JimS4210

Shot this while on a whale watching tour with Harv & Marv's...

Humpback Whale in Auke Bay, Alaska by JimS4210, on Flickr

Jim

Keeping an eye on this thread! Just got back from Alaska last week and we're booked on the Norwegian Star next May 20th to Norway!

Jim

Another vote for Harv & Marv's. We just got home yesterday from our cruise. Did a tour with them last Thursday. There were 8 of us on the 12 seater. It couldn't have been a better experience. We saw tons of whales and it was great to not have to fight the crowds to get the best view and the best photo. It wouldn't have been as enjoyable if we were elbow to elbow with a bunch of people.

I highly recommend them. First class all the way!

Jim

Every reason to bump, I'm sailing Sun in a few days... doesn't get closer than this..

4 days!! We're flying into Vancouver on Saturday. All packed and ready to go!...:)

Jim

That stuff will kill you... Steer clear of the soda and head straight for the bar for some healthy beer and wine! :D

Jim

Thanks for writing your trip report! Our Alaskan cruise is in 12 days and we couldn't be more excited! Love reading all of the trip reports, June 23rd can't get here quick enough...

BTW, we're practically neighbors. My wife and I live in NE Philly (Mayfair) and my brother lives up the road from you in Abington. I liked the hoagie references! Too bad they don't have scrapple or TastyKakes on board...

Jim

Can't help with the camera suggestion, since I'm a camera geek. I'll be traveling with at least two bodies and multiple lenses. :) Probably way more than you'd like to bring with you...

I did just pick up a nice pair of binoculars for our upcoming Alaska cruise. They're Zen-Ray ZRS HD 8X42 binoculars, not too expensive. Most people seem to recommend against anything stronger than 8X since the motion of the ship plus hand shake make viewing more difficult.

http://www.zen-ray.com/shop/zrshd8x42.html

Jim

Hi all,

I've searched this topic on the boards and there are so many conflicting answers and opinions that I'm thoroughly confused and don't know what to do!

We leave for Alaska in two weeks and my Mom is ill and I'd like to keep in touch with my Dad via text at least once or twice daily. I'd love to turn the phone off and stick it in the safe for the week but that isn't an option.

I have an iPhone 5, my Dad has an Android phone and my sister, who will be helping take care of my Mom, also has an iPhone 5.

I don't plan on making any calls unless in one of the ports (Juneau, Skagway or Ketchikan) but do want to send or receive texts while on the ship if necessary.

Can I just turn off data roaming in my settings? Some say that's all that's necessary and others say that additional charges will accrue.

Also, since my sister is on an iPhone like me, will iMessage automatically work without extra charges? Thanks in advance. Don't want to come back home to a phone bill in the hundreds of dollars!

Jim

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Another vote for renting instead of buying! We're leaving for Alaska in a few weeks and I'm narrowing down which lenses to bring. I shoot Nikon so I'll be bringing a D7100 and a D90 body. My lenses will prob be my Sigma 10-20, my 24-70 2.8 and my 50 1.8.

I usually rent from borrowlenses.com and needed a long lens that wouldn't be too heavy to lug around all day so I picked a 80-400 4.5-5.6. On a DX camera, that'll give me about 600mm at the long end. Hoping that'll be plenty of reach!

Jim

We'll be on the Sun in 3 weeks to Alaska. Am I right in figuring they'll have just one laundry special on a 7 day cruise? Thanks.

Jim

If weight is a real issue, the Sigma for wide and the 80-400 for animals/whales and leave the excellent 24-70 at home and borrow a fast 50, or buy a bargain 50 1.8G which is excellent when stopped down a bit. I have the 24-70 2.8 and really like it but except for snap shots aboard ship it probably will not get used as much as the shorter and longer glass

That's a good point about the 24-70. You're right, I'll probably be using a wide angle or telephoto for the vast majority of my shots. I do have a 50 1.8 that I'll bring and use as my "walking around the ports" lens.

It'd be nice if someone came up with a 10-600mm 2.8 that weighed 14 oz. and retailed for $200...:)

Jim

Got a reply from H & M about a glacier drop off after the tour. They said it's absolutely not a problem and will note it on my reservation.

Jim

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Thanks everybody for the advice! Just sent an email to Callie @ H&M's asking if it's possible.

Jim

if you read thru various trip reports it appears that Marv and Harv drop off at Mendenhall AFTER the whale watching tour. As you suggested, you could be dropped of around 3:30/4, then either catch the 6pm shuttle to the pier or call a cab.

Mendenhall Glacier is about 15 miles from downtown; I would allow at least 30 minutes for the ride. We returned about 5:30pm and found traffic pretty slow in around downtown.

After the tour would be great, but the confirmation email I received said that it could be either before or after depending on what their schedule was. Keeping my fingers crossed that I won't have to bribe the driver! :)

Jim

I just went on this tour, and the driver stopped for long enough to walk out to the photo opportunity site (around 15-20 min). The driver said we could stay if we wanted. The company running the bus for Harv and Marv's was a separate company. I think you would need to ask the driver individually about going back to the glacier. The glacier is not directly on the way back to the terminal and is about a 5-10 min approx. turnoff from that direction. Hope that helps. ^^

Thanks! That helped a lot. :)

Jim

Hi all,

We'll be in Juneau from 10AM-8PM. We have a whale watching tour scheduled with Harv & Marv's. They're picking us up at 11:20AM and I understand that the drive time is 30 minutes each way and an additional 3 hours on the water for a total of approx 4 hours. They have a stop at Mendenhall Glacier for a quick look, but it's only 15 minutes and it might be before or after the tour. Based on this time frame, the tour ends around 3:30 or so.

My question is, if The Mendenhall stop is before the tour, would they be willing to drop us off there instead of taking us back to the ship after the tour? Then I could just stay and get back on my own. Has anyone asked to have this done and how far out of the way would it be for their driver? I'd like to spend more than 15 minutes there. I'd like to walk to Nugget Falls and spend some time soaking it all in. I realize that the buses stop at 6PM and I have to get a cab back after that time. I have Juneau Yellow Cab's # in my phone just in case that would happen.

I guess the best case scenario is for them to schedule the quick stop to the glacier after the tour. Also, how far is Mendenhall from the cruise dock? Don't want to be a pier runner... Thanks!

Jim

Also interested in this. We're booked with Harv and Marv on June 26th. Picked them based on all the great reviews and the amount of passengers (6) onboard.

May 17th? Cutting the decision a little close...

Jim

I think the 200-500mm might be too limited, unless you have something to cover the <200mm range, as well.

I was thinking that too, but the extra 100mm couldn't hurt! I also plan on bringing my Sigma 10-20mm and Nikon 24-70 2.8. Between those two and a long lens I should be covered. I was thinking about borrowing a friend's 18-300 for walking around the ports but figured the 24-70 was a much better option.

Jim

Thanks for the quick replies. I don't leave for about 6 more weeks so I have some time to try out some options. Gonna head to my local store and try out the Nikon. Also gonna check out the Tamron 200-500. Thanks for the heads up!

I always rent from BorrowLenses but we'll be sailing out of Vancouver instead of Seattle.

Jim

Hey everyone,

I'm leaving for Alaska in a few weeks and I'm thinking about renting this lens and I'm curious if anyone has ever shot with it. Specifically, I'm worried that it might be a little too big and heavy for handheld shots and lugging around. I'd like to take it on a whale watching tour. The extra reach sounds appealing but I'm concerned about the weight. My body is a D7100. Thanks!

Jim

First cruise ever! Headed to Vancouver on June 20th. Boarding the Norwegian Sun on the 23rd. Been planning and re-planning for the past 6 months. Finally have a nice itinerary planned. A few days in Vancouver pre-cruise, then a 7 day NB cruise that disembarks in Whittier. We'll spend 3 nights in Seward, 1 night somewhere en route to Denali, and 3 nights in Denali! Got reservations booked, car booked, excursions booked, ready to go!

As the OP said, there are a lot of moving parts, but I'm a planner and like the little details so planning made the time go quicker.

37 days and we'll be on a plane to Vancouver!

Jim

I'm sure others with more knowledge will be able to give more advice, but they have the 4 hour tours that stay in Resurrection Bay. You don't go out into the Gulf of Alaska so the seas aren't as bad, but you give up the chance of seeing more wildlife. The more time on the water, the better.

We have the 9 hour Northwestern Fjord tour booked for July 1st. Can't wait...

Jim

Thanks! :)

Jim

Hi all,

Is breakfast for suite passengers served in La Cucina (the old Il Adagio) or at Cagney's? Pretty sure it's at La Cucina but just want to make sure. Also, what are the hours for breakfast? My wife and I are both very early risers and were wondering when they started serving. 6 AM? 7 AM? Thanks!

Jim

Thanks for the answers! One more item on the packing list!

Jim

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