Review - a month in Alaska with a B2B on Celebrity Millennium

[BrusselsGirl07]

I have Canon as well. Which lenses did you take with you? Did you have a point & shoot? Thanks:cool:

 

I will have to ask Bill about the lenses. We both have a canon body and we took 3 or 4 lenses. I preferred the ones that allowed me to take good scenery shots but also zoom in on things, and Bill prefers to ultra zoom in on stuff! I will ask and let you know.

 

We did not have a point and shoot apart from the underwater camera that died, a lot of the photos were taken on my iPhone.

Edited September 25, 2014 by BrusselsGirl07

[BrusselsGirl07]

Absolutely wonderful review Yvette!

 

Just a quick question - on your second Hubbard Glacier day, you are wearing a Kathmandu jacket with what looks like a waterproof hood? What kind of jacket was it, was it a rain jacket or a waterproof fleece jacket? I will need to get something similar for my trip if it's what I'm thinking of...probably also from Kathmandu or similar.

 

Hi Cassicruiser, I am glad you enjoyed the review! The jacket I am wearing is here: http://www.kathmandu.com.au/womens/jackets/rainwear/pocket-it-rain-jacket-women-black.html

 

It was fantastic, waterproof and wind proof and all I needed. I got a size bigger so that I could layer underneath, and wear a long sleeved tee shirt, a fleece and then the rain jacket when I needed. I could also wear it if it was cold, as it kept the warmth in. It is also a bargain and on sale! I also got it for this great price. :)

[Cassicruiser]

Hi Cassicruiser, I am glad you enjoyed the review! The jacket I am wearing is here: http://www.kathmandu.com.au/womens/jackets/rainwear/pocket-it-rain-jacket-women-black.html

 

It was fantastic, waterproof and wind proof and all I needed. I got a size bigger so that I could layer underneath, and wear a long sleeved tee shirt, a fleece and then the rain jacket when I needed. I could also wear it if it was cold, as it kept the warmth in. It is also a bargain and on sale! I also got it for this great price. :)

 

Fantastic! I didn't waste any time and jumped straight online and ordered it. Lucky they had my size as there were only 2 sizes left. Great price too so I can't go wrong. Thanks so much!!

[BrusselsGirl07]

Glad you got it! It is very light, so great for travelling, and folds up into a pocket! I liked that the hood was big enough to go over a cap underneath as well.

[Cassicruiser]

Glad I got it too, not just for Alaska! Think I might get the men's one for my hubby actually, he has the duck down one that's more for warmth but not waterproof.

[BrusselsGirl07]

I got the men's version for Bill as well, but he never wore it. He did not mind getting showered on and we were lucky enough to never have pouring rain.

[Busman723]

Yvette

My e-mail addy is Busman72345@gmail.com

I will look forward to any help possible on our trip. Do not know yet whether to do a cruise and then stay a couple of weeks or to only do a land trip only. Total time for trip would be three to four weeks.

Thanks

Ben

[CruiseVivaLady]

I will have to ask Bill about the lenses. We both have a canon body and we took 3 or 4 lenses. I preferred the ones that allowed me to take good scenery shots but also zoom in on things, and Bill prefers to ultra zoom in on stuff! I will ask and let you know.

 

We did not have a point and shoot apart from the underwater camera that died, a lot of the photos were taken on my iPhone.

 

The photo quality on the iPhone is really incredible! I have a 50mm fixed lens plus the two kit lens that came with my camera. After all the work you've already done I truly appreciate the additional effort for information. It's the cherry on top of a really fabulous review:):)

 

Sent from my DROID2 GLOBAL using Forums mobile app

[AryMay]

Thank you AryMay, we had a wonderful trip! It was a lot of work, and I thought about giving up halfway, but the comments from lovely people like you kept me going till the end!

 

This is the first review I have done like this. But if you give me your email address I can send you the link to the shutterfly album that I did.

 

I would love to see your album, Yvette! My email address is MaryMN55 at hotmail dot com.

 

Thanks!

[BrusselsGirl07]

The photo quality on the iPhone is really incredible! I have a 50mm fixed lens plus the two kit lens that came with my camera. After all the work you've already done I truly appreciate the additional effort for information. It's the cherry on top of a really fabulous review:):)

 

Sent from my DROID2 GLOBAL using Forums mobile app

 

CruiseVivaLady - most of the scenery and animals were taken with the Canons and the ones with us in them were mostly taken with the iPhone.

 

The lenses we used were a Canon 300mm fixed lens with a 2x teleconvertor; a Canon 17-85mm, a Canon 18-55mm and a Canon 55-250mm.

 

I liked to use the 55-250mm the most and Bill like the 300mm one.

[BrusselsGirl07]

I would love to see your album, Yvette! My email address is MaryMN55 at hotmail dot com.

 

Thanks!

 

AryMay, I have sent you a link to the Infinity album, let me know if you can see it! We had such a great time on that cruise, it was a wonderful trip. Yvette

Edited September 26, 2014 by BrusselsGirl07

[CruiseVivaLady]

CruiseVivaLady - most of the scenery and animals were taken with the Canons and the ones with us in them were mostly taken with the iPhone.

 

The lenses we used were a Canon 300mm fixed lens with a 2x teleconvertor; a Canon 17-85mm, a Canon 18-55mm and a Canon 55-250mm.

 

I liked to use the 55-250mm the most and Bill like the 300mm one.

 

Hi Yvette,

Excellent! I have the 18-55mm and the 55-250mm.

 

The other two lenses you have I have seen listed repeatedly as recommended camera lenses for an Alaska cruise. The 300mm with the 2x teleconverter is genius giving you excellent reach.

 

Both lenses are on now on my "treat myself list" but I think I'll make the best of the lenses I already have so we can spend more on our excursions in Alaska:D.

 

Thank you so much. Your review has become my template for planning our Alaska land/cruise vacation--great share:). I wish you the very best on your next cruise in December and congratulations on your upcoming 20th annivarsary:).

LaDonna

[BrusselsGirl07]

Hi LaDonna, I hope you have a fantastic cruise and glad to be of help. I hope you get some amazing photos and have wonderful wildlife sightings.

 

I really am looking forward to sailing on Solstice at Christmas! Not long to go now.

 

Yvette

[boulder-girl]

Thanks for the detailed review & photos! I am going to Alaska for the first time next summer so I've been doing a lot of reading...yours looked like an awesome trip!

[BrusselsGirl07]

Thanks Boulder-Girl, it was an awesome trip! We loved every minute, and all of my research beforehand really paid off. We were lucky with the weather and just had the most wonderful experiences. I can't wait to go back again one day. I hope you have a wonderful trip!

[Dawn1004]

What a fantastic review, loved hearing of your adventures, and have looked into quite a few tours you mentioned...really interested in the Era Glacier Landing for our 2nd Alaska trip.

[BrusselsGirl07]

Thanks Dawn1004! The Glacier landing with Era Helicopters was just incredible. It was also our first ride in a helicopter, so that made it even more special. Walking around on a Glacier was wonderful, it was like being in another world! Yvette

[AryMay]

AryMay, I have sent you a link to the Infinity album, let me know if you can see it! We had such a great time on that cruise, it was a wonderful trip. Yvette

Thank you so much for sharing your photobook of the Panama Canal cruise, Yvette! I think this would be a cruise I would very much enjoy! You did a fabulous job putting the book together...I loved your narrative describing the photos. It will give me some ideas of tours "if" we decide to do this cruise.

 

I actually just got around to looking at your book today because we were in the Minneapolis area all weekend visiting our kids! I thought it was so interesting seeing the places you went in our state as a tourist. You have visited some places that we have never been even though we have lived here for decades! (We live about 3 hours from the Twin Cities.)

 

We live even closer to Austin, but not sure I would drive there for the Spam Museum! Did you enjoy it?? :rolleyes:

 

Well...thanks again for taking us along on your Alaska adventure! I will keep an eye out and hope you do more reviews in the future. (hint, hint) ;)

 

 

 

 

 

[Cassicruiser]

Hi Yvette - me again with another question :)

If you could only do one flight, would you choose the Era helicopter flight, or the Misty Fjords floatplane in Ketchikan with Island Wings? I know your Misty Fjords excursion included bears, but if you just take into account the flights, which would you say was better? We would love to do both, but I think with all the other excursion costs it's going to have to be just one...

[EMED2010]

Thank you so much for this wonderful review. It was definitely one of the best I've ever read. You gave all the information and links which were really helpful. I am thinking of switching one of my choices to one of yours. We have Anan booked for next August and I loved your pictures. I hope we get as lucky.

[BrusselsGirl07]

Thank you so much for sharing your photobook of the Panama Canal cruise, Yvette! I think this would be a cruise I would very much enjoy! You did a fabulous job putting the book together...I loved your narrative describing the photos. It will give me some ideas of tours "if" we decide to do this cruise.

 

I actually just got around to looking at your book today because we were in the Minneapolis area all weekend visiting our kids! I thought it was so interesting seeing the places you went in our state as a tourist. You have visited some places that we have never been even though we have lived here for decades! (We live about 3 hours from the Twin Cities.)

 

We live even closer to Austin, but not sure I would drive there for the Spam Museum! Did you enjoy it?? :rolleyes:

 

Well...thanks again for taking us along on your Alaska adventure! I will keep an eye out and hope you do more reviews in the future. (hint, hint) ;

 

 

Hello! I am glad you enjoyed looking at the Panama book, it was not as detailed as this Alaska one, as it was just for me, not to try and help others plan their trip. It seems a really long time ago now, but it was a fantastic cruise. The Panama Canal was just amazing.

 

Bill really wanted to visit the Spam Museum, so our lovely hosts obliged and took us. The Spamburger after was an experience!

 

Maybe we will meet on a future cruise! Yvette

[BrusselsGirl07]

Hi Yvette - me again with another question :)

If you could only do one flight, would you choose the Era helicopter flight, or the Misty Fjords floatplane in Ketchikan with Island Wings? I know your Misty Fjords excursion included bears, but if you just take into account the flights, which would you say was better? We would love to do both, but I think with all the other excursion costs it's going to have to be just one...

 

Hi Cassicruiser - tough question, the excursions are so different!

 

The flight to Anan was a minor part the bear adventure that the plane takes you to. It was a little foggy and cloudy, so we did not see much on the flight, and it was mostly green hills and mountains. You would not do this excursion for the flight alone, it is all about the bears. If you want to take a scenic flight, I think the Misty Fjords and Glacier Flightseeing tour would be better for you.

 

The Era Helicopter flight did have amazing scenery on the way to and from the glacier, and then you got to walk around on the glacier as well. You fly in and out from the glacier in different directions, so you get different scenery on the incoming and the outgoing flight. The ice formations and glaciers we flew over were incredible.

 

Based on the flights alone, our flight around Mt McKinley from Talkeetna was probably the most stunning and awe-inspiring.

 

I know all of the excursions are really expensive, but we tried to save money in other ways. Our inside cabin was really inexpensive compared to even the lowest level of balcony cabin or even an ocean view. I did miss having a window or balcony, but I decided to spend the money on the tours and put up with an inside room. There were so many places you could go on the ship to sit and enjoy the scenery as well.

 

Good luck with deciding what to do. Happy to answer any other questions! Yvette

[BrusselsGirl07]

Thank you so much for this wonderful review. It was definitely one of the best I've ever read. You gave all the information and links which were really helpful. I am thinking of switching one of my choices to one of yours. We have Anan booked for next August and I loved your pictures. I hope we get as lucky.

 

Thank you EMED2010, I appreciate your comments. I am glad you found the review helpful, and I hope you have a fantastic day at Anan Creek as well!! I would love you to come back and tell me about it when you get home after your trip next year! Yvette

[Cassicruiser]

Thanks again Yvette - I already have a booking on the Misty Fjords and Glaciers flightseeing tour with Island Wings, but only have to pay deposit in January. So a toss up between that one and the Era helicopter flight. We won't have time to get up to Talkeetna so that's not an option. Tough decision!

[tigerbeth]

Yvette, what a great trip report loved every moment !

We are heading to USA, Canada & Alaska August 2015 so your insight has been really helpful,confirming some of the tours I have researched are well worth it.Although we will be on a different ship some of the info on the Ports will be really helpful .

I enjoy doing photo books of our trips and am sure your photos would look stunning in a book. Funnily enough we were in Africa last year too!

Glad you and Bill had an amazing trip and thanks for sharing.

Beth