Review: Vancouver, Island Princess Landtour, Denali & Fairbanks

[irisheileen]

Enjoying your review! We are leaving this Wednesday for land and then Island southbound. We will be going on the Tundra tour. I know we will be enjoying the "green school bus". I am wondering about the temp in the bus. Also are there places to get food on the tour? Wondering if we should take snacks and water. Thanks!

The bus has heat if needed. The driver was very attentive throughout the day to see if the heat should go up or down.

Their "box lunch" included: small water,packaged cheese and raindeer sausage, pretzels. We brought water and snacks ourselves.

Eileen

[travelcrazy5]

Thanks for the info. Glad to hear there is heat. Think we will also take snacks and water!

[Budget Queen]

Enjoying your review! We are leaving this Wednesday for land and then Island southbound. We will be going on the Tundra tour. I know we will be enjoying the "green school bus". I am wondering about the temp in the bus. Also are there places to get food on the tour? Wondering if we should take snacks and water. Thanks!

 

 

You will be on the tan buses. :) I do suggest you take your own food/snacks. The box lunch is limited. The hotels have limited selections in gift shops. Denali park has limited food at the visitor center, if you can get there. There is also glitter gulch with stores, Subway etc.

 

Dress WARM, windows will be open during wildlife viewing at the least. You are going when it's bound to be cold during some portion of the trip. Take hats, gloves, layers. There are overhead racks for storage, and you won't be "hauling" it around, better to have some extra. It's a very uncomfortable ride if you are cold.

[misspuss]

Eileen, great review!!! I can hardly wain for the rest of the review. We are leaving on Monday for the same tour on the Coral.

[irisheileen]

Eileen, great review!!! I can hardly wain for the rest of the review. We are leaving on Monday for the same tour on the Coral.

Oooohh...take me with you! Are you going NB or SB?

Eileen

[irisheileen]

Back again! I'm sure we when to that first evening's show...I think it was a crass comedian. I'm not going to comment on the entertainment, because it will vary so between cruises. It was all typical. The Theatre was very nice, we never went to the venue at back of the ship. I can't even recall it's name! We had muster there and I do recall that a prior poster remarked that the views are obstructed, and he was right. We lounged most nights and looked out the balcony and got excited for the next days adventures!!! I'm sure I was dressed for bed by 9:30- 10:00 each night. Alaska is so different from warm weather cruising. We wanted to be up early each morning which brings me to my next point....

 

Get up before dawn on day 2 out of Vancouver for whale watching! I went all the way forward on the Island Princess Carribe deck. Go to the end of the cabins and open the door marked crew. Then go through the next door which opens out onto a covered open deck! There is a matching deck above on Baja which covered the Carribe and the "Bridge" is above Baja. Carribe has the most covering. I specifically asked an Officer if it was allowed for us to go up on these decks marked crew, and he emphatically replied, yes.

 

I was the only one out there and it was glorious, even though it was very overcast and somewhat foggy. I kept searching the water up ahead, looking for the "blow" that BQ talked about. I wasn't sure I'd "know" it if I saw one, but I was looking! I wasn't up there long before I saw a pod of Orca's! I was sooooo excited I didn't know what to do! They were so close and of course got closer because our ship was moving towards them. I honestly don't remember if I looked at them with my binoculars or not. I didn't try to get a picture. There seemed to be so many of them that I couldn't count. My guess was that there were 5-8 of them and all seemed to be very close to each other ... in and out of the water. I tried to count fins, but they kept going in and out and all around! They were right along the Port side and I was on the 10th deck looking down and back as they so quickly vanished out of my sight......sigh.

 

They were gone.

 

But wait... was that more coming? Yes!! I track again from ahead Port side and here came a Mother and baby!!! I was so excited! I watched them go by and couldn't believe my gook luck!

 

I again scanned ahead, and yes, here came a pod of 3 more! There was nobody up front with me witnessing this which was way cool, but also nobody to shout out to: "Did you see that"?!

 

I went back to my Starboard cabin where my DH and friends were. They had been on the wrong side.

 

As I began to speak about my experience, tears welled up and I got a lump in my throat. I'll never forget that first experience of Orcas in Alaska.

 

Eileen

[misspuss]

Eileen, We are on the Coral northbound on Sept. 11.

Last year, in the Diamond, we were on an aft balcony, early in the morning, we were docked at Ketchacan and I was out there by myself, looking at the ship docked behind us. It was very quiet, the town had not woken up yet. I heard a PPPPPth and looked down and right below my balconey a whale came up, blew out whale snot and swam away. It was like my own privite whale, saying "good morning" to me. I promptly started crying...

It, still now is bringing tears to my eyes remembering.

Thanks for shareing your experiance.

Sue

[irisheileen]

Eileen, We are on the Coral northbound on Sept. 11.

Last year, in the Diamond, we were on an aft balcony, early in the morning, we were docked at Ketchacan and I was out there by myself, looking at the ship docked behind us. It was very quiet, the town had not woken up yet. I heard a PPPPPth and looked down and right below my balconey a whale came up, blew out whale snot and swam away. It was like my own privite whale, saying "good morning" to me. I promptly started crying...

It, still now is bringing tears to my eyes remembering.

Thanks for shareing your experiance.

Sue

Sue,

Aren't we so blessed to have experienced life in this way? There's so much in life to enjoy and see. I wish that everyone was able to visit Alaska and sooth their soul like I did. We can't wait to go back!

Eileen

[irisheileen]

I've located my "missing" PRINCESS PATTERS! Each night, as every cruise line does, the next days newsletter arrives at our door. From the NAVIGATOR comes information as so our expected location and points of interest we'll see. Tuesday was our "at sea" day and it would be the first formal night: easy to get ready because no port. "Piano Man" was presented in the Princess Theater, and it was pretty good.

 

NAVIGATOR: "......early this AM we passed through Seymour Narrows (mile 205)...... Once clear of Discovery Passage various courses were steered through Johnstone Strait and Queen Charlotte Strait. Early this AM we will disembark or Canadian Pilots at Pine Island (mile 319), and a set of NW courses will be set through Queen Charlotte sound and Hecate Strait towards Ketchikan". These type details are given in each days Patters.

 

ALASKA CRUISE COMPANION: "today is Day two in the companion.....Today's route map and color photos-p.70-71. Orcas: You'll be passing through prime viewing territory-see p. 144-145....." These details pointing out pages in the cruise companion book are also in the Patter.

 

WEDNESDAY-KETCHIKAN: Dress code Casual

 

NAVIGATOR: "very early hrs-Dixon Strait (mile 575)....6:30AM arrive in port...after leaving port Tongass Narrows,Clarence Strait towards Juneau....shortly after 6:30PM we will transit SNOW PASSAGE (mile 720), an area famous for its narrow waterways and whale watching and once clear we will enter Cape Decision @ appro 9:30PM"

 

We had light rain that day. (those Orcas didn't care!)

 

DON'T MISS "Rendezvous with Majesty-Glacier Bay" by NATURALIST Kathleen Slamp it was very good and CROWDED- get there 15 minutes ahead.

 

MISTY FIORDS FLOATPLANE was our wonderful tour in Ketchikan. Michelle Madsen (check her out in National Geographic at the library) of Islandwings.com and her assistant Jarrod were great. Michelle's love of Misty Fiords and Ketchikan shows. One person is copilot seat and there are two other rows of seats. There was only one other couple on this trip, so we got to move from side to side better than if the plane was full. The seat behind the copilot's seat is difficult to see out of if you are tall like my DH. He sat up front on the way back and loved it! I enjoyed hearing his exclamations of "Oh my gosh" and "look at that". It's just what he needed after a long couple of years of "stuff"!! If you can get the copliot's seat-go for it. I had the way back seat with no complaints.

 

Of course, it was very foggy and Misty! It was breathtaking to see landscape from such a vantage point. Michelle points out highlights along the way. It was a very smooth flight.

 

She landed ON RUDYARD BAY and taxied to shore. We were at the end of a Fiord!! We saw BALD EAGLES flying all around and got to eat Blueberries and Huckleberries that she went off to pick for us! It was awesome! There's waterfalls and trees and trees and trees...you got it trees. Misty Fiord is a Virgin Forest she said, with 250ft trees! It was so magestic with the Eagles flying around at the top of the trees with the Mists lingering. The tide rises pretty quickly, as she demonstrated for us.

 

Michelle will readily take your picture as a couple/family and did a great job. (yes, pictures are coming as soon as I figure it all out!) I have one dramatic picture of the trees and Mists. We got to explore for at least 30 minutes or more while the other floatplane that arrived only permitted the people to step out onto the pontoon.

I'm glad we booked through Island Wings. It was worth every penny! We even got berries! What fun.

On the ride back be prepared to see your ship in port and take a picture from the air before landing.

 

Before the tour we had time to take a quick walk to some of the points of interest such as the fish ladder and a Salmon overlook. Go first upon disembarking and get a walking map. Ketchikan is VERY easily walked. We aren't into Jewelry shopping and avoided the shops.

 

After the tour there was enough time before our 1:30 time limit to go back up a different street to CREEK STREET which we found to be very quaint and very pretty. We got some great bargains and postcards and our own pictures. Just today, I finally picked up, from the post office, the hand made ULU KNIFE that a local man had made from Carribu antlers. I used it to chop for dinner tonight-it's great.

 

Go up the tram, $1-2, to the top (obviously) and see the Totem Poles and walk down MARRIED MAN'S TRAIL, which was very pretty. It was a boardwalk of sorts that meandered all the way down to town.

 

We went back to the ship for a nice lunch!

The next day we'll see Juneau where we had a blast! I'll tell you about Captain Larry's WW and Mendenhall Glacier's bear and our fabulous Helicopter/Dog sled excursion.

Eileen

[margord]

Eileen,

 

Great review, thanks you.

 

Marilee

[irisheileen]

By the way- I noticed a mistake that I typed on the CAMERA portion of my review- I used "sports" mode for my WILDLIFE picturess, not "P" as I wrote previously. Sorry!

 

JUNEAU: Smart Casual

 

NAVIGATOR: "During early hours of AM, IP will be sailing through Chatham Strait, Frederick Sound and Stephens Passage towards Juneau. After entering Gastineau Chananel, we will commence our final approach to Juneau, where we expect to be safely berthed by 8AM at Franklin Pier. (we never had to TENDER we were always DOCKSIDE which helps for early AM excursions booked Independently) ...after retracing our courses out of Gastineau Channel, the northerly courses will be set through Lynn Canal towards Skagway."

 

Showers were called for today, but it was only light rain/mist, and not all day. We never hit over 55-56 degrees all vacation!

 

We had two excursions Independently booked for today, and we squeezed in MENDENHALL GLACIER and we were sooo glad we did!

 

CAPTAIN LARRY with ORCA ENTERPRISES was our first excursion that we booked and it was the first of the day, 9:00-12:30. When I originally booked it so long ago, I factored in a nap and lunch back on the ship before we would go with COASTAL for the HELICOPTER, ICEFIELD, AND DOG SLEDDING tour with a pick up at 3:15 PM for a 4PM tour.

 

Then I got to thinking, and I recommend you consider this as well, that when would we get to see MENDENHALL GLACIER ever again? We decided to take snacks with us in our faithful Backpack and have Orca drop us off at Mendenhall directly after the tour, instead of taking us all the way back to the ship. This was a very wise investment of only $12pp round trip. The shuttle bus, we were told would honor the receipt with a return ride back to the Island Princess. The shuttle runs every 1/2 hour, we were told. BQ told me to plan on the 2PM shuttle which would leave us the 2:30 if the first one was full. Either would get us back to the ship for a 3:15 p/u. by Coastal. That day, the shuttle had one bus break down and the shuttle only made MG stops on the half hour. We had called a cab at 25 after 2, only to see the shuttle pull up at 2:30. We got back to the docks in plenty of time (20-25 ride) for Coastal.

 

WHALEWATCHING! with Captain Larry.

Orca's boat is roomy with plenty of bench seating inside and an outside deck and a steep ladder to the top deck. Dirk was the Naturalist, who did a fine job. We were asked to speak up and give a holler if we saw a whale. We were asked to give the location by calling out the location using the the hands of a clock, such as "whale at 1 o'clock". That way it's easy to find the location for every one. My pet peeve was that alot of people DIDN'T use this method, as asked. (It's frustrating when people yell "over there"! Where? "over there!" Meanwhile, you're scanning the water and not looking AT THEM.) Sorry, I just had to get that off my chest. Back to the review...

 

Sometimes the wake from small boats in the distance can fool you into thinking that you SEE a whale! It's the blow to look for which can be seen from a mile away, I believe. It is very exciting when you are the one who correctly spots a whale way off. It's just as embarrassing to incorrectly "spot" a whale as I did both! I thought I saw a whale at the very beginning of the trip, only to find out that it was a small wake. Dirk wanted us not to be shy saying that it's better to be wrong than to not say anything at all.

We were only allowed to be within 100yds of the whales. We went to several spots to see them. One spot we stayed for a bit because of the many sightings. The first we saw was a Mother and baby about 8 months old, according to Dirk. All we saw were their backs. Later, at another spot, we saw fluke after fluke. It was all wonderful. I was up top most of the time, and I was surprised at the number of people who didn't come up.

 

I didn't know whether to use my binoculars or camara. If I used my binoculars, I could miss a great shot. If I used my camera, I wanted to zoom in and it was hard to find the whale if I was zoomed in alot and I got just water pictures with the fluke up in the corner of the shot, on some. Others, I got GREAT PICTURES of the Humpbacks back coming up, fluke and come back into the water with a perfect "10"! I got neat pictures of this using my burst mode which I could hold down the shuttter for innumerable shots. It kinda looks like "flip animation", if you know what I mean. First, you want to focus, if your camara will, by holding the button down half way then let it go. It will hold the setting until the moment you NEED the shot. It worked great! Just keep shooting and delete later.

 

Pictures ARE COMING SOON. I have picked 400 of my "favorite" out of 2300 for the whole vacation!!!!! I think that I'm going to print each one of those multiple sequences of "flip animation" and mount them side by side in a long frame, showing the action of his movements. Wouldn't that be cool?

 

I highly recommend Orca and Captain Larry, and Dirk. Dirk told us about the BROWN BEAR that he had seen for the past 2 days over at Mendenhall. It was seen at "STEEP CREEK". We had been the only ones going, but after that tidbit, others signed up to to be dropped off. We got our pictures taken with Captain Larry.

 

Orca dropped us off at Mendenhall...which turned out to be a highlight for us! (and we almost weren't going to go!)

 

More about that on the next post....

[irisheileen]

By the way- I noticed a mistake that I typed on the CAMERA portion of my review- I used "sports" mode for my WILDLIFE picturess, not "P" as I wrote previously. Sorry!

 

JUNEAU: Smart Casual

 

NAVIGATOR: "During early hours of AM, IP will be sailing through Chatham Strait, Frederick Sound and Stephens Passage towards Juneau. After entering Gastineau Chananel, we will commence our final approach to Juneau, where we expect to be safely berthed by 8AM at Franklin Pier. (we never had to TENDER we were always DOCKSIDE which helps for early AM excursions booked Independently) ...after retracing our courses out of Gastineau Channel, the northerly courses will be set through Lynn Canal towards Skagway."

 

Showers were called for today, but it was only light rain/mist, and not all day. We never hit over 55-56 degrees all vacation!

 

We had two excursions Independently booked for today, and we squeezed in MENDENHALL GLACIER and we were sooo glad we did!

 

CAPTAIN LARRY with ORCA ENTERPRISES was our first excursion that we booked and it was the first of the day, 9:00-12:30. When I originally booked it so long ago, I factored in a nap and lunch back on the ship before we would go with COASTAL for the HELICOPTER, ICEFIELD, AND DOG SLEDDING tour with a pick up at 3:15 PM for a 4PM tour.

 

Then I got to thinking, and I recommend you consider this as well, that when would we get to see MENDENHALL GLACIER ever again? We decided to take snacks with us in our faithful Backpack and have Orca drop us off at Mendenhall directly after the tour, instead of taking us all the way back to the ship. This was a very wise investment of only $12pp round trip. The shuttle bus, we were told would honor the receipt with a return ride back to the Island Princess. The shuttle runs every 1/2 hour, we were told. BQ told me to plan on the 2PM shuttle which would leave us the 2:30 if the first one was full. Either would get us back to the ship for a 3:15 p/u. by Coastal. That day, the shuttle had one bus break down and the shuttle only made MG stops on the half hour. We had called a cab at 25 after 2, only to see the shuttle pull up at 2:30. We got back to the docks in plenty of time (20-25 ride) for Coastal.

 

WHALEWATCHING! with Captain Larry.

Orca's boat is roomy with plenty of bench seating inside and an outside deck and a steep ladder to the top deck. Dirk was the Naturalist, who did a fine job. We were asked to speak up and give a holler if we saw a whale. We were asked to give the location by calling out the location using the the hands of a clock, such as "whale at 1 o'clock". That way it's easy to find the location for every one. My pet peeve was that alot of people DIDN'T use this method, as asked. (It's frustrating when people yell "over there"! Where? "over there!" Meanwhile, you're scanning the water and not looking AT THEM.) Sorry, I just had to get that off my chest. Back to the review...

 

Sometimes the wake from small boats in the distance can fool you into thinking that you SEE a whale! It's the blow to look for which can be seen from a mile away, I believe. It is very exciting when you are the one who correctly spots a whale way off. It's just as embarrassing to incorrectly "spot" a whale as I did both! I thought I saw a whale at the very beginning of the trip, only to find out that it was a small wake. Dirk wanted us not to be shy saying that it's better to be wrong than to not say anything at all.

We were only allowed to be within 100yds of the whales. We went to several spots to see them. One spot we stayed for a bit because of the many sightings. The first we saw was a Mother and baby about 8 months old, according to Dirk. All we saw were their backs. Later, at another spot, we saw fluke after fluke. It was all wonderful. I was up top most of the time, and I was surprised at the number of people who didn't come up.

 

I didn't know whether to use my binoculars or camara. If I used my binoculars, I could miss a great shot. If I used my camera, I wanted to zoom in and it was hard to find the whale if I was zoomed in alot and I got just water pictures with the fluke up in the corner of the shot, on some. Others, I got GREAT PICTURES of the Humpbacks back coming up, fluke and come back into the water with a perfect "10"! I got neat pictures of this using my burst mode which I could hold down the shuttter for innumerable shots. It kinda looks like "flip animation", if you know what I mean. First, you want to focus, if your camara will, by holding the button down half way then let it go. It will hold the setting until the moment you NEED the shot. It worked great! Just keep shooting and delete later.

 

Pictures ARE COMING SOON. I have picked 400 of my "favorite" out of 2300 for the whole vacation!!!!! I think that I'm going to print each one of those multiple sequences of "flip animation" and mount them side by side in a long frame, showing the action of his movements. Wouldn't that be cool?

 

I highly recommend Orca and Captain Larry, and Dirk. Dirk told us about the BROWN BEAR that he had seen for the past 2 days over at Mendenhall. It was seen at "STEEP CREEK". We had been the only ones going, but after that tidbit, others signed up to to be dropped off. We got our pictures taken with Captain Larry.

 

Orca dropped us off at Mendenhall...which turned out to be a highlight for us! (and we almost weren't going to go!)

 

More about that on the next post....

[dawnskers]

Just curious- I think we were on the same ship! Sure wish we'd have known you were on board as well- we had a CC luncheon our first day at sea with 16 people attending. I've posted a review as well, but it is sadly lacking compared to yours... you took much better notes than I! Did you happen to see the hundreds of dall porpoise around 11 am on Tuesday? We were on the port side- absolutely awesome! I am so jealous of your orca sightings- that is the one thing my husband and I really wanted to see but didn't... I was under the impression that the area at the front of the ship on Baja and Caribe decks was only open while in Glacier Bay and College Fjord. You may have seen us there on those days. Can't wait to see your pictures and read the rest of your review! Keep up the good work- :D

[tapia]

Wow, thank you so much for writing the fabulous review. Usually I take bits and pieces I'll use myself and copy them into a word document..........I don't have much not taken from yours--THANK YOU.

 

How far ahead did you use hotwire to book? I'm still trying to get something for Vancouver West on there & NOTHING is showing up............I'm not sure if the ships block everything or what.......

 

I'm very curious about your dogsledding--big details please :-)--can't wait for the next part.

 

Where did you get your backpack?

 

Also, the camera info is very helpful to me, as I bought a canon S3 for the trip and you have a lot of similar features. How did you 'practice' before the trip? I'm a big camera novice & have been trying to practice every chance I get. But, I have a feeling it will be a lot harder once I'm there......... Can't wait to see your pics!

 

It sounds like a wonderful time--thank you for taking the time to post!

[irisheileen]

Just curious- I think we were on the same ship! Sure wish we'd have known you were on board as well- we had a CC luncheon our first day at sea with 16 people attending. I've posted a review as well, but it is sadly lacking compared to yours... you took much better notes than I! Did you happen to see the hundreds of dall porpoise around 11 am on Tuesday? We were on the port side- absolutely awesome! I am so jealous of your orca sightings- that is the one thing my husband and I really wanted to see but didn't... I was under the impression that the area at the front of the ship on Baja and Caribe decks was only open while in Glacier Bay and College Fjord. You may have seen us there on those days. Can't wait to see your pictures and read the rest of your review! Keep up the good work- :D

No, we were on the NB August 7th-14th.

The bridge could see us whenever we were on those forward decks-all they had to do was send down somebody to shush us out, but they didn't. The Officer said it was OK.

I did see a couple of porpoise, I think?!? I was walking on the Prominode(sp?) and a group of people saw some. I caught the "tail" end of it. (pun intended!)

Yes, the Orca experience was one of the memories that I'll always hold dear.

 

Actually, I didn't take notes! I think that as I was writing I just began to revisualize most of it. I'm enjoying my monies worth again!

Eileen

[irisheileen]

Just curious- I think we were on the same ship! Sure wish we'd have known you were on board as well- we had a CC luncheon our first day at sea with 16 people attending. I've posted a review as well, but it is sadly lacking compared to yours... you took much better notes than I! Did you happen to see the hundreds of dall porpoise around 11 am on Tuesday? We were on the port side- absolutely awesome! I am so jealous of your orca sightings- that is the one thing my husband and I really wanted to see but didn't... I was under the impression that the area at the front of the ship on Baja and Caribe decks was only open while in Glacier Bay and College Fjord. You may have seen us there on those days. Can't wait to see your pictures and read the rest of your review! Keep up the good work- :D

No, we were on the NB August 7th-14th.

The bridge could see us whenever we were on those forward decks-all they had to do was send down somebody to shush us out, but they didn't. The Officer said it was OK.

I did see a couple of porpoise, I think?!? I was walking on the Prominode(sp?) and a group of people saw some. I caught the "tail" end of it. (pun intended!)

Yes, the Orca experience was one of the memories that I'll always hold dear.

 

Actually, I didn't take notes! I think that as I was writing I just began to revisualize most of it. I'm enjoying my monies worth again!

Eileen

[irisheileen]

I just noticed that the Juneau review double posted!!!

What could be going on? I only hit "preview post once", edit mistakes, if needed, then only hit"submit" once. Then it takes a bit longer than usual to "go" and a white screen comes up with "done" at the very bottom. It stays there, so I hit refresh. Could the refresh button be doubling it? Help!

 

This never happens when it post or reply to anything else, just these long posts.

 

Suggestions?

Eileen

[irisheileen]

Wow, thank you so much for writing the fabulous review. Usually I take bits and pieces I'll use myself and copy them into a word document..........I don't have much not taken from yours--THANK YOU.

 

How far ahead did you use hotwire to book? I'm still trying to get something for Vancouver West on there & NOTHING is showing up............I'm not sure if the ships block everything or what.......

 

I'm very curious about your dogsledding--big details please :-)--can't wait for the next part.

 

Where did you get your backpack?

 

Also, the camera info is very helpful to me, as I bought a canon S3 for the trip and you have a lot of similar features. How did you 'practice' before the trip? I'm a big camera novice & have been trying to practice every chance I get. But, I have a feeling it will be a lot harder once I'm there......... Can't wait to see your pics!

 

It sounds like a wonderful time--thank you for taking the time to post!

Tapia,

How do you put your info into Word? Do you copy/paste? I know that's a dumb question! I don't work with Word so I don't have experience with it. I'm so excited about Alaska that we're going for another 1 week landtour next Summer!! I can't wait, and I'm researching Kenai Fjords National Park and Prince William sound on CC. I don't want to print like I did for this past trip.

 

We did Hotwire Vancouver in February, I think.

 

Dogsledding....I can't wait to write about it! IT WAS A BLAST!!!!

 

Camara-The S3 looked like a great camara, it was my other choice. I bought it 6 weeks prior to trip and was lucky enough to have a family of local deer wonder through our neighborhood a few times. Squirrels came in handy also!

 

My 4 year old Grandson loved being asked to RUN! I found that the sports mode gave the quickest exposure. Make sure that you auto-focus first on the subject if it's holding still, then when it moves, the "saved" focus is already there when you press the button fully as you shoot. You save 1-2 seconds of focusing-just when you may have needed it.

 

When are you going? Can you take a course? I really wish that I had learned to use "manuel". I got great shots 99% of the time, but when the brown bear at Mendenhall was in a bush, the AUTO focused on the leaves in front of his face! I could see him, but theshot is mostly of the leaves.

Eileen

[tapia]

Tapia,

How do you put your info into Word? Do you copy/paste? I know that's a dumb question! I don't work with Word so I don't have experience with it. I'm so excited about Alaska that we're going for another 1 week landtour next Summer!! I can't wait, and I'm researching Kenai Fjords National Park and Prince William sound on CC. I don't want to print like I did for this past trip.

 

We did Hotwire Vancouver in February, I think.

 

Dogsledding....I can't wait to write about it! IT WAS A BLAST!!!!

 

Camara-The S3 looked like a great camara, it was my other choice. I bought it 6 weeks prior to trip and was lucky enough to have a family of local deer wonder through our neighborhood a few times. Squirrels came in handy also!

 

My 4 year old Grandson loved being asked to RUN! I found that the sports mode gave the quickest exposure. Make sure that you auto-focus first on the subject if it's holding still, then when it moves, the "saved" focus is already there when you press the button fully as you shoot. You save 1-2 seconds of focusing-just when you may have needed it.

 

When are you going? Can you take a course? I really wish that I had learned to use "manuel". I got great shots 99% of the time, but when the brown bear at Mendenhall was in a bush, the AUTO focused on the leaves in front of his face! I could see him, but theshot is mostly of the leaves.

Eileen

 

For the most part, I just copy and paste what I want to be in the document. You can copy & paste into your e-mail & edit there too, but I find word to be very useful & proficient. It REALLY is useful. I'm up to more than 30 pages (that's with editing down QUITE a LONG bit). OH, and putting my own comments in.

 

Squirrels--I'll try that out. I was just hoping that I have enough time to 'practice.' LOL~Sad I don't have a grandson to run--but, I do have a neice--I'll make her run around!

 

I'm not going until June / July 2007. But, I'm hoping to learn a lot before then. I just can't find a good course by me to take. (and I don't have the time to do it) But, I am still looking into it.

[tapia]

I just noticed that the Juneau review double posted!!!

What could be going on? I only hit "preview post once", edit mistakes, if needed, then only hit"submit" once. Then it takes a bit longer than usual to "go" and a white screen comes up with "done" at the very bottom. It stays there, so I hit refresh. Could the refresh button be doubling it? Help!

 

This never happens when it post or reply to anything else, just these long posts.

 

Suggestions?

Eileen

 

I think it could be the refresh (I'm no expert).

[irisheileen]

MENDENHALL GLACIER: Honestly, when I began to plan last year, I wasn't all that interested in MG. I figured that we'd see Glacier Bay and College Fjords, so what would the big deal be at a walk up glacier. then just before the trip, I thought that $12pp shuttle is really to good to pass up and the nap would be scratched off the list!

 

When Dirk told us about the bear recently seen at MG, I was even more psyched. We were going to do the easy trail to see the glacier closer (you don't even have to do that-you can see it just fine from the main area), but I said let's go try to see the bear first, in case we run out of time. I'm glad we did.

 

There is a very pleasant walk to the left, behind the shuttle side of the property, called "STEEP CREEK". I don't know why it's called steep-it's anything but steep. First you'll come across a viewing area over the water where the Salmon run. I got some very cool pictures there. It's a very restful area, I thought. The trail meanders around to some scenic vistas that make nice shots. We were almost going to back track to the beginning, because we weren't sure how long the trail was. Just 5 more minutes, my DH said. We came across a person returning back the trail and he said that it wasn't much farther. Thank goodness we continued because we came across another IP pax that I had talked to on the secret deck. He had just seen a bear and showed us his shot. It had just moments ago calmly walked across the path in fromt of him. He said it was the best $12 he ever spent! He had signed on to the shuttle while on the Orca with us.

 

We followed the trail to the next creek viewing area figuring that the bear would be walking along it. We waited a while but no show. Just before we were going to go get the 2PM shuttle, I checked one more area and there he was! He was in the brush munching on a salmon. We figured he was about 8 months old.

 

He left that area and went under our boardwalk and ate some leaves until he strolled away, completely ignoring us! Our patience paid off!!

 

As I was waiting for the next shuttle, I snapped a picture of an EAGLE that flew to the top of a tall tree.

 

When we left Mendenhall on the shuttle, the driver mentioned to look to our left to catch a glimpse of the waterfall from a different perspective. There, matching our speed, flying along side of us, was an eagle holding a SEAGULL in his talons! There was no time to grab my camera. A man in the bus exclaimed "that's the Eagle that the Rangers were telling me about"! Apparently there is an Eagle there that likes seagulls instead of fish. The Rangers had told the story of the time they watched this particular eagle capture a seagull, but the bird wouldn't die. So, they watched as the eagle flew over Mendenhall Lake, skimming the water, trying to drown the catch!

 

I remembered the shot of an eagle that I had just got and pulled it up on the camera to review it. There he was... that same Eagle proudly perched atop the tree clutching his prize. It was a seagull! I love that picture! this other tourist went wild and I promised to send him a picture of "HIS" eagle.

 

Ahhh...I loved it in Alaska!

 

Next, our WILD helicopter ride to dogsledding!

 

Eileen

[irisheileen]

 

Where did you get your backpack?

 

 

JC Pennys has the "High Sierra" with the rain proof cover tucked neatly into the bottom zipper if you need it for downpours. We didn't need it, but I was glad to know it was there, as we kept the camara and two borrowed binoculars in the backpack.

Keep a plastic shopping bag in one of the sections to deposit your wet rainjackets if you take them off. We also purchased water repellent pants from JC Pennys. We wore them alot over our Jeans. They fit in the backpack when we took them off. they are probably on sale now? End of season?

Eileen

[tapia]

Were you worried to be keeping a camera in a backpack behind you (thieves)?

 

I'll check out the "High Sierra"

Thanks!

[bunduo]

 

I remembered the shot of an eagle that I had just got and pulled it up on the camera to review it. There he was... that same Eagle proudly perched atop the tree clutching his prize. It was a seagull! I love that picture! this other tourist went wild and I promised to send him a picture of "HIS" eagle.

 

Ahhh...I loved it in Alaska!

 

Eileen

 

Eileen -

 

Great stories!!! Your eagle story reminded me of a story a buddy of mine told me. He was working in Yellowstone. On a rare day off, he went fishing. It was early in the morning and his was the only boat out in this area of the lake.

 

He wasn't having any luck but a male and female osprey weren't having any trouble pulling fish out of the water. One of the osprey had just grabbed a fish and was digging hard to get some air when, out of nowhere, an eagle came flying in, TURNED UPSIDE DOWN, and grabbed the fish from the osprey and took off. He said it was the most amazing things he had ever seen in the wild.

 

This is a man that is truly a Grizzly Adams-type. He has this huge beard, loves nature, and couldn't care less about money. The only thing that's missing is that he doesn't have his own bear. :)

 

-Matt

[irisheileen]

Eileen -

 

 

 

He wasn't having any luck but a male and female osprey weren't having any trouble pulling fish out of the water. One of the osprey had just grabbed a fish and was digging hard to get some air when, out of nowhere, an eagle came flying in, TURNED UPSIDE DOWN, and grabbed the fish from the osprey and took off. He said it was the most amazing things he had ever seen in the wild.

 

 

 

-Matt

COOL!

Eileen