Planes, Train, Cars, Boats/Cruise ship, and a RV – June 26th - July 12th 2014

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thank you for taking the time to write your wonderful review.

Love your pictures.

[Gizmorella]

Thank you so much for taking the time to write this review of your Alaskan adventure! I've taken so many notes! But I have to especially thank you for introducing me to Ahnu hiking boots!

[JosieRhodes]

We'll be in Ketchikan in a couple of weeks and are also doing a Bear Watching flight seeing trip with IslandWings. (Although because we'll be well into late August by then it's to Traitors Cove rather than Anan)

My question is how much can you carry with you on the plane. I know backpacks aren't allowed but is a camera bag ok?

Loved your review and has made me even more excited about forthcoming trip. We have some days in Iceland and Vamcouver before we start NB cruise on 23rd, so very interested in your packing tips as will be doing that on Saturday. (We too are 4 in a cabin so need to be efficient with what we take!)

 

Tony

 

Hope you have a great trip! Would love to see Iceland some day. I spent a semester in London during college, did a lot of traveling on a shoestring back then. I do tend to over think / over pack but the cabin did seem to have enough nooks and crannies to keep every thing organized.

 

While I stored my backpack in the Island Wings office, I do think one person brought a backpack that was stored in the "pontoons" during flight, but Shona from Island Wings could confirm either way. Basically they told me could bring on anything that could conceivably stuff in pocket or hang around neck. I had my small camera bag with me - held canon sx50 and canon s120.

 

Hope that helps.

 

Karen

[JosieRhodes]

Thank you for taking the time to write your wonderful review.

Love your pictures.

 

Thanks :)

[JosieRhodes]

Thank you so much for taking the time to write this review of your Alaskan adventure! I've taken so many notes! But I have to especially thank you for introducing me to Ahnu hiking boots!

 

 

Ha, glad I could be of help :). I do love my Ahnu boots (and I had never heard of them until started looking for waterproof hiking shoes...). Just spent a week outside Asheville, NC and loved hiking in the mountains with them.

[EatSleepCruise]

I just want to echo many of the other CCers by saying thanks for posting this review. The info on what to wear and your great pictures from the land and sea were excellent. Just finished getting through the entire review! WOW!

 

We will be in Alaska in less than three weeks and we can't wait! We were thinking of doing the Radiance, but she had a private charter going that week so we are doing Celebrity Solstice. Hope to get some great pictures like you and to post our own review when we return.

 

Thanks again!

[JosieRhodes]

I just want to echo many of the other CCers by saying thanks for posting this review. The info on what to wear and your great pictures from the land and sea were excellent. Just finished getting through the entire review! WOW!

 

We will be in Alaska in less than three weeks and we can't wait! We were thinking of doing the Radiance, but she had a private charter going that week so we are doing Celebrity Solstice. Hope to get some great pictures like you and to post our own review when we return.

 

Thanks again!

 

Thanks for the kind words. I hope you have a great trip! Wish I was going back :)

[mapleleaves]

whatever happened with your husband's salmon ?

[JosieRhodes]

whatever happened with your husband's salmon ?

 

We got it, and they threw in a bunch of retail king salmon to make up for the delay. It was thru The Cedars Lodge, and I guess there were some issues with their daily weight limit with Fedex and then a mechanical issue with plane, etc. We were very happy in the end, and we have enjoyed cooking and eating :) :D:). My husband really did enjoy the fishing too, which was arranged via RC shore excursion.

 

Karen

[mapleleaves]

We were very happy in the end, and we have enjoyed cooking and eating :) :D:).

 

Karen

 

People often say that cooking salmon they caught in Alaska is a great reminder of their trip. Glad it all worked out !

[shipfriend_max]

Just incredible - this is truly a great review with superb photos - thank you so much!!! :)

We do Alaska in August 2015 on Millennium from vancouver to Seward, and really look forward to it!

Your review is very helpful for me - for our plannings, I definitely read it again.

[JosieRhodes]

I am just a "point and shoot" photographer, but AK is just filled with beautiful stuff. I finally got some time to try to start organizing pics for a photo book...

 

Just two more of inside the photo blind at Anan, plus some "foggy" scenery ones... It was just so nice to walk along the outside promenade at "night" as never knew what might see...

 

 

 

 

 

[JosieRhodes]

Not best angle for a pic, but from where I was in blind in previous pic, fascinating to be so close and seemingly un-noticed....

 

[JosieRhodes]

Just incredible - this is truly a great review with superb photos - thank you so much!!! :)

We do Alaska in August 2015 on Millennium from vancouver to Seward, and really look forward to it!

Your review is very helpful for me - for our plannings, I definitely read it again.

 

Thanks, I haven't even done my typical post vacation paper scrapbook and shutterfly photo book yet, and I am itching to go back...

 

Think just got lucky with the sunshine which made some photos turn out well as basically pointed and pressed shutter as everything I had tried to remember about settings escaped me in the moment.

 

That is one reason for putting some time between trips as I was mentally prepared for rain every day... And then we had great weather, daughter actually complained too "hot" for her as we are accustomed to cooler weather. So, again thinking it would probably rain every day on next trip:). But that would be OK too.

 

Hope you have a great time and enjoy the anticipation.....

 

Karen

Edited August 22, 2014 by JosieRhodes

[lucky cal]

I'm so glad I stumbled upon this review (during a search for backpacks, of all things)!

 

You included such helpful tips and detail about what to bring as well as great activity information.

 

Your photos are fantastic. Did you take many of them using your Canon SX50? We are thing of buying that camera to use on our first trip to Alaska (land/cruise) in July 2015.

 

Thanks for sharing. Your review is one of the most helpful I've read, and the photos were an added bonus.

[JosieRhodes]

I'm so glad I stumbled upon this review (during a search for backpacks, of all things)!

 

You included such helpful tips and detail about what to bring as well as great activity information.

 

Your photos are fantastic. Did you take many of them using your Canon SX50? We are thing of buying that camera to use on our first trip to Alaska (land/cruise) in July 2015.

 

Thanks for sharing. Your review is one of the most helpful I've read, and the photos were an added bonus.

 

Ha, drinking my morning coffee and nicely surprised to get an email saying someone posted to my thread - trip seems ages ago but such a great place to go! I hope you have a great time. Thanks for the nice compliments. I tried to cover the stuff I researched for our trip.

 

So, I am defn an amateur photographer and just didn't have much patience with the older DSLR also brought. It also weighed a ton. The SX50 was simple to use and good enough for me, especially when excited and trying to take pic. I thought it did well outside, especially when enough light. All of the Anan bear photos were with the SX50 as well as many scenery shots. I also had a Cańon S120 to carry around for inside shots and a Sony HX30V used at times didn't want to worry if camera got banged up.

 

I also think both cańon cameras had option to shoot JPEG and RAW at same time, but to be honest, most JPEGs seemed good enough for me as I have tons of RAW versions never got around to editing. The SX50 was small and light enough that I often carried both it and the s120 as did think s120 was better in lower light/inside.

 

Again, hope you have a great time :-)

[NancyIL]

Thank you for a wonderfully written review! I know it's been almost 2 years since you were in Alaska, but I'm only now reading this! I have cruised to Alaska twice each on Princess and HAL, and will be on b2b Alaska cruises on Radiance in May 2017.

[JosieRhodes]

Thank you for a wonderfully written review! I know it's been almost 2 years since you were in Alaska, but I'm only now reading this! I have cruised to Alaska twice each on Princess and HAL, and will be on b2b Alaska cruises on Radiance in May 2017.

 

Thanks. We tend to not go back to the same places, but Alaska is a place I do want to return to some day. I really loved it. Still one of my very favorite vacations. Though, when I reread parts of my review, I think maybe I rambled too much as I was just going to do a quick review..... But every place and pic really was special :-) :-) :-) so kept adding on....

 

May 2017 sounds wonderful for Alaska.. Makes me want to go, but just booked Yellowstone lodging for summer 2017 - our first time. Felt like booking a cruise as booking the lodging inside park so far in advance:eek: I hope it pans out that we do go somewhere!

 

Thanks again.

 

Karen