Just back!!!!!!

[marne-c]

Kathy-Ann: Thanks for the great thread! My wife and I have signed up for this same cruise next summer on the Coral Princess, the sister ship of the Island.

 

I'd like to thank whoever it was who told us about getting to the front of the ship via Baja and Caribe decks - we spent a lot of time out there!

 

So how do you get to the front of the ship????

 

--Marne

[bosardav]

Kathy-Ann, we were the other couple on the plane with you. My long lens was acting up so the only picture I have of the bear looks like a black dot in the distance.

I highly recommend Michelle and Island Wings.

Northbound cruise on the Island Princess was fantastic.

Harv and Marv's was excellant in Juneau and included a stop-over at Mendenhall glacier for pictures.

Wife enjoyed the galley tour onboard the Island Princess.

[nittany89]

I am on the same cruise leaving June 10. Can you post what the dinner themes were each night? and when the formal nights are? Thanks.

[photodoodle]

Your eagle image is fantastic! I found your photography web site (by googling your name which appeared on the copyright). You images are really lovely. Here's is Stephen's web site, fellow cruisers: www.stephen-anstey.com/

 

I am an enthusiastic amateur photographer (also with Canon dslr) and I would be very grateful if you would share some technical information with me.

 

What lens(es) did you take with you and what did you find most useful - espescially for wildlife shots such as the eagle?

 

What would you say is the minimum shutter speed for shooting from a small boat? On a typical overcast day, what ISO did you have to use to get a fast enough shutter for a bird-in-flight shot taken from a rocking boat? Did you set your exposures manually, or use one of the auto modes (perhaps with over-exposure compensation)?

 

Most shots from Alaska (but not yours) have a very noticable blue cast. How did you approach white balance? Did you use manual white balance? Fix it in post?

 

I realize it's not you job to explain this stuff to me, but I would be very grateful if you shared what you could...

 

And a note about sharing to fellow board readers. Please keep in mind that Stephen is a prefessional photographer. His photos are the result of decades of experience. Also consider that the photos are his work product. Perhaps he can direct us to the place on his web site where images are available for sale.

 

Stephen, I sincerely hope that I did not overreach by posting your site or asking for advice. Please accept my apologies if I have.

[kathy-ann]

I think we're doing the same itinerary that you just did and on the same ship. We leave on 6/10 and I can't wait!!

Was your tour on land with Princess? If so, what tours if any did you do in Kenai and Mt McKinley. Did you do any of the trails around the hotels?

Any helpful tidbits you can pass along as to what you needed on land as opposed to the ship?

What room did you have on the Island Princess?

Glad to hear you enjoyed your trip!

Yes, our land tour was with Princess. We arrived in Kenai at about noon and after getting something to eat, we went on one of the trails. I believe there were two but they're not too strenuous or long. There was a dog sledding event in the evening which we didn't do but the following day we went on an excursion to Seward. It took the whole day and while it was quite interesting there wasn't much to see, apart from the Sea Life Centre which was included in the excursion. The town was really quiet as there were no cruise ships there at the time.

 

The bus ride to McKinley was quite long but we were given the opportunity to stop at Talkeetna which we did and we thought it a pretty place. The hotel have regular shuttles so we found out the times and caught that to the lodge (our luggage stayed on the bus so was in our room when we arrived). This would have been around 4.30/5.00pm. There was no time for excursions but they advertise 2.5 miles of walking paths which we didn't take advantage of, I'm afraid. We had to be off the next day at 9.30 for Denali.

 

I can't think of anything at the moment that we needed on land that we didn't on the ship - in fact, we didn't send any luggage on ahead to Fairbanks, we kept it all with us.

 

I have to say that Princess are so thorough with disembarkation and transfers - everything went like clockwork, both in leaving the ship and the transfers to the hotels. We were given an envelope with our room key inside and a miniature version of the Princess Patter giving details of the hotel, places to eat and other facilities. The staff in the lodges are very helpful - we thought the staff at Kenali were particularly nice and it's a very small and friendly lodge.

 

Let me know if I can help with anything else.

[kathy-ann]

Great Photo............Can't wait to go next year !!!! Did you go on a Cruise tour for the land portion or arrange the land on your own ?

 

CALBOB

We stayed with Princess for the land tour (see my reply to krish2)

[kathy-ann]

I would be interested to hear about your land tour. What did you think about it. What did you do in each place. Where did you eat. Did you find travelling to each place long.

I've posted a response to Krish2 which answers some of your questions.

 

We loved the land tour as it was a complete contrast to the ship. Some of the travelling on the bus was tiring (and a bit boring in places) but we saw some wonderful scenery and everyone was looking out for wildlife and shouted when some was spotted!

 

To be honest, apart from Kenai there wasn't much time to do a lot, apart from walking the hotel trails. We set off for McKinley at 8.30 am and if we hadn't stopped at Talkeetna, would have been there for about 4.00 pm. Those we didn't go to Talkeetna were sorry when we said how pretty it was - lots of crafty-type shops and a couple of art galleries.

 

We left McKinley at 9.30 am to get the train and arrived in Denali at 4.30 pm. This is a big site so there's a bit of exploring to do and there are shops, eateries, etc over the road.

 

The next day was the Natural History Tour which we enjoyed (and we got to see Mount McKinley!) and we got back in time to get the train to Fairbanks. However, there had been a fire on the railway track and so arrangements had to be made quickly to get us to Fairbanks by bus. It was a drag having to wait a couple of hours but, to be fair, they kept us informed of what was happening and sorted everything out very well. We arrived in Fairbanks at around 8.30 (possibly a similar time to when we should have arrived by train).

 

For your information, we had dinner soon after we arrived in the 'fine dining' restaurant but we were very disappointed. Although there were plenty of staff, there seemed to be only one person serving. The salmon was overcooked and someone else's steak was a little burned underneath. No-one came to ask if everything was OK and it took so long for someone to take away the plates that we'd decided not to bother with dessert. I explained this but the waitress wasn't interested.

 

I seem to have gone on a bit but hope this helps.

[kathy-ann]

Thanks for sharing the photos, they were amazing. We are booked on the Diamond for next May. We did this same ship and iteniary last May and can't wait. We are interested in hearing who you booked your float tour with. Miss Honey

We booked it with Island Wings after reading about how good this was on this site. We landed on a lake and she taxied in to the shore and we had the chance to walk about for about 20 minutes. Michelle (the pilot) also took photos of all three couples, in front of the plane, in front of the nice scenery, etc. She was very obliging. One of the party got a great picture of our ship on the way out. I got one on the way back but it was a bit further away.

[Green4me]

OK, we are on the same trip the 11th from Vancouver. What can you tell us about the ship.

 

Entertainment? what to or not miss?

Food? did you do anytime or traditional, sabatinis or steak house? balcony dining? Thanks, :)

[kathy-ann]

After hearing 1800 pictures......now I feel better about telling people we were taking 6-1gig memory cards...and they think I can't shoot that......:p :p :p

 

your pictures are great look like some from the princess brochures....what kinds of cameras did you use....

 

thanks for posting

The picture at College Fjord is one I took with a Panasonic FX01 and the picutre of the eagle was taken by my husband with his Canon 1DMk2 with a Canon 100-400mm lens.

 

We've been really pleased with some of the shots we got but we still haven't had much time to look at them all!

[kathy-ann]

I

What room did you have on the Island Princess?

 

Sorry I missed this bit! We were in B235 (Baja deck - quite near the front of the ship). I'm so pleased we opted for a balcony - with the beautiful weather it was lovely to sit out there and look at the scenery.

[krish2]

Thank you Kathy-Ann for all the info. These boards are so helpful and getting first hand info from recent travelers like you is terrific. BTW, that is a spectacular picture you posted.

[jessinphilly]

Kathy-Thank you for all of the information. We leave on June 25th northbound on the Island and can not wait. Were there specific things on the ship that you thought were outstanding and not to be missed, and things that should be avoided? Also, how do you get the the forward decks that you were speaking of? Thanks so much!

[kathy-ann]

Deck plan does not show entrance to the front of the ship. Is there an actual passageway to the small forward deck from Baja?

From the decks of Baja and Caribe (at least on the Island Princess) you follow the corridor towards the front of the ship, going through two doors. One is just marked something like fire exit and the second warns you about high winds. This brings you to the open area just below the bridge so we could be seen and there wasn't a problem.

 

Be warned that even though we had glorious sunshine, it was freezing out there but the views were spectacular (and you weren't too far from the Horizon so you could run up and get a hot drink)!

 

This is another useful piece of information I found through searching these boards.

[nittany89]

Hi Kathy. Can you post what the dinner themes were each night? When were the formal night? I'm trying to decide when to book balcony dining.

[TenerifeSharon]

Hi Kathy,

Your photo is brilliant (as is your husband's) -- I'd love to see the other 1499:D and hope we are able to enjoy such great weather and see as much of the wonderful scenery in September as you did in May. Thanks for your fantastic posting.

[LisaH]

Perhaps as Kathy-anns husband who went on the photo safari I should answer. I chose this excursion because I'm a photographer, this sort of thing is something I would rarely get the opportunity to do though.

 

In all honesty I probably gained little from the trip, the guide was good enough but her time was taken up much of the time by people who had little idea of how to control exposure etc and infact were ill equipped camera wise to take full advantage of where we went.

 

It was raining to begin with and we went up to the Mendenhall Glacier, something which anyone can do on the local bus. I had to change my shooting style due to the conditions, though I got a few good shots, I could have done it without being on the excursion. We were given plastic bags to protect our cameras and cloths to wipe them down with, but for those with digicams with 3x zooms shooting was perhaps limited.

 

Later we were taken to Auk Bay and went out into the sound on a great little boat which was ideal for viewing from. We saw bird life such as arctic terns, and bald eagles, also a few humpbacks and some seals basking on a navigation buoy. The boat skipper was good and tried to move to good locations when appropriate. However much of what we saw was at a distance and without a long lens you would struggle. Imagine seeing a whale blow and then dive with the tail fluke coming up, then at a distance of over 500yds finding your camera and lens is not up to the job of capturing it.

 

I'd say don't do this excursion if you expect a lot of tuition and you only have a digicam with a low powered zoom. Treat it as a photo shooting opportunity rather than a learning experience. If you want to see whales, go on a whale watching tour. Visit the Mendenhall independantly $6 each way. The guide was good enough and gave good advice, though for the more skilled photographers it was basic stuff.

 

Now its possible they use a variety of locations depending on the conditions, so its perhaps unfair to say the Mendenhall was a bad one for the day we went. Seeing closeup whales and any other major wildlife is pot luck and expecting great sightings in the short time at your disposal is perhaps unrealistic. However I was lucky and got a great shot of the Bald Eagle alighting a navigation buoy, a memorable moment.

 

 

Hi Kathy-ann - thanks so much for your information. We just bought a new digital camera with 12X zoom. We are working with it to learn before we go. Will that zoom be advantageous?

 

thanks

[kisooya]

Hi! Kathy-Ann,

Thank you for sharing your beautiful photo, it looks great!! We'll be going to Ketchikan and Juneau in two weeks and here are our plans so far.

Ketchikan-Lumberjack Show and stroll around town. Can you recommend

places not to be missed with short time we have? (7am-1pm)

Juneau -Mt. Roberts Tramway. Mendenhall Glacier.

Can you recommend an eatery that serves Salmon and King

Crab Legs that are good and inexpensive?

Thank you,

[kathy-ann]

Hi Kathy-ann - thanks so much for your information. We just bought a new digital camera with 12X zoom. We are working with it to learn before we go. Will that zoom be advantageous?

 

thanks

 

Definately, (Kathy-anns husband here) I'd say that would be a great zoom. For anyone who doesn't know, Panasonic, Kodak, and Olympus are 3 manufacturers who produce digicams with such zooms, perhaps Fuji too. Also in comparison to the long Canon lens I use on my dSLR, they are much cheaper :)

[kathy-ann]

Hi! Kathy-Ann,

Thank you for sharing your beautiful photo, it looks great!! We'll be going to Ketchikan and Juneau in two weeks and here are our plans so far.

Ketchikan-Lumberjack Show and stroll around town. Can you recommend

places not to be missed with short time we have? (7am-1pm)

Juneau -Mt. Roberts Tramway. Mendenhall Glacier.

Can you recommend an eatery that serves Salmon and King

Crab Legs that are good and inexpensive?

Thank you,

 

We did the Misty Fiords float plane trip in Ketchikan, by the time we got back there was time to walk round the town and do a bit of shopping before returning to the ship. Creek Street is worth a visit, though we were not interested in the diamonds and jewellery outlets :)

 

In Juneau I'd say those two trips are essential, though you can easily go independantly of Princess. Have to say we ate lunch on the ship, its free :D There are plenty of eateries in Juneau though so you shouldn't have much problem

[kathy-ann]

Your eagle image is fantastic! I found your photography web site (by googling your name which appeared on the copyright). You images are really lovely. Here's is Stephen's web site, fellow cruisers: www.stephen-anstey.com/

 

I am an enthusiastic amateur photographer (also with Canon dslr) and I would be very grateful if you would share some technical information with me.

 

What lens(es) did you take with you and what did you find most useful - espescially for wildlife shots such as the eagle?

 

What would you say is the minimum shutter speed for shooting from a small boat? On a typical overcast day, what ISO did you have to use to get a fast enough shutter for a bird-in-flight shot taken from a rocking boat? Did you set your exposures manually, or use one of the auto modes (perhaps with over-exposure compensation)?

 

Most shots from Alaska (but not yours) have a very noticable blue cast. How did you approach white balance? Did you use manual white balance? Fix it in post?

 

I realize it's not you job to explain this stuff to me, but I would be very grateful if you shared what you could...

 

And a note about sharing to fellow board readers. Please keep in mind that Stephen is a prefessional photographer. His photos are the result of decades of experience. Also consider that the photos are his work product. Perhaps he can direct us to the place on his web site where images are available for sale.

 

Stephen, I sincerely hope that I did not overreach by posting your site or asking for advice. Please accept my apologies if I have.

 

No problem Photodoodle. I hope to have some photos on my site in a few days. These things take time :) However I'll try to answer some of your questions. I took 3 lenses for my Canon 1D Mk2N. A 17-40, a 24-70 and the 100-400. To be honest I only used the 17-40 a few times, but its not too heavy and if I hadn't taken it I'd have surely wanted it :)

 

I used ISO settings ranging from 100-400, mainly 100-200. Conditions were fairly bright and on the boat high shutter speeds was not a problem. The boat was stable, but I still managed shutter speeds in excess of 500/sec. The eagle shot was 500s @ f9.5 iso 400. I tended to use Tv (shutter priority) so I had control over shutter speed, however I tend to routinely underexpose by at least half a stop using the wheel so I'm sure of not blowing highlights. Oh and I always use Raw Mode. This fact seemed to amaze most people I spoke to, but being a Pro I realise the advantage :)

 

One such advantage is whitebalance, you mention the blue cast on some peoples shots. I tend to always use Auto whitebalance, however with raw its dead easy to correct this in the raw conversion software.

 

Finally my site you linked to is simply a my personal web gallery and it doesn't have a shopping cart facility. However anyone can contact me and I can supply prints, stephen@anstey.com, just mention cruise critic

 

Here is another shot of the John Hopkins Glacier off Glacier Bay.

 

 

and one more of the Mendenhall

 

[cjnky]

Awesome Pics!!!!!!!

[photodoodle]

Two more marvelous photos, Stephen! I have nearly the same gear, except my midrange zoom is the 24-105. With any luck I'll come home with something half as good to show! ;)

[qiangf2]

stephen, those are some incredible pictures. Thank a lot for sharing. I just switched to raw mode shooting. I have to agree that it gives so much freedom when it comes to whitebalance adjustment to recreate the original color map.

[mbmadeline]

I keep reading that people are pre booking excursions.... not too computer literate and can't seem to locate on this site the locations of available day excursions when we dock... would love to know about the ones you recommend. I did read that excursions are rated somewhere as to level of difficulty or ability.... where do I locate that section??? Who do I book excursions through? Royal Caribbean or private operators of these tours? Not sure where to begin now that our cruise is booked.