Question for Photographers

[CgnEg]

My husband and I are taking an Alaska/Denali cruise tour in September.  This is our first cruise.  In the land tour info it says each person May take 1 carry on bag that cannot be more than 4” thick.  How do I bring my canon with 2 lenses that are more than 4” wide?  Can I bring my tripod too?  It is a travel tripod but might also be two big for the size requirements  My husband has a great scope/tripod that he would like to bring as well but it won’t fit in the size backpack they are requesting.  Thanks in advance.

[crystalspin]

I don't know if Roger @Crew News has done cruise-tours? but he is a real photographer! 

[Crew News]

2 hours ago, CgnEg said:

My husband and I are taking an Alaska/Denali cruise tour in September.  This is our first cruise.  In the land tour info it says each person May take 1 carry on bag that cannot be more than 4” thick.  How do I bring my canon with 2 lenses that are more than 4” wide?  Can I bring my tripod too?  It is a travel tripod but might also be two big for the size requirements  My husband has a great scope/tripod that he would like to bring as well but it won’t fit in the size backpack they are requesting.  Thanks in advance.

 

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

 

I have enjoyed four cruisetours and been present for many of the onboard luggage presentations.  I am just a many-year hobby photographer. Shooting Olympus 4/3 does not present a lens width issue for me until I decided to splurge $7500 for their super telephoto lens. FWIW I took a tripod on my first Alaska visit, only a monopod the second, and then neither after using them to make Glacier Bay videos.

 

Without knowing which cruisetour you will be experiencing, I will give you the generic version.  The thickness of your backpack is the size to fit in a bus's overhead storage.   The truth is more like 8 inches.  What does not fit in overhead storage will ride on your lap for up to 9 hours.  A lens by itself could be placed on the floor between your feet. A separate small tripod can also be placed at your feet or placed in the overhead bus storage.  There is plenty of room in front of you on the train that does not have overhead storage.  The bus will stop every 90 minutes for a restroom break and those stops do not present great photo ops.  You can always place your tripod, that you will not be using enroute, on either the train or bus, in the luggage that will be delivered to each stop via truck.

 

If you are an approved CPAP user, you will be allowed to transport it in a roller bag on both the bus and train.  Now if your camera gear just happens to share the same roller bag.........

 

Photos taken from your train seat will be rainbow colored due to the thickness of the window glass.  I spend most of my train time on the huge platforms between the cars getting amazing photos of beavers, moose, scenery.

 

The food on the train is amazing but you are allowed to go down to the dining area by seated row.  If you are one of the last rows allowed to eat, you will be very hungry.  Bring some granola bars.

 

Here is a link to my photo reviews of Denali (maps, menus, excursions...)  Denali

 

Here is a link to the Alaska tour tips that is very hard to find on the HAL website:  Alaska Tour Tips

 

Be careful on the Tundra Wilderness Tour bus as some seats are directly over the wheels which puts your knees at chest level.

 

Feel free to ask lots of questions to make your cruisetour a good one BUT take care on your roll call, as well as aboard the ship, because the ship may have many different cruisetours all disembarking at the same place.

Edited August 21, 2023 by Crew News

[scubacruiserx2]

I always bring 2 Canon DSLR cameras and my 70-300mm lens and my wide angle lens in my carry-on and never had a problem.