Photo request from past Alaska cruises - Sitka, Haines, Juneau

[tallgirl97]

Maybe an odd request, but hear me out. 🙂 I'm trying to coordinate a large group photo onboard an upcoming Alaska cruise and am thinking it might be best to take immediately prior to leaving port on one of our port days, so there is (hopefully) some beautiful mountain scenery behind the group. I'm wondering if anyone has such a photo they could share from a past cruise, in Sitka, Haines or Juneau, to help me envision how this might turn out?

 

I realize this might sound like planning overkill, but trying to coordinate a large group of people, including babies with bedtimes and working around various port excursions that will have people on and off the ship at different times, I'm trying to take as much guesswork out of the situation as possible. If I can nail down a probable date/time then I can ask folks to be prepared to schedule this into their day and only have poor weather to contend with as a variable.

 

For what it's worth, I'm asking on the RCI forum in case that determines where the ship will dock in port. And also because we'll be on Serenade of the Seas, and I'm trying to find a good location on the ship for the photo - I'm thinking the helipad on Deck 5 might be ideal, but am open to any other ideas you may have.

 

Thanks in advance for any guidance you can provide.

 

Edited April 20, 2022 by tallgirl97

[homedepot124]

How big is the group?

[baelor]

No cruise photos, but somewhat familiar with the areas.  Do not bank on Sitka; it rains like 230-240 days of the year (second rainiest city in the U.S.).  Also, mountains are more visible elsewhere, although Sitka does have nice forested backdrops and is also coastal.

 

As an aside, Sitka is easy to navigate on your own (although when I went--not on a cruise--there was a single cab operating for the whole city lol).  I enjoyed visiting the Raptor Center, the bear rescue (Fortress of the Bear), and seeing the fort.  In Juneau, check out the Red Dog Saloon, which features Wyatt Earp's pistol (legit) and a big whale penis bone/oosik.  

[tallgirl97]

The group is 18 people, so I’m not talking ‘convention sized’… but large enough that a shot on a random deck may not be feasible.

 

Too bad about Sitka; that’s our first stop and I liked the idea of getting this out of the way early on so I can relax. Are Juneau and Haines truly less likely to be rainy, or is the whole area generally pretty drizzly？

[baelor]

Juneau is definitely less likely to be rainy; I cannot speak to Haines, since I have not been.  Sitka is super rainy, as I mentioned.  We did not have significant rain anywhere else in Alaska on our trip.  

 

Another thought came to mind:  Assuming a reasonable time in Juneau, go to Mendenhall Glacier and get a picture there.  It is gorgeous and also unique to Alaska (and mountainy), since a lot of other areas in the PNW have mountain views.  Honestly, if what you want is mountains, if your cruise is departing from Seattle, I can recommend very specific locations for mountains and you can knock that out before the cruise even starts.

Edited April 21, 2022 by baelor

[Tree_skier]

Mendenhall glacier in Juneau...

 

Short walk from the parking lot to a beautiful spot with mountains, glacier and waterfall in the back ground.

[FromSea2ShiningSea]

What month will you be there?  We were there September 2021.  Here is a little sample of pictures.  For us, Juneau was cloudy so didn't get very good pictures.

 

We went to Mendenhall Glacier and hiked the Nugget Falls Trail.  A very walkable trail.

 

 

 

Sitka, 7 in the morning

 

 

Arriving at port

 

We walked from the port to Sitka National Historical Park

 

Along the trail

 

 

Visited the Alaska Raptor Center- A sanctuary for injured birds of prey, which is a little walking distance from across the street from the national park

 

 

[alohayall]

Not the mountains, but it shows where you are. I think people could stand behind the sign, too.
 

 

The pier at Haines.

 

Do a Google search for “Haines Alaska pier” and you will see that there is a beautiful mountain inland, behind the shore and town.  

[luckybecky]

Have you considered contacting a local photographer in any of these locations to set up a professional photo shoot? They would know the best spot for your group and probably would be able to capture better photos than you could do on your own. It might even be possible to arrange something with the ship photo department. Yes, it will cost you. But if you really want a memorable photo, this might be something to consider. And if you divide the cost up among the members of the group, it might turn out to be very affordable. 

[tallgirl97]

Thanks for everyone's input. We'll be on the July 17 sailing. I knew Alaska would be rainy, but didn't realize there's a significant difference between rain in Sitka and in Juneau, so thanks for that. I don't think getting a photo off the ship will work because there are 5 family groups joining this trip with different ideas about vacation schedules (sleeping in versus up at dawn) and different excursion plans (and some who think they are 'unlikely' to get off the ship at all - I certainly hope this changes, but ultimately it is up to them). Too bad though, that pier in Haines is stunning! I know at least a couple of groups will be heading out together in Haines, and likely a few will be going to Mendenhall, so we can do a few smaller group photos at those locations. It looks like @Tree_skier's photo was taken from Photo Point Trail and that is definitely on my list to do at that location. 

 

I don't think we'll hire a photographer because I'm a photographer. 🙂 Feeling a bit territorial about this one, I guess.