Bill,
Plenty of wildlife to see, particularly in the Red Dog Saloon. I
wouldn't count on seeing bears or moose from the cruise ship but
everything else you should see, including orcas, eagles, and humpbacks.
Bring rain-proof clothing because you'll spending most of the time on
deck taking photos and it almost always rains in Southeast, doesn't
pour, but is a misty rain. Speaking of misty, if you have the option
for a side trip to Misty Fjords, thats worth signing up for. In
Skagway, if you have time, ride the White Pass and Yukon Railroad up and
over the pass into the Klondike region. Spectacular views from a
narrow-guage steam locomotive. The best bear viewing is probably via a
side-trip offered from Juneau or Ketchikan to a small salmon stream or
to somewhere on Admiralty Island, where there are more bears per square
mile than anywhere else on earth. Watch for numerous old lighthouses,
some abandonned along the shore, others on islands in the channel.
There are also old gold mines above Juneau to explore as well as
helicopter flights to Mendenhall Glacier. Best kept secret: Thane's
Ore House in Juneau. Go there for dinner for a real Alaskan experience
and unbelievable food. Just be prepared for some damp weather. Next
year, you'll want to do an overland trip.
Mark Jennings
NSURIT@xxxxxxx wrote:
> Will be going on Alaskan cruise the end of July, with a few days in
> Seattle
> prior to departure. Only things absolutely in concrete at this time
> are a
> ferry/boat ride to Victoria to see the gardens and a visit to the Hay
> Street
> market in Seattle. Would be interested in hearing from anyone
> experienced
> with the area or Alaskan cruises of "not to miss" photographic
> opportunities.
> Will be stopping at Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway. Will be also
> going into
> Glacier Bay. Other than places to go, what focal lengths might one
> find most
> useful from the ship and would appreciate any advice about ship
> movement/shutter speeds particularly for low light (early morning/late
>
> evening) stuff. Would probably be most interested in lens
> recommendations on
> the longer focal lengths as that is where most of the weight would
> be. The
> short kit will likely include the 18, 28-48 zoom, 35-100 zoom, 50 mm f
> 3.5 &
> maybe the 65-200. What I have available on the longer end in addition
> to
> several 2X extenders (Zuiko, Vivitar macro & Tamron) is Zuiko 200,
> Zuiko 400,
> Tamron 500 f 8 and a Tamron 60-300 zoom. I do plan to take a tripod.
> Any
> advice from those who have experience in the area would be greatly
> appreciated. I would be interested in scenic and wildlife (whales,
> bears,
> eagles,etc). Still looking for the lens hood for the 28-48mm. Bill
> Barber
>
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