). The pictures you will get will depend on your camera's ability, and the co-operation of the wildlife(whales, bear, etc) while you are on your tour, and the number of pictures you will shoot. Thank goodness for digital media. Shoot, shoot, shoot alot! You can delete when you get home.

Our tour guide was very knowledgeable about photography and the area both, but it takes hours and hours to become a "great" photographer. I shot with both a DSL and a P&S on most of my trip. Sometimes I have to look at the photo info to see which camera took the shot.

The Mendenhall Glacier was a "stop" near the visitor's center(we did not get to go in) while we waited for everyone to do the potty stop before our hike(walk). There was a brief opportunity here to take pictures of the glacier itself. We then went on the "trail of time" that takes you on a nice easy path for a little over an hour(as we recall). It traces the history of the glacier and the flora and fauna of the small area. We learned a lot about the plants that are growing in the area, saw some rocks that showed us where the glacier used to be almost 100 years ago. I am a "flora" nut, so I took a lot of pictures here of the flowers, ferns, mosses, trees, waterfall, and they are lovely, but won't be a part of my Alaska memory album. We were glad that we had a long port time, because we took the Blue bus back to Mendenhall so we could spend time at Nugget falls and the glacier. To do this trip again, we would do Mendenhall "on our own" so we could spend the time doing what we wanted to do, and not do this as part of a tour.

We had a lot(10-12) of "humpback" sightings on our whale watching part of our tour, with some great tail flukes. There was a "pair" of whales that seemed to be circling our small pontoon, and they put on quite a show for us, but I still do not have the illusive "breech" picture(or sighting) I have been hoping for. We did not see any orcas. The boat is small and because of that, there were not a lot of people in the way when we tried to take pictures. This was very positive aspect of the tour. A few people on our tour went back with another company that evening for another whale watch, and they said they had a lot of sightings, including orcas. I thought we spent too much time seeing the seals on the buoy. I personally would rather have spent more time chasing the whales.

Bottom line-This was just as advertised.

Recommendation: Do Mendehall on your own. Do a specific whale watching trip if you want to see whales. Listen to the recommendations of others on this board as to who's whale watching trip is best for you.

 

I totally agree with you and with Budget Queen! In hindsight I should have gone with my first instinct and and gone on a whale watching tour with Harv & Marv or Orca, then if time, gone to Mendenhall on our own. We had a wonderful day in Glacier Bay with tons of whales and even a breach, but they were farther away than I would have liked. We were also able to get pretty close to the glaciers in the bay. My hope in Juneau was to get closer to the whales, learn some photo tips and maybe get lucky to see Orcas. To do 2 out of the three we should have done an independent whale watching tour to spend more time on the water. It's the same logic as Denali Nat. Park. Take the park shuttle as far into the park as you can to spend more time and increase chances of seeing wildlife. We did just that and saw tons of wildlife! It's the correct logic...more time in their environment equals better chance of seeing the wildlife!

[Budget Queen]

.

The Mendenhall Glacier was a "stop" near the visitor's center(we did not get to go in) while we waited for everyone to do the potty stop before our hike(walk). There was a brief opportunity here to take pictures of the glacier itself. We then went on the "trail of time" that takes you on a nice easy path for a little over an hour(as we recall).

. I thought we spent too much time seeing the seals on the buoy. QUOTE]

 

In the visitor center, they have a guidesheet for the Trail of Time, which is very informative, if you choose to take this nice easy trail on your own.

 

For clarification, on the buoy are Sea Lions, not "seals".

[Sunny AZ Girl]

Please remember that everyone's circumstances are different. My original plan was to do exactly as some of you are recommending - a whale watch tour and then Mendenhall on our own. However, my DD really wanted to go on a kayak tour in Juneau and I think that is great! However, my physical limitations are such that I cannot join her. That leaves me alone for the day. I have no desire to hike around Mendenhall on my own, even if it is impossible to get lost. It just does not sound like fun to me. Our port time is short in Juneau (7-2) so I decided to maximize my time and the Photo Safari fits both my passion and will also get me to Mendenhall and a chance for some wildlife sightings.

 

I have been whale watching many times in Mexico (same whales, different location - a lot less expensive:)). I love to see them, but they are not as high a priority for me as gaining tips on wildlife/landscape photography. I do know how to use my camera, btw. I am very familiar with all of it's settings and I am not expecting a full photography course. However, I may be able to pick up some tips on using common settings more effectively for some of the unique circumstances I may find in Alaska (ie: fog near glacial ice). So my priorities may be different than yours.

 

I appreciate the comments, but I also cannot ignore the many positive recommendations for this tour.:confused: So, I am still looking forward to it and will be happy to report back on my experience when I return in two weeks.:)

[Travel_Maven]

Please remember that everyone's circumstances are different. My original plan was to do exactly as some of you are recommending - a whale watch tour and then Mendenhall on our own. However, my DD really wanted to go on a kayak tour in Juneau and I think that is great! However, my physical limitations are such that I cannot join her. That leaves me alone for the day. I have no desire to hike around Mendenhall on my own, even if it is impossible to get lost. It just does not sound like fun to me. Our port time is short in Juneau (7-2) so I decided to maximize my time and the Photo Safari fits both my passion and will also get me to Mendenhall and a chance for some wildlife sightings.

 

I have been whale watching many times in Mexico (same whales, different location - a LOT less expensive:)). I love to see them, but they are not as high a priority for me as gaining tips on wildlife/landscape photography. I DO know how to use my camera, btw. I am very familiar with all of it's settings and I am not expecting a full photography course. However, I may be able to pick up some tips on using common settings more effectively for some of the unique circumstances I may find in Alaska (ie: fog near glacial ice). So my priorities may be different than yours.

 

I appreciate the comments, but I also cannot ignore the MANY positive recommendations for this tour.:confused: So, I am still looking forward to it and will be happy to report back on my experience when I return in two weeks.:)

 

Good for you! I think you should do what you want to do. Like I said, I think our particular tour guide was our problem...especially with the photo tips! This tour usually gets very good reviews and odds are you will enjoy it. My previous post was to show that it is important to choose wisely based on your priorities. In my case, I probably just chose poorly. Whales were high on my list and the tour just wasn't long enough to maximise whale sightings. Hope you have a great tour!

[Sunny AZ Girl]

My previous post was to show that it is important to choose wisely based on your priorities. In my case, I probably just chose poorly. Whales were high on my list and the tour just wasn't long enough to maximise whale sightings. Hope you have a great tour!

Thank you. It is important for people to understand all the pro's and cons of the various tours offered - and independent choices in each port and I appreciate every opinion offered.

 

I think it is also important to realize that priorities, physical abilities, etc are different for everyone. I love how Merced Mile puts it, "What is good for me may bore you and what's good for you may kill me".:D Sometimes people are so enthused over what has worked for them that they unknowingly come across on the boards as if their experience would be best for everyone.