My photos from recent Alaska Cruisetour

[srlucado]

If anyone's interested, here's an online photo album of my recent cruisetour through Anchorage, Denali, Fairbanks, Tok, Eagle, Dawson City, Whitehorse, the White Pass & Yukon RR, Skagway, Glacier Bay, Ketchikan, and the Inside Passage.

 

 

Enjoy!

[1sttmcruise2Alaska]

Thank you so much for sharing your pictures. They are beautiful! I can't wait! We leave July 16th for Denali for 3 days and then cruise SB to Vancouver!

[krogerlady]

Thank you for posting the link to your pictures. I really enjoyed looking at everyone of them. Some people want to be surprised by every new experience, but as I read thru the posts, and take advantage of every picture opportunity, i have begun to realize I start to recognize some of the ports and the places and things. When we actually arrive, and see the things, that in many ways have become familiar, to me, it will be more exciting than just seeing it for the first time. The print is in residence in my memory, but in a year, it will be permanent from seeing it all real.

[photodoodle]

I looked at every one of your photos and I thought they were fantastic! You got some great wildlife and scenic shots. Looks like you had some good luck with weather, too.

[cruising_family]

We are heading out in a few weeks and are so excited. Where did you get the huge cinnamon roll? My DH loves them and if they are somewhere we are stopping I would like to make a point of getting one.

[srlucado]

We are heading out in a few weeks and are so excited. Where did you get the huge cinnamon roll? My DH loves them and if they are somewhere we are stopping I would like to make a point of getting one.

 

 

The gargantuan cinnamon rolls are at the Braeburn Lodge, on the road between Dawson City and Whitehorse, Yukon Territory. Really in the complete and utter middle of nowhere (but they have a runway for airplanes, called the "Cinnamon Bun Strip"--seriously). I hope you can try one; $8 (Canadian or US), and we made two meals out of one.

[knorrisb07]

those are some great pictures. Thanks for sharing them!

[srlucado]

I looked at every one of your photos and I thought they were fantastic! You got some great wildlife and scenic shots. Looks like you had some good luck with weather, too.

 

Thanks...You should see the 1,800 pictures that didn't make the cut! I think we'll be making Alaska calendars for Christmas presents this year.

 

And yes, we were very lucky with the weather. It only rained one day out of 2-1/2 weeks, in Ketchikan, where it rains nearly every day.

[photodoodle]

Thanks...You should see the 1,800 pictures that didn't make the cut! I think we'll be making Alaska calendars for Christmas presents this year.

 

And yes, we were very lucky with the weather. It only rained one day out of 2-1/2 weeks, in Ketchikan, where it rains nearly every day.

You'll have plenty of great shots to choose from when making your calendars. Of course that means getting from 200 shots down to 12!

I had about the same numbers of total and selected photos when I came back from Alaska. Editing is the hardest part of photography, I think. That's when I refer to it as my 'onerous hobby' :)

[australian_girl]

If anyone's interested, here's an online photo album of my recent cruisetour through Anchorage, Denali, Fairbanks, Tok, Eagle, Dawson City, Whitehorse, the White Pass & Yukon RR, Skagway, Glacier Bay, Ketchikan, and the Inside Passage.

 

www.flickr.com/photos/srlucado/sets/72157605530077351/

 

Enjoy!

 

Beautiful pics!

Did you like the cruise better than the land tour or vice versa? Which land tour did you take?

 

Photodoodle is a brilliant photographer, you should feel special that she complimented your pics :D

 

P.S. Max is an excellent writer. :)

[srlucado]

Beautiful pics!

Did you like the cruise better than the land tour or vice versa? Which land tour did you take?

 

Photodoodle is a brilliant photographer, you should feel special that she complimented your pics :D

 

P.S. Max is an excellent writer. :)

 

Thanks...Actually, I enjoyed the land portion better. Of course, it was also much longer. (The CruiseTour we went on was with Holland America; their Tour #4 Southbound.)

 

For the cruise, we were on the Ryndam for only four nights, Skagway to Vancouver. We both got the feeling that we were crashing someone else's party. Our group received no special welcome aboard; we weren't told which night was formal; we had to make our own dining arrangements (which worked out okay, but still). We had been so well-treated during the land portion that we were let down by the relative indifference aboard ship.

[fastswede]

Scott - we'll be on the same cruise in early Aug. We have an extra day in Anchorage; any suggestions on things to do? Did you take all your luggage with you, or did some of it go ahead of you? Key things you'd see or do? We just signed up for the Denali flightseeing, Hart River hike in Tombsone/Dawson City and the Misty Fjords & float plane tour in Ketchikan. Any other thoughts on the cruise portion?

[agabbymama]

You'll have plenty of great shots to choose from when making your calendars. Of course that means getting from 200 shots down to 12!

 

I had about the same numbers of total and selected photos when I came back from Alaska. Editing is the hardest part of photography, I think. That's when I refer to it as my 'onerous hobby' :)

 

I did my calendars on-line at Walmart photo shop. You can select up to 3 photos per month. I usually selected one larger photo and two smaller photos. I liked that layout the best. I also selected the deluxe calendar with coated pages, and they turned out so beautiful. I was so proud of myself. The system even tells you if the pixels of the picture aren't good. I had one of a moose that was very dark and it said it didn't recommend using that photo. IT WAS SO EASY!!! And now, I look at that calendar every day with wonderful memories.

[agabbymama]

Thanks...Actually, I enjoyed the land portion better. Of course, it was also much longer. (The CruiseTour we went on was with Holland America; their Tour #4 Southbound.)

 

For the cruise, we were on the Ryndam for only four nights, Skagway to Vancouver. We both got the feeling that we were crashing someone else's party. Our group received no special welcome aboard; we weren't told which night was formal; we had to make our own dining arrangements (which worked out okay, but still). We had been so well-treated during the land portion that we were let down by the relative indifference aboard ship.

 

Know what you mean. We were on the Zuiderdam Northbound, and only on the ship for 3 days, and they weren't even going to count that as sailing with HAL. No tiles. I sent an email complaining after we got home, so they did finally send me two tiles, but they are very plain with a small HAL logo. No ship, no girl, nothing special. And likewise we were not invited to anything or no welcome aboard. I did find out which night was formal, but that was it.

 

I did the Yukon Wilderness Cruisetour #1, sounds like the reverse of what you did. But wasn't Dawson City just totally awesome??? We loved our two nights there. Talk about going back for maybe a week's vacation just there. My sister-in-law inquired about a restaurant for sale, she was seriously contemplating moving there, until they came back and said you aren't buying the building, only the restaurant name and equipment, then you still have to lease the building. So she declined. We really liked Denali too. The McKinley Chalets are set up in duplexes, but it makes you feel like you are in a cabin in the woods. I too enjoyed the land portion over the cruise portion, although the food on the cruise is included, and on the land portion it isn't. I really think HAL does an excellent job on their cruisetours.

 

And yes, the cinnamon buns at Braeburn Lodge are humongus, four of us couldn't finish it. Not only do they have the airstrip, but they are a checkpoint for the Yukon Quest. They have a huge sign that tells you that, but I knew it from following the Yukon Quest on the Internet. It was neat to see it though.

 

Visiting Jeff King and his Husky Homestead outside of Denali, and Chicken, Tok, Eagle and all the other small truly Alaskan towns we visited. Really gave you an insight into what living in the "Last Frontier" would truly be like. Utterly amazing!

[srlucado]

Scott - we'll be on the same cruise in early Aug. We have an extra day in Anchorage; any suggestions on things to do? Did you take all your luggage with you, or did some of it go ahead of you? Key things you'd see or do? We just signed up for the Denali flightseeing, Hart River hike in Tombsone/Dawson City and the Misty Fjords & float plane tour in Ketchikan. Any other thoughts on the cruise portion?

 

Lots of daylight means long sightseeing days, if you've got the energy!

 

We had two extra days in Anchorage, and we rented a car (a subcompact from Thrifty was only about $50 for two days).

 

The first morning, we drove south to Girdwood, along the Turnagain Arm. An amazing trip; saw bald eagles, Dall sheep, the incredible tides at Turnagain, visited a wildlife park, went to the peak at Alyeska and had lunch there. Fabulous. (The first 28 photos in my album are from the early part of that day.) Then we contacted Sound Aviation, a flightseeing charter, and went on a 1-1/4 hour flightseeing trip (photos 29-48). Whew!

 

The second day, we went north to the Mat-Su Valley, stopping in Palmer (one of FDR's colonization projects), spotting wildlife, visited the Musk-Ox Farm and Reindeer Farm, then we hiked to Thunderbird Falls (not too far off the highway; bring mosquito repellent). Then we met up with our tour group that evening. (I was exhausted, I have to admit.)

 

So there's a couple of one-day itineraries for you, if you're willing to rent a car.

 

Our travel agent had advised us not to book flightseeing in advance, because the weather is so variable, but you can see from the photos that we had clear days.

 

When you get to Dawson City, you'll be sick of being on a bus, but taking a bus to Tombstone is worth it; it's incredibly gorgeous. To be honest, I liked the tour to Tombstone better than the Denali tour. I'm so glad we went, even though I wish we'd been able to see more of Dawson City.

 

Once we were on the ship, we only did one excursion, the Duck Boat tour of Ketchikan. I'd caught a terrible cold, so I spent a lot of time aboard ship asleep. I didn't have the energy for any more excursions.

 

One bit of advice--if you want to do some cool souvenir shopping, check out All Alaska Gifts in Tok. It's right across the street from the hotel. They have great prices (especially on unusual stuff, like animal pelts or Alaska Mint medallions), and best of all, they'll ship to your house at cost, even delaying shipment so it'll arrive after you're back home. This may not be your cup of tea, but lynx pelts were $265 at All Alaska, and I saw them for $500-600 in Ketchikan.

 

We got a great deal on some gold nugget earrings in Eagle, at the "Eagle Mall" (five dealers under an awning). Similar earrings were at least $100 more in Dawson or Ketchikan.

 

What a magnificent trip! We're already planning on a return to Alaska next summer. We'd love to spend a couple of weeks seeing some places in more detail.

[srlucado]

... wasn't Dawson City just totally awesome??? We loved our two nights there.

 

...We really liked Denali too. The McKinley Chalets are set up in duplexes, but it makes you feel like you are in a cabin in the woods.

 

...Visiting Jeff King and his Husky Homestead outside of Denali, and Chicken, Tok, Eagle and all the other small truly Alaskan towns we visited. Really gave you an insight into what living in the "Last Frontier" would truly be like. Utterly amazing!

 

Dawson was fabulous. A lot of people in our group fell in love with it, me included. There's something in the air there--adventure, beauty, you name it. Way cool.

 

To be honest, Denali disappointed me a little. Not visually--it's incomparable--but there were so many people there that it seemed almost packaged. And outside the park, it's a huge tourist trap. I wasn't expecting that. I wanted a more spontaneous, personal experience. (I got it at Tombstone in Canada. Talk about remote!)

 

The best thing about Denali was Jeff King's Husky Homestead tour. Truly amazing. Even my wife, who isn't crazy about dogs, was ready to bring one of the puppies home with us. I bought a copy of Jeff's book; worth every penny. Remarkable man, remarkable place. I would give it my number-one recommendation of excursions in Denali.

[srlucado]

Scott - we'll be on the same cruise in early Aug.

 

By the way...if you can, and if you haven't bought the meal package, you might want to buy some snacks and stuff in Anchorage. Once you get to Denali, you pay through the nose for that kind of stuff, and for much of the trip, you won't really have a chance to get it.

 

We bought some packages of snacks and were glad we had them. A couple of nights, we were just too tired to go out to eat, so we nibbled in the hotel room and went to sleep.

[PetNanny]

Fantastic pics! Thanks for posting. We are in the process of planning another trip to Alaska and want to do a Cruisetour. There's one question I'm trying to find an answer to and would appreciate any input. Are the insects (especially black flies) worse in some months than others? Again, thanks!

[cole]

Question: What editing software do you use?

B. Cole

[isles1]

If anyone's interested, here's an online photo album of my recent cruisetour through Anchorage, Denali, Fairbanks, Tok, Eagle, Dawson City, Whitehorse, the White Pass & Yukon RR, Skagway, Glacier Bay, Ketchikan, and the Inside Passage.

 

www.flickr.com/photos/srlucado/sets/72157605530077351/

 

Enjoy!

I'd be interested to know what company you booked your land tour with.

 

Thanks for sharing!

[srlucado]

Fantastic pics! Thanks for posting. We are in the process of planning another trip to Alaska and want to do a Cruisetour. There's one question I'm trying to find an answer to and would appreciate any input. Are the insects (especially black flies) worse in some months than others? Again, thanks!

 

Yes, some months are definitely worse than others. But to be honest, I'm not sure which. When we went (end of May), there weren't any in any of the places we went (and we were at a lot of places). The worst we had was mosquitos, and even that wasn't too bad.

 

I hope you can go on a Cruisetour. We had an incredible experience. There's so much to see & do!

[srlucado]

Question: What editing software do you use?

B. Cole

 

For most tasks, I used Picasa, downloaded free from Google.

 

The easiest software I've ever used, though, is PhotoStudio Lite, which I got with my very first digital camera in 1999. For basic functions (crop, resize, brighten/darken), it's incredibly easy to use. I did in fact use it to resize all of the pictures that I then uploaded to the online album.

[srlucado]

I'd be interested to know what company you booked your land tour with.

 

Thanks for sharing!

 

Thanks...glad to be able to share!

 

We booked a Holland America Westours, using "The Alaska Travel Experts" (http://www.thealaskatravelexperts.com) as our agents. They are two long-time Alaska residents who really know their way around the state. We got lots of great advice from them, and I'd recommend them to anyone.

[kenish]

I had one of a moose that was very dark and it said it didn't recommend using that photo.

 

I read somewhere that moose fur is rather unique in the animal world because it absorbs most of the light spectrum. It's a solar heating system for the moose.

[PetNanny]

Yes, some months are definitely worse than others. But to be honest, I'm not sure which. When we went (end of May), there weren't any in any of the places we went (and we were at a lot of places). The worst we had was mosquitos, and even that wasn't too bad.

 

I hope you can go on a Cruisetour. We had an incredible experience. There's so much to see & do!

 

Thanks for the info. Have checked out www.thealaskaexperts.com and this is a tremendous help.