What type of wildlife did you see from the ship?

[loungelizard61]

We were quite fortunate to see 5 bears (2 far away and 3 pretty close) sea otters, seals on ice, and many whales (almost as good as the whale watching excursion). Two whales breached together and we also saw bubble net feeding - all from the ship. The naturalist was going nuts since he said this was quite rare. We also saw many eagles and the whale carcass in Glacier Bay. One of the bears was eating at that carcass but was quite far in the distance.

[Krazy Kruizers]

We have only seen wildlife a few times where we could actually recognize the animals.

 

We have been lucky a couple of times to see whales close by the ship -- when we were around Icy Straight Point.

 

Have seen a couple of bears when in the Glacier Bay area.

 

Saw some eagles when in Sitka.

 

[LRDR01]

IMHO, invest in a really good pair of binoculars. (you can fight over who gets to use them).

 

We've seen a good amount of wildlife from the ship on both of our Alaska cruises. Bald Eagles mostly. But, we have also seen a good amount of sea lions, sea otters, dolphins, and several different types of whales including humpback, pilot and orca. I agree with the other posters here when they say that viewing whales from the ship usually includes seeing a spout of water in the distance, but, it is still an amazing and breathtaking thing to see for those of us who just love to see wildlife in its natural habitat. (I'll take the waterspout sighting if that's all I can get). Last time, on the Star Princess while sailing Tracy Arm, we saw a mother mountain goat with her two kids. I've attached the article of pictures if you care to see. I have a 12x's optical zoom and I maxed it out to get the picture. They were just specks on the side of the mountain with the naked eye.

http://www.worldisround.com/articles/348599/index.html

If you want to see the wildlife up close... take the excursions or get out there and explore on your own. No guarantees, but, for the chance, it's worth it. You might get the photo of a lifetime.

[knorrisb07]

...and binoculars are a poor way to get a permanent record of the experience. It depends on what your priorities are. I use a telephoto lens, my wife uses binoculars.

 

always take both binoculars and telephoto lens. They serve different purposes. For observation, I use 8x42 binoculars most of the time. Occasionally, I will jump to 10x. Even an 8x binoculars is better than a 200-300mm lens for magnification power.

[whale-watcher]

...and binoculars are a poor way to get a permanent record of the experience. It depends on what your priorities are. I use a telephoto lens, my wife uses binoculars.

for me, taking pictures detracts from the overall bird and wildlife watching experience; I enjoy long and leisurely looks and hate schlepping bulky camera equipment; fortunately DS is willing to do this, so we do have a photographic record when he is along. I am content to make do with vivid and unforgetable sightings through excellent binoculars as my permanent record, but never carry anything larger than a pocket camera (superzoom).

 

always take both binoculars and telephoto lens. They serve different purposes. For observation, I use 8x42 binoculars most of the time. Occasionally, I will jump to 10x. Even an 8x binoculars is better than a 200-300mm lens for magnification power.

well said.