Miss Dot

I was able to get a discount through Avis in Anchorage by registering a business account. They have a "Small-Medium business" discounts. I happen to own a photo booth as a side job ;) I was able to get my 2 day rental in Anchorage for 162.76.

Where do you register the business; on the main Avis site? I could do that.

Yes, I found out you can't get them thru Priceline either

We have a reservation for our June visit so we can drive to Emerald Lake. It is sorta pricy for the few hours. I saw that Avis used to have discounts that you could sign up for on their website and people saved a lot on their rentals. I can find no savings for this year. We do have a AAA membership. Does anyone know of any discounts that can be found for Avis at this location? Thanks

We are going in August and all the tours I find do a one hour glacier then three hour whale watching.....would you mind telling me which tour operator does the glacier drop off after the whale watching? Thanks.

We are doing Harv & Marv they only do 15 minutes at the Glacier. Not enough time for us so we have asked to be dropped off at the Glacier after our whale watch tour. We will catch the shuttle back after visiting the falls

So glad this thread was bumped! We will be going in June and can't wait. What AWESOME photography!!!! Hope to get shots half as good as yours.interested in the lens you used since I am having trouble trying to decide which ones I should take. THANKS for such an awesome review

Lower Reid falls is an easy walk from Skagway right behind the cemetery.

 

I don't know your physical condition or how familiar you are with hiking, but Upper Reid falls (and Dewey Lake) is a bit more of a hike with some elevation, although I heard most of the trails are clearly marked, albeit some muddy areas if wet.

 

I hope you have a great time and come back with lots of waterfall pics!

Thank you! Will be at the 1 year mark of knee replacement so we will have to see.

Your photos of Alaska are beautiful! Would love to see bear on our trip

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1343828

Thank you!

I am assuming that you are doing the same tour that we did in 2013; 2 nights at each location.

 

Night #1 dinner on your own, not included

Next morning, buffet breakfast with your tour group - included

Lunch - before riverboat cruise - included

Dinner - Wine pairing dinner with group - included (AMAZING)

Second morning - breakfast at hotel - included

Arrive at Denali - lunch on your own

Dinner - dinner theatre - included

Breakfast at hotel - included

Lunch on your own (snack if on wilderness tour included)

Dinner at hotel - included

breakfast at hotel - included

Train ride to Talkeetna/McKinley (food for purchase on train)

Dinner at hotel - included

Next day - breakfast and dinner at hotel included (lunch on own)

Last day - breakfast at hotel included

Train to ship - lunch included

 

hope this helps

Sounds like the same tour. How did you like the Daneli Dinner Theatre show/dinner ?

SD cards are cheap and dont take up much space. Take as many as you can afford.

 

The thing you should be mindful of is batteries, especially if you have Image Stabilization, shoot video, use live view, or on camera flash.

 

Good luck! Make sure to come back and share!

Yes, I have 2 batteries may look into another. I have the Canon 5D Mark III, I know there are a lot of cheap cards on the market but I don't like to use those. I won't use the video on my camera and never use the live view. I don't like using thevIS on my lenses either. Camera doesn't have a built in flash and provably won't take my OCF. If I get to a place that flash is a must have Ill use my P&S. Yes, I do shot in RAW

Lower Reid Falls

 

Lower Reid Falls, Skagway, AK by ikirumata, on Flickr

Thank you! Yes, I'll have to try to make it to them! So much to see & do & so little time. Lol

I had never heard of those falls, so thanks to your question I googled "aj falls juneau" and clicked on the Images tab. Fabulous :)

I had done the same thing before my post and there are several different falls that come up. Also, what I have found to be AJ seems to have a lot of overgrowth. Would like to see photos someone has taken and get first hand info if the falls can be seen well

Could someone post their photos of A. j. falls near Mendenhall Glacier

Could someone please share photos taken at Reid Falls in Skaguay?

You are going to get a lot of answers that include taking a SD card for each day to taking only one or two.

 

The real question is are you taking a laptop so that you can download all of your images daily. If so, you don't need as many cards.

 

I usually take two, and copy pictures over to a laptop daily. The last trip I took almost 4000 pictures and that was about 25 GB. So for me a single 32GB card was fine (I think I only used one card the whole trip). (That was a 15 day trip.)

 

To me tripods are a lot of extra effort. Not really useable on an excursion boat, or flight seeing. Sure you can set up on the ship or to take landscapes, but not so much for animals. I don't fool with one but if you want to take it I say go for it.

Thanks, my thoughts were the same on the tripod; may take a mini one for when we tour waterfalls see if I can make it work. Thanks for your response. No won't be taking my laptop on this trip; although when possible I do take a laptop to dump cards nightly.

In June we will be doing our first cruise of Alaska on the Coral Princess SB. Prior to this we have 6 days of land touring. I'd like some input from photographers on the amount of media cards I should take. With the coming of digital age I have become trigger happy and we have many great tours planned. I use mostly 32 gb cards but just not sure how many to take. Also, thoughts on the use of a tripod!

Book a one-way cruise. The routing from Vancouver to Ketchikan (or reverse) is far more scenic than the routing from Seattle to Ketchikan, and the ability to see glaciers NOT on days you're also in port makes for a better time IMHO.

 

History for us:

2010, we were living in TX, and did a NB on Coral. We flew to Seattle for a night of visiting, then took a bus up to Vancouver for the cruise. Absolutely fantastic time, got LUCKY with great weather almost the entire cruise. Pictures here:

 

2012, we booked our cruise while living in TX but moved to Seattle before the cruise; we did a NB on Sapphire. We had a friend drive us to Vancouver. Fantastic time, decent or great weather overall, but conditions in Ketchikan impacted the excursion we chose. Pictures here:

 

2014, we did a Seattle RT on Grand. Boring scenery if not icky weather on the way up/back. Decent weather throughout Alaska, and I must say the small-boat experience in Tracy Arm was phenomenal, and probably the one key thing that would make me say "do a Seattle RT!". Pictures here:

 

General thoughts:

NB gives you ~36 hours to get familiar with the ship and adjust to PST/AKST. Ketchikan is unfortunately a bit of a short day, but you'll have whale watching opportunities from the ship that afternoon. Juneau and Skagway are nice long days giving lots of flexibility. Glacier Bay is a great way to start a morning (with whale watch opportunities if you're up early) that'll be a formal night later. The final day is a great day to pack, though you'll have to pack "around" the scenic stop in College Fjord. Very relaxing, but a long haul (probably overnight, somehow) back to FL for you.

 

SB offers a very late departure out of Whittier (8:30pm?), but don't dilly-dally until you're through the tunnel. Glacier viewing in the morning then an easy ~30 hours until GB. Not sure the timetables in ports, but a quiet tail to the trip.

 

Seattle RT goes out to the ocean for the transit. A relaxing ~36 hours until Ketchikan, at which point the trip goes to HIGH ENERGY - you'll have an early morning in Tracy Arm plus a late night in Juneau, followed by an early morning into Skagway. Once you're back aboard the ship, it's 49 hours aboard ship until your next stop, Victoria, and then you're "home" in the morning.

 

We do the Seattle RT for convenience (living in the Seattle area), though I miss the NB.

Thank you for sharing your beautiful photography! Which lens is the large white one you were using? Was the smaller white one thev100-400? I notice your use of tripod; was there any issue using it on the ship space wise? Is a tripod much needed, can't decide if I can do without it or not. How many photos do you average taking per cruise . We will be doing land tour before our cruise and I just don't know how many cards to take

When you get to the lodge check if the on-site personnel would be willing to make the switch for you.

We sure will. Again, thanks so much fir this wonderful thread. We are so excited for June

Our plan is to walk to the Mendenhall Glacier when in Juneau. We arrive at 7:00 am and would like to get early start. From what I read a cab is $35 one way.

The question is, if we take a cab there then can we come back one way via the express blue bus?

 

Are there other options for getting up there first thing in the am as opposed to waiting for the blue bus starting time of 9:00 am?

 

Thanks.

We are being dropped off at Mendenhall after our tour too. I contacted the shuttle company to make sure we could get back was advised YES. Just purchase front the bus driver. Cost is $10.00 this year

Was directed to this thread and so glad I was! We are taking this exact tour except for on the Coral in a June. THANK you so much for the info provided! We are scheduled for the Denali Dinner Tour and that is the only thing we are not looking forward to. Had our TA try to exchange it for the covered wagon dinner ( which I think someone on this thread said they did) however Princess did not want to refund the exact amount of the Dinner Theatre yet wanted full price for the covered wagon. We were willing to pay the extra $20./pp difference but not when Princess wanted to double the fee.

In Juneau we splurged with a private tour with Harv and Marv for whale watching and a stop at Mendenhall.

 

In Ketchikan we rode the bus out to the totem pole park and then walked the town.

 

In Skagway we rented a car for the day (under $60?) and drove to carcross desert and crystal lake. One of the most beautiful drives we have ever taken.

 

Victoria booked the evening trip to the gardens through the cruise line - short stop and didn't want to miss the ship.

 

That would all fit within your budget and we feel like we really got a feel for alaska.

 

 

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WOW great price for the car rental! How did you get it so cheap?

If Mapleleaves is referring to the University Center Mall it was razed about five or six years ago to make room for an enlarged Safeway store on the property.

 

The Fairbanks Princess is located near the Fairbanks airport. The Fairbanks Princess restaurant is not known for great food. The closest restaurants would be the stand-alone restaurant on the Pikes Waterfront Lodge property and also Chena' Bar and Grill (located on the River's Edge Resort).

 

We have stayed at the McKinley View Princess. There are no non-Princess restaurants within walking distance. One poster on this forum has described it as a "holding tank" for folks on Princess cruise tours. While there are some walking paths on the property if you don't want to take a Princess excursion or take the shuttle to Talkeetna there are board games to check out from the front desk.

 

Given the location of the Denali Princess off-property restaurants are easy to walk to.

Thanks! We are on a Connoisseur tour looks like we have 3 meals there 😳.

How easy is it to get just the shuttle bus back from Mendenhall? We will be on a whale watching excursion and will be dropped off there at the end but will need to get back to the pier? Where would we get tickets to return or can we just pay the bus driver?

We are doing the same thing. I contacted the shuttle bus company to make sure if we get dropped off there from our tour (tour does not give us enough time to explore) will we be able to get a shuttle back & do we need to purchase prior to going on our tour. They messaged me back yes we can get on the shuttle back and we just pay the bus driver at The Glacier

Denali Princess is in Glitter Gulch so it's close to a small 'strip mall' with several stores, restaurants. You will also have easy access to vendors if you choose to do activities other than Princess. Check the Denali Chamber of Commerce web site for activites/vendors or the Denali Park web site.

 

McKinley Princess is totally isolated. Talkeetna is the nearest town and it's close to an hour away via the Princess shuttle. It's a pretty place but there's nothing there except trails. The big draw is a great view of the mountain if it's visible. Check the Talkeetna web site for activities/vendors. Flightseeing is the big draw.

 

We camped near the Fairbanks lodge one year ... it was about a mile to the small mall.

 

There are maps, video, photos on the princess web site as well as things to do at each location. http://www.princesslodges.com/princess-alaska-lodges.htm

 

If you look at MVPinBoynton's trip report there are photos of Princess lodges. Check other Princess cruisetours for more photos.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2046395&page=3

THANK you will be looking those up

I purchased my 7 day Westerdam cruise last July for $999 PP balcony and received a $250 OBC. Got free airfare for signing up for a SWA credit card. This is my first cruise to Alaska. So excited!

WOW that's awesome. Would love to have gotten a deal like that😉

:confused:this will be our first trip to Alaska this June. We have the Connoisseur land tour prior to our SB cruise. We will be staying at FAIRBANKS PRINCESS RIVERSIDE LODGE; DENALI PRINCESS WILDERNESS LODGE & MCKINLEY PRINCESS LODGE. Can anyone give any insight into these locations ? i.e. Nearby places to eat, things to see, any certain location to ask for room? Thanks