Greetings,
This is a very old thread.
I just returned from an Alaska Cruise on Viking. Inside Passage Seward to Vancouver. Happy to share some experiences if you tell us where you are visiting.
We live on the west coast, and decided to put the long travel day at the beginning of our cruise. No matter where you come from the drive from the Anchorage Airport to Seward or vice versa is 2.5 hours. I can provide detailed information for any of the stops on the above map.
This will be my first time to Alaska, and I plan on bring my T7i with a walk around lenes The Tamron 18-270 and for telephoto the heavy L100-400 with a 1.4 converter. Any ideas you have would be much appreciated.
Greetings,
Seward. The highlight of Seward is probably Resurrection Bay. Its a little late in the season to see humpbacks. They have already started their southern migration. You could get lucky though. We saw one whale, sea lions, otters, goats and a few eagles. Another highlight is Spire Cove.
Hubbard Glacier. If you are on a giant ship, you can only get so close. Our ship was 930 humans and I could not believe how close the captain brought us to the glacier. It is magnificent. Best vantage point is the rear deck of the ship. Our captain did 180* and 360* pivots for 2 hours. I wouldn't try to visit the bow. This is where everyone goes and you'll be packed in like a sardine. The stern was comfortable, relaxed and the views were breathtaking. We saw seals on some ice floats going into the fjord. There is a outcropping (point) on the starboard (right) side of the ship right before you get to the glacier. There will be more sea lions there sun bathing on the warm rocks. There are two large mountain ranges surrounding the glacier. Long zoom here is best. I used a tripod and lens mounting plate. Have an arca head on my tripod. It worked so well, and a 120mm plate is the ultimate carry handle for your camera with a long lens. I kept it on my lens even when we were hiking, so comfy. It also gives you the ability to easily balance your rig (fore / aft) if using a tripod. We got very lucky. There was heavy fog when we entered the fjord. We all thought no way are we going to see anything. Suddenly about 85% burned off as we approached. Amazing.
Juneau. Highlight. The Mendenhall Glacier. Its 13 miles long and shrinking. You'll likely see the homes that were destroyed by the flooding. I opted to hire a taxi for the day and got the best tour of Juneau ever. Try to visit the glacier as early as you can. Better pictures. Its a Natl. Park and by afternoon, there will be hundreds of visitors. There is a cool waterfall that is a 1 mile hike (paved trail) from the park entrance and visitor center. Wear comfortable shoes. You'll be hoofing it. Its worth the walk and if you get there early enough you won't have the families and kids standing at the bottom of the falls when you try to take photos. You'll need a long zoom for the glacier. Your 18-270 will work best for the falls. Juneau has helicopter rides, sea planes and great fishing. Note helicopters run about $700 per person.
Skagway. We could not get into Skagway. They had a huge rockslide and there is a giant rockface hanging precariously over one side of the docks. If your cruise line docks on the are on the other side, you'll be fine. When the other side comes down and it will its going to cause some property damage.
Icy Straight Point. This destination is 100% owned by its residents. This port was scenic, but also a little touristy. Like trap. They do have incredible zip lining. If you are afraid of heights or speed (you are above the forest canopy and go 60 mph) this is not the ride for you. Its safer than Mexico though. 🤣
Glad you are skipping Sitka. Not much going on here. There is a fairly rundown orthodox church and totem pole near downtown. There is a scenic look out where an old castle once stood that burned down. Their McDonalds that sold $12 BigMacs didn't make it. Loafs of bread are about $8. Everything comes in by ship or train. Keep in mind that you can hire excursions in almost any Alaska City. Whether it be hiking, ATV, flying tours, fishing, whale watching or kayaking.
Ketchikan. Known for its Salmon and fishing. We did some whale watching again here since we were now south and had caught up with migrating whales.
Although the Inside Passage basically starts near Ketchikan, its gets the most beautiful and scenic when you enter the final stretch at Port Hardy. Beautiful coastline, mountains. We sat outside on the back of the boat and had lunch taking in the views and scenery.
The cruise terminal in Vancouver is state of the art. Airport is 35 min away. If you can make it to Victoria, tea at the empress hotel will impress and is a nice end.
The cruise and scenery was great. Anything that Viking controlled was outstanding. We have toured Europe many times with Viking. Whats different about Alaska. Buses and coaches are owned by contracted operators. Not by your cruise line. The persons transporting and leading some of the tours were college kids doing seasonal summer work. While nice, many were not qualified or knowledgeable about the ports of call or history of a given port. So set your expectations accordingly. In some cases we did our own thing, booked our own tours and in my opinion saw and did more. This is not customary based on our previous cruising experiences. This was Alaska. It was still a wonderful, relaxing and memorable family trip.
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